Spoilerpiece Theatre

Megan starts this week's show with a quick review of Angel Manuel Soto's entertaining Latinx superhero film BLUE BEETLE (3:22). Next, she and Dave discuss Charlotte Regan's well-acted drama SCRAPPER (14:47), which follows a 12-year-old girl who connects with her estranged father. Then, we all cover Cory Finley's grim sci-fi satire LANDSCAPE WITH INVISIBLE HAND (26:54), which involves teens (Asante...

This week we start by reviewing Dane Elcar's compelling sci-fi horror film  BRIGHTWOOD (2:23), which follows a troubled couple (Dana Berger and Max Woertendyke) who become trapped in the woods while they're out for a run. Next, we cover Stewart Thorndike's frustrating horror movie  BAD THINGS (24:19), which follows a group of friends (Gayle Rankin, Hari Nef, Annabelle Dexter-Jones, and Rad Pereira...

This week we start by reviewing Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, and Pierre Leduc's animated movie,  THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE (1:55), which adapts the popular videogame franchise for the big screen with an all-star cast. Now streaming on Peacock, this one has us pretty divided. Next, we discuss Jared Moshe's sci-fi film  APORIA (22:09), which follows Sophie (Judy Greer), a wife and mother grievi...

This week we have reviews of SHORTCOMINGS AND WHAT COMES AROUND! We start by talking about Amy Redford's not-so-thrilling thriller WHAT COMES AROUND (1:56), a story about a teenager (Grace Van Dien) who starts dating a much older man (Kyle Gallner) with a disturbing connection to her mother (Summer Phoenix). Then we discuss Randall Park's directorial debut SHORTCOMINGS (23:00), based on a graphic...

This week it's all about Indigenous films at Spoilerpiece Theatre. But before we delve into them, Evan pays tribute to his friend, teacher, and writing partner, Dr. Bryan Krull, who passed away very suddenly. He describes how they met, became friends, and decided to team up to write Your '80s Movie Guide to Better Living , as he expresses his gratitude for their friendship over the years. Moving o...

Dave is off this week, so we (Megan and Evan) tackle the show as a duo. Megan opens by reviewing Greta Gerwig's vibrant, sharp, and funny film BARBIE (2:32), in which the iconic doll (Margot Robbie) suffers an existential crisis that causes her to question her influence on the world. Next, we both talk about Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman's musical mockumentary THEATER CAMP (20:37), which follows...

This week we start off by reviewing Christopher McQuarrie's Tom Cruise action vehicle MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - DEAD RECKONING PART ONE (2:45). As with all MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE movies, this one brings amazing action and death-defying stunts, but is the story worthy of being told in two parts and is there an actual dead reckoning? You'll just have to listen and find out. Next, we cover the Michel Hazana...

We start this week by reviewing Mel Eslyn's post-apocalyptic dramedy BIOSPHERE (2:01), which stars Sterling K. Brown and Mark Duplass (who also co-writes) as the last two men on Earth, who learn that they must adapt, quite literally, to save humanity. It has great performances and surprising themes, but we don't all agree on how well it tackles those themes. Next, we cover Alice Troughton's thrill...

This week we start off by reviewing Nick Bruno and Troy Quane's entertaining and moving animated sci-fi action film NIMONA (1:50). The movie, which is based on a graphic novel by ND Stevenson, follows a futuristic knight (Riz Ahmed) and a mischievous shapeshifting teen (Chloe Grace Moretz) who team up to clear the knight's name after he's framed for a crime he didn't commit. Next, we cover Julie C...

We start the show this week by reviewing David Gelb's documentary STAN LEE (3:55), which chronicles the life and mythos of Marvel's Stan Lee but makes some truly bizarre storytelling choices that paint a sanitized, incomplete portrait of his life. Next, we discuss Numa Perrier's vibrant Netflix rom-com THE PERFECT FIND (25:19), where Gabrielle Union plays a woman trying to start a new chapter in h...

Friend of the show Kristen Halbert from Forces of Geek returns this week! First, Evan, Megan, and Dave review the gross and glacially-paced Vasilis Katsoupis film  INSIDE (3:28), which stars Willem Dafoe as an art thief who gets trapped inside a high-tech Manhattan penthouse and struggles to maintain his sanity as he fights to survive. Next, Kristen, Megan, and Dave cover THE BLACKENING (20:37), a...

This week, we discuss DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: HONOR AMONG THIEVES (1:58), Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley's delightful and fun fantasy heist action-comedy based on the iconic role-playing game, starring Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, and Hugh Grant. Then, we review Eva Longoria's FLAMIN' HOT (25:07), a biographical comedy-drama starring Jesse Ga...

On this week's show we have one movie to talk about but boy is it a big one! We're reviewing SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE (1:44)! We have a couple more critiques than we did of the previous film in the franchise, but we have a lot to say about this excellent sequel from its styles of animation to its editing, pacing, score, new characters, and more. Plus, Evan shares a very special reason w...

