Episode 527: "Alien: Romulus," "Skincare," and "Close to You"
Release Date: 08/16/2024
Episode 531: "Speak No Evil" and "Seeking Mavis Beacon"
Spoilerpiece Theatre
On this week’s show, Megan and Dave watched (2:29), writer-director James Watkins’ remake of the Danish film from 2022. As with many non-American horror films remade for American audiences, the new SPEAK NO EVIL leaves the original’s first two-thirds relatively unchanged and then kicks the last third in the ass, replacing it with a watered down ending that, while not entirely stupid, ain’t exactly aces. (That being said, the Danish original is extreme. Take a listen to our reactions to it .) So while we weren’t enamored of this new version, we think leads Mackenzie Davis and James...
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Episode 530: "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice," "His Three Daughters," and "Merchant Ivory"
Spoilerpiece Theatre
It's a big week! Tim Burton's long-awaited (2:08) finally arrives after its thirty-six-year gestation — Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O'Hara reprise their roles, and Jenna Ortega co-stars — and does it live up to the praise being heaped upon it? Megan lets you know! Next, we all saw (18:42), Azazel Jacobs' family drama about three sisters (Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olsen, and Natasha Lyonne) grappling with their father's imminent demise. This flick is getting raves, but not from us. Finally, Megan and Dave watched (39:31), Stephen Soucy's documentary about the legendary...
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Episode 529: "The Deliverance" and "Mountains"
Spoilerpiece Theatre
It’s a 50-50 week on Spoilerpiece, as one of the movies we watch is crap, and one is a joy from start to finish. First, the crap, because we didn’t want to end on a sour note: Lee Daniels’ (2:12), a derivative dumpster fire of a possession story cribbed from better possession stories. What makes it so awful, though? Glad you asked! Every character but one in this movie is an asshole. Like, a serious asshole. Andra Day’s Ebony? Asshole. Glenn Close as her mother, Alberta? Asshole. Mo’Nique as the world’s meanest social worker? Total asshole. We at Spoilerpiece don’t usually need...
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Episode 528: "Between the Temples," "Hell Hole," and Smoking Tigers"
Spoilerpiece Theatre
This week, Evan talks about (2:14), Nathan Silver's Jewish comedy starring Jason Schwartzman and Carol Kane about a man's grade-school music teacher who becomes his adult Bat Mitzvah student. Unfortunately, he wasn't a fan of the awkward humor. Then, we (Dave and Megan) review (13:24), John Adams and Toby Poser's (aka the Adams family) horror film about a fracking crew encountering an 1800s soldier, who's still alive with a parasite inside him. We had mixed reviews: One of us liked it, one hated it. Finally, we all discuss (34:19), So Young Shelly Yo's moving, sensitive, and insightful...
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Episode 527: "Alien: Romulus," "Skincare," and "Close to You"
Spoilerpiece Theatre
This week, Megan fills Evan and Dave in on (1:31), starring Elliot Page (who also co-wrote the story) in Dominic Savage's tender and emotional indie drama as Sam, who journeys home for his father's birthday, his first trip to his hometown since his transition. We follow that up with (9:18), Austin Peters's thriller starring Elizabeth Banks as Hope, an esthetician with a line of products about to hit the marketplace. Unfortunately, another esthetician opens a location directly across from her, and wouldn’t you know? Someone steals Hope’s identity and messes with her in a way...
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Episode 526: "Duchess" and "The Instigators"
Spoilerpiece Theatre
Because of some truly bizarre audio difficulties this week, Megan was unable to join us. Which is a bummer! Because she had things to say about both movies on the docket. First, Dave talks about DUCHESS (2:35), directed by Neil Marshall and written by Marshall and its star, Charlotte Kirk. And how is it? Well, it's dog shit! Like most of Marshall's movies! Ho ho! Then Evan and Dave talk THE INSTIGATORS (14:41), a Boston crime comedy that goes out of its way to be very Boston-crimey and Boston-funny, but doesn't quite do either well! Just how much charisma do Matt Damon and Casey Affleck have...
