CANDYMAN (2021), THE GREEN KNIGHT, and REMINISCENCE on Episode #372

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II holds his hand up looking terrified at the camera in the movie Candyman

One of our favorite aspects of CANDYMAN is its use of mirrors.

This week we start by discussing Lisa Joy’s platitude-filled sci-fi noir REMINISCENCE (2:14), starring Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Ferguson, and Thandiwe Newton. One of us enjoyed it, one thought it was “meh,” and one found it utterly insufferable. Next, we cover David Lowery’s epic fantasy film THE GREEN KNIGHT (18:29), starring Dev Patel as Gawain from Arthurian legend. Overall, we dug this gorgeous film that both honors the tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Next, we tackle Nia DaCosta’s CANDYMAN (38:23), a sequel to the 1992 film starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, which features lots of visually stunning and unsettling moments. But two of us thought it didn’t dig as deep into social commentary as it could have. And on this week’s Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about the winner of our amusement park movie poll, Herk Harvey’s 1962 horror film CARNIVAL OF SOULS.

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WIDOWS, BOY ERASED, PRIVATE LIFE, and more with special guest Megan Kearns on Episode #226

Viola Davis stands in a trenchcoat holding a Post-it note, while Cynthia Erivo stands leaning against a punching bag in workout clothes in the Steve McQueen film Widows

Viola Davis and Cynthia Erivo are incredible in Steve McQueen’s heist film WIDOWS

This week, our friend Megan Kearns returns to the show! She kicks things off with PRIVATE LIFE (3:02), a frank and moving depiction of a couple’s attempts to conceive. Next is Evan with LIFE WITHOUT BASKETBALL (7:37), a documentary about a Muslim American woman who faces discriminatory rules regarding dress, preventing her from advancing her basketball career. Then, Kris runs us through SALEM’S LOT (11:31), the classic spooky miniseries based on the Stephen King story, as well as Orson Welles’s THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND (15:33), a film forty years in the making. It’s a true masterpiece, argues Kris, and you should all see it on Netflix now. Then, Kris and Evan look at BOY ERASED (21:48), Joel Edgerton’s film about  gay conversion therapy, with some good qualities but an unfortunate amount of overlap with THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST. Last up, all three get less and less enthusiastic about Steve McQueen’s WIDOWS (40:11).

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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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The Mummy, It Comes at Night, Clueless, and Heat on Episode #152

Film Title: The Mummy

“Russell…your arms were too big to be a mathematician’s in “A Beautiful Mind.” I think they’re waaaaaaay too big to be Dr. Henry Jekyll’s, so just turn into Mr. fuckin’ Hyde, already, OK?”

This week the guys surprise themselves by reflecting more on string cheese than any adult probably should. Then Evan delves into “Crewind,” the segment formerly known as “Catching up with Crean,” to share his experience watching CLUELESS (at 5:14) for the first time and rewatching Michael Mann’s HEAT (at 9:24) on blu-ray. After he’s done talking about the loving satire of CLUELESS and the awesome actors he forgot were in HEAT, he cedes the floor to Dave to cover IT COMES AT NIGHT (at 14:35), the sophomore effort by KRISHA director Trey Edward Shults. Dave explains why the film deserves a second and possibly third viewing, even though nothing really comes at night, before Evan and Kris explain why THE MUMMY (at 39:24) doesn’t deserve a single viewing due to its stupidity and failure to launch Universal’s Dark Universe franchise.

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ARRIVAL, LOVING, MOONLIGHT, and THE ORIGIN OF VIOLENCE on Episode #122

Alex R. Hibbert and Mahershala Ali in MOONLIGHT.

Alex R. Hibbert and Mahershala Ali in MOONLIGHT.

On this week’s episode, Dave gripes about his record club’s inability to send him records he wants, before discussing his burgeoning November beard and his latest Baby Henry story. After the guys get some good laughs in to compensate for their election sadness, Kris gets things going with ARRIVAL (at 6:10), a sci-fi film starring Amy Adams as a linguist that speaks heptapod. Adams plays the same character she always does, but it does some very interesting things Kris doesn’t expect and really turns out to be the kind of high concept sci-fi he enjoys. Next, Evan and Dave keep the good movie momentum with their description of LOVING (at 21:26), an emotional drama based on a true story with amazing performances by Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton. Kris follows with his take on MOONLIGHT (at 33:32) a three-party story of a gay man’s life that’s not revolutionary, but so well-assembled that it kind of is. Evan closes out the show with THE ORIGIN OF VIOLENCE (at 48:36), a French film playing at the Boston Jewish Film Festival that turned out to be more about the Holocaust than he expected, although not in a bad way, since the film uses it to tell a compelling story.

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EVERYBODY WANTS SOME!!, MIDNIGHT SPECIAL, and PEE-WEE’S BIG HOLIDAY on Episode #90

Everybody Wants Some

EVERYBODY WANTS SOME!! starts out bro-ey, but gets much better when these baseball players are dropped outside of their element at a punk show.

Following a free product plug for one of those mail-in shave clubs, Kris offers a correction from the previous episode. After a few minutes of Dave’s thoughts on BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE, Evan and Kris talk about EVERYBODY WANTS SOME!! Richard Linklater’s movie is bro-ey and says the word pussy a lot, but after its first 30-45 minutes both Evan and Kris really started to enjoy it. Next, Kris describes MIDNIGHT SPECIAL, a film starring Michael Shannon that’s about a kid who is special. It has people talking obliquely in a car, which annoys Kris, although it does have some really inspired sci-fi elements. The conversation leads to a tangent on Michael Shannon’s weird handsomeness, before Dave and Evan dive into PEE-WEE’S BIG HOLIDAY, which is basically PEE-WEE’S BIG ADVENTURE with a smaller budget, better music, and a less insane director. Still, they both dig its humor and find it hilarious. Finally, Kris wraps up with a half review of HELLO MY NAME IS DORIS, a film he wanted to make a prediction on before seeing the rest. How will it end? Find out in next week’s episode!

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AMERICAN ULTRA, THE GIFT, CALL ME LUCKY, and PEOPLE PLACES THINGS on Episode #58

Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Steward in American Ultra

This picture is way cooler than anything that happens in AMERICAN ULTRA.

Movies like woah on this week’s Spoilerpiece. First, Evan teases the book about ‘80s films that he’s been working on with his friend Bryan Krull, prompting a deeper conversation on ‘80s movies. Then Dave shares his thoughts on THE TRIBE because he finally saw it. Evan’s up next to talk about how THE GIFT subverts expectations, before Dave goads him into spoiling the movie’s big twist. After that, Evan and Kris discuss why they weren’t fans of AMERICAN ULTRA (hint: it’s about a stoner secret agent and plotted like a stoner wrote it). Dave follows up by quickly exploring why PEOPLE PLACES THINGS is so sluggish and by-the-numbers. And last, but not least, Kris reviews CALL ME LUCKY, a great documentary by Bobcat Goldthwait about Boston comedian and activist Barry Crimmins.

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