Episode 553: "Rounding" and "The Gorge"

Spoilerpiece Theatre

#Entertainment #Film #Motion #CJR Productions #Davidriedel #Evancrean #Megankearns #Cinema #David Riedel #Evan Crean #Megan Kearns #Movies #Review #Critics #Picture

22:08

Host Francesca Amiker sits down with directors Joe and Anthony Russo, producer Angela Russo-Otstot, stars Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt, and more to uncover how family was the key to building the emotional core of The Electric State . From the Russos’ own experiences growing up in a large Italian family to the film’s central relationship between Michelle and her robot brother Kid Cosmo, family relationships both on and off of the set were the key to bringing The Electric State to life. Listen to more from Netflix Podcasts . State Secrets: Inside the Making of The Electric State is produced by Netflix and Treefort Media.…

about a year ago 1:05:46

MP3•Episode home

This week Megan, Evan, and Dave discuss ROUNDING (1:59), about an ambitious medical resident who relocates to a rural hospital after an elderly patient dies in his care. He soon becomes obsessed with saving a young asthma patient while suffering from horrific visions brought on by sleep deprivation and his previous trauma. Then we talk about THE GORGE (27:48), an action-rom-com-horror-thriller starring Miles Teller, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Sigourney Weaver. Over on Patreon, we watched RETURN TO OZ, the bizarro sort-of sequel to THE WIZARD OF OZ.

567 episodes

Episode 553: "Rounding" and "The Gorge"

Spoilerpiece Theatre

77 subscribers

published about a year ago

MP3•Episode home

567 episodes

#Entertainment #Film #Motion #CJR Productions #Davidriedel #Evancrean #Megankearns #Cinema #David Riedel #Evan Crean #Megan Kearns #Movies #Review #Critics #Picture

All episodes

1
Episode 559: "The Penguin Lessons" and "Bob Trevino Likes It" 53:28

5 days ago53:28

53:28

Sometimes we accidentally stumble into a theme at Spoilerpiece, and this week's theme is movies that make us dissolve into choking sobs. First, Megan and Dave weigh in on THE PENGUIN LESSONS , a movie that should be slight; a high school English teacher in politically fraught 1972 Argentina (Steve Coogan) rescues a pengiun and then everyone learns something. Megan and Dave agree: This movie should not work . It should be treacly and stupid...but it made us weep. Legit tears, not tears cheaply jerked from us. Kudos to Coogan for navigating the screenplay's potential pitfalls - he is excellent - and director Peter Cattaneo for laying off the sentiment. Next, Evan joins Megan and Dave to dicuss BOB TREVINO LIKES IT , featuring superb turns by Barbie Ferreira and John Leguizmo as two lonely people who strike up an unlikely and deep friendship that helps shepherd them through emotional trauma. This movie made us sob real tears. ( Again, not jerked, but earned.) And then over on Patreon our Women's History Month poll winner is the disaster that is ANGIE , directed by Martha Coolidge and starring Geena Davis; this movie is head-scratchingly bad.…

1
Episode 558: "Ash" and "Locked" 58:46

12 days ago58:46

58:46

Evan, Megan, and Dave take in two derivative films this week: ASH (2:37), a horror/sci-fi hodgepodge headed up by Eiza González and Aaron Paul about an astronaut who wakes up to find her crew killed, features just about every horror/sci-fi trope since ALIEN hit screens in 1979. Then there's LOCKED (25:17), a thriller starring Bill Skarsgård as a petty criminal trapped and tortured in an impenetrable SUV owned by bad-dude Anthony Hopkins. Over on Patreon , we watched the 1975 noir NIGHT MOVES , starring Gene Hackman, who left us in February.…

1
Episode 557: "The Electric State" and "Novocaine" 58:52

17 days ago58:52

58:52

This week Evan, Megan, and Dave watched one dud and one banger. The dud: THE ELECTRIC STATE (1:55), the latest crap-fest from the Russo brothers. This unfunny sci-fi comedy stars Millie Bobby Brown, Chris Pratt, and Ke Huy Quan. The banger: NOVOCAINE (26:00). Assistant bank manager Jack Quaid has a genetic condition in which he can't feel pain. So when bank robbers kidnap his would-be girlfriend (Amber Midthunder), he uses the condition to his advantage to try to save her. Over on Patreon , we talk about the 2006 Spike Lee heist film INSIDE MAN .…

