The Binge Movie Podcast

After getting a condensed TIFF (ding!) report from Jason, we do our best to stay calm while reviewing Michael Moore’s FAHRENHEIT 11/9, diverge in our takes on the Gilda Radner doc LOVE, GILDA, and take a hatchet to LIZZIE.

We debate our dozen favorite movies of 2018 so far before fall movie season kicks into gear.

After giving THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS the brutal and merciless takedown it fully deserves, we praise two nuanced character studies about very different women struggling with issues of purpose and identity: SUPPORT THE GIRLS with Regina Hall and THE WIFE with Glenn Close.

We welcome Rebecca’s longtime Shindignation cohost Heidi Weber for a distraction-filled attempt at reviewing CRAZY RICH ASIANS, then let Heidi’s skateboarding expertise guide our reviews of the semi-doc SKATE KITCHEN and the full-doc MINDING THE GAP.

After freaking out about the insane new Oscar category, we assess the pros and cons of Spike Lee’s bluntly provocative BLACKKKLANSMAN, get personal about the gay conversion camp drama THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST, and let Jason nerd out about NICO, 1988.

After encouraging everyone to skip the lame studio comedy THE SPY WHO DUMPED ME, we steer you toward two stellar indies: the deliciously scandalous doc SCOTTY AND THE SECRET HISTORY OF HOLLYWOOD, and the Brazilian lesbian werewolf fairy tale musical GOOD MANNERS.

We praise the delightful achievement of Bo Burnham’s directorial debut EIGHTH GRADE, drop some hard truths about Meryl Streep and Cher’s screen time in MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN, and dig into the latest entry into the Oakland renaissance, BLINDSPOTTING.

We review three new movies about battling different forms of oppression: height (SKYSCRAPER), dogma (AVA), and patriarchy (THE MISANDRISTS).

After celebrating two stunning new documentaries, the stranger-than-fiction blast of THREE IDENTICAL STRANGERS and Kevin Macdonald’s appropriately devastating WHITNEY, we welcome Bay Area filmmaker Alexa Fraser-Herron for our review of Boots Riley’s surreal anti-capitalist Oakland comedy SORRY TO BOTHER YOU.

By popular demand, we review the year’s biggest horror sensation HEREDITARY and evaluate its scare factor, then praise the hilariously eccentric joys of the feminist western DAMSEL and lambast BOUNDARIES for its uninspired, derivative take on the dysfunctional-family road trip flock.

In which we assess how close DEADPOOL 2 comes to matching the original, lament the degradation experienced by the four iconic leads of BOOK CLUB, and celebrate Annette Bening’s delectable turn in the otherwise unremarkable THE SEAGULL. *Originally recorded May 17*

We welcome a real-life mom to guest-review the hard-hitting mama drama of TULLY, then go from the youthful foolishness of the lesbian sex comedy DUCK BUTTER to the wisdom and maturity of RBG. *Originally recorded May 2*

After lending a much-needed critical assist to a hidden gem called AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR, we weigh the pros and cons of bloated blockbusters GRACE JONES: BLOODLIGHT AND BAMI and British horror anthology GHOST STORIES.

If you’re looking for levity, we’ve got nothing for you this week! Check out our reviews of the crushing Joaquin Phoenix hitman thriller YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE, the crushing coming-of-age drama LEAN ON PETE, and the crushing Michelle Pfeiffer character study WHERE IS KYRA?

We praise A QUIET PLACE for its masterful filmmaking while questioning its characters’ choices; celebrate BLOCKERS as a rare studio comedy that’s as hilarious as it is progressive; and lambast the nothingburger conclusion that undoes the stylish suspense of GEMINI.

In which we’re tripped up by representational failings in the otherwise delightful romps READY PLAYER ONE and ISLE OF DOGS and disappointed by Armie Hammer’s overly clothed performance as a befuddled muse in FINAL PORTRAIT.

We mourn the misbegotten ambition of Ava DuVernay’s A WRINKLE IN TIME; pledge our dictatorial allegiance to Armando Ianucci’s hilarious THE DEATH OF STALIN; and report that THOROUGHBREDS only gets halfway toward being worthwhile.

We dive headlong into the cerebral sci-fi of ANNIHILATION; celebrate the top-tier studio comedy of GAME NIGHT; and decline our invitation to THE PARTY.

After reviewing two new releases about protected paradises under attack (BLACK PANTHER and EARLY MAN) and a third about French perversion (DOUBLE LOVER), Rebecca and Jason welcome guest Joshua Grannell (Peaches Christ) to challenge their negative review of I, TONYA.

In which we become aroused at the thought of FIFTY SHADES FREED being the final film in its series; are deeply moved by A FANTASTIC WOMAN’s portrayal of a grieving trans woman fighting to be seen; and try making sense of THE CLOVERFIELD PARADOX both as a film and a development.

This week we review two new releases brimming with Hitchcockian tension (PHANTOM THREAD and THE COMMUTER) and two good vehicles for great female performances (Diane Kruger I’m IN THE FADE and Annette Bening in FILM STARS DON’T DIE IN LIVERPOOL).

In their first new releases episode of 2018, Rebecca and Jason review three movies by white male directors (shocker!) with overly recognizable styles: Steven Spielberg’s THE POST, Aaron Sorkin’s MOLLY’S GAME, and Michael Haneke’s HAPPY END.

It’s that time! We’re counting down our ten(ish) favorite movies of 2017, as well as our controversial picks for the most disappointing. Fight us!

After comparing recent travel horror stories, Rebecca and Jason assess how STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI fits in the series; praise the exquisite romance of CALL ME BY YOUR NAME; call for Gary Oldman to get his Oscar already for DARKEST HOUR; and lament Woody Allen’s new low in WONDER WHEEL.

We’re blown away by Guillermo Del Toro’s enchanting genre romance THE SHAPE OF WATER and James Franco’s infectious Tommy Wiseau tribute THE DISASTER ARTIST, but are underwhelmed by the overhyped festival hit THELMA.