Screener Squad: X-Men ’97 Season 2

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X-MEN ’97 SEASON 2 REVIEW

With such an acclaimed first season of X-Men ’97 and the exit of the showrunner Beau DeMayo, fans were concerned if Disney would be able to replicate if not exceed the success they had with the 2nd season. Well, we’re here to tell you that for the most part they did! The end of the first season, we found our heroes scattered throughout time; one half stranded in ancient Egypt meeting a young Apocalypse and the other surviving in a post-Apocalypse world where a few renegades struggle to survive. The first few episodes dive deeper into the psyche of En Sabah Nur (the mutant before he became Apocalypse) as Magneto tries to persuade him to look at the light while the future storyline has Cyclops and Jean Grey reconnecting with their son, Nathan (pre-Cable), and spend the time with a son they never really had. Things take a tragic turn and we then find the X-Men back in the 90’s with the help of Forge and Bishop. This is where the season starts to stall out with a few episodes that stray away from the main arc. These episodes, more like monster of the week episodes, are not terrible by any stretch of the imagination, but more or less derail the flow and pacing of such solid writing and character development. The season does bring it back around where it focuses on Rogue’s arc from the first season and let’s her shine to such incredible sights. Listen as Wright, Rhett, Dom, and Eoin band together to defeat the evil forces that are negative criticism!

OFFICIAL WEBSITE/TRAILER

CREATED BY: Beau DeMayo

STARRING: Ray Chase, Jennifer Hale, Alison Sealy-Smith, Cal Dodd, J. P. Karliak, Lenore Zann, George Buza, A. J. LoCascio, Holly Chou, Isaac Robinson-Smith, Matthew Waterson, Ross Marquand, Adrian Hough, Chris Potter, Gui Agustini, Naoko Mori, Christopher Barger, Gil Birmingham, Carolina Ravassa

 

YOUR REVIEWERS

 

Wright Sulek (The Other Boss, Trash in the Can, Digital Noise, Highly Suspect Reviews, One Man’s Trash, Screener Squad)

Wright hails from the northern suburbs of Dallas, Texas. His passion for filmmaking brought him to Austin to study and make movies. Since then he’s had his hand in acting, writing, and directing his own short films with numerous like-minded film geeks he’s met along his journey. His newest interest has brought him into the podcasting world. He co-hosted a few different movie related podcasts such as ‘And Now This’ and ‘The Match Cut’. He currently co-hosts with longtime friend, Eric Samaniego, where they talk shop about the grimiest, trashiest, lost gems of movies on their show, ‘Trash in the Can’. Wright also guests and hosts reviews on Screener Squad and Highly Suspect Reviews as well as co-hosts Digital Noise with Chris Cox. As of 2024, Wright has now been inducted into the Austin Film Critics Association as well as co-owns the One of Us network with Chris Cox.

 

Eoin Daly

Born and raised in Dublin Ireland, Eoin currently lives in London and has been an avid film lover from as far back as they can remember. Eoin enjoys going to the cinema weekly regardless of the film: new, old, or the most random title. They have no preconceived notions when taking in a new film. They tend to look for the good in any film they watch and will always love the art form. They are a major fan of actress-led cinema and will never apologize for this one film bias.

 

Rhett O’Hara (Highly Suspect Reviews, Screener Squad, Trash in the Can)

Rhett O’Hara has really been looking forward to writing this “about me”. He blames movies for a lot of things in his life. He blames seeing Batman Returns as a child for his interest in all things goth and camp. He blames seeing Akira at far too young of an age for his interest in films that dare to venture into the weirder side of things. He blames Midsommar for never visiting Sweden. Rhett has lived in Austin for a couple of decades, so he can speak fondly of the old days of renting DVDs from I Luv Video (Tetsuo the Iron Man left a mark) and buying peculiar documentaries (The Nomi Song, Sick: The Life and Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist) from Waterloo Video. Rhett also remembers reading an “about me” that stuck with him a few years back. Time continued and he felt a constant need to share “about me” as well. It wasn’t a voice telling him to do this but something akin to the feeling of knowing that someone is watching you without ever actually seeing that person. Rhett has been anxious and is only just now feeling a sense of relief writing this. He feels selfish though, knowing that this will continue on to the next host; the desire…. the urge…. no….the need to pass along a message that has existed ever since humanity started sharing thoughts in a written form. You must understand that he had no choice in this matter. Rhett is truly sorry for this, but he’s every bit of a pawn as you are now. Rhett is also contractually obligated to let you know that he has been a guest on the hit podcast Trash in the Can.

 

Dominic Rizzi (Screener Squad, Highly Suspect Reviews)

Born and raised in the Hudson Valley, NY, Dom “the Movie Nerd” Rizzi fell in love with film at a young age. After majoring in film in both community college and achieving a Bachelor’s degree in film from SUNY Oswego, Dom went on to start his own podcast Talkin’ TV during Covid before studying acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City. Relentlessly passionate about everything related to film, Dom has shot and produced several short films, as well as having written several scripts. Working at a liquor store by day, Dom has continued to pursue his passion for cinema in any capacity he can, because to follow his dreams, in the words of Shia LaBeouf pre-descent into insanity, “just do it.”
You can subscribe to the Highly Suspect Reviews and Screener Squad series of podcasts on iTunes, Spotify, and more, or use our RSS feed on whatever podcast service you use: https://oneofus.net/feed/theatrical-movie-review-podcast/ and please leave us a review!

