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Spoilerpiece Theatre

Arts & Culture Podcasts

Boston film critics Evan Crean, Megan Kearns, and David Riedel help you decide what to watch by sharing spoiler-filled reviews of the latest blockbusters and independent films, across genres, including films by women, nonbinary, LGBTQ+, and BIPOC filmmakers. Opening music: "My Life as a God" by Augean Stables. Closing music: "Pants Party" by Oilhead. Show edited by Otto Klammer. Logo design by Rita Csizmadia.

Location:

United States

Description:

Boston film critics Evan Crean, Megan Kearns, and David Riedel help you decide what to watch by sharing spoiler-filled reviews of the latest blockbusters and independent films, across genres, including films by women, nonbinary, LGBTQ+, and BIPOC filmmakers. Opening music: "My Life as a God" by Augean Stables. Closing music: "Pants Party" by Oilhead. Show edited by Otto Klammer. Logo design by Rita Csizmadia.

Language:

English

Contact:

862-217-4323


Episodes

Episode 505: "Love Lies Bleeding," "Stopmotion," and "Frida"

3/15/2024
Megan kicks things off this week with talk of LOVE LIES BLEEDING (2:16), Rose Glass's intense queer thriller starring Kristen Stewart and Katy O'Brian. Verdict? LISTEN (ha). Next Dave and Megan review STOPMOTION (6:11), Robert Morgan's horror movie starring Aisling Franciosi and featuring lots of compelling stop-motion animation. Megan likes it but wishes it delved deeper, and Dave thinks they should have stopped this motion picture from being a thing. Lastly, Evan, Megan, and Dave all discuss FRIDA (17:37), Carla Gutierrez's dynamic Frida Kahlo documentary that everyone liked. Over on Patreon, we talk about the 2024 Oscars. If you’re a member, head on over and take a listen. If you'd like to join, for $5 you can listen to bonus episodes each week, and vote in monthly polls.

Duration:00:48:09

Episode 504: "American Dreamer" and "Damsel"

3/8/2024
This week Megan and Dave tackle AMERICAN DREAMER (2:07), and it ain’t pretty. Sure, Peter Dinklage and Shirley MacLaine are fine. And sure, Dave laughed at a few things. But that’s about all the positives we have for it (hoo boy, do we get amped up during this talk!). Then Evan, Megan, and Dave watched DAMSEL (22:40), the new dragon’s-gonna-eat-ya-but-not-if-I-can-help-it flick starring Millie Bobby Brown as a princess who meets said dragon after a bit of marital subterfuge orchestrated by Robin Wright as her nefarious would-be mother-in-law. Following an uneven opening, we thought it pulled together (even if Dave had some choice things to say about his favorite actor ever, Ray Winstone, who plays Brown’s father). And did we like DAMSEL as much as we liked the similar-ish THE PRINCESS from 2022? Over on Patreon, we talk about the 1954 GODZILLA in honor of its 70th anniversary.

Duration:01:00:28

Episode 503: "Dune: Part Two" and "Spaceman"

3/1/2024
This week, Megan and Dave discuss DUNE: PART TWO, Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi epic starring Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, and Rebecca Ferguson. Dave found the fatalism inherent in its story rendered it dramatically inert, even if he dug its look (despite the on-the-nose Nuremberg rally-inspired sequence) and some of the performances. Megan loved the spectacular film: Dazzling visuals, immersive sound, excellent performances, riveting narrative, and a perceptive critique of colonialism and power dynamics. Everyone watched SPACEMAN, Johan Renck's existential sci-fi drama starring Adam Sandler (well, Dave listened to two-thirds of it for reasons that become clear pretty quickly) and we agree it has flaws. Lots of flaws. But, in the end, does the movie get past those flaws? Will Dave ever like a new release again? TBD on that second question, gang. TBD. Over on Patreon, the gang checked out Hayao Miyazaki’s delightful 1988 animated fantasy MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO, a first-time watch for two of us. Fun!