1
Episode 556: "The Rule of Jenny Pen" and "Starve Acre" 52:22

26 days ago52:22

52:22

It's a week for horror on Spoilerpiece. Megan and Dave talk about THE RULE OF JENNY PEN (2:10), featuring Geoffrey Rush as a judge recovering from a stroke, John Lithgow as a sadist, and Jenny Pen as Lithgow's evil puppet cohort. Then Evan joins in for STARVE ACRE (20:59), in which two grieving parents find a mummified oak tree and tend to a reanimated rabbit that may or may not be malevolent. Yeah, it's weird. Over on Patreon , we talk about the 2025 Oscars.…

1
Episode 555: "Captain America: Brave New World," "The Monkey," and "My Dead Friend Zoe" 1:05:08

5 weeks ago1:05:08

1:05:08

This week we catch up on two current releases and a new film. Megan and Evan talk about CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD (2:28), and Megan and Dave discuss THE MONKEY (26:02). Then we all talk about the new film MY DEAD FRIEND ZOE (41:03), a dark comedy/drama about an Afghanistan war veteran (Sonequa Martin-Green) dealing with the trauma of losing her friend and fellow vet Zoe (Natalie Morales), who keeps popping up in her day-to-day life as a ghost. Over on Patreon , we talk about FINAL DESTINATION because it's 25 years old (yikes!).…

1
Episode 554: "Cleaner" and "The Quiet Ones" 57:31

6 weeks ago57:31

57:31

This week Dave is under the weather, so Megan and Evan tackle the two films as a duo. First, we review Frederik Louis Hviid's true crime heist film, THE QUIET ONES (2:59), which recounts the largest robbery in Denmark's history. Next, we discuss Martin Campbell's action thriller CLEANER (28:09), which features Daisy Ridley as an ex-soldier turned window cleaner who must save a building full of people after they're taken hostage by eco-terrorists. Over on Patreon , we talk about Jeremy Saulnier's 2024 Netflix crime thriller REBEL RIDGE .…

1
Episode 553: "Rounding" and "The Gorge" 1:05:46

7 weeks ago1:05:46

1:05:46

This week Megan, Evan, and Dave discuss ROUNDING (1:59), about an ambitious medical resident who relocates to a rural hospital after an elderly patient dies in his care. He soon becomes obsessed with saving a young asthma patient while suffering from horrific visions brought on by sleep deprivation and his previous trauma. Then we talk about THE GORGE (27:48), an action-rom-com-horror-thriller starring Miles Teller, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Sigourney Weaver. Over on Patreon , we watched RETURN TO OZ , the bizarro sort-of sequel to THE WIZARD OF OZ.…

1
Episode 552: "Heart Eyes" and "Love Hurts" 49:42

8 weeks ago49:42

49:42

This week Dave spoils director Josh Ruben’s latest, the horror comedy HEART EYES (2:11), about a serial killer who targets couples on and around Valentine’s Day. Then Evan and Megan join him to discuss LOVE HURTS (18:09), which stars Ke Huy Quan in his first leading role. Over on Patreon , we talk about Billy Wilder’s SUNSET BOULEVARD in honor of its 75th anniversary.…

1
Episode 551: "Dog Man" and "Love Me" 42:39

9 weeks ago42:39

42:39

Evan and Dave are a duo this week. Dave took his children to see the ridiculous animated movie DOG MAN , which he - surprisingly? - liked. And both Evan and Dave took in LOVE ME , a romantic drama in which Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun play a buoy and a satellite falling in love long after every lifeform on Earth has gone extinct. Over on Patreon , we discuss the 2006 Tony Scott film DÉJÀ VU with Denzel Washington.…

1
Episode 550: "Rocky's" and "Inheritance" 57:57

10 weeks ago57:57

57:57

This week we watch two films, the indie comedy-drama ROCKY’S (2:26), about five friends in their mid-20s who come together for a funeral, but first regroup in the parking lot of the 24-hour deli they loitered around in high school. Then it’s INHERITANCE (23:11), a spy thriller with Phoebe Dynevor and Rhys Ifans as an estranged daughter and father caught in a conspiracy. (Please excuse Dave’s room noise when the podcast begins; his space heater ran for a few minutes.) Over on Patreon , we talk about the 1989 Nicole Kidman thriller DEAD CALM .…

