Screener Squad: Little Brother

Little Brother movie review

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LITTLE BROTHER MOVIE REVIEW

Everyone has that one person who mistakes “You’re welcome anytime” for a legally binding contract. Little Brother joins the “proud” tradition of unwanted-guest comedies like What About Bob? and Jack & Jill, as a successful real estate agent’s carefully curated life is turned upside down when the eccentric “little brother” from his youth mentorship days suddenly reappears and refuses to leave. John Cena and Eric André collide in a comedy built on escalating chaos, awkward encounters, family you never technically asked for, and every trope in this comedy subgenre’s book. Kate, Mike, and T.C. gather inside the One Of Us model home to find out whether Little Brother is worth moving into or if this open house should have stayed closed.

WATCH HERE

DIRECTED BY: Matt Spicer

STARRING: John Cena, Eric André, Michelle Monaghan, Christopher Meloni, Sherry Cola, Ego Nwodim, Caleb Hearon, Bryce Gheisar, Pilot Bunch, Ben Ahlers, Brandon Trost, Christina Catechis, Paris Hilton, Eleonora Srugo, Trey Murphy, Evan Ross Katz, Andy Cohen

 

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.

 

Kate Chambers (Highly Suspect Reviews, Screener Squad)

Kate is a certified horror fiend and Horse Girl™. Her name isn’t short for anything. A native Austinite, she graduated with a BFA in Film Production from the University of Colorado Boulder then returned to the Lone Star State to make her home amid the cinephiles of the Alamo Drafthouse and the Austin Film Society. In her spare time, you can find her either down at the barn with her noble steed Jazz, watching as many movies as possible (often at work), cuddling with her pair of black cats and writing horror scripts, or nursing a beer in any available body of water… or doing Duolingo, where she’s currently on a 1000+ day streak.

 

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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Hollywood Royalty: Bonus Ep. 2 – Hurry Sundown/The Deadly Trap

Hollywood Royalty: Dunaway after Crawford

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HOLLYWOOD ROYALTY: BONUS EP.2- HURRY SUNDOWN/THE DEADLY TRAP

On this bonus episode of Hollywood Royalty, we take a look at two of Faye’s B-sides, a pair of films that don’t readily come to mind when you think of Faye Dunaway. The first of the two titles, 1967’s Hurry Sundown for director Otto Preminger, represents Faye’s screen debut as a poor farmer’s wife in this sprawling 1940s-set southern tale about social and racial divides that also stars Jane Fonda, Michael Caine, Diahann Carroll, Beau Richards, John Phillip Law, Robert Hooks, George Kennedy, and Burgess Meredith. After that, we trade in the American south for contemporary Paris in René Clement’s 1971 thriller The Deadly Trap where Faye stars as the troubled American wife of a successful businessman (Frank Langella) whose fragile mental state is pushed even further when she finds that her two children have been kidnapped. InSession Film‘s Zita Short returns to talk about these little-seen Faye performances.

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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Screener Squad: The Dink

The Dink movie review

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THE DINK MOVIE REVIEW

John McEnroe once said “I’m not a convert to pickleball, I think it sucks”. Pickleball is a very simple activity that’s a lot like badminton, paddle ball, and table tennis on a smaller court and is much easier on the muscles and joints. Apple Plus’ new sports comedy about the sport that’s not quite tennis, The Dink, follows Dustin Boyd (Jake Johnson) who was a childhood prodigy, trained in the ways of the racquet before he could even properly hold one. His father and coach Chuck (Ed Harris), pushed him beyond the limits of weaker men to mold Dustin into the hardest hitting server of his generation. Both their dreams of glory were broken along with his wrist during time out when playing against future tennis hall of famer Andy Roddick (playing himself). Now Dustin is a coach at his father’s country club, and in between teaching kids the forehand, he’s serving backhanded barbs at the adjacent pickleball players. But then, opportunity presents Dustin with a chance to redeem himself in the eyes of his father. In order to do so he’ll need to be in tip top shape and his doctor recommends doing that with pickleball. With his new partner Candace (Mary Steenburgen), Dusty will heal his wrist, and, in a spiritual sense, himself. Bradly, Neil, and Rae hit the courts of criticism and praise the jokes that land and determine if any laughs go out of bounds. They discuss what makes a great sports movie and how comedy can elevate any genre’s performance.

