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FRANKENSTEIN MOVIE REVIEW

It’s officially getting into that end of the year Oscar qualifying season and you know what that means: elevated horror directors put out their own remakes of classic monster movies time. I mean, lately. This year it’s Guillermo del Toro’s turn and he dives into the Mary Shelley creation that he’s spent the bulk of his career thematically dancing around the edges of, Frankenstein. In this version, Oscar Isaac is the tortured ‘modern Prometheus’ Victor Frankenstein as he tells his story to the captain of a ship frozen in the ice near the North Pole. As his monster closes in, Victor first relates his childhood and why he is so set on overcoming death at any cost. Then he tells of his business partnership with Henrich (Christoph Waltz) and emotional entanglement with Henrich’s niece (Mia Goth) even though she is the fiancee of Victor’s younger brother. And then, he relates the story of his hubris, as he indeed brings his body puzzle to life. But this is no ordinary monster. It’s a SEXY monster (I mean, it’s Jacob Elordi, whatareyagonnado). Chris, Wright, and Nathan run the gamut on opinions here and one night as a terrible storm raged in the heavens, they brought these opinions to life right here on this podcast.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE/TRAILER

DIRECTED BY: Guillermo del Toro

STARRING: Oscar Isaac, Christian Convery, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Felix Kammerer, Lars Mikkelsen, Christoph Waltz, Charles Dance, Lauren Collins, David Bradley, Sofia Galasso, Ralph Ineson, Burn Gorman

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.

Nathan Flynn (Screener Squad, Highly Suspect Reviews)

Nathan Flynn is the resident goofball of OneofUs.Net, often found overly caffeinated, slightly stoned, and ready to unleash the hottest takes imaginable. As the resident Letterboxd Lunatic, his movie opinions are as bold as his love for Top Gun: Maverick — a film he considers less of a movie and more of a religion. When he’s not passionately defending his latest cinematic obsession, Nathan manages a comedy club in downtown Austin, where he’s somehow avoided being heckled… so far. Around here, he’s usually the punching bag, but hey, someone’s gotta 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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MARVEL ZOMBIES SERIES REVIEW

The dead have risen… and they’ve got