1
Episode 549: "Wolf Man," "Night Call," and "Back in Action" 1:08:57

11 weeks ago1:08:57

1:08:57

This week Megan saw WOLF MAN (2:20), director and co-writer Leigh Whannell ’s latest trip down the horror highway, starring Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner. Megan likes this new take on Universal’s legendary Wolf Man…until she doesn’t. A good start, a meh finish. Then Evan and Dave join in when the conversation turns to NIGHT CALL (16:17), Michiel Blanchart's tense and nimble French-language thriller about a locksmith (Jonathan Feltre) who has the misfortune of opening a door…TO CRIME! (See what we did there?) A seemingly innocent call makes a normal shift turn nightmarish as lead character Mady is conned into opening the door, is chased by criminals, chased by more criminals, chased by cops…you get the idea. We all enjoyed this clever, fast-paced, and frenetic thriller. Then we all weigh in on Cameron Diaz ’s first screen role since 2014, the Netflix spy thriller BACK IN ACTION (44:21), directed by Seth Gordon. Don’t let the lazy title fool you: The screenplay is just as lazy as the title! Ho ho! Not for nothing, this movie throws in just about every action trope known to humankind, but it doesn’t do anything particularly well. Good thing Diaz cranks the charm to 100, and she has an easy chemistry with her equally charming co-star Jamie Foxx . But otherwise…bleh. Over on Patreon , we talk about Max Eggers and Sam Eggers's 2024 horror flick THE FRONT ROOM , starring Brandy.…

1
Episode 548: "Get Away" and "Red Rooms" 1:03:20

12 weeks ago1:03:20

1:03:20

This week Evan, Megan, and Dave take in the new Nick Frost -written-and-starring horror comedy GET AWAY (2:50), about a family that goes to a remote Swedish island for a holiday weekend, only to be trapped as a killer is on the loose. Zoinks! Blood and guts ensue! But do the laughs follow? DO THEY?!! Two-thirds of us felt one way, and one-third of us felt another way. Then we watch RED ROOMS (26:02), the French-Canadian drama about obsession (among other things) about the trial of a man accused of absolutely horrifying, grisley murders - all captured on video as snuff films (thankfully, the visuals of said snuff films make limited appearances, though the audio doesn't leave much mystery). However, the lead character, Kelly-Anne ( Juliette Gariépy ) goes down the rabbit hole during the trial, and writer-director Pascal Plante doesn't lay out easy answers for the questions he poses. We were all fascinated, and this made Megan's Top 10 of 2024 list. Over on Patreon, we're joined by Jimmy Stewart to talk about the 1956 Alfred Hitchcock film THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH .…

1
Episode 547: "I Saw the TV Glow" and "The Seed of the Sacred Fig" 56:54

13 weeks ago56:54

56:54

Welcome to 2025! Evan is off this week, but Megan and Dave are here to talk about I SAW THE TV GLOW (2:26), writer-director Jane Schoenbrun’s horror-fantasy about Owen (Justice Smith) and Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine), two teens obsessed with a TV show called “The Pink Opaque,” with airs on Saturday nights past Owen’s bedtime. This was Megan’s top movie of 2024, so she has lots to say, as does Dave, who found its performances excellent, its look great, and its steeped-in’-90s-culture vibe spot-on. But despite picking up on its trans allegory, Dave was pretty confounded, so he and Megan have a lively talk about it. Then they get to THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG (24:47), Mohammad Rasoulof's thriller set in Iran in 2022 amid the anti-theocracy protests and the violence that came with them. Iman (Missagh Zareh), a recently-promoted investigating judge, is given a gun - to protect himself and his family - along with his new position. His wife Najmeh (Soheila Golestani) and daughters are actually the main characters, and this family drama turns thriller when the gun goes missing. There’s more to it than that (it’s two hours and 47 minutes, after all), and it’s compelling as hell, and we had a great talk about it. Over on Patreon , we talk about the 1995 comedy PARTY GIRL starring Parker Posey.…

1
Episode 546: Our Top 10 Movies of the Year (All Three of Us) 1:15:53

14 weeks ago1:15:53

1:15:53

It's the end of the year, and that means it's time for our top 10 lists. As members of the Boston Online Film Critics Association, we vote for what we consider the best films of the year (ya know, like critics do). Megan (4:28) goes first, followed by Dave (28:45), and finally Evan (51:51). We have some overlap, but not much! And we have a good time breaking down our reasons for liking the films we do. There are some curveballs, too, which is always fun. Over on Patreon, the results of our Hitchcock for the Holidays poll is a discussion of the 1943 thriller SHADOW OF A DOUBT . It you're a patron, listen to it here .…

1
Episode 545: "The Brutalist" and "Nosferatu" 1:06:17

15 weeks ago1:06:17