WATCH HERE

DIRECTED BY: Josh Greenbaum

STARRING: Jake Johnson, Mary Steenburgen, Aaron Chen, Ben Stiller, Ed Harris, Chloe Fineman, Patton Oswalt, Andy Roddick, John McEnroe, Cleo King, Lynne Marie Stewart, Don Lake, Wayne Wilderson, Lennon Parham, Chris Parnell, Martin Kove, Christine Taylor, Fortune Feimster, Steve Berg, Cayden Romero

 

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.

 

Lyrae Anderson (Screener Squad)

You can call me Rae. You can also call me a film lover. I’ll watch it all — small screen; big screen, and everything in between. I have attended and worked for Fantastic Fest and South by Southwest for many years. I married a film geek as well. While we don’t agree on everything, we agree on our love of movies.

 

Neil Anderson (Screener Squad)

I first got hooked on movies when I saw Star Wars at a drive-in theater as a kid. Growing up in a small, rural town meant not having access to a lot of movies. In college, that all changed. I couldn’t get enough. I love it all — flicks, films, movies, and cinema. I still have that wide-eyed wonder of that kid watching movies from the back of a pick-up truck at the drive-in.

 

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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Trash in the Can: The Garbage Pail Kids Movie

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TRASH IN THE CAN: THE GARBAGE PAIL KIDS MOVIE

This week, we dive headfirst into a movie that’s so perfectly suited to our show we can’t believe it took us this long. Podcaster, artist, and actor John Gholson joins us to marvel at nightmare-fuel puppets, an alarming age gap romance, and state of the art piss special effects. It’s gross, it’s baffling, and it’s almost impossible to believe this movie actually exists. We watched 1987’s The Garbage Pail Kids Movie!

 

YOUR HOSTS

 

Wright Sulek (The Other Boss, Trash in the Can, Digital Noise, Highly Suspect Reviews, 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.

 

Eric Samaniego (Trash in the Can, Heart/Felt, Make a Noise, Highly Suspect Reviews)

Eric Samaniego is a multi-award show watching, sometimes comedian, sometimes writer who began life as a Muppet and 1930s screwball comedy obsessed goon and still carries a torch for all things felt, funny, and a little bit unhinged. With a passion for genre films, poor taste, and whiskey, he co-hosts Trash in the Can, a podcast that digs through cinema’s dustbin in search of the best worst movies alongside longtime co-conspirator Wright Sulek. Eric and Wright also bring their love of cinematic oddities to the big screen with One Man’s Trash, a monthly live screening series at Violet Crown Cinema in Austin, Texas, spotlighting cult classics, forgotten flops, and anything proudly wearing the label “so bad it’s good.” He also hosted Heart/Felt, a limited podcast series celebrating the 70th anniversary of The Muppets and the enduring legacy of Jim Henson. He has a new limited series on One of Us that explores the films and life of comedy legend Mel Brooks called Make a Noise. When not podcasting, Eric serves as an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who was the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797.

 

You can subscribe to the Trash in the Can podcast on iTunes, Spotify, and more, or use our RSS feed on whatever podcast service you use: https://oneofus.net/feed/trashinthecan/ 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.

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: Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed

Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed series review

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MAXIMUM PLEASURE GUARANTEED SERIES REVIEW

Camboy (plural camboys): noun – A man who publishes webcam photographs or videos of himself. Apple Plus presents a series starring former She-Hulk Tatiana Maslany as Paula. She’s a single mother with a laptop and private relationship with a camboy named Trevor. Paula doesn’t seem like the type. She has an outstanding relationship with her elementary school daughter Hazel (Nola Wallace). She’s fun, yet a voice of discipline. She’s spontaneous yet very aware of Hazel’s schedule. She’s respectful (mostly) and cordial to her ex-husband Karl (Jake Johnson) and his new wife Mallory (Jessy Hodges). Unfortunately for Paula, no matter how much she shines as a single mother and career gal, Karl and Mallory want full custody and to move to Idaho, taking Hazel with them. Paula is absolutely not going to let that happen and is preparing for the court date to make her case. She’s got nothing to worry about… except the camboy she has been seeing has been beat up, abducted, and is blowing up Paula’s phone with texts and voicemails asking her to send money now or the abductors will kill him. No matter who you are or where you come from, being tied to such a scandal does not look good when read back by the court stenographer. Bradly, Eoin, and Dom discuss the inner workings of sex work on the internet, the deep dive conspiracy that pulls Paula into its clutches, and how effective a web-based detective thriller works as a series.