Please think about becoming a paid subscriber to Oneofus.net, support our huge network of shows, and get access to tons of bonus shows and videos in our forums! We cannot keep this site going without support from our listeners. For added information about being a subscriber, the benefits, and the forums, please go here.


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Hollywood Royalty: Bonus Ep. 3 – Faye’s Contemporaries

Hollywood Royalty: Dunaway after Crawford

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HOLLYWOOD ROYALTY: BONUS EP.3 – FAYE’S CONTEMPORARIES

On this third bonus episode of Hollywood Royalty, we take a small break from talking Faye to shine a light on a handful of her contemporaries, including Ellen Burstyn, Jane Fonda, Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton, Liza Minnelli, and Barbra Streisand, all of whom ruled the decade as some of the most sought-after actresses of the 1970s. Co-host of Pfeiffer Pfridays, Jerry Downey, returns to discuss this collection of legendary actresses and some of the films that made them icons.

IG: dunawayaftercrawfordpod

 

YOUR HOST

 

Frank Calvillo (Highly Suspect Reviews, Screener Squad, What Ever Happened to Bette & Joan?, Hollywood Royalty)

Born and raised in South Texas, Frank currently lives in Austin and has been in love with movies ever since his father showed him some Three Stooges shorts when he was five years old. Today he loves all kinds of film, regardless of era, country, budget or genre. He believes every film has an audience and is at least one person’s favorite movie. After writing for Sight & Sound and Slackerwood, he now writes for Cinapse where his increasingly random taste in all flavors of cinema (from Rashomon to Mars Attacks!) continues to thrive. His ultimate goal is to write a script for his boyhood crush, Michelle Pfeiffer.

 

You can subscribe to the Hollywood Royalty podcast on iTunes, Spotify, and more, or use our RSS feed on whatever podcast service you use: https://oneofus.net/feed/hollywoodroyalty/ and please leave us a review!

Please think about becoming a paid subscriber to Oneofus.net, support our huge network of shows, and get access to tons of bonus shows and videos in our forums! We cannot keep this site going without support from our listeners. For added information about being a subscriber, the benefits, and the forums, please go here.


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Necromancer Ep. 146 – Ones That Observe: Smile 2

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NECROMANCER EP.146 – ONES THAT OBSERVE: SMILE 2 (2024)

The necromancers honor their pop star film tour obligations with Bret’s horror pick, Smile 2. Being a pop star and a scream queen is not for the faint of heart but doing both at the same time, backwards, and in heels is something only Naomi Scott can do. Listen to find out if it was enough to earn two new stans and then stick around for the Smile 2 rom com B sides that could have been.

YOUR HOSTS

 

Shira More (Necromancer, Highly Suspect Reviews, Screener Squad)

Shira grew up in Dallas, TX, and need only put her palm to the ground to sense the direction of a semi-annual sale. She knows a little about a lot of things: Mary Shelley, Survivor (yes it’s still on), Otome Isekai’s, Slavoj Zizek. Is she method acting a supporting character in a Hallmark Christmas movie or is she just extremely undiagnosed? We’ll never know. When Shira’s not campaigning for French Kiss (1995) to finally be on streaming, you’ll find her debating the charming and unsettling similarities between rom coms and horror movies with Bret Dorman on the Necromancer podcast.

 

Bret Dorman (Necromancer, Highly Suspect Reviews, Screener Squad)

Bret Dorman was forged in the frost-bound realms of Rochester, New York, tempered in the iron winds of Chicago and the marble-shadowed courts of the Greater DC dominion, before casting his banner beneath the blazing sun of Austin, Texas. There he found not only fellowship in the revels of cinema and story, but his fiercest ally and beloved wife, Sonia Santamaria, with whom he roams the wide roads of the world in restless adventure. Though he lends his voice boldly to the chronicles of film with Necromancer Podcast, he is no mere teller of tales — for he has wrought sagas of his own in moving shadow and light, including Godzilla P.I., The World’s Best, and Violence of the Sun. In his hall dwell three cunning feline familiars — Johnny, Tony, and Ringo — and when not questing abroad, he and his companions wage noble battles of wit and strategy in games both tabletop and arcane.

 

You can subscribe to the Necromancer podcast on iTunes, Spotify, and more, or use our RSS feed https://oneofus.net/feed/necromancer/ on whatever podcast service you use: and please leave us a review!

Please think about becoming a paid subscriber to Oneofus.net, support our huge network of shows, and get access to tons of bonus shows and videos in our forums! We cannot keep this site going without support from our listeners. For added information about being a subscriber, the benefits, and the forums, please go here.


