PETE’S DRAGON, HELL OR HIGH WATER, and WOULD YOU RATHER on Episode #109

Hell or High Water

Ben Foster and Chris Pine are smarter than they look here in HELL OR HIGH WATER.

On this week’s episode a Fine Young Cannibals karaoke session somehow turns into a Weezer takedown, but one fan isn’t having it. Dave leads off with WOULD YOU RATHER (at 3:31), a horror movie that’s bad, although not bad enough to be super entertaining. At least it has interesting casting, and Jeffrey Combs chowing down on the scenery. After that, Evan talks about the crime drama HELL OR HIGH WATER (at 26:32), which is about brothers played by Chris Pine and Ben Foster, who rob banks to save their family’s home. His rousing description of its tense action, thorough character development, and smart bank-robbing plan spoilerpiece Dave and Kris into really wanting to see it. Lastly, Kris and Evan conclude with PETE’S DRAGON (at 48:20), a cute remake that’s touching, but the good kind of touching. Despite its dead parent motif, they spoilerpiece Dave into wanting to see the film with their recap of the dragon’s expressiveness, the antagonist’s depth, and its overall statement about unconventional families.

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SUICIDE SQUAD, BAD MOMS, and STRANGER THINGS on Episode #108

Suicide Squad

Don’t see SUICIDE SQUAD, shun it.

Unfortunately Dave needs to leave mid-episode this week due to a minor emergency, but don’t worry, he’ll be back next time! Before he takes off though, he gets to hear Evan talk about BAD MOMS (at 3:46). Evan describes why this unfunny comedy has a noble message that it stupidly undermines the entire time. He also describes why it can’t seem figure out how far to go with its jokes. Following that, Kris reviews the much-anticipated SUICIDE SQUAD (at 22:14). Sadly, he has more good things to say about the burger he ate after the movie than the movie itself. Over the course of his talk, he reveals why he upgraded his review from, “It’s stupid, don’t see it,” to “It’s toxic, shun it.” Finally Evan and Kris conclude with STRANGER THINGS (at 42:28), the Netflix series that everyone has been talking about. They delve into the show’s layered plot, sharing exactly why it resonated with them. And of course, because this is Spoilerpiece Theatre, they dig into some plot holes that got on their nerves in an otherwise tremendous series.

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JASON BOURNE, CAFE SOCIETY, and TALLULAH on Episode #107

Jason Bourne

Matt Damon in THE BOURNE REDUNDANCY aka JASON BOURNE.

Sean Burns joins Evan and Dave to discuss why Wesley Snipes movies have the best one-liners in their trailers. Since Sean hasn’t seen the week’s big movie JASON BOURNE (at 3:12), he plays a fun game where he tries to guess its plot while Evan and Dave tell him what he got right. Following some jokes about THE BOURNE LEGACY (or THE BOURNE LAZENBY as Sean calls it), some questions about why we got another Bourne movie, and a tangent on Michael Douglas, Sean covers Woody Allen’s CAFÉ SOCIETY (at 34:10). Listeners know that Dave normally hates Woody Allen, however Sean manages to spoilerpiece him into tolerating the movie by sharing how much Allen gives a shit visually in this 1930s outing. After Sean explores its message that “It ain’t like it used to be, and it never was,” he reviews Sian Heder’s TALLULAH (at 48:52), a strong first effort starring Ellen Page and Allison Janney. From there, they all descend into tangents about the Coolidge’s upcoming horror movie marathon and differing opinions on various De Palma films (mainly Sean and Dave’s).