WATCH HERE

CREATED BY: David J. Rosen

STARRING: Tatiana Maslany, Jake Johnson, Jessy Hodges, Jon Michael Hill, Charlie Hall, Kiarra Hamagami Goldberg, Nola Wallace, Dolly de Leon, Brandon Flynn, Murray Bartlett, Tara Summers, Nina Bloomgarden, Kapil Talwalkar, Daniel Dale, Remy Auberjonois, Grace Porter, Raymond Lee

 

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.

 

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.

 

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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Highly Suspect Reviews: A Curious Mix of People

A Curious Mix of People documentary series review

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A CURIOUS MIX OF PEOPLE DOCUMENTARIES REVIEW

The 90s were a wild time. Austin Texas certainly saw a boom during the decade on many different fronts but one of the wildest and most unique was what was going on in its music and club scene. Bands like The Butthole Surfers and The Big Boys set the stage in the 80s for the weird revolution that began there and it just kept getting weirder. After much anticipation from Gen X locals, a project to document this crazy time dubbed A Curious Mix of People was created by Greg Beets, Richard Whymark, and long-time friend of this site Chepo Peña. Beginning as a series of zines, the full book was released in 2023 accompanied by tons of photos and fascinating tidbits from both locals involved and touring musicians. Now, director Richard Whymark has begun to release a series of short documentaries, each focusing on a chapter of the book and a specific club. Fortunately for you, local scenesters during this period Chris and Beau are here to discuss the three films and they bring along their buddy Marc Savlov, legendary multi-award winning Austin Chronicle film critic and all around great guy who was there for all the madness as well. Focusing on the clubs Emo’s, The Blue Flamingo, and The Cavity, the trio of critics discuss the films but more than anything add their own two cents as to what it was like to be part of this unique environment and tell some great stories.

SEE MORE ABOUT THE BOOK AND THE FILMS “A CURIOUS MIX OF PEOPLE” HERE

CREATED BY: Greg Beets, Richard Whymark, and Chepo Peña

 

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).

 

Beau Paul (Highly Suspect Reviews, The Original Gentlemen, Screener Squad)

Beau Paul is an Austin native, an actor, and a writer. Sometimes all at once! Previously he has attempted to be an internet entertainer (the funny ha-ha kind, not the naked moneymaking kind) at Spill.com, and now here on OneOfUs.net. You can read his pithy witticisms and the retweeted material of funnier, cleverer people on Instagram or Facebook.

 

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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Make a Noise – Ep 3 – The Twelve Chairs (1970)

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MAKE A NOISE: THE TWELVE CHAIRS (1970)

Mel Brooks followed the outrageous success of The Producers with his most personal film, a bittersweet treasure hunt about greed, obsession, and the things people spend their lives chasing. Eric Samaniego is once again joined by Trash in the Can co-host Wright Sulek to discuss The Twelve Chairs. Listen as they explore why Brooks considers it his favorite of his own films, how its quieter humor reveals a different side of his filmmaking, and how one of Brooks’ most overlooked comedies has its own hidden treasures.

 

YOUR HOST

 

Eric Samaniego (Trash in the Can, Heart/Felt, Make a Noise, Highly Suspect Reviews)

Eric Samaniego is a multi-award show watching, sometimes comedian, sometimes writer who began life as a Muppet and 1930s screwball comedy obsessed goon and still carries a torch for all things felt, funny, and a little bit unhinged. With a passion for genre films, poor taste, and whiskey, he co-hosts Trash in the Can, a podcast that digs through cinema’s dustbin in search of the best worst movies alongside longtime co-conspirator Wright Sulek. Eric and Wright also bring their love of cinematic oddities to the big screen with One Man’s Trash, a monthly live screening series at Violet Crown Cinema in Austin, Texas, spotlighting cult classics, forgotten flops, and anything proudly wearing the label “so bad it’s good.” He also hosted Heart/Felt, a limited podcast series celebrating the 70th anniversary of The Muppets and the enduring legacy of Jim Henson. He has a new limited series on One of Us that explores the films and life of comedy legend Mel Brooks called Make a Noise. When not podcasting, Eric serves as an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who was the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797.