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Screener Squad: Buffet Infinity

Buffet Infinity movie review

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BUFFET INFINITY MOVIE REVIEW

Welcome to Westridge County, Alberta, where the lawyers are awkward, the pawn shops have jingles, the local businesses are barely hanging on, and a suspiciously cheap all-you-can-eat restaurant may be devouring considerably more than its endless supply of food. Buffet Infinity tells its entire story through a stream of gloriously terrible local TV commercials, infomercials, PSAs, and news interruptions. What begins as a petty advertising war between Buffet Infinity and the surrounding businesses slowly mutates into missing people, sinkholes, cults, cosmic conspiracies, collapsing reality, and whatever the hell else is hiding between the VHS tracking lines. It’s consumerism satire, analog horror, sketch comedy, and late-night public-access insanity is assembled into a very unique and captivating flick. Mike, Drew, and T.C. get in line at the One Of Us all-you-can-review buffet to discuss this wonder of analog horror filmmaking.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE/TRAILER

DIRECTED BY: Simon Glassman

STARRING: Kevin Singh, Ahmed Ahmed, Brandon Vanderwall, Jules Balluffi, Ben Bauce, Alliston Bench, Noah Brooder, Darek Burdziuk, Kelly Calwill, Kheriyae Christian, Chad Curtis, Demi Dupri, Aaron Guimond, Suzanne Hube, Adriaan Kriel, Patrick Lynn, Isabella MacLean, Heather Morgan

 

YOUR REVIEWERS

 

T.C. De Witt (Screener Squad)

T.C. De Witt is a multi-awarded writer/director originally from Wisconsin and now based in Los Angeles. His life has been devoted to the arts since he was a child. He’s been a stage performer, playwright, stand-up comic, film and television actor, radio DJ, podcaster published author, recorded musician, and comic writer/illustrator. He is now a professional screenwriter and has been thriving for the past decade, regularly offering his talents to production studios in LA, Chicago, Milwaukee, and internationally in Sydney and Poland. He’s provided content for Amazon Prime, Netflix, and several YouTube partners. His films have screened internationally, and his stageplays have been performed across the country. In the last ten years, he has directed 57 films, 23 episodes of his series The One Minute Rewatch, 300+ episodes of podcasts, and his multi-award-winning short film Screen: Righter screened at the Festival de Cannes in 2016. He has released two feature films, The Princess Knight and A Christmas Sunset. He thrives on collaboration and the thrill of sharing stories in all forms.

 

Mike J. McAllister (Screener Squad, Staff Writer, Head Video Editor)

Mike J. McAllister is an award-winning creative jack of all trades, and is pretty competent with most of them. He is a writer, director, animator, video editor, and motion graphics artist. He has tried his hand at nearly every form of artistic expression at least once. He was born and raised in Western Pennsylvania where he fell in love with film, writing and special effects at an early age. His obsession with film would lead him to being locally known as a “human IMDb” and being on a first-name basis with every video store clerk in town. He would study film in Pittsburgh before taking his talents to Austin. Not letting something like Tourettes get in his way, he has produced a handful of animated short films that have won awards from film festivals all over the globe. He has also written several yet-to-be-produced screenplays and TV pilots, with some of them being recognized in screenwriting competitions. He has even created motion graphics and animations for several clients, from movie theaters to Twitch streamers. When not creating or watching films, he enjoys MST3K, classic video games and buying vinyl records. He loves dogs, dropping obscure pop culture trivia and watching travel videos. He currently resides in Austin Texas and can be followed on the Instamagrams at @ohheyitsmikejm. His body of work can be found at his homepage or you can take a gander at his somewhat-impressive IMDb listing here.

 

Drew Tinnin (Screener Squad, Highly Suspect Reviews, Deliberations of Doom)

Drew Tinnin is a Rondo Award nominated interviewer and critic who has worked at SiriusXM’s Fangoria Radio and Fangoria magazine in NYC, as well as the London-based Dazed Digital. Currently a regular contributor to the Dread Central Network, he’s excited to join up with some old friends and other film fans on One of Us as a new contributor to Screener Squad.

 

You can subscribe to the Highly Suspect Reviews and Screener Squad series of podcasts on iTunes, Spotify, and more, or use our RSS feed on whatever podcast service you use: https://oneofus.net/feed/theatrical-movie-review-podcast/ and please leave us a review!

Please think about becoming a paid subscriber to Oneofus.net, support our huge network of shows, and get access to tons of bonus shows and videos in our forums! We cannot keep this site going without support from our listeners. For added information about being a subscriber, the benefits, and the forums, please go here.


