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Spoilerpiece Theatre Episode 71: The Night Before

Anthony Mackie, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Seth Rogen in THE NIGHT BEFORE

“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 71 below, we review The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, The Night Before, and Trumbo. Somehow, saucy puppet shows and Clippy from MS Word are topics of discussion heading into this week’s episode. Kris and I lead things off by talking about The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, which neither of us is particularly enthused about or invested in. As people who aren’t really into the series, we can admit that it’s good for what it is, and that fans will probably enjoy it as a conclusion to the franchise. Then Dave and Kris talk Trumbo, which Dave claims is a sequel to Dumbo. This HBO movie looks and feels like it belongs on TV. It’s too long and fairly one note, although it does have some good things going on. Lastly, I spoilerpiece The Night Before, a Christmas comedy starring Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Anthony Mackie as childhood friends looking for one last epic holiday blowout. Its dramatic elements don’t work and JGL isnt’ believable as the group’s loser, but it does make use of great comedians in small roles. Michael Shannon is its surprise MVP.
Tags: Anthony MackieBryan CranstonChristmasClippyDavid RiedelEvan CreanJay RoachJennifer LawrenceJonathan LevineJoseph Gordon-LevittJosh HutchersonKristofer JensonLiam HemsworthMichael ShannonMockingjay Part 2MS Wordpodcastsaucy puppet showsSeth RogenSpoilerpiece TheatreThe Hunger GamesThe Night BeforeTrumbo
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 .
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