We kick off the show by discussing our reactions to the 2023 Oscar nominations (2:25), which dropped earlier in the week. Next, we review Brad Anderson’s frustrating horror/thriller BLOOD (15:46), which stars Michelle Monaghan as a desperate mother trying to protect her son after he gets bitten by a dog and undergoes an unsettling transformation. Then we review Cecilia Miniucchi’s disappointing COVID lockdown relationship comedy LIFE UPSIDE DOWN (34:55), a movie where Bob Odenkirk gives an uncharacteristically lousy performance. And in this week’s Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about the winner of our legacy sequels poll, TOP GUN: MAVERICK!
Tag Archives: Tom Cruise
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT, FOOLS RUSH IN, NOTTING HILL, SEX, LIES, AND VIDEOTAPE, and BEAUTIFUL GIRLS on Episode #211
Henry Cavill, Tom Cruise, and Rebecca Ferguson after one helluvah bathroom fight scene in MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT
This week, Dave kicks things off with a palate cleansing Riedel’s Recaps after last week’s weedfest: the overlong yet charming NOTTING HILL (6:57), the award-winning sex, lies, and videotape (12:29), and the par creepy, part interesting, thoroughly ’90s BEAUTIFUL GIRLS (13:32). Next, Evan revisits romantic comedy, FOOLS RUSH IN (20:55) starring the then-newly famous Salma Hayek and Matthew Perry, which boasts some unexpected layers in its treatment of race, culture, and romantic independence. Then it’s on to the main event, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT (26:05). Full of terrific action but weighed down by twist after twist after twist, it’s still well worth your time.
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THE DARK CRYSTAL Tom Cruise Triple Feature (RAIN MAN, DAYS OF THUNDER, AMERICAN MADE), VICTORIA & ABDUL, and BATTLE OF THE SEXES on Episode #168
Tom Cruise at his best, smirking his way through AMERICAN MADE.
This week begins with a discussion of bad movies, and why video game adaptations are particularly egregious. Evan then kicks things off with a recap of his experience at Somerville Theatre’s 70mm Festival, featuring THE DARK CRYSTAL (4:47). The Crewind continues with Evan’s “Triple Cruise” where he watched two classics — RAIN MAN (11:30) and the under-recognized DAYS OF THUNDER (15:17), before being joined by Dave to dissect AMERICAN MADE (21:55). The short version: it’s awesome. Dave then Spoilerpieces no one into wanting to see VICTORIA & ABDUL (37:35), the latest example that director Stephen Frears should take it easy on the aristocracy for a while. It’s finely made with a great turn by Eddie Izzard, but totally familiar. Last up, Dave and Kris are excited to talk about the many victories of BATTLE OF THE SEXES (42:02), both in the narrative and the filmmaking. It’s good, funny, thoughtful, and entirely necessary.
Listen:
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The Mummy, It Comes at Night, Clueless, and Heat on Episode #152
“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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JACK REACHER: NEVER GO BACK, OUIJA: ORIGIN OF EVIL, and 12 ANGRY MEN on Episode #119
Tom Cruise and Cobie Smulders do a lot of running in JACK REACHER: NEVER GO BACK
This week Kris is caught completely off-guard by Evan’s response to his Russian joke. Once Kris recovers from shock, he and Dave spoilerpiece JACK REACHER: NEVER GO BACK (at 5:12), which features Tom Cruise doing a lot of running and making a lot of phone calls. Its plot is rushed, and you can see everything coming, so the guys assure Evan that he didn’t miss much. Following tangents on END OF DAYS and as-seen-on-TV products, Evan reviews OUIJA: ORIGIN OF EVIL (at 34:42), the reason he wasn’t at JACK REACHER. Unfortunately he didn’t do much better since this horror flick is only 2/3 of a good movie. There is genuine tension, production value, and artful shots, but everything falls apart in the final act, when it rushes to a hasty and nonsensical conclusion. Lastly, Evan covers 12 ANGRY MEN (at 52:32), a movie he just got around to seeing. He praises Sidney Lumet’s picture for its narrow scope, superb acting, great dialogue, and fantastic blocking. The discussion then opens up to a larger one where the guys talk about other Lumet films they love.
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MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – ROGUE NATION, IRRATIONAL MAN, and THE LOOK OF SILENCE on Episode #55
Tom Cruise showing off in MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – ROGUE NATION
Boston podcast legend Steve Head from the Post-Movie Podcast and Diabolique Webcast almost gets stuck in cement on his way to join Evan and Kris for this week’s episode. After he and Evan swap SIMPSONS references, Steve shares some of his famous stories from working in the film industry. Then the three of them discuss MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – ROGUE NATION’s exciting set pieces, its fantastic female lead Rebecca Ferguson, record store names, why Tom Cruise probably works out like gerbil, and how the film series is just a chance for Cruise to show off. Kris spends some time talking about how Woody Allen’s latest film IRRATIONAL MAN is “all over the fuckin’ place,” which somehow leads to tangents about Wikipedia and Paul Feig, before he wraps things up with a quick summary of Joshua Oppenheimer’s documentary THE LOOK OF SILENCE, a companion to his doc THE ACT OF KILLING.
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