Eddie Redmayne in FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM
2016 Movie ReviewsBOFCAMoviesSpoilerpiece Theatre

Spoilerpiece Theatre Episode 123: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

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 123 below, we review Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Nocturnal Animals, Oasis: Supersonic, Rush: Time Stand Still, A Grain of Truth, Freedom to Marry, and The Last Laugh. First, Dave and Kris tackle the ambitious Harry Potter prequel Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (at 4:00), which tries to cram five movies into one. Much to their annoyance, only three of those five movies are good. Next, Dave explores Nocturnal Animals (at 24:56), writer/director/fashion designer Tom Ford’s sophomore film. It has two stories about toxic masculinity that don’t add up to a whole movie, so during the review Kris develops a new segment called “Dr. Kris, Medicine Man,” where he shares how he’d fix the film. Following that segment, Dave offers his brief thoughts on the music documentaries Oasis: Supersonic and Rush: Time Stand Still, which only seem to be for diehard fans. I bat cleanup with three more movies from the Boston Jewish Film Festival (at 51:00): the mediocre crime thriller A Grain of Truth, the emotionally compelling documentary Freedom to Marry, and the thought-provoking comedy doc The Last Laugh.

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 .