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Screener Squad: Coyote vs. Acme

Coyote vs. Acme movie review

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COYOTE VS. ACME MOVIE REVIEW

Originally scheduled for a summer 2023 release, Coyote Vs. Acme became something of a cause célèbre when Warner Bros announced they were shelving the film as part of a $30M tax write-off. The backlash from filmmakers and fans alike was swift, and eventually, Warner Bros relented. They agreed that the film could be released, so long as a third-party distributor was willing to meet their price. Enter Ketchup Entertainment who acquired the rights to release the film domestically. For decades, Wile E. Coyote has been trying to catch his nemesis, the Road Runner, but his schemes are always foiled by malfunctioning Acme products. Fed up, Wile E. Coyote decides to sue Acme. He hires washed-up billboard attorney Kevin Avery (Will Forte) whose law firm specializes in filing small claims against Acme on behalf of his cartoon clients. Kevin’s strategy is always the same: file the claim, and quickly settle out of court for whatever insignificant amount Acme is willing to pay. Like his legal career, Kevin’s personal life is defined by his willingness to settle for as little as possible, but he’ll learn a thing or two about not giving up from his mute, hairy client. Wile E. has no intention of settling, and he isn’t suing Acme over a single defective product. Instead, he’s suing them for their entire cartoon product line over the past 75 years. What started as a minor consumer complaint becomes the case of the century, and threatens to expose a conspiracy to cover up Acme Corporation’s most sinister secrets. This puts Wile E. and Kevin in danger, as they negotiate the strongarm tactics of Acme lawyer Buddy Crane (John Cena) and ruffle the feathers of its CEO, Foghorn Leghorn (voiced by Eric Bauza). What ensues is a compelling meta-narrative mash-up of espionage thrillers, legal dramas, and cartoon wackiness; a film whose anti-corporate themes have taken on an unexpected resonance after three years of being stuck in legal limbo. It’s been a long wait, but our reviewers Mike the Editor, Eoin, and Marco have finally watched Coyote Vs. Acme and they’re ready to talk about the movie Acm– I mean Warner Bros — didn’t want you to see!

OFFICIAL WEBSITE/TRAILER

DIRECTED BY: Dave Green

STARRING: Will Forte, Lana Condor, John Cena, Tone Bell, Luis Guzmán, Martha Kelly, P.J. Byrne, Eric Bauza, Kenneth Choi, Candi Milo, Jim Cummings

 

YOUR REVIEWERS

 

Marco Noyola (Digital Noise, Highly Suspect Reviews, Screener Squad, Audio Editor)

By day, Marco is a mild-mannered office worker, but by night he is a mild-mannered movie watcher. He does other mild-mannered stuff too.
“I’m not a film critic. I just play one on the Internet.”

 

Mike J. McAllister (Screener Squad, Staff Writer, Head Video Editor)

Mike J. McAllister is an award-winning creative jack of all trades, and is pretty competent with most of them. He is a writer, director, animator, video editor, and motion graphics artist. He has tried his hand at nearly every form of artistic expression at least once. He was born and raised in Western Pennsylvania where he fell in love with film, writing and special effects at an early age. His obsession with film would lead him to being locally known as a “human IMDb” and being on a first-name basis with every video store clerk in town. He would study film in Pittsburgh before taking his talents to Austin. Not letting something like Tourettes get in his way, he has produced a handful of animated short films that have won awards from film festivals all over the globe. He has also written several yet-to-be-produced screenplays and TV pilots, with some of them being recognized in screenwriting competitions. He has even created motion graphics and animations for several clients, from movie theaters to Twitch streamers. When not creating or watching films, he enjoys MST3K, classic video games and buying vinyl records. He loves dogs, dropping obscure pop culture trivia and watching travel videos. He currently resides in Austin Texas and can be followed on the Instamagrams at @ohheyitsmikejm. His body of work can be found at his homepage or you can take a gander at his somewhat-impressive IMDb listing here.

 

Eoin Daly

Born and raised in Dublin Ireland, Eoin currently lives in London and has been an avid film lover from as far back as they can remember. Eoin enjoys going to the cinema weekly regardless of the film: new, old, or the most random title. They have no preconceived notions when taking in a new film. They tend to look for the good in any film they watch and will always love the art form. They are a major fan of actress-led cinema and will never apologize for this one film bias.

 

You can subscribe to the Highly Suspect Reviews and Screener Squad series of podcasts on iTunes, Spotify, and more, or use our RSS feed on whatever podcast service you use: https://oneofus.net/feed/theatrical-movie-review-podcast/ and please leave us a review!

Please think about becoming a paid subscriber to Oneofus.net, support our huge network of shows, and get access to tons of bonus shows and videos in our forums! We cannot keep this site going without support from our listeners. For added information about being a subscriber, the benefits, and the forums, please go here.


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Infestation: Annecy Animation Fest 2026 – The Obsessed

