PACIFIC RIM UPRISING and UNSANE with a smidgen of Boston Underground Film Festival preview Episode #193!

A robot from Pacific Rim Uprising.

PACIFIC RIM UPRISING swaps Idris Elba for John Boyega and Guillermo del Toro for Steven S. DeKnight. The results are so-so.

Hey gang! It’s a big week on Spoilerpiece! Before our awesome theme music kicks in, Evan, Kris, and Dave have a big announcement about the new Spoilerpiece Patreon! (Cue music?) But before launching into this week’s flicks, Dave asks that you please please PRETTY GODDAMN PLEASE go to his Twitter page and vote for “Chronological Coens” or “Chronological Cronenberg” (3:37). And yes, that means he’ll watch the Coen brothers’ movies from BLOOD SIMPLE to HAIL CAESAR! or STEREO to MAPS OF THE STARS, depending on which you choose, dear listeners. Poll closes at roughly 5 p.m. ET Friday, March 23, 2018. As for the big movies this week, it’s Steven Soderbergh’s UNSANE (9:38), which Kris and Dave more or less agree on with one important difference. Then everyone talks PACIFIC RIM UPRISING (35:03), the next chapter in the PACIFIC RIM series. Plus, Kris and Evan talk a little bit about the upcoming Boston Underground Film Festival (31:06)! Stay tuned after the closing music for (very) brief silliness.

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TOMB RAIDER, VERONICA (HORROR!), and 7 DAYS IN ENTEBBE on Episode #192

Alicia Vikander poised to fire an arrow in TOMB RAIDER.

Alicia Vikander is great, but TOMB RAIDER is not.

Hello from snowy Boston, MA! This week’s show begins with the very solid VERONICA (3:40), a horror movie from Paco Plaza, director of REC. It’s on Netflix now and people are buzzing about its atmosphere and terrifying set pieces. They’re mostly right, according to Kris, except that the scares stop halfway through once you become invested in the story in its own right. Next up, Dave saw 7 DAYS IN ENTEBBE (21:54), a new thriller based on a true story involving Israel, Uganda, and a hijacked plane. Despite a few interesting side characters, there’s nothing keeping ENTEBBE in the air. Last up is TOMB RAIDER (33:08), starring Alicia Vikander in the role of Lara Croft. She’s great, as are other members of the cast, but the movie around her is not for its go-nowhere plot, strange self-contradictions, and pointlessly preposterous twist.

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The Oscars and A WRINKLE IN TIME with guest Kristen Halbert on Episode #191

Oprah in A Wrinkle in Time

Oprah the All-Powerful is fantastic in Disney’s A WRINKLE IN TIME.

Things are a bit different this week at Spoilerpiece as technical glitches force us to employ some improvised recording methods, so please excuse any changes in pacing/audio quality! Dave couldn’t be here, so Evan and Kris are joined by special guest critic Kristen Halbert of Forces of Geek, who describes some rather unique experiences at Comic-Con. Kris fell short of his goal to watch everything nominated for an Oscar in every category — 51 out of 59 films — and gives his thoughts on some of the categories he felt were a bit off (5:23). Then it’s on to the main event, A WRINKLE IN TIME (14:02), Ava DuVernay’s valiant and heartfelt attempt to adapt the unadaptable and beloved novel by Madeleine L’Engle. All three hosts were touched in some way, and though it occasionally suffers from odd pacing and other issues, it can be quite dazzling and powerful when it works. A definite see!

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And of course, for your viewing pleasure, Evan and Kris sharing a microphone after some technical difficulties.

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RED SPARROW, MUTE, and ROMAN J. ISRAEL, ESQ. on Episode #190

Jennifer Lawrence wearing red in RED SPARROW.

J-Law looking like Dave and Kris felt after seeing her latest movie RED SPARROW.

After some discussion of weather, moods, and major singing in the cold open, the guys get down to tha movies. ROMAN J. ISRAEL, ESQ. is the focus of this week’s installment of “Keeping Up with the Jensons” (3:59). (Kris is trying to see all the Oscar nominees before Academy Awards ceremony.) Then Evan regales everyone with his breakdown of MUTE (12:39), Duncan Jones’ new weirdo flick starring Alexander Skarsgård as a mute guy trying to find his girlfriend. Note: Paul Rudd is the heavy in this one. Lastly, Kris and Dave talk about RED SPARROW (27:30), the new Jennifer Lawrence/Francis Lawrence collaboration with an ending you should see coming, but the preview audience was totes surprised.

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BILAL: A NEW BREED OF HERO, PRIVATE BENJAMIN, and THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS on Episode #186

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After wondering what kind of person show up to a movie 15 minutes late, the guys get into an oldie-but-goodie kinda week on Spoilerpiece. Evan breaks down PRIVATE BENJAMIN (3:25), a funny feminist-ish Army-ish comedy starring Goldie Hawn as a woman who joins up because she really doesn’t have anything else to do. Then Dave gets into THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS (13:27), the Michael Mann-directed Daniel Day-Lewis-starring French and Indian War epic. Technically, BILAL: A NEW BREED OF HERO (23:27) is new to the United States, but it’s been out overseas quite a while. Kris and Evan discuss its flaws (many) and virtues (also many), and how it features stories outside the normal American purview.