Duration:00:53:47

Episode 502: "Lovely, Dark and Deep" and "Players"

2/23/2024
It’s been two weeks since we talked horror at Spoilerpiece, so Megan and Dave remedied that by watching Teresa Sutherland’s LOVELY, DARK AND DEEP, a bump-in-the-night-type thriller that plays out in a national park. While Megan and Dave came to roughly similar conclusions about the movie’s technical aspects and Georgina Cambell’s lead performance, one of them hated it overall (like, HATED IT) and one of them liked it. First listener to guess who hated it wins a trip down amnesia lane. Then the whole gang watched PLAYERS, a new Netflix romcom starring Gina Rodriguez, Damon Wayans Jr., and a million supporting actors. Listeners, this movie is the definition of meh. It’s too bad, because there’s some serious talent involved. But few things can save crummy writing, except maybe doing a bunch of shrooms so you can space out while watching this below-average collection of silly gags and contrived plot threads. (Spoilerpiece doesn’t advocate you doing shrooms. But we can’t stop you, either.) And over on Patreon, we talk about Bill Duke’s DEEP COVER with Laurence Fishburne and Jeff Goldblum, which won our Black History Month poll.

Duration:00:58:32

Episode 501: “Orion and the Dark” and “The Hobby”

2/16/2024
Megan is back! And to kick things off, she and Dave talk about the animated film ORION AND THE DARK (2:33). Yes, it’s screenwriter Charlie Kaufman’s first foray into children’s films. But is it any good? Not surprisingly, Megan and Dave have divergent views. But who liked it and who did not?!! (Eh, it’s exactly what you think.) Then Evan, Megan, and Dave discuss THE HOBBY (22:17), a documentary about the trading card boom that kicked into overdrive in 2020 after Covid hit. Sports cards, Pokémon cards, memorabilia, you name it, the doc covers it (with a notable absence of Magic: The Gathering). THE HOBBY is compelling for about half its running time, but its repetitive second half left us yawning. Over on Patreon, to honor the recently departed Carl Weathers, we talk about PREDATOR, which Megan had never seen. It’s a fun conversation! For just $5 per month, you get access to many, many, many bonus episodes and monthly polls.

Duration:00:53:12

Episode 500: "Out of Darkness" and "Restore Point"

2/9/2024
Spoilerpeeps, this is the 500th episode of the show. Megan couldn’t make it this week, leaving the duo of Riedel & Crean. (That doesn’t roll off the tongue like Hall & Oates. Such is life.) Dave watched OUT OF DARKNESS (2:04), a survivor horror film (so its marketing says) set 45,000 years ago, about six people struggling in a new, vast, inhospitably cold environment. What keeps attacking them at night? Probably exactly what you think! Then Evan and Dave watched RESTORE POINT (14:36), a dystopian-adjacent sci-fi film with a great production design, but a story that both of them found lackluster (even if one of them still recommends it). Over on Patreon, we talk about the 1980 comedy USED CARS with Kurt Russell and Jack Warden.

Duration:00:47:13

Episode 499: "The Taste of Things" and "Scrambled"

2/2/2024
This week we talk about THE TASTE OF THINGS (2:05), which features many of Dave’s loves: Juliette Binoche, French food, romance, and tobacco (Megan liked it, too). This deliberate romantic drama, about a gourmand (Benoît Magimel) and his gifted cook (Binoche), is directed by Trân Anh Hùng. It's beautifully photographed, meticulously staged, and it also is not for everyone. Then all three of us watched SCRAMBLED (18:13), a comedic drama written and directed by Leah McKendrick, who stars as Nelly, a 34-year-old woman who freezes her eggs while also taking stock of her life. This one had a range of reactions from the gang. And over on Patreon, we cover the 1968 Norman Jewison-directed THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR. If you’re not a member, you may become on for $5 a month. There’s a bonus episode each week (about 400-ish now), and we post monthly polls about which movies to watch. Please check it out!

Duration:00:47:50

Episode #498: "Self-Reliance" and "Sometimes I Think About Dying"

1/26/2024
This week, we cover two movies dealing with loneliness and connection. Megan reviews SOMETIMES I THINK ABOUT DYING (1:56), Rachel Lambert's poignant and sweet comedy-drama starring Daisy Ridley as a shy and isolated person who meets someone new (Dave Merheje). Then we (Evan and Megan) discuss SELF-RELIANCE (14:23), Jake Johnson's uneven comedy — which he directed, wrote, and stars in — about a lonely person participating in a dark web reality game show where people try to kill him. And on this week's Patreon bonus episode, we cover the winner of our Best Picture Oscar winners poll: THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971), William Friedkin's tense crime thriller starring Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider!

