Spoilerpiece Theatre

This week Kris proposes a new tactic for disposing of excess Halloween candy that involves a door-to-door Australian accent. Dave is still on paternity leave so Kris and Evan ride duo for this episode, but they keep a chair open in Dave's honor. Before they get into the movies, Evan gives his quick impressions of the 80s musical ROCK OF AGES (4:34), discussing differences between the current tour and the 2012 film. Then Kris reviews THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS (8:31), the miniseries turned anthology film by the Coen Brothers, which lets you know that everything is on the table with its funny, violent, and tragic short stories. Kris is so captivated by them that he barely even spoils them, encouraging you to take everything in for yourself when the film hits Netflix soon. After that both Kris and Evan cover A PRIVATE WAR (26:46), a compelling drama about real-life war correspondent Marie Colvin played by the incredible Rosamund Pike. The film directed by documentarian Matthew Heineman makes a compelling case for the value of journalism by embedding you with Colvin and exploring the impact of PTSD on journalists like her who report on the horrors of war.

This week, Megan Kearns joins us for discussions of HOLD THE DARK (1:57), MID90S (11:34), and BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY (31:21). Thanks, and enjoy!

This week, Sean Burns returns to the Spoilerpiece guest chair! First up, Evan continues his adventure through film classics with ROSEMARY'S BABY (3:25) and THE STEPFORD WIVES (8:09) -- both coincidentally based on Ira Levin novels. Then it's on to HALLOWEEN (11:10)! Sean has been working his way through many of the series entries ahead of the new film by David Gordon Green (!!), so we pick his brain about what the hell that was all about before zeroing in on the surprisingly effective entry that is worthy of its title.

First things first: Congratulations to Dave and Joan on the birth of their son Teddy! Guest Kristen Halbert sits in for Dave this week, and thankfully Kris and Evan have their own microphones this time. After they all have a good laugh about the technical difficulties during Kristen's last visit, Kris leads off with JOLLY FELLOWS (3:10), an absurdly joyful Russian film from the 30s. Then Kristen covers THE OATH (8:55) a social satire from Ike Barinholtz that attempts to emulate GET OUT, but ends up more like SCARY MOVIE 4. Next Kris reviews FIRST MAN (15:20), the Damien Chazelle drama about Neil Armstrong that inspires him to make space puns left, right, and center. Lastly, everyone discusses THE HATE U GIVE (29:38), a gripping, layered drama that tactfully tackles issues of race, class, and police brutality through one brave young woman's experience.

This week, we welcome our old friend Sam Cohen back on the show! Things kick off with two Crewinds: NORTH BY NORTHWEST (4:09) and CITIZEN KANE (7:23), both of which Evan saw on Filmstruck. If you have classic films that have been on your watchlist for years, FilmStruck is here to help (not a sponsored message, we just dig the service). Next up, Kris (pardon his scratchy post-illness voice) catches up with an old Soviet classic WALKING THE STREETS OF MOSCOW (12:30), a film by Georgiy Daneliya that brings the heart and soul of the French New Wave to 1960s Russia. Sam then talks BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE (21:16), bad times that were unfortunately had by the audience as well. Kris gets everyone excited for A STAR IS BORN (31:41) which is going to win a whole bunch of Oscars and that's okay. Evan then finishes things off with THE SISTERS BROTHERS (44:20), the latest stark, brutal Western about the lawlessness of the early American Frontier.

It's Dave's last week on Spoilerpiece for a while, as his family is about to expand by one person and he's preparing for massive sleep deprivation. Kris couldn't make the show (because he had to attend a screening) and Dave couldn't do a late show, so the excellent Shauna Harris sits in. She and Evan saw all of NAPPILY EVER AFTER (3:52) and Dave saw half of it. The entire gang saw NIGHT SCHOOL (27:59), the new Kevin Hart vehicle. One movie everyone is on board with, and one movie everyone is not. Be sure to check our Patreon for extra audio at patreon.com/spoilerpiece.

Welcome to Episode 219! This week: the unnaturally watchable GREY'S ANATOMY (4:03); the immortal PREDATOR (1987) (12:35); the surprisingly charming THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS (20:30); the slowest ax murderer movie ever made in LIZZIE (32:13); and the gorgeously gruesome yet respectful MANDY (42:24).

Two new big releases on the show this week. After Dave corrects a mistake he made in last week's episode (re: whether TRESPASS by Genesis was released in 1970 or 1971), they get into THE WIFE (3:30), which features a fine performance by Jonathan Pryce and an EPIC Glenn Close performance. Kris and Dave disagree on how good it is (and Kris gets in a good dig at Dave at about 14:30), but they're definitely on the same page about Close's performance (also, Dave mixed up his pronouns at 20:59 and should have said, "He takes that from her," not the other way around). Then it's Shane Black's THE PREDATOR (30:04), which everyone saw. Two-thirds of the guys hated it and one-third liked it. If you are a Patreon member (patreon.com/spoilerpiece), you'll find THREE pieces of extra audio on the Patreon page over the next few days.

Somehow DMX comes up again in conversation this week, but this time it's in the context of an animated show! Kris kicks off the episode's movies by talking about POINT BREAK (3:40), which he and his fiancé accidentally watched on Keanu Reeves' birthday. After the guys gush about Kathryn Bigelow's directing and Reeves' general awesomeness, Kris moves on to MOM AND DAD (11:38), Brian Taylor's madcap thriller where Nicolas Cage and Selma Blair play homicidal parental units. Next, Dave covers SORCERER (21:00), one of the all-time great movies with one of the all-time most confusing titles, and THE AGE OF INNOCENCE (28:00), a Scorsese period piece that Dave forgot is really funny, yet also really sad. Evan jumps in to rave about SEARCHING (30:43), a smart, tense thriller starring John Cho as a father searching (see what they did there?) for his missing daughter. And finally to wrap everything up, the guys review THE NUN (42:00), a toothless, glacially paced horror movie brimming with bizarre accents and equally bizarre plot choices.

This week, Kris kicks things off with one of his favorite movies from childhood, WAYNE'S WORLD (5:35). Sometimes revisiting films you loved in your youth is disappointing, but Kris found new appreciation for the subtler moments and supporting characters, and the authenticity of Penelope Spheeris's direction. Then he segues into THE BOY (13:56), which is one huge letdown and a misuse of of good design, fine performances, and terrific cinematography. Then it's on to new releases: OPERATION FINALE (23:05), which follows the abduction of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann by Mossad to face justice. Unfortunately, they bent the worthwhile history lesson to fit a hokey template, devaluing both the story its potential impact. Last up is KIN (41:33), which is either instantly forgettable or utterly enraging; either way, its lack of coherent vision and overreliance on one specific pop culture reference means we certainly can't recommend it.