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Episode 525: "Sing Sing, "Doctor Jekyll," and "Peak Season"
Spoilerpiece Theatre
Dave jokes that it’s Megan’s big week on Spoilerpiece: She saw all three movies on the docket! First, she fills Evan and Dave in on (2:27), Joe Stephenson's gothic horror film starring Eddie Izzard as Dr. Nina Jekyll (good) and Rachel Hyde (bad) in a contemporary update of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Then Megan talks about (14:14), Greg Kwedar's tender and incredibly moving drama starring Colman Domingo and based on the real-life Rehabilitation Through the Arts program at Sing Sing Maximum Security Prison. Megan loved Colman...
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Episode #524: "Deadpool & Wolverine" and "Green Border"
Spoilerpiece Theatre
Dave is under the weather this week (feel better soon, Dave!), so Megan and Evan cover the week's movies together. First, Megan reviews Agnieszka Holland's vital, yet harrowing drama (3:33), which follows a family of refugees from Syria, a border guard, and a group of activists providing aid to refugees, who converge on the Polish-Belarusian border during a humanitarian crisis. Then Evan and Megan dig into Shawn Levy's much-anticipated superhero film (26:26), which features Ryan Reynolds/Deadpool teaming up with Hugh Jackman as Wolverine! Thankfully we do a show where spoilers are the...
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Episode 523: "Twisters," "Widow Clicquot," and "Oddity"
Spoilerpiece Theatre
Evan is off this week, so Megan and Dave braved this week’s releases. Actually, Dave didn’t see (2:39) — Lee Isaac Chung's disaster movie legacy sequel starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, and Anthony Ramos — so it’s up to Megan to tell you, dear listeners, that it’s kind of crap. She has some positive things say about it (Glen Powell, for example)…but not many. Both Megan and Dave saw (21:52), a period-piece biopic directed by Thomas Napper about Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin Clicquot who took over her husband's champagne business after his death. French people, chateaus,...
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Episode 522: "Dandelion" and "The Blue Rose"
Spoilerpiece Theatre
Well. It is a BANNER week on Spoilerpiece, gang. Megan and Dave discuss writer-director Nicole Riegel’s (2:54), about a struggling singer-songwriter from Cincinnati (KiKi Layne) taking a shot at winning an opening slot at a biker gathering in South Dakota while also falling into an intense relationship with a semi-retired Scottish guitarist (Thomas Doherty). Then we get to (26:56). We’ll dispense with a description and leave it all in the audio, but please do buckle up. (And maybe get some popcorn and a burrito. Why the hell not?) , we talk about in honor of , who left us in late June.
info_outlineThis week, Megan fills Evan and Dave in on CLOSE TO YOU (1:31), starring Elliot Page (who also co-wrote the story) in Dominic Savage's tender and emotional indie drama as Sam, who journeys home for his father's birthday, his first trip to his hometown since his transition. We follow that up with SKINCARE (9:18), Austin Peters's thriller starring Elizabeth Banks as Hope, an esthetician with a line of products about to hit the marketplace. Unfortunately, another esthetician opens a location directly across from her, and wouldn’t you know? Someone steals Hope’s identity and messes with her in a way that could tank her product launch. We wish we could say we loved it. (We didn’t.) Finally, Megan and Dave talk about ALIEN: ROMULUS (32:23), the Fede Álvarez-directed sci-fi horror interquel starring Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson. It takes the ALIEN series in a different direction, sorta, if not for all the derivative plot conventions and it lifts from just about every other ALIEN film. It has its moments (and it’s better than Ridley Scott’s last two hack jobs), but it’s a mixed bag. Over on Patreon, we talk about the 1989 teen satire HEATHERS, starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater, in honor of co-star Shannen Doherty.