The Obsessed movie review

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THE OBSESSED MOVIE REVIEW

“Are you in love with that girl?”, “No sir, I’m just very obsessed with her!”. Giuseppe loves the things he loves. Whenever something grabs his interest, he throws everything else away and devotes his life to his new passion. From singing and collecting bugs to the oddly specific hobby of “throwing five peanuts into the air at the same time,” he puts his heart into mastering every aspect of it before moving on. Considered the oddball of the town and nicknamed “The Obsessed,” Giuseppe is still seen as a harmless and friendly individual—even if the rat he befriends and talks with might be the only one willing to vouch for him. Giuseppe’s eccentric nature is thrown into new territory when he meets Pechka, a beautiful foreign balloon seller. Interpreting love as his new obsession, Giuseppe decides to learn everything he can about Pechka. Believing it to be romantic, he begins to spy on her and gather information about her life. Not wanting the smile to ever vanish from her face, Giuseppe decides to fix every problem in Pechka’s life without her knowing about it. All of this leads to him becoming tangled in a mob war, pretending to be a miracle healer, and committing some very ethically questionable actions with the help of his rat friend and the “power” of his obsessive-compulsive tendencies. Based on the novel by Shinji Ishii, directed by Wataru Takahashi, and featuring songs by Awesome City Club, the movie takes a story that on paper could easily turn into a creepy movie about a stalker and instead tries to transform it into a charming, self-aware musical comedy. Much like its protagonist, The Obsessed tries to turn the awkward into something compelling, jumping from one thing to another, including different movie genres. But did we finally get a good anime musical? Did the cartoonish art style get in the way? And did the creators manage to find the perfect balance between heartfelt emotion and hilariously over-the-top comedy? Honest and Silly? And just how far can a story take its insane premise? Those are questions Spidermike will have to challenge Maciej Kur to answer without spoiling the second half, where the story takes a very unexpected—and genuinely chilling, yet beautiful turn.

OFFICIAL ANNECY PAGE

DIRECTED BY: Wataru Takahashi

 

YOUR REVIEWERS

 

Maciej Kur (Infestation)

Maciej Kur is a Polish comic and film script writer, director and reviewer, and decidedly the biggest fan and most loyal supporter of Oneofus.net. A graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw with a master’s degree and the Academy of Film and Television. Co-creator of the comic book series Dollicious and Emilka Sza (with Magdalena Kania ) and Lil i Put, (with Piotr Bednarczyk ) and many others. Awarded in 2014 for a comic book in the spirit of Janusz Christa and awarded for “Złoty Puchar” in 2023. He wrote scripts for new comic books in the Polish cult series “Kayko and Kokosh”, as well as episodes of an animated series based on it (available on Netflix). He wrote for many other shows including “Kicia Kocia” (Kitty Kotty), “Pompik the Bison”, “Pucio”, “Hip-Hip and Hurra” and the upcoming animated movies “The Shrew of Destiny” and “Tytus, Romek and A’tomek”. He also directed a documentary about Polish animation legend “Witold Giersz”. Big lover of the art of animation and comic books.

 

Michael Riojas (Screener Squad, Highly Suspect Reviews)

The man with the ever-changing nicknames. Born in Austin, Riojas was rocketed to Del Rio, Texas, a literal Smallville. In his youth, he was bitten by a radioactive… okay, look. Mike is not very good at this whole “talking about himself” thing. But he has been so obsessed with comics, video games, and anime since childhood- that if one has to choose between listening to Joe Quesada or Mike over any obscure Spider-Man trivia, they go to him (or, at least Martin Thomas once said so). He is also a big fan of “Ghostbusters” (he even owns his own jumpsuit and two, that’s right, TWO proton packs!), collects toys and video games, and will defend “Superman IV: The Quest for Peace” if provoked. He lives in Austin with his beloved Dachshund-Maltese and trusted sidekick, Dean. He can also be heard on RageSelect. He can be found on Twitter and Instagram.

 

You can subscribe to the Highly Suspect Reviews and Screener Squad series of podcasts on iTunes, Spotify, and more, or use our RSS feed on whatever podcast service you use: https://oneofus.net/feed/theatrical-movie-review-podcast/ and please leave us a review!

Please think about becoming a paid subscriber to Oneofus.net, support our huge network of shows, and get access to tons of bonus shows and videos in our forums! We cannot keep this site going without support from our listeners. For added information about being a subscriber, the benefits, and the forums, please go here.


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Screener Squad: Nimrods

Nimrods movie review

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NIMRODS MOVIE REVIEW

Do you have the time to listen to three teenagers whine? Inspired by stories from Green Day’s own pre-fame touring days, Nimrods follows Tommy, Fred, and Chad, three Kansas City teenagers whose garageband, The Analog Dogs, receives the opportunity of a lifetime: open for Green Day on New Year’s Eve in Los Angeles. So they steal a car and hit the road. Cue three days of punk-rock dreams, questionable substances, stolen vehicles, catastrophically bad decisions, and one desperate journey toward a gig that may or may not exist. Green Day themselves pop up along the way, making this a love letter to every young American idiot who ever cranked an amp and believed their crappy garage band could conquer the world. T.C., Mike, and our guest reviewer Jim gather in the One Of Us basement to record their kickass demo and offer for their thoughts on these three punks.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE/TRAILER

DIRECTED BY: Lee Kirk

STARRING: Mason Thames, Kylr Coffman, Ryan Foust, Jenna Fischer, Mckenna Grace, Angela Kinsey, Keen Ruffalo, Ignacio Diaz-Silverio, Fred Armisen, Bobby Lee, Sean Gunn, Jolene Blalock, Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, Tré Cool

 

YOUR REVIEWERS

 

T.C. De Witt (Screener Squad)