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STAR TREK BEYOND, ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS: THE MOVIE, and HEAVEN’S GATE on Episode #106

Star Trek Beyond

The late Anton Yelchin and Zachary Quinto working together in STAR TREK BEYOND

A conversation about the trailer for XxX: RETURN OF XANDER CAGE takes an entirely different turn once the guys start talking about other short videos they’d like to see with Vin Diesel. Then Kris leads off by reviewing STAR TREK BEYOND (at 4:29). Due to a last-minute screening, he is the only one who could see it, but he has good things to say about its story, its characters, and its action scenes between Dave and Evan’s jokes about “Captain’s Logs.” Following a quick Baby Henry story, Evan and Kris discuss ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS: THE MOVIE (at 28:52). They reveal why they enjoy the movie’s absurdist British humor even though they never really watched the show it’s based on. Finally, the guys arrive at the episode’s main event, where they dig into HEAVEN’S GATE (at 39:00), a film they’ve promised to take on for a while. They delve into detail about why it’s underwritten and overproduced, while still being an amazing spectacle to behold. Their commentary on its phenomenal technical feats and depressing themes add color to this expensive flop that ruined United Artists and marred the late Michael Cimino’s career.

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GHOSTBUSTERS,THE INFILTRATOR, CHEVALIER, and TONY ROBBINS: I AM NOT YOUR GURU on Episode #105

Ghostbusters

We talk about what works and what doesn’t in the new GHOSTBUSTERS.

This week Kris shares his revolutionary idea for a new mobile game before he and Evan jump right into the new GHOSTBUSTERS (at 3:24). Kris tends to be more negative about it, but Evan also reveals some aspects that don’t work for him. They try to take time to talk about the things in it they enjoy though, like the gadgets, the camaraderie between the characters and individually hilarious players like Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones. After covering this film about women made by a man, Kris transitions into commentary on CHEVALIER (at 25:52), a Greek movie about men made by a woman. He describes why this “bone dry” comedy is a metaphorical dick joke and tells Evan and Dave why they absolutely need to see it. Next up is Dave to discuss TONY ROBBINS: I’M NOT YOUR GURU (at 35:00), a Netflix documentary directed by Joe Berlinger. Dave describes why it’s a concert movie, while sharing insights from his recent interview with Berlinger. Finally, Evan closes with THE INFILTRATOR (at 49:38), a tense undercover caper with Bryan Cranston. He catches Kris and Dave’s interest with his commentary on how the cops are always barely one step ahead of the criminals they’re chasing in the picture.

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THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS, FREE STATE OF JONES, and THE MAN IN THE WALL on Episode #104

Secret Life of Pets

One of the many silly things that animals do in THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS.

Apparently Erik Estrada doesn’t just play a cop on TV anymore. He’s one in real life too, as the guys learn in this week’s episode. After they speculate about what would happen if Ponch was charged with police brutality, Evan reviews the first movie of the week: THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS (at 5:48). According to him, this cute animated film, which features an all-star voice cast, is strongest when it’s cracking jokes about animal clichés and making you feel genuine danger for its characters, but becomes increasingly predictable as it goes on. Next Kris reveals why FREE STATE OF JONES (at 21:11) is a dry film that turns a story about Reconstruction into a VH1 biography. This conversation leads to a tangent on why GONE WITH THE WIND shouldn’t be held in such high regard, before Evan wraps up with THE MAN IN THE WALL (at 42:48), an Israeli thriller that keeps you guessing with its tale of a missing husband and a wife who might have something to do with his disappearance. He eagerly plugs its screening at the Somerville Theatre on July 12 by the Boston Jewish Film Festival and recommends checking it out on Netflix streaming.

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THE NEON DEMON, SWISS ARMY MAN, and MCCABE & MRS. MILLER on Episode #102

neon-demon

THE NEON DEMON is sick and twisted, but we love it anyway.

This week Evan and Kris explain what “Rick Rolling” is to Charlie Nash, who is filling in for Dave. Then all three of them speculate why they think INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCE (at 5:28) wasn’t screened for the press before its release. After some discussion about Jeff Goldblum, SAN ANDREAS, and Roland Emmerich disaster movies like 2012, they jump into this week’s films. First up is Nicolas Winding Refn’s THE NEON DEMON (at 13:44), a sick, twisted picture that the guys love, even though it’s fucked up and vile in every sense of the word. Their conversation about a particularly jarring scene involving a dead body allows for a convenient transition into Charlie’s take on SWISS ARMY MAN (at 50:22), a movie where Paul Dano learns to survive on a desert island with Daniel Radcliffe’s farting corpse. Charlie admits that it feels very Sundancey for its story about a nerdy guy trying to get back to a girl, but he is surprised by how much he likes it. Finally, he wraps up with his quick thoughts on MCCABE & MRS. MILLER (at 58:32), which is playing in Boston at the Brattle Theatre. Charlie shares why it’s one of his top five westerns of all time, and why Robert Altman’s film immerses you in a world that feels lived in.