Megan kicks off this week's show by offering her thoughts on Disney's new live-action adaptation of THE LITTLE MERMAID (2:18), which features a fantastic performance and amazing vocals from lead Halle Bailey. Next, we all discuss Kurtis David Harder's smart and entertaining horror movie  INFLUENCER (9:50), which subverts expectations in a number of ways with its tale about a social media influence...

Evan is off this week, so Dave and Megan review CONSECRATION (3:18), Cristopher Smith's disappointing supernatural horror film, starring Jena Malone who investigates her brother's death at a convent. Then we discuss Laurel Parmet's excellent nuanced drama THE STARLING GIRL (24:42), starring Eliza Scanlen as a 17-year-old in a fundamentalist Christian community dealing with her faith when she falls...

This week we start by reviewing Matt Johnson's tech bro dramedy BLACKBERRY (2:27), which stars Glenn Howerton, Jay Baruchel, and Johnson himself, and chronicles the meteoric rise and fall of the famous BlackBerry smartphone. Next, we cover Niki Caro's Netflix action film THE MOTHER (29:37), which stars Jennifer Lopez as a sniper and former arms dealer who comes out of hiding to protect her daughte...

Evan starts this week by plugging his appearance on a long-time friend's podcast Seeing Read with Jim and Kelly , the show that answers the age-old millennial question: Was the book really better than the movie? He had a really fun time with them comparing M. Night Shyamalan's KNOCK AT THE CABIN to the book CABIN AT THE END OF THE WORLD! Evan and Megan then talk about Sarah Watts and Mark Slutsky'...

Dave is back! But before we jump into this week's movies, he offers his own very different take on EVIL DEAD RISE (2:37)! Megan kicks off our reviews of new films with her thoughts on Nida Manzoor's delightful feminist action comedy POLITE SOCIETY (9:48). Then we all discuss Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok's timely and vital documentary JUDY BLUME FOREVER (15:17), which delves into the life and work...

Dave is on vacation this week, so Evan and Megan review this week's movies as a duo! We start off with Ari Aster's latest film BEAU IS AFRAID (2:56), which follows an anxiety-ridden man (Joaquin Phoenix) confronting an escalating series of terrifying situations as he embarks on a Kaufmanesque odyssey home to his mother. We have a LOT to say about this problematic, three-hour, envelope-pushing movi...

This week we're reviewing MAFIA MAMMA and SHOWING UP! We start by discussing Kelly Reichardt's dramedy SHOWING UP (3:22), which stars Michelle Williams as a sculptor trying to pursue her artistic work while contending with the struggles of daily life. Next, we cover Catherine Hardwicke's comedy MAFIA MAMMA (27:42), which stars Toni Collette as an American woman who inherits her grandfather's mafia...

We start the show this week by reviewing Saim Sadiq's heartbreaking Pakistani drama  JOYLAND (2:58), which is about a man (Ali Junejo) from a patriarchal family who becomes a backup dancer at a burlesque club and falls for the strong-willed trans woman (Alina Khan) who runs the show. Next, we cover Daniel Goldhaber's tense environmental thriller HOW TO BLOW UP A PIPELINE (30:56), which follows a c...

Megan is off this week, so Evan and Dave hit the mics to talk TETRIS , the surprisingly tense spy thriller (question mark?) about the fraught negotiations between the Soviet government, Nintendo, a couple crooked English billionaires, and Henk Rogers, a coder-turned-game-inventer-turned-game-company-founder. And yes, the KGB gets involved. Over on Patreon , Evan and Dave disagree about Brian De Pa...

This week, we (Evan, Dave, and Megan) review RODEO (2:06), Lola Quivoron's emotionally-intense French drama, a fascinating character study starring Julie Ledru as a tough, independent dirt bike rider who becomes a part of a turbulent group of male bikers. Next, we discuss RYE LANE (25:36), Raine Allen-Miller's charming, witty, and vibrant British rom-com starring David Jonsson and Vivian Oparah as...

This week, we start by sharing our thoughts on the 2023 Oscars (2:47)! Then we review Alex Herron's intriguing, but not particularly scary horror film  LEAVE (16:27), which follows a young woman (Alicia von Rittberg) trying to uncover her origins after she learns she was abandoned in a cemetery wrapped in a blanket with satanic symbols as an infant. Next, we discuss Matt Ruskin's true crime drama...

To start this week, we discuss Aline Brosh McKenna's directorial debut, YOUR PLACE OR MINE (2:13). This Netflix rom-com, which divides us, stars Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher as long-distance best friends who figure out their romantic feelings for each other while she stays in his apartment in NYC for grad school and he takes care of her son back in LA. Next, we review Matt Bettinelli-Olpin...