T.C. De Witt is a multi-awarded writer/director originally from Wisconsin and now based in Los Angeles. His life has been devoted to the arts since he was a child. He’s been a stage performer, playwright, stand-up comic, film and television actor, radio DJ, podcaster published author, recorded musician, and comic writer/illustrator. He is now a professional screenwriter and has been thriving for the past decade, regularly offering his talents to production studios in LA, Chicago, Milwaukee, and internationally in Sydney and Poland. He’s provided content for Amazon Prime, Netflix, and several YouTube partners. His films have screened internationally, and his stageplays have been performed across the country. In the last ten years, he has directed 57 films, 23 episodes of his series The One Minute Rewatch, 300+ episodes of podcasts, and his multi-award-winning short film Screen: Righter screened at the Festival de Cannes in 2016. He has released two feature films, The Princess Knight and A Christmas Sunset. He thrives on collaboration and the thrill of sharing stories in all forms.

 

Mike J. McAllister (Screener Squad, Staff Writer, Head Video Editor)

Mike J. McAllister is an award-winning creative jack of all trades, and is pretty competent with most of them. He is a writer, director, animator, video editor, and motion graphics artist. He has tried his hand at nearly every form of artistic expression at least once. He was born and raised in Western Pennsylvania where he fell in love with film, writing and special effects at an early age. His obsession with film would lead him to being locally known as a “human IMDb” and being on a first-name basis with every video store clerk in town. He would study film in Pittsburgh before taking his talents to Austin. Not letting something like Tourettes get in his way, he has produced a handful of animated short films that have won awards from film festivals all over the globe. He has also written several yet-to-be-produced screenplays and TV pilots, with some of them being recognized in screenwriting competitions. He has even created motion graphics and animations for several clients, from movie theaters to Twitch streamers. When not creating or watching films, he enjoys MST3K, classic video games and buying vinyl records. He loves dogs, dropping obscure pop culture trivia and watching travel videos. He currently resides in Austin Texas and can be followed on the Instamagrams at @ohheyitsmikejm. His body of work can be found at his homepage or you can take a gander at his somewhat-impressive IMDb listing here.

 

You can subscribe to the Highly Suspect Reviews and Screener Squad series of podcasts on iTunes, Spotify, and more, or use our RSS feed on whatever podcast service you use: https://oneofus.net/feed/theatrical-movie-review-podcast/ and please leave us a review!

Please think about becoming a paid subscriber to Oneofus.net, support our huge network of shows, and get access to tons of bonus shows and videos in our forums! We cannot keep this site going without support from our listeners. For added information about being a subscriber, the benefits, and the forums, please go here.


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Highly Suspect Reviews: The Rivals of Amziah King

The Rivals of Amziah King movie review

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THE RIVALS OF AMZIAH KING MOVIE REVIEW

Every generation have a few actors that become icons. Sometimes it’s sheerly because of their skill at the craft. Sometimes it’s because they’ve just got that ‘je ne sais quoi’ that makes them stand apart. Sometimes, they’re just Matthew McConaughey, and you can already just hear that voice in your head as you read the name. One could argue that Matt is a national treasure, but he’s surely a Texas one, and the Alamo Drafthouse cemented that by having a special ceremony to name of one their Austin theaters after him. Part of this event was a screening of his new film, the festival hit The Rivals of Amziah King and your One of Us bosses, Wright and Chris, were there to bear witness (and take advantage of the open bar). The story initially follows Amziah (McConaughey), about the most amiable souther fella you could ever want to know. Deeply loved by seemingly everyone who has ever met him, Amziah goes through his day of running a beekeeping/honey business with both competency and charm, but there’s a bee in his bonnet. Someone is pulling heists on honey businesses, his included, and it’s put such a dent in his profits, he’s unsure exactly what to do about it. But this film has to get a lot set up before its questionable mid-film turn. The most important element is Kateri (Angelina LookingGlass) coming back into Amziah’s life. A former child he fostered, they reconnect and he becomes firmly her mentor and friend as he shows her the bee business, the joys of playing music with friends (there’s a LOT of it in this film), buffet strategies, and more. The first half is a warm honey bath that if you are someone who succumbs to McConaughey’s drawly charms, and don’t mind a good deal of borrowed style from O Brother, Where Art Thou?, you’ll want to keep soaking in. But then the second act turn has Matt leave the film and Kateri become the center. While she gives a remarkable performance, it’s not just the lack of Matt that starts to make The Rivals of Amziah King start to fray, culminating in some pretty sizable ending issues. You may hear a lot of unabashed love for this one, and we get it. Chris and Wright still have some pretty strong thoughts about what keeps this from being as great as it almost is.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE/TRAILER

DIRECTED BY: Andrew Patterson

STARRING: Matthew McConaughey, Angelina LookingGlass, Kurt Russell, Scott Shepherd, Rob Morgan, Tony Revolori, Cole Sprouse, Owen Teague, Jake Horowitz, Catherine Dyer, Jason Davis, Sandra Ellis Lafferty, Harris Stone, Bruce Davis, Sharon Blackwood, Chip Carriere

 

YOUR REVIEWERS

 