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FINDING DORY, FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF, and THE UNTOUCHABLES on Episode #101

finding-dory

FINDING DORY hits the minimum bar that Pixar sets. It’s good, but not great.

On this week’s show Dave explains why a certain French filmmaker is just “too French.” Then Kris and Evan dive into FINDING DORY (at 4:50), a film that hits the lowest bar Pixar sets: it makes you laugh and cry at some point. However the movie didn’t make much of a splash with them, which is why they end up in Tangenttown making comparisons to JOE DIRT and TAKEN 2, in between talking about individual scenes that work well. At least a conversation on the use of baby voice leads to a cute Baby Henry story. Next up, the guys discuss FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF (at 31:04) because of its recent 30th anniversary. They offer their revisionist take on the movie by revealing why Ferris is an arrogant unsympathetic character in an otherwise objectively funny picture. Evan wraps up by sharing his experience seeing THE UNTOUCHABLES (at 44:50) on the big screen for the first time. It’s a lot bloodier than what he remembers from many afternoon viewings on TNT, but he still enjoys its many exciting scenes, and doesn’t hesitate to describe them using his best Sean Connery impression. Don’t be surprised if some Celebrity Jeopardy SNL references end up in there too.

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THE CONJURING 2, NOW YOU SEE ME 2, TALE OF TALES, and WALK HARD: THE DEWEY COX STORY on Episode #100

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A moment between jump scares in THE CONJURING 2.

Spoilerpiece Theatre turns 100 this week, so the guys do something special to thank their fans! Since it’s the 100th episode that also means Dave has finally seen WALK HARD: THE DEWEY COX STORY. Does he appreciate it as emphatically as Kris? Find out starting at the 4:00 mark. Next Evan and Kris cover THE CONJURING 2 (at 17:53), a super long James Wan horror movie with a lot of jump scares and a lot of little annoying things that make Evan very angry. After his anger cools, Evan reviews NOW YOU SEE ME 2 (at 42:38), which has some great magic scenes, but a convoluted plot that relies too much on you remembering information from the first movie. Lastly, Kris discusses TALE OF TALES (at 54:54), a messed up Italian anthology film that confuses the heck out of Dave and Evan with its interwoven tales that have no connection. Kris uses the conversation as an opportunity to state his case about why there should be more anthology films and television shows.

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POPSTAR: NEVER STOP NEVER STOPPING, THE LOBSTER, NEW JACK CITY, and TENACIOUS D IN THE PICK OF DESTINY on Episode #99

Popstar Movie

Evan’s facial expression during most of POPSTAR: NEVER STOP NEVER STOPPING

This week Kris reveals an ad campaign that makes him irrationally angry. Then it’s onward to four movies! Dave finally watched TENACIOUS D IN THE PICK OF DESTINY (at 4:11), so he’s nervous to talk about with two “D-heads” like Kris and Evan. He shares why it’s objectively not great, while also digging into the parts of it that are fuckin’ hilarious. Evan delivers on a promise as well, by reviewing NEW JACK CITY (at 23:24), which he LOVES for its energy and the way its action scenes are shot. He admits that it’s heavy handed with its messaging and inconsistent in tone, however he lauds it for its important social commentary on race and class. After that Kris jumps in to spoilerpiece THE LOBSTER (at 41:04), which he wasn’t expecting to take him for such a ride. It’s framed, paced, and costumed like an awkward Sundance comedy riffing on Wes Anderson, yet more brutal than unrelenting horror movies. Lastly, Evan concludes with POPSTAR: NEVER STOP NEVER STOPPING (at 52:25). This movie by The Lonely Island is mostly “eh” with a few jokes that hit and a lot of jokes that miss. Plus, in the realm of showbiz mockumentaries it doesn’t really have anything new to say.

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