Cinema IRL

This week, Amber and Scott tackle a UFO thriller that proves the truth really is out there - and it's probably more traumatic than you'd expect. When a young girl's father gets abducted by aliens and replaced with someone else, our hosts dive into the age-old question: what's worse, losing your dad to extraterrestrials or having to explain that to your therapist later? Swedish alien hunters are apparently on display, because nothing says 'credible UFO investigation' quite like Nordic efficiency. Grab your tinfoil hat and your skepticism - you'll need both for this close encounter.

Amber and Scott return to discuss why your CPA probably isn't as exciting as Ben Affleck's autistic action hero accountant. Because apparently, the first film didn't fully explore the thrilling world of tax season meets tactical combat operations. This week they're asking the important questions: Is your accountant missing out on being a killer, and are you missing out on way more than just tax write-offs? Spoiler alert: if your accountant can't beat the crap out of anyone who does you wrong, you might want to shop around.

mber and Scott dive into the uncomfortable truth about adult friendships with a film that's basically a masterclass in social awkwardness. As they discuss, if you don't have friends by the time you're an adult, you're probably screwed - but this movie suggests that making new ones might be even worse. When suburban dad Craig's attempts to make an adult male friend spiral completely out of control, our hosts explore why friendship as a grown-up is such a real challenge. Sometimes you take what you can get, but don't be too weird about it - because as this film shows, it can be easy come, easy go.

Amber and Scott tackle an airplane battle royale mashup that somehow manages to cram assassins, flight attendants, and tech bros into one gloriously chaotic action-comedy. Because nothing says 'relaxing flight' quite like a plane full of killers with questionable weapon-smuggling skills and even more questionable survival instincts. Our hosts dive into the important questions: How exactly did all these assassins get weapons on board, and why does every airplane movie seem to think there's a service elevator at 30,000 feet? Buckle up for this high-altitude discussion that's more turbulent than the movie itself.

Amber and Scott are up for some reject superheroes after diving into Marvel's latest team of misfits who probably got kicked out of the good superhero groups for a reason. That mysterious asterisk in the title remains unexplained because, as our hosts admit, it didn't come up - but hey, at least someone had to type it. This week they're exploring what happens when you take all the B-list heroes and villains and throw them together, probably hoping they'll figure out how to save the world without destroying it first. Spoiler alert: the jury's still out on that one.

Amber and Scott discuss The Surfer, where Nicholas Cage is full-on Nicholas Caging harder than ever - and yes, it's exactly what you probably think. When a man returns to his beachside hometown in Australia and gets humiliated by local surfers claiming ownership over the beach, things escalate wildly out of control in true Cage fashion. Our hosts explore what happens when childhood wounds, territorial surfers, and peak Nicolas Cage energy collide at the edge of sanity. What the hell was that? Even they're not entirely sure, but that's half the fun.

Amber and Scott take on a very real and unflinching look at modern warfare through the eyes of soldiers who lived it, because sometimes the most important stories are the ones that make us the most uncomfortable. Written and directed by Iraq War veteran Jay Mendoza and Alex Garland, this film embeds audiences with a platoon of American Navy SEALs in an Iraqi family's home during a real-time operation. Our hosts grapple with putting themselves in the shoes of those who've experienced the unthinkable, exploring how war is hell and probably even worse than most of us can imagine. This isn't your typical action movie - it's a visceral, boots-on-the-ground story told like never before.

Special guest Jimmy joins Amber and Scott to tackle a horror film that asks the ultimate question: are you scared of dying, especially if you knew you'd just restart the night a little more screwed up than before? When a group finds themselves stalked by a masked killer and horrifically murdered one by one, only to wake up back at the beginning of the same evening, our hosts explore the psychological nightmare of being trapped in a deadly time loop. Jimmy adds his unique perspective as they discuss what happens when your worst night becomes your eternal night. Sometimes the real horror isn't dying - it's having to live through the same terror indefinitely until you're too broken to continue.

Amber and Scott discover that death and technology don't mix particularly well after watching a film about a tech entrepreneur who's developed software that lets the bereaved witness their loved ones' decomposition process. Because apparently, someone thought what grief really needed was a live stream of decay with premium subscription features. Our hosts dive into this premise that had so much potential but was executed about as well as the people being monitored. When you have lots of money, tech skills, and a bit of creepiness, this is apparently how you handle loss - and it's exactly as disturbing as it sounds.

Amber and Scott navigate the complex world of chosen family, cultural identity, and accidental pregnancy in a film that combines a staged straight wedding with some very real complications. When trying to get pregnant, accidentally getting pregnant, and doing this within the context of gay couples creates one really messed up situation, our hosts explore how love, immigration, and family expectations can create the most beautifully chaotic scenarios. Sometimes the best families are the ones you choose, even when those choices involve green card marriages, commitment-phobic boyfriends, and surprise pregnancies that nobody saw coming.