Elisabeth Moss, Melissa McCarthy, and Tiffany Haddish stand defiantly in the movie The Kitchen
2019 Movie ReviewsBOFCAMoviesSpoilerpiece Theatre

Spoilerpiece Theatre 265: The Kitchen

Evan Crean

In Episode 265 of my podcast Spoilerpiece Theatre, we review The Kitchen, Them That Follow, The Perfection, and we also revisit Midsommar. This week Kris recounts the time he couldn’t go to Lenin’s Tomb because it was “closed for inventory,” leaving me and returning guest Megan Kearns completely confused. Megan leads off the episode by describing two films she saw recently Them That Follow (4:11), a somber film about religion and snake charming, and The Perfection (10:00), a more engaging movie about classical musicians that takes some fascinating twists and turns before spiraling into body horror. Then I share my experience watching Ari Aster’s Midsommar (14:05), which may or may not be “an Evan movie.” Lastly, all three of us dissect The Kitchen (28:50), a disappointing kitchen-sink crime drama chock full of critical themes about gender, race, and class that it only superficially addresses, and thinly drawn characters whose motivations don’t make any sense.

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 .