I'm Thinking of Spoiling Things

Stephen and Vaughn are back to talk about the latest film releases, this week with a wide range from the world of independent, microbudget horror to this year's Palme d'Or winner. There's a lot to discuss and a lot of strong opinions this week on the show, so join us as we fervently share our adoration for Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead's latest twisted Lovecraftian oddity Something in the Dirt, complete with a brief spoiler free discussion to sell the uninitiated on one of our favorite films of the year before we dive into a full conversation about every little brilliant detail. Afterwards, we discuss Ruben Ostlund's Cannes victor Triangle of Sadness, and deconstruct its many faceted failures as it boldly attempts (and perhaps completely fails) to offer poignant commentary on today's failing class structure. Our main feature this week is Luca Guadagnino's Bones and All, a filmmaker both Stephen and Vaughn have very specific thoughts on - how do we feel, how does it translate to his latest film, and will a special guest make an appearance to join the conversation? Find out this week on the show, alongside some listener mail and as always, a recommendation from each of us from our pile of recently watched films throughout cinema history.

Timestamps:

Something in the Dirt Spoiler Free Sales Pitch | 2:15

Something in the Dirt Full Spoiler Discussion | 17:30

Triangle of Sadness | 35:30

Bones and All | 58:00

Listener Mail | 1:23:00

Recommendations | 1:32:00

Have a question, a comment, or just want to say hello? Send us a message at [email protected].

This week on the show, Stephen and Vaughn travel to the fictional Irish island of Inisherin to discuss Martin McDonagh's latest film alongside editor-in-chief Calvin and some surprise podcast party crashers. With varied thoughts across hosts on Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson's return to tenuous friendship duo it's a full show of digging deep into what does and doesn't work about The Banshees of Inisherin, its novelty, its presentation, and its secondary and tertiary characters. Join us as we discuss the existential struggles of male friendship, our appreciation of cows on film, messages from mysterious listeners, reviewing ourselves mid-episode, and more before we offer up our latest round of film recommendations from our recent watches and rest until the next time we return to dive into the latest releases.

Timestamps:

The Banshees of Inisherin | 3:00

Listener Mail | 43:50

Recommendations | 1:01:30

Have a question, a comment, or just want to say hello? Send us a message at [email protected].

After a brief break to celebrate our anniversary, it's once again time to spoil some of the latest movies, this week diving in to some of this season's horror releases. First, it's Damien Leone's Terrifier 2: how does this latest horror sensation stack up to its slasher inspirations, what does it do with its formula of violence established in its predecessor, and how does aspiring icon Art the Clown function as an antagonist? Next up is Ti West's Pearl: a hypersaturated establishment of early cinematic perversion alongside a fascinating character study, we explore the potential offered by this unique experiment of constructing a new horror universe. Finally, it's David Gordon Green's Halloween Ends, and to wrap up this beloved slasher franchise we explore its many entries through the years before placing our definitive stamps on this final installment - can it swing wildly at enough to be a modern schlocksterpiece or is it a fitting failure to cap off a franchise full of mediocrity? Find out about all of these (along with two fresh recommendations from a month of gory watches) on this belated spooky episode!

Timestamps:

Terrifier 2 | 4:15

Pearl | 23:00

Halloween Ends | 36:30

Recommendations | 1:15:00

Have a question, a comment, or just want to say hello? Send us a message at [email protected].

It's been one year since Stephen and Vaughn launched the show, and to celebrate, they're thinking of ranking things. This episode, the guys reflect on their year of putting the show together every fortnight and make their definitive list of every film they've covered, from best to worst. It's also one of the biggest listener mail segments yet, with lots of submitted questions on how the show came together, the production process, what they've learned, and the thrilling creation of what could one day be one of the best films ever. Thank you, listeners, for joining throughout year one!

Timestamps:

The Anniversary Ranking | 2:30

Listener Mail | 39:30

Recommendations | 1:58:45

Have a question, a comment, or just want to say hello? Send us a message at [email protected].

Every year comes with a choice few dives into the realm of the biopic, and every year comes with a swath of varying results in how successful any given attempt is at being faithful or respectful to its subject. Andrew Dominik's Blonde is this year's latest, Netflix's newest biopic depicting the story of Marilyn Monroe as fictionalized in Joyce Carol Oates' book of the same name. This week on the show, Stephen and Vaughn along with friend of The Twin Geeks Kev go through and share their thoughts on the film and deconstruct its intricacies, fictionalizations, and failures. There's also plenty of listener mail to respond to and as always, your hosts' recommendations from what they've been watching recently.

Timestamps:

Blonde | 5:00

Listener Mail | 58:30

Recommendations | 1:09:00

Have a question, a comment, or just want to say hello? Send us a message at [email protected].