Christopher Lawrence Cox (Founder, Da Boss, Digital Noise, Highly Suspect Reviews, Screener Squad, Deliberations of Doom)

Born in the wilds of northern Virginia, Chris managed to put all of his survival skills to use and barely escaped with his life to Austin Texas in 1992 where ever since he’s dabbled in everything from plumber’s assistant to sandwich maker, from band to bar and theater management. An opportunity to see theatrical release films for free by becoming a critic on a local public access show called “The Reel Deal” turned into a full-time job when Chris and his friends decided to take it to the internet. They built the site Spill.com, adding multiple podcasts and animated features, to no small amount of success. During this time, a fortuitous friendship sprung up between Chris and young Brian Salisbury, who was also a local film critic, and they merged their forces of will, and their laundry list of ideas for shows, to eventually build this community of critics. While Brian eventually followed his heart to a new family, Chris continues on with a cast of colorful folks from all over the country (and a few others).

 

Wright Sulek (The Other Boss, Trash in the Can, Digital Noise, Highly Suspect Reviews, One Man’s Trash, Screener Squad)

Wright hails from the northern suburbs of Dallas, Texas. His passion for filmmaking brought him to Austin to study and make movies. Since then he’s had his hand in acting, writing, and directing his own short films with numerous like-minded film geeks he’s met along his journey. His newest interest has brought him into the podcasting world. He co-hosted a few different movie related podcasts such as ‘And Now This’ and ‘The Match Cut’. He currently co-hosts with longtime friend, Eric Samaniego, where they talk shop about the grimiest, trashiest, lost gems of movies on their show, ‘Trash in the Can’. Wright also guests and hosts reviews on Screener Squad and Highly Suspect Reviews as well as co-hosts Digital Noise with Chris Cox. As of 2024, Wright has now been inducted into the Austin Film Critics Association as well as co-owns the One of Us network with Chris Cox.

 

You can subscribe to the Highly Suspect Reviews and Screener Squad series of podcasts on iTunes, Spotify, and more, or use our RSS feed on whatever podcast service you use: https://oneofus.net/feed/theatrical-movie-review-podcast/ and please leave us a review!

Please think about becoming a paid subscriber to Oneofus.net, support our huge network of shows, and get access to tons of bonus shows and videos in our forums! We cannot keep this site going without support from our listeners. For added information about being a subscriber, the benefits, and the forums, please go here.


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Screener Squad: The Devil’s Mouth

The Devil's Mouth movie review

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THE DEVIL’S MOUTH MOVIE REVIEW

A wise Pixar fish once sang, “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.” It’s a clever mantra reminding us all that when the storm hits, you’ve gotta hold onto hope and never give up. Amazon Prime presents The Devil’s Mouth, a survival-horror shark attack film set in the beautiful country of Thailand. Sara (Kathryn Newton) is on a stunning and daring sightseeing trip featuring a dive into the deep blue. She and her four friends are right on the edge of adulthood—about to step into the big world of independent decisions and endless bills. Sara and her best friend Max (Lana Condor) are split between a big move to NYC or LA. The deciding time is nigh, as they are at the tail end of their tour, and the group embarks into a cavern system known as The Devil’s Mouth. But an uninvited guest crashes their magical wonderland, taking a massive bite out of their future plans. Now, the five friends and their two tour guides have to pull together to escape the jaws of a killer beast that came to reference animal attack movies and chew up college kids… and it’s all out of references. Bradley, Lewayne, and Chris Ayres dive in to discuss CGI sharks, the effectiveness of terrible movie decisions, and whether the film’s tension actually lands—or if Brad has just seen way too many movies. Plus, stick around for a deep-cut shoutout to Michael Crichton’s Sphere. If you know, you know!

WATCH HERE

DIRECTED BY: Jeff Wadlow

STARRING: Kathryn Newton, Lana Condor, Gavin Casalegno, Nico Hiraga, Tommi Rose, Tayme Thapthimthong

 

YOUR REVIEWERS

 

Bradly Martin (Screener Squad Boss, Eye on the Prize, Breakfast Pub)

Bradly Martin was born in the united states and grew up on a healthy diet of sports, films, and books. A rather shy lad who kept to himself, Bradly soon discovered the best way to know a person was to know what people liked. Throughout the years Bradly became a fan of many things and a fanatic of none. From Doctor Dre, to Doctor Strange and the who’s who of Whos. From Playstation to the Dreamcast and Marvel to DC. From LeBron James to James Bond and Lord of the Rings to Lord Palmerston (or Pitt the Elder if you agree with Wade Boggs) and is a huge fan of dad jokes and randomly obscure Simpsons references. Armed with a vast knowledge of comics, films, and pop culture. Bradly traveled the world making friends and sharing takes. As a young man Bradly married the love of his life young and grew older every year with each new child brought into the brood. If trends continue, Scientists predict that .2% of Canada (where Bradly and family reside) will be populated by Bradly’s children by the year 2029. You can hear him leading and listening to his favorite critics on the Screener Squad and maybe even providing some comments of his own.

