Spoilerpiece Theatre

Episode #600: "Dead Man's Wire" and "OBEX"

This week we get down to the wire - the DEAD MAN'S WIRE (2:56), that is! (Hey-o!). This drama about a well-known-to-Hoosiers (like Dave) historical incident didn't really work for us. Which incident, you ask? Why, a very public kidnapping! Bill Skarsgård plays a disgruntled Indianapolis resident who holds a mortgage executive hostage over a loan dispute. Featuring an unrecognizable Cary Elwes and Kelly Lynch in small roles (and a recognizable over-the-top - natch - Al Pacino in another), we kind of rip DMW a new one. Following that, we tackle Albert Birney's OBEX (25:57), which is more of a split decision. In it, a man climbs into a fictional 1987 computer game to resuce his dog, avoid cicadas, and battle stop-motion-like skeletons. Over on Patreon, we watched Park Chan-wook's 2003 action thriller OLDBOY.

Episode #599: "The Plague" and "We Bury the Dead"

Welcome to 2026! We start out the year by doing what we do best: Not enjoying a movie that is otherwise being heaped with critical praise! That's right, folks, Evan and Megan didn't really get the critical brouhaha behind THE PLAGUE (2:42). This story about extreme bullying at a water polo camp left them a little cold, and not because the water temperature is a chilly 65 degrees. Dave joins them for WE BURY THE DEAD (21:45), and unconventional the-dead-are-coming-back-to-life tale. This one left Dave cold, but not just because he has a frigid critics' heart. Evan and Megan liked it, and its take on zombieism is different: Not all the dead come back, they don't seem to want to eat you (though a few look like they'll kick the crap out of you), and have things on their minds. Daisy Ridley is excellent in the lead as an American woman in Tasmania looking for her husband, and Brenton Thwaites is solid as a ne'er-do-well trying to do well. Over on Patreon, we watched the 1982 courtroom drama THE VERDICT, starring Paul Newman.

Episode #598: Our favorite films of 2025!

Welcome to the final Spoilerpiece of 2025! We take turns talking about our favorite films of the year. Dave (3:02), Megan (19:35), and Evan (39:30) each have a couple surprising choices sprinkled in. We hope you had a great year, and we'll see you in 2026. Don't forget to check out our Patreon! This week we talk about the 1979 Robert Altman sci-fi flick QUINTET, starring Paul Newman.

Episode #597: "No Other Choice" and "Is This Thing On?"

This week everyone saw everything, so we start off with Park Chan-Wook's latest, the darkly comic thriller NO OTHER CHOICE (2:51), in which a 25-year veteran of a paper company is laid off and after a series of poor interviews, can't find another job. So he does the next logical thing: He decides to murder everyone in his field who may be more qualified than he is. Yikes! We all had our problems with this (it ain't THE HANDMAIDEN), but we did find things to like. But it seems we're outliers; NO OTHER CHOICE is getting critical raves but we all found it lukewarm for one reason or another. We follw up with Bradley Cooper's latest directorial effort, IS THIS THING ON? (28:44) Alex (Will Arnett, who's dynamite and also co-wrote the script) starts doing stand-up while sorting through the ditritus of his marriage. Tess (Laura Dern, who's dynamite) returns to her first (professional) love, and...things happen! (Sorry. It's 3 a.m.) Two of us really enjoyed this, and one of us did not. Over on Patreon, we talk about the 1985 Martin Scorsese comedy AFTER HOURS.

Episode #596: "Influencers," "Dust Bunny," and "Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery"

This week Megan, Evan, and Dave all saw all the movies on the list. Hot shit! We start with INFLUENCERS (1:37) (the aptly-titled sequel to INFLUENCER), and everyone is on board with the killin', though Evan and Dave don't love its pacing. We all agree that Cassandra Naud is dynamite in the lead, and Megan and Dave even feel sympathy for her murderous character (weird!). Then there's DUST BUNNY (24:28), a fantasy-horror about a young girl who thinks there's a monster under her bed that has eaten her family, so she hires her intriguing neighbor Mads Mikkelsen (playing a hitman) to off the monster. One of us hated this, two of us loved it. And we all like Sigourney Weaver and her gun shoes. Finally, there's WAKE UP DEAD MAN: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY (44:14), the latest in Rian Johnson's whodunit series. We're divided on this one again (two pro, one suuuuper con), but we all love Josh O'Connor's and Glenn Close's performances. Over on Patreon, we watch and yap about the 1946 noir BLACK ANGEL.