Duration:00:43:37

Episode 497: "Origin" and "I.S.S."

1/19/2024
Thanks for patience with the delay in posting the show this morning. This week Megan and Dave talk about ORIGIN (2:51), director and screenwriter Ava DuVernay's adaptation of Isabel Wilkerson's book Caste, starring Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as Wilkerson, Jon Bernthal as Wilkerson's husband Brett, and Niecy Nash-Betts as Wilkerson's cousin and best friend Marion. All three of us watched I.S.S. (21:32), starring Ariana DeBose and Chris Messina, in a tale as old as time: The United States and Russia are at war, so the astronauts and cosmonauts on the international space station in Earth's orbit are instructed to take the structure in the name of their respective nations by any means necessary. Ah, science! And over on Patreon, we talk THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN, the 1971 film based on Michael Crichton's novel. If you're not a Patreon member, you can become one and get access to nearly 400 bonus episodes for $5 a month, and access to monthly polls.

Duration:00:55:23

Episode 496: "Mean Girls," "The Settlers," and "Good Grief"

1/12/2024
There’s no way to scrub quickly through the previous 495-ish episodes to find out, but it’s possible we’ve never had two movies featured in the main episode that are so tonally at odds. First, Megan talks about MEAN GIRLS (2:01), the new enjoyable musical comedy about teen cliques based on the Broadway musical, which is adapted from the 2004 film. Directed by Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr. and written by Tina Fey, it stars Angourie Rice, Reneé Rapp, and Auliʻi Cravalho. Then, Dave and Megan discuss Felipe Gálvez Haberle's Western THE SETTLERS (10:29), a movie so gruesome in its depictions of genocidal violence in 1901 Chile that Dave can’t stop nervous-laughing throughout (even though it’s an exceptionally well-made movie). Finally, we all review GOOD GRIEF (29:12), which, as Evan points out, is not a Charlie Brown biopic, but Dan Levy’s new comedy-drama, co-starring Ruth Negga and Himesh Patel. We had mixed reactions. Over on Patreon, we talk about STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN, so check that out!

Duration:00:57:59

Episode 495: "Memory" and "Leave the World Behind"

1/5/2024
We start of 2024 with two not-depressing movies: A love story bathed in trauma (MEMORY at 3:25) and a maybe-end-of-the-world drama where one of the characters is so selfish you hope they walk into the ocean and never return (LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND at 21:31). Over on Patreon, we talk about the 1993 animated film BATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM. Take a listen!

Duration:01:05:54

Episode #494: Our Top 10 Lists from 2023

12/29/2023
For the last Spoilerpiece of 2023, we keep with the tradition of sharing our top 10 films of the year. Evan starts (2:51), followed by Megan (20:15) and Dave (43:22). there are tangents aplenty, and not much overlap between lists. We had a lot of fun with this one. And if you're so inclined, please take a listen to our Patreon bonus episode, in which we dicuss the December poll winner, the 1947 holiday classic THE BISHOP'S WIFE.

Duration:01:07:08

Episode #493: "Anatomy of a Fall" and "All of Us Strangers"

12/22/2023
This week we talk about Canne's 2023 Palme d'Or winner ANATOMY OF A FALL (3:02). Was it a fall? Or a push? Then it's ALL OF US STRANGERS (27:56), a movie so sad Dave has to shut off his mic. Twice. And please check ot our Patreon. This week we talk about our non-movie recommendations for 2023.

Duration:00:59:43

Episode #492: "Saltburn" and "American Fiction"

12/15/2023
Megan is on vacation, so Evan and Dave are joined by friend of the show Kristen Halbert! Together the three of them discuss whether SALTBURN (4:10) is the kind of film you'd recommend to your friends or enemies. Then it's AMERICAN FICTION (28:37), starring Jeffrey Wright and familial angst (among roughly a dozen other plots). And don't forget to listen to our bonus episode on Patreon, in which we discuss the 1974 heist film THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE.