Check out this week’s episode of Spoilerpiece Theatre!

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MY BEAUTIFUL LAUNDRETTE (Stephen Frears with Daniel Day-Lewis), DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (book vs. adaptation), and FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER (Angelina Jolie) on Episode #184

MY BEAUTIFUL LAUNDRETTE

MY BEAUTIFUL LAUNDRETTE

This week’s episode starts with Dave fresh off of MY BEAUTIFUL LAUNDRETTE (6:30), which he saw as part of Coolidge Corner Theatre’s series dedicated to Daniel Day-Lewis, “I’m Finished!” It’s all over the place with a million plot threads and an impossibly large cast, but boasts a terrific grit and excellent performances. Next up is Kris, who just finished reading Boris Pasternak’s DOCTOR ZHIVAGO and rewatched David Lean’s adaptation starring Omar Sharif (21:17). Kris wishes he were more impressed with the film after reading the novel, but is he breaking his own rule of separating films from source material by lowering his opinion of a movie he enjoyed? Maybe, and he’s the first to admit it. The episode then close things out with a recap of FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER (36:42), Angelina Jolie’s film about life under the Khmer Rouge. The guys are split — Dave and Kris enthusiastically in favor, with Evan on the fence as to whether it’s a success in its own terms.

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INSIDIOUS: THE LAST KEY and other stuff (Tarantino rumors, the TRUTH OR DARE trailer, yada yada) on Episode #182

Insidious: The Last Key (2018)

Insidious: The Last Key. Yes, this moment is super creepy.

After discussing the trailer for the upcoming TRUTH OR DARE and a rumored long-lost Clint Eastwood movie, Evan, Kris, and Dave get down to answering some questions posed by a listener about Quentin Tarantino and rumors of his possible attachment to a new STAR TREK movie (5:00). Then they answer more questions and Kris fills the guys in on his return to letterboxd.com (15:45). Finally, it’s off to the main event, the new Leigh Whannel-written INSIDIOUS: THE LAST KEY (18:30), and what the hell it all means in the context of the INSIDIOUS series. Stay warm, New England.

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Our Top 10 Films of 2017 on Episode #181

A scene of children dressed as soldiers holding guns on their backs in Angelina Jolie's film FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER.

A scene in Angelina Jolie’s new film FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER, which is a topic of discussion in this week’s episode.

Happy almost New Year dear listeners! This week, after Kris reveals the very painful way he thinks Dave can fix a messed up shoulder, Dave agrees with Charlie Nash’s commentary on MOLLY’S GAME (5:26) from the previous episode. Next the guys talk about holiday films (7:35) they watched like A CHRISTMAS STORY, MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET, EMMET OTTER’S JUG-BAND CHRISTMAS and CASABLANCA. Then they move onto their main event (16:00), a deep dive into their ballots for the Boston Online Film Critics Association’s annual awards. The guys each share their top 10 films from the year, while also debating the merits of their favorite performances, directors, screenplays, editing, cinematography and scores, which include work in movies never-before discussed on the show.

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STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI, I, TONYA and guest Tim Estiloz on Episode #179!

The STAR WARS LAST JEDI logo

Even though we go full tilt spoilers on STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI with guest Tim Estiloz, this image doesn’t give anything away.

This week Kris, Evan, and Dave are joined by their good friend and fellow BOFCA member Tim Estiloz for a spirited discussion of I, TONYA (5:52) with Margot Robbie as figure skater Tonya Harding. Tim, a former professional ice skater and current news/film reporter-type, brings a unique perspective to the discussion and offers some insight on the real Harding’s skill as a skater. Then they guys get into STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI (38:12). Yes, we give everything away (like always), but THE LAST JEDI is so much fun no spoilers could actually spoil it.

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JUSTICE LEAGUE, LAST FLAG FLYING, IN BETWEEN, KEEP THE CHANGE and special guest Sean Burns on Episode #175!

(L-r) JASON MOMOA as Aquaman, GAL GADOT as Wonder Woman, EZRA MILLER as The Flash and RAY FISHER as Cyborg in Warner Bros. Pictures' action adventure

JUSTICE LEAGUE….ASSEMBLED…minus Superman and Batman.

This week our good friend and co-host Kristofer Jenson is sidelined by the plague, so honorary fourth member Sean Burns fills in. He gets things started off (3:40) with a special guest segment, “Burned Out with Sean Burns,” in which he tells Dave and Evan what he thinks of THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI. Evan follows things up with IN BETWEEN and KEEP THE CHANGE (8:50), which are showing at the Boston Jewish Film Festival. Then Sean and Dave weigh in on Richard Linklater’s LAST FLAG FLYING (18:00), the spiritual sequel to THE LAST DETAIL. Finally, it’s superhero time as Evan and Dave discuss JUSTICE LEAGUE (28:55) and Sean more or less correctly guesses the plot even though he hasn’t seen it.

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