It's a busy week with lots of new films to discuss, so from the worst to the best, Stephen and Vaughn get together to get through it all. Is Olivia Wilde's Don't Worry Darling as disastrous as its press tour indicated? Is the latest in a resurgence of whodunnits, See How They Run, a successful riff on the genre? Is Saloum a genre-bending masterpiece or a bold attempt at constant reinvention that doesn't quite work? Is Neptune Frost one of the most vibrant and inventive films the guys have seen all year? Find out all that and more before a full deconstruction of David Bowie, his career, our experiences with his music, and Bret Morgen's psychedelic, music-driven documentary Moonage Daydream. Plus, our latest recommendations from the last two weeks of exploring the world of cinema.

Timestamps:

Grab Bag of Recent Releases (Don't Worry Darling, See How They Run, Saloum, Neptune Frost) | 3:00

Moonage Daydream | 47:00

Listener Mail | 1:18:00

Recommendations | 1:25:00

Have a question, a comment, or just want to say hello? Send us a message at [email protected].

With Stephen away for a while and two whole episodes dedicated to television, it turns out the guys have quite a few recent releases they haven't yet gotten a chance to discuss, so this week it's an entire episode of grab bag. Starting off with Ken Kwek's #LookAtMe before moving on to show favorite director George Miller's brand new Three Thousand Years of Longing along with some coverage of new horror releases Orphan: First Kill and Barbarian, and finally a highly anticipated discussion of Jordan Peele's Nope. All that, some listener mail, a couple of recommendations, and all recorded at the most inconveniently delirious hours we could pick.

Timestamps:

The Rehearsal In Review | 3:30

#LookAtMe | 12:00

Three Thousand Years of Longing | 38:00

Orphan: First Kill | 1:00:00

Barbarian | 1:10:00

Nope | 1:20:00

Listener Mail | 1:44:30

Recommendations | 2:07:00

Have a question, a comment, or just want to say hello? Send us a message at [email protected].

After a chaotic first part of our series on The Rehearsal, it's time for Stephen to take what he learned from his carefully orchestrated plans and practice and put it to work. Vaughn's back (again?) to have some discussions with Stephen that may feel strangely familiar. Nonetheless it's all fresh and we're here to offer even more commentary on just how brilliant Nathan Fielder's The Rehearsal is as we deconstruct and discuss it along with its many points of inspiration, along with answering our listener mail and offering some recommendations for you all to check out.

Thanks so much to all of our wonderful collaborators who worked on this bizarre experimental podcast with us, and we hope you've had fun listening. If you'd like to check out any of our friends who worked on this with us, you can find them here: Calvin (acting as Mol), Jack (acting as Stephen), Murph (acting as Lucas), and Lucas (acting as Vaughn).

Timestamps:

Grab Bag Of Recent Releases (Bullet Train, The Novelist’s Film, Glorious, The Invitation, They/Them) | 8:50

The Rehearsal | 43:00

Listener Mail | 1:22:45

Recommendations | 1:47:00

Have a question, a comment, or just want to say hello? Send us a message at [email protected].

It's our most ambitious episode yet, and this week the Spoilers are leaving the familiar territory of the realm of film and entering the world of television for the first time as Stephen returns from his honeymoon to co-host once again. This week, it's Nathan Fielder's The Rehearsal, after a lengthy discussion about some of the latest releases, including David Leitch's Bullet Train, Hong Sang-soo's The Novelist's Film, Rebekah McKendry's Glorious, and John Logan's They/Them. Then, it's on to the main event of attempting to deconstruct the many fascinations and machinations of HBO's latest puzzling piece of comedic docufiction.

Timestamps:

Grab Bag Of Recent Releases (Bullet Train, The Novelist's Film, Glorious, They/Them) | 33:00

The Rehearsal | 1:02:30

Listener Mail | 1:50:00

Recommendations | 2:08:

Have a question, a comment, or just want to say hello? Send us a message at [email protected].

While Stephen is away completing a world tour of Federico Fellini's filming locations, Vaughn puts together a very special episode, featuring three guests and three films. In each segment, one of our dear friends will join to talk about a different movie; Calvin joins to figure out whodunit in Bodies Bodies Bodies, Murph to discuss the various hunting techniques utilized in Prey, and Jack hops in to kick back and reminisce on the vibes of The Lad Goodbye. With a bloody neon mystery, an adrenaline-fueled monster hunt, and a microbudget neo-noir stoner comedy for the ages, there's lots to talk about this week on the show.

Timestamps:

Calvin & Bodies Bodies Bodies | 0:00

Murph & Prey | 49:05

Jack & The Lad Goodbye | 1:30:30

Have a question, a comment, or just want to say hello? Send us a message at [email protected].