Duration:01:19:02

Episode #491: "Eileen" and "The Holdovers"

12/8/2023
Megan is off this week so that leaves Evan and Dave to contend with Alexander Payne's latest, THE HOLDOVERS (2:30). Question to the audience that we pose to ourselves: Aside from ELECTION, do you remember Alexander Payne movies after you've seen them? And then there's EILEEN (23:46) - which Megan loved, btw - with its hour of being one movie and its half-hour of being a very different movie. And this week on Patreon we talk about the 2009 Duncan Jones movie MOON.

Duration:00:54:37

Episode #490: "Silent Night"

12/1/2023
We're only talking about one film this week, but boy, is it a doozy! We review John Woo's SILENT NIGHT, a dialogue-free action movie that stars Joel Kinnaman as a grieving father who exacts bloody revenge on the gangs that killed his son on Christmas Eve. Does the conceit work? We'll let you know! And, in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we discuss Gregory Hoblit's 1998 supernatural thriller FALLEN starring Denzel Washington!

Duration:00:47:44

Episode 489: "Poor Things" and "Frybread Face and Me"

11/24/2023
Welcome to wherever you are, peeps. And welcome to the last episode of November 2023. Megan and Dave start off talking about POOR THINGS (1:52), Yorgos Lanthimos' hard-to-describe (except we do) story of Bella (Emma Stone), a doctor (Willem Dafoe) who may be Victor Frankensteinesque, and her quest for knowledge and autonomy. It's a ride! And then everyone discusses FRYBREAD FACE AND ME (24:07), a sweet and bittersweet story of a boy from San Diego being sent to live with his grandmother on a Navajo reservation in Arizona. Over on Patreon, we talk about this month's poll winner, PACIFIC HEIGHTS.

Duration:00:45:56

Episode #488: "Maestro" and "May December"

11/17/2023
To prosthetic nose or not to prosthetic nose, that is the question. If you've read anything about MAESTRO (3:20), Bradley Cooper's biopic of Leonard Bernstein (starring Cooper and Carey Mulligan), you've probably read about the nose. Well, how about the rest of the movie, damn it? That's what Megan and Dave are here to tell you. Then all three of us watched MAY DECEMBER (27:17), Todd Haynes' new drama starring Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman. If you're getting Mary Kay Letourneau vibes, you're not wrong! We got them, too. And over on Patreon, we discuss Edgar Wright's 2010 fantasy action comedy SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD, one of Evan's favorites, and a first-time watch for Megan and Dave.

Duration:01:05:46

Episode #487: "The Marvels" and "Rustin"

11/10/2023
EVAN RETURNS!!!!! He fills us in on what he's been doing, and then we get down to biz. First, we talk RUSTIN (3:27), George C. Wolfe's by-the-numbers biopic of gay Black activist Bayard Rustin elevated by Colman Domingo's masterful turn in the title role. Then it's THE MARVELS (26:22), Nia DaCosta's superhero film starring Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, and Iman Vellani, and we answer that age-old question: Does this new Marvel movie make up for the crud that is Phase Four? We have some mixed opinions (one of us found it fun!), as you may expect. Over on Patreon, we talk about the 1944 noir classic LAURA (it's Noirvember, after all), directed by Otto Preminger and starring Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, and Clifton Webb. We have lots of patron tiers, and for $5 you get access to voting in monthly polls and our exclusive audio content, which has a bajillion (technical number) bonus episodes available for you right now! Thanks for your patronage, and welcome back, Evan!

Duration:00:59:19

Episode #486: "The Marsh King's Daughter" and "Quiz Lady"

11/3/2023
There was some excitement in the Spoilerpiece camp this week, as Dave and Megan noticed THE MARSH KING'S DAUGHTER (2:41) was coming out. A mid-budge thriller with a stacked cast? Yay! Directed by Neil Burger? Um, judgment reserved. Until now. A question Megan asks: Do directors know what to do with Daisy Ridley? And we didn't ask this at the time, but does Neil Burger know what to do with...anything? Such shade cast at the Spoilerpiece HQ! After that, it's QUIZ LADY (27:07), starring Awkwafina, Sandra Oh, and Will Ferrell. It was more fun. And we hope YOU have fun listening! Don't forget to check out Patreon, where we talk about the 1953 classic ROMAN HOLIDAY with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck.

Duration:00:54:33