 

Lewayne White (Screener Squad)

Lewayne’s earliest memories are of watching movies and reading comics, which instilled in him a sense of wonder, a vivid imagination, and unrealistic expectations. It also means he spends a lot of time watching movies, writing scripts for them, and trying to get them made. He lives in the middle of middle America after landing there as a child, and has remained there mainly because he hates packing.

 

Christopher Ayres (Screener Squad)

Born and raised in the suburbs of Hinsdale, Illinois, Chris Ayres would constantly watch movies as a child, and that obsession has only grown over time, even attending Columbia Film School in Chicago during his last couple years of college. Whenever he’s not working his exhausting day job, he’s either watching as many movies as he can squeeze into his free time (preferably movies he’s never seen before due to a never-ending desire to expand his knowledge of the art form), or trying to turn people on to movies they haven’t seen that he thinks are worth their attention. You can find him on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram and Letterboxd (look for AyresForce or AyresForceOne)

 

You can subscribe to the Highly Suspect Reviews and Screener Squad series of podcasts on iTunes, Spotify, and more, or use our RSS feed on whatever podcast service you use: https://oneofus.net/feed/theatrical-movie-review-podcast/ and please leave us a review!

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Screener Squad: Batman: Caped Crusader Season 2

Batman: Caped Crusader Season 2 review

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BATMAN: CAPED CRUSADER SEASON 2 REVIEW

When crime haunts the night, a silent crusader carries the torch of justice. He is vengeance. He is the night. He is Batman! For the second season, executive producers J.J. Abrams with Bruce Timm (creator of the iconic and award-winning Batman: The Animated Series) take us back to the Golden Age of Gotham with Amazon’s Batman: Caped Crusader. As police corruption grows and mob violence gets more and more rampant, our titular Bat must face a new wave of costumed villains. All the while, a master criminal stalks the city streets, a criminal weaving a web of death about him leaving stricken victims behind wearing a ghastly clown’s grin. Our own Gossip Gerties, Mindy, Eoin, and Lewayne, discuss this latest retelling of the legend of the Batman – who he is and how he came to be. Does this show live up to its animated pedigree and the legacy of a character that has endured for nearly a century? Or is it, like this text copy, filled with nothing more than Easter egg-covered nostalgia? Tune in here – same Bat-time, same Bat-podcast!

WATCH HERE

CREATED BY: Bruce Timm and James Tucker

STARRING: Hamish Linklater, Santino Barnard, Eric Morgan Stuart, Krystal Joy Brown, John DiMaggio, Gary Anthony Williams, Michelle C. Bonilla, Grey DeLisle, Cedric Yarbrough, Bumper Robinson, Yuri Lowenthal, Jamie Chung, Tom Kenny, Kimberly Brooks, Corey Burton, William Salyers, Roger Craig Smith, James Arnold Taylor, Ronan Raftery, Laraine Newman, Matthew Needham, Lacey Chabert, SungWon Cho, Juliet Donenfeld, Zach Lazar Hoffman, J.P. Karliak, James Urbaniak, Wummi Mosaku, Bruce Thomas, Todd Haberkorn, Darien Sills-Evans, Blythe Melin, Darcy Yelin, Josh Brener, Fryda Wolff, Kevin Michael Richardson

 

YOUR REVIEWERS

 

Mindy Rast-Keenan (Screener Squad, Highly Suspect Reviews)

Having grown up in Nairobi, Kenya, and being very disappointed at the lack of riding elephants her cartoons had promised her, Mindy spends the majority of her time as a film, theater, and voice over actress in the Austin, Texas area. They still give her money for being on HBO that one time, with her name in the credits spelled wrong. A nerdy geek, this award-winning actress joined One of Us figuring she’d put her summa cum laude BFA acting degree to good use…by judging other people’s acting. In the few seconds she gets to herself, Mindy bakes for charity, knits eccentric plushies, plays original RPG’s with her gamemaster husband, and spends time with her soulmate, Batman.

 

Eoin Daly

Born and raised in Dublin Ireland, Eoin currently lives in London and has been an avid film lover from as far back as they can remember. Eoin enjoys going to the cinema weekly regardless of the film: new, old, or the most random title. They have no preconceived notions when taking in a new film. They tend to look for the good in any film they watch and will always love the art form. They are a major fan of actress-led cinema and will never apologize for this one film bias.

 

Lewayne White (Screener Squad)

Lewayne’s earliest memories are of watching movies and reading comics, which instilled in him a sense of wonder, a vivid imagination, and unrealistic expectations. It also means he spends a lot of time watching movies, writing scripts for them, and trying to get them made. He lives in the middle of middle America after landing there as a child, and has remained there mainly because he hates packing.

 

You can subscribe to the Highly Suspect Reviews and Screener Squad series of podcasts on iTunes, Spotify, and more, or use our RSS feed on whatever podcast service you use: https://oneofus.net/feed/theatrical-movie-review-podcast/ and please leave us a review!

Please think about becoming a paid subscriber to Oneofus.net, support our huge network of shows, and get access to tons of bonus shows and videos in our forums! We cannot keep this site going without support from our listeners. For added information about being a subscriber, the benefits, and the forums, please go here.


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