Spoilerpiece Theatre – Détails, épisodes et analyse

This week Megan and Dave talk about director Luca Guadagnino's QUEER (2:28), an adaptation of William S. Burroughs 1985 novel (with a screenplay by Justin Kuritzkes). Starring Daniel Craig as William Lee (a Burroughs stand-in), this movie left both Megan and Dave a little bewildered, as there were things they liked (the shooting-up scene, the color palette), and things they didn't like (Drew Starkey's performance as Lee's love interest). Then Evan joins in for FLOW (22:38) an excellent animated film featuring a very cat-like cat and other animals as they survive a catastrophic flood. Finally there's NIGHTBITCH (39:53). Amy Adams becomes a dog (though there's more to it than that) and Scoot McNairy becomes a dope (he's played this part before). What did we think of writer-director Marielle Heller's adaptation of Rachel Yoder's novel? Over on Patreon, we talk about the Christmas horror flick BETTER WATCH OUT.

Evan is off this week (doubtless watching PLANES, TRAINS, AND AUTOMOBILES), so Megan and Dave take on KNOW YOUR PLACE (2:19) and THE BLACK SEA (35:29) as a duo. And as with many weeks, the movies we choose are linked thematically (often accidentally). In this case, both films tackle characters with feelings of being outsiders. In KNOW YOUR PLACE, Robel (Joseph Smith) balances being a typical American teenager with the familial demands of being the child of Eritrean immigrants, and he navigates the emotional and physical fallout that comes with feeling stuck between two competing sets of demands. And in THE BLACK SEA, Khalid (co-director Derrick B. Harden) travels to Bulgaria from Brooklyn and finds himself completely out of place - until he discovers he makes the locals happy by opening a cafe that serves Matcha tea. (It's more dramatic - and comedic - than that, and we cover all the ins and outs in our conversation.) Over on Patreon, we watched ON DANGEROUS GROUND, a classic noir film from 1951, to celebrate Noirvember.

With Megan on vacation this week, Evan and Dave take on WILL & HARPER (2:42), the documentary about the friendship between Will Ferrell and writer Harper Steele post-Harper's transition. This funny and tender (and occasionally sad) documentary about long friendships (Ferrell and Steele met at "Saturday Night Live") and the ways they change is the anti-MEGALOLOPIS (22:56), writer-director Francis Ford Coppola's bizarro take on whatever-the-fuck-it-is, with each actor performing in a different movie, a production design from Hades, and a story - or many stories - that add up to absolutely fuck-all. (It's not entirely fair that Dave is doing the write-up this week, as he thought MEGALOPOLIS works in precisely zero ways, whereas Evan found a few things to like about it). In any event, take a listen before you watch. Spoilers in no way actually spoil something that has to be seen to be believed. Trust us. Over on Patreon, we talk about Hitchcock's THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY.

Evan is off this week, so it's the Dave and Megan show. But before the Dave and Megan show, Megan goes solo, covering M3GAN (3:01), the wild killer robot sci-fi horror movie, directed by Gerard Johnstone and starring Allison Williams. And - perfect timing - one of Dave's children interrupts and scares the crap out of him as he and Megan discuss said killer robot movie. Yeesh! Next, Megan and Dave talk about Noah Baumbach's absurdist comedy adaptation of Don DeLillo's unfilmable (question mark?) novel WHITE NOISE (17:41), starring Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig. They round things out with Scott Cooper's mystery thriller THE PALE BLUE EYE (36:02), starring Christian Bale and featuring Harry Melling as a young Edgar Allan Poe. Don't forget to check out this week's Patreon exclusive audio in which Megan and Dave talk about Nora Ephron's "Sleepless in Seattle."

It's our last episode of the year! So, as usual, we're revealing our BOFCA ballots as we discuss our respective Top 10 Films of 2022! Unfortunately, Dave couldn't make it this week, but we still share his top 10 before digging into each of our own. You can hear Dave's list starting at 2:55, Megan's at 14:36, and Evan's at 47:39. And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we're talking about the winner of our NYE movie poll, Rob Reiner and Nora Ephron's 1989 rom-com, WHEN HARRY MET SALLY! 

We start by reviewing Steven Spielberg's autobiographical film THE FABELMANS (2:14), which explores his love of filmmaking, his parents' marriage, and the antisemitism he experienced growing up. They're themes we've seen him tackle before in his movies, but we're split on whether there's enough unique value that makes this movie worth watching. Next, we delve into Sarah Polley's WOMEN TALKING (33:34), a compelling chamber piece drama about women from a religious community who have been abused by the men in it, debating whether they should forgive them, stay and fight, or leave. And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we discuss a Patron's choice, the Hallmark movie HANUKKAH ON RYE!

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Evan is off this week so Megan and Dave are a duo, and they're a doozy of a duo, because one movie they like, and one movie they really, really don't. They start things off with Nelly & Nadine (3:26), a documentary about an unlikely love story of two women falling in love on Christmas Eve, 1944, in the Ravensbrück concentration camp. Then it's The Apology (27:47), a Christmas-set thriller about a missing child, her coming-to-terms-with-it mother, and the unannounced guest who shows up to pour sugar in everyone's figurative gas tanks. Bonus: Janeane Garofalo is in this one (along with stars Anna Gunn and Linus Roache)! Don't forget to check out this week's Patreon exclusive audio, where Megan and Dave talk about the holiday rom-com Last Holiday starring Queen Latifah.

We start the show this week by reviewing Martin McDonagh's darkly comedic drama THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN (1:52) about two lifelong friends (Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson) who find themselves at odds when one of them abruptly ends their friendship. Next, we discuss GUILLERMO DEL TORO'S PINOCCHIO (28:12), a creepy, yet sweet stop-motion animated retelling of the Pinocchio tale. And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about Steve De Jarnatt's 1988 film MIRACLE MILE, starring Anthony Edwards and Mare Winningham. 

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This week we start by reviewing Nicholas Stoller and Billy Eichner's BROS (2:25), a funny, acerbic queer rom-com where two gay men from very different backgrounds (Eichner and Luke Macfarlane) unexpectedly find love in New York City. Next, we dig into Todd Field's TÁR (24:17), a complex portrait of a problematic character—a world-renowned conductor at the height of her career, Lydia Tár (Cate Blanchett), who has done awful things to those around her. And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about Steven Spielberg's directorial debut, the 1971 thriller DUEL starring Dennis Weaver!

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We start this week by reviewing Tobias Lindholm's true crime drama THE GOOD NURSE (1:54), about an ER nurse (Jessica Chastain) who discovers that her charming colleague (Eddie Redmayne) is secretly murdering their patients. The film misses some areas it could dig deeper into this real-life tragedy, but it's really well-acted and has a strong ensemble. Next, we cover Harry Bradbeer's ENOLA HOLMES 2 (22:17), a plainly named sequel that provides another engaging adventure for Enola Holmes (Millie Bobby Brown). It's a delightful romp that's still a lot of fun even if it's not quite as brisk as the first film. And in this week's Patreon exclusive audio, we talk about the winner of our Noirvember poll, Jane Campion's 2003 film IN THE CUT, starring Meg Ryan and Mark Ruffalo! For anyone who celebrated, we hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving! 

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