 

You can subscribe to the Make A Noise podcast on iTunes, Spotify, and more, or use our RSS feed on whatever podcast service you use: https://oneofus.net/feed/makeanoise/ 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.

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: Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Spider-Man: Brand New Day movie review

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SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY

After the spell caused everyone to forget who he is, Peter (Tom Holland) has fully submerged himself in being Spider-Man all of the time. Constantly on the prowl for crime, he still is haunted by the loss of his friendship with Ned (Jacob Batalon) and his girlfriend M.J. (Zendaya) who are actively living their lives at MIT, oblivious to Peter ever having existed. But strange things are beginning to happen. Pete seems to be developing new and scary powers and is seriously grossed out that he’s grown actual organic webs in his wrists. It’s bad timing to have to learn how to master, or block, these new abilities, because there’s a strange and powerful new threat in NYC. A telepath who can jump their consciousness and control from body to body is causing chaos and it all seems to point at the offices of Damage Inc. and their leader Bill Metzger (Tramell Tillman). Pete will have to balance a lot of spinning plates here, and without his formerly large group of allies to call on, but he does manage to connect with Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) and Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) for some assistance. In the end, it all comes down to the strength of Peter’s character and his heart, which Spider-Man: Brand New Day has plenty of. Chris, Wright, Kate, Frank, and Rod convene to discuss the film and why they feel it’s one of the best entries in the various Spider-Man film series to have been released.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE/TRAILER

DIRECTED BY: Destin Daniel Cretton

STARRING: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Tramell Tillman, Michael Mando, Mark Ruffalo, Marvin Jones III, Eman Esfandi, Liza Colón-Zayas, Zabryna Guevara, Florence Pugh, Fan Xiaoshuang, Marisa Tomei

 

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.

 

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.

 

Kate Chambers (Highly Suspect Reviews, Screener Squad)

Kate is a certified horror fiend and Horse Girl™. Her name isn’t short for anything. A native Austinite, she graduated with a BFA in Film Production from the University of Colorado Boulder then returned to the Lone Star State to make her home amid the cinephiles of the Alamo Drafthouse and the Austin Film Society. In her spare time, you can find her either down at the barn with her noble steed Jazz, watching as many movies as possible (often at work), cuddling with her pair of black cats and writing horror scripts, or nursing a beer in any available body of water… or doing Duolingo, where she’s currently on a 1000+ day streak.

 

Rod Nunley (Highly Suspect Reviews, Screener Squad)

An Austin native born military brat, Rod Nunley picked up his first comic book in Holland while waiting for his father to get out of work and was thrust into a world of nerdom. Now a full time single father he spends his days educating his son in the ways of being a geek with great bombast. Teaching his young pasawan the ways of D&D, sci-fi, fantasy books and all the great nerd films and content rivers he himself swam in his whole life. A karaoke singing, photo shoot taking, apartment locating and every doggo/kitty petting fan of all of all things geeky.

 

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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Digital Noise Episode 380: Flawless Victory

Digital Noise

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DIGITAL NOISE EPISODE 380: FLAWLESS VICTORY

Chris and Wright review physical media and they have got an interesting stack of recent releases to tell you about today. From an upgraded release of the first faintly enjoyable video game based movie (and it’s unfortunate sequel) to one of the most freaky Japanese horror films ever made. From two screams to the movie with one of the best sci-fi weapons ever. We gotta lot to discuss and thank goodness we didn’t record this episode because damn, we said some embarrassing stuff. Like, wow. If I had recorded it and attached it here for you to listen to I would be SO mortified.

 

All titles were sent to Digital Noise by the distribution companies in question for the purpose of review. No other compensation was involved. The opinions here are our own.

PLEASE USE OUR IMAGE LINKS TO BUY ANY OF THESE TITLES ON AMAZON. IN FACT, PLEASE USE THEM AS YOUR STARTING POINT FOR ANYTHING YOU BUY OFF OF AMAZON. WE ARE AN AFFILIATE AND RECEIVE COMPENSATION FOR PURCHASES MADE FROM OUR LINKS.

