Tag Archives: podcast

07.15.16
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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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07.08.16
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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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07.01.16
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THE BFG, OUR KIND OF TRAITOR, and EAT THAT QUESTION: FRANK ZAPPA IN HIS OWN WORDS on Episode #103

The BFG

Some of the very very very good motion capture in THE BFG that Kris describes.

Somehow a conversation about moving on this week’s show turns into a digression about sippy cups where Evan shares why he needs them. The episode opens with a first ever joint segment of “Riedel’s Recaps” and “Keepin’ up with the Jensons,” where Kris and Dave talk about MCCABE & MRS. MILLER (at 4:26), one of Dave’s all-time favorite movies. They fill in some blanks left by Charlie’s exploration from the previous episode and use the segment as an opportunity to discuss Robert Altman in general. Then Kris reviews THE BFG (at 18:30), a movie that is neither Disney nor Steven Spielberg’s best work, but it does contain very very very good motion capture. After that Dave covers EAT THAT QUESTION: FRANK ZAPPA IN HIS OWN WORDS (at 36:22), a talking head documentary that only contains one talking head—Frank Zappa himself. He ends up talking about the Zappa family’s recent drama for a bit before Evan wraps up with OUR KIND OF TRAITOR, a bromantic and tedious spy flick featuring Stellan Skarsgard with a BFM (Big Fuckin Mullet) and a silly Russian accent.

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06.24.16
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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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06.17.16
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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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06.10.16
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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

MK1_5074.dng

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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06.03.16
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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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05.27.16
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WEINER and CONFIRMATION on Episode #98

Kerry Washington in CONFIRMATION

Kerry Washington in CONFIRMATION

The sad tale of how Dave broke his middle finger inspires a bizarre horror movie premise on this week’s show. Then Evan’s passing joke about GHOSTBUSTERS leads to a discussion about James Rolfe’s boycott of the new version. Once the guys finish explaining why Rolfe (aka the Angry Video Game Nerd) is wrong, they dig into the political documentary WEINER (at 15:30). All three of them share why this film about Anthony Weiner’s failed run for Mayor of New York City captivated them with its tense interactions and impressed them with its inclusion of his wife Huma Abedin’s perspective. After all their Weiner jokes stop making sense, Evan moves on to cover the HBO movie CONFIRMATION (at 39:34), which chronicles the sexual harassment allegations made against Judge Clarence Thomas during his nomination for the U.S. Supreme Court. Although it feels like too much of a made-for-TV movie, Evan argues that it’s an important story that needs to be told (and seen) since it shares Anita Hill’s perspective and exposes the shady Washington backdoor dealing that actively worked to discredit her. Plus, both Kerry Washington and Wendell Pierce are fantastic in it as Hill and Thomas.

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05.20.16
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NEIGHBORS 2: SORORITY RISING and THE NICE GUYS in Episode #97

Neighbors 2

Carla Gallo, Ike Barinholtz, Zac Efron, Seth Rogen, and Rose Bryne prepare for their big heist in NEIGHBORS 2: SORORITY RISING

Evan’s late discovery of a Hall & Oates hotline (719-26-Oates) inspires him and Dave to sing some of the duo’s biggest hits at the start of this week’s episode. Once they get that out of their system, Kris takes over for the latest installment of “Keepin’ up with the Jensons,” where he actually defends APOCALYPTO, describes why he didn’t hate X-MEN: APOCALYPSE as much as Bob, and reveals how A FIELD IN ENGLAND prepared him for HIGH-RISE’s use of overt metaphor. After they’re all caught up with Kris, Evan spoilerpieces NEIGHBORS 2: SORORITY RISING (at 18:34) by sharing how this well-paced comedy surprisingly tackles racism and sexism between its outrageous pranks and raunchy jokes. Then everyone reviews THE NICE GUYS (at 36:16) by talking about how similar it is to other Shane Black movies like THE LAST BOY SCOUT. Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe have excellent chemistry and can both be quite funny in it, although it’s a lot of missed opportunities. As Kris says, “Plenty to like, just nothing really to love.” Lastly, tune in at 50:18 to find out why past guest Sam Cohen is wrong, and at 56:52 for Kris’s very brief review of Jodie Foster’s MONEY MONSTER.

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05.13.16
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X-MEN: APOCALYPSE, HIGH-RISE, LOUDER THAN BOMBS, and A BIGGER SPLASH on Episode #96

X-Men Apocalypse

Oscar Isaac looks like a Power Rangers villain as Apocalypse in X-MEN: APOCALYPSE

Dave has some stern words for Mother Nature on this week’s show, which features returning guest Bob Chipman. Bob leads off with X-MEN: APOCALYPSE or as Dave calls it, “X-MEN: APOCALYPTO.”  In the process, he discusses how Bryan Singer can’t direct an action scene to save his life and how everything good from the last X-MEN movie happens twice in this one so it’s no longer surprising. Next, Bob and Evan discuss Ben Wheatley’s HIGH-RISE, a dystopian concept film where “everything goes to shit” in completely unsubtle ways. Following their review, Dave delivers his commentary on LOUDER THAN BOMBS, a very male movie about the death of a woman that he describes as a Norman Rockwell piece, if Rockwell dropped acid and got mugged. Finally, Evan covers A BIGGER SPLASH, which is more than just a film about yuppies who hang around a pool. He spoilerpieces Bob and Dave into wanting to see the movie by revealing its sharp humor, its complicated drama, and its unanswered mysteries.

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