Elle Fanning in THE NEON DEMON
2016 Movie ReviewsBOFCAMoviesSpoilerpiece Theatre

Spoilerpiece Theatre Episode 102: The Neon Demon

Evan Crean

“Spoilerpiece Theatre” is a weekly movie podcast where I talk about new releases with fellow BOFCA critics Dave Riedel and Kris Jenson. We don’t give a shit about spoilers. We just want to talk about the movies.

In Episode 102 below, we review The Neon Demon, Swiss Army Man, and McCabe & Mrs. Miller. This week Kris and I explain what “Rick Rolling” is to Charlie Nash, who is filling in for Dave. Then all three of us speculate why we think Independence Day: Resurgence (at 5:28) wasn’t screened for the press before its release. After some discussion about Jeff Goldblum, San Andreas, and Roland Emmerich disaster movies like 2012, we jump into the week’s films. First up is Nicolas Winding Refn’s The Neon Demon (at 13:44), a sick, twisted picture that we love, even though it’s fucked up and vile in every sense of the word. Our conversation about a particularly jarring scene involving a dead body allows for a convenient transition into Charlie’s take on Swiss Army Man (at 50:22), a movie where Paul Dano learns to survive on a desert island with Daniel Radcliffe’s farting corpse. Charlie admits that it feels very Sundancey for its story about a nerdy guy trying to get back to a girl, but he is surprised by how much he likes it. Finally, he wraps up with his quick thoughts on McCabe & Mrs. Miller (at 58:32), which played in Boston at the Brattle Theatre. Charlie shares why it’s one of his top five westerns of all time, and why Robert Altman’s film immerses you in a world that feels lived in.

Evan Crean

Hello! My name is Evan Crean. By day I work for a marketing agency, but by night, I’m a film critic based in Boston, MA. Since 2009, I have written hundreds of movie reviews and celebrity interviews for Starpulse.com. I have also contributed pieces to NewEnglandFilm.com and to The Independent, as a writer and editor. I maintain an active Letterboxd account too. In addition to publishing short form work, I am a co-author of the book Your ’80s Movie Guide to Better Living, which is available on CreateSpace and Amazon. The book is the first in a series of lighthearted self-help books for film fans, which distills advice from ’80s movies on how to tackle many of life’s challenges. On top of writing, I co-host and edit the weekly film podcast Spoilerpiece Theatre with two other Boston film critics. I’m a founding member and the current treasurer for the Boston Online Film Critics Association as well. This site, Reel Recon.com, is a one-stop-shop where you can find links to all of my past and present work. Have any questions or comments after checking it out? Please feel free to email me (Evan Crean) at: ecrean AT reelrecon DOT COM .