 

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The Lost Man blu-ray reviewEraser 4k reviewMortal Kombat Kollection 4k review

 

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 now subscribe on iTunes (or the podcast service of your choice that accepts RSS feeds) to just the Digital Noise Podcast! Either search for Digital Noise on your podcast service or use our RSS URL https://oneofus.net/feed/weekly-video-review-podcast

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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A Better Yesterday – Ep 5: The Killer’s Curse

A Better Yesterday - A show about the history of Hong Kong action films

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A BETTER YESTERDAY – EP 5: THE KILLER’S CURSE


The conversation series about the origins and evolution of Hong Kong action cinema culture continues! In this episode, Ross O’Brien sits down again with the Chronicler of Kung Fu Cinema Bey Logan in his Lantau lair to trace how Hong Kong’s post-kung fu boom birthed a new genre: heroic bloodshed.


Picking up from the Jackie Chan era, Ross and Bey move into the mid‑1980s and the arrival of John Woo’s A Better Tomorrow — the film that swapped swords for pistols, clans for triads, and turned balletic gunplay into a worldwide cinematic language. Bey unpacks how a Woo comedy and kung fu director found his true calling in stylized gangster drama, and how Cinema City gambled on a remake of an old black‑and‑white social drama, The Story of a Discharged Prisoner, and on (yet another!) actor the industry had written off as “box office poison”: Chow Yun‑Fat.


From there they dive deep into the brotherhood codes carried over from Shaw Brothers swordplay, the moral universe of the wuguan transposed onto modern Hong Kong, and why Mark ‘Gor’ Lee (avec trench coat, sunglasses, toothpick and potplant handguns) became an instant archetype. They talk about how A Better Tomorrow reshaped HK film financing, how triad money came to define the industry, as underworld figures bankrolled their own on‑screen myths.


Ross and Bey then follow the genre’s branching paths: Ringo Lam’s bleak realism in City on Fire, Johnnie To’s cool Hong Kong noir, and John Woo’s own escalation from A Better Tomorrow through The Killer and Hard Boiled to the war‑torn epic Bullet in the Head. Along the way, they wrestle with the afterlife of the genre, from A Better Tomorrow II and III’s prequel pivots to Woo’s ill‑fated Hollywood remake of The Killer. Ross can’t help but ask the existential question of whether this period in Hong Kong’s film history sparked the global glut of “lone hitman who wants out” stories.


Join the pair for a rambly, affectionate, and occasionally critical tour of heroic bloodshed: a genre born from real streets and real gangsters, obsessed with loyalty and betrayal, and still echoing through everything from Reservoir Dogs to Netflix’s latest assassin movies.


Films discussed:


A Better Tomorrow (1986)
The Story of a Discharged Prisoner (1967)
City on Fire (1987)
The Killer (1989)
Hard Boiled (1992)
Bullet in the Head (1990)
A Better Tomorrow II (1987)
A Better Tomorrow III (1989)
Hero of Tomorrow (1988)
Related touchstones: Le Samouraï (1967), Reservoir Dogs (1992), Leon: The Professional (1994), Purple Storm (1999)


This episode was recorded in Bey’s dojo / contemplation studio above Silvermine Bay in Mui Wo, Lantau Island — with the usual background ambience of Hong Kong life — and was produced by Mark Haskins of Post‑Op Media.

 

YOUR HOSTS

 

Bey Logan (A Better Yesterday)

Bey Logan is a Hong Kong-based screenwriter, producer and martial arts film historian. His films include Jackie Chan’s ‘The Medallion’ and ‘The Twins Effect’, Sammo Hung’s ‘Dragon Squad’ and ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny’, which starred Donnie Yen and Michelle Yeoh. He has produced documentaries about Bruce Lee, as well as a book entitled ‘Bruce Lee and I’. Bey’s recent publications include the two-volume ‘36 Chambers of Kung Fu Cinema’.

 

Ross O’Brien (A Better Yesterday)

Ross O’Brien writes about technology and economics in Asia from a fishing village on Hong Kong’s Lantau Island. Most evenings he stares out at the South China Sea, fretting about what the salt air is doing to his comic books and Del Rey paperbacks. He has no film credits to speak of, unless you count the voice-overs he did for Vidal Sassoon shampoo commercials when he was hard up in Singapore in the 1990s.

 

You can subscribe to the A Better Yesterday podcast on iTunes, Spotify, and more, or use our RSS feed on whatever podcast service you use: https://oneofus.net/feed/a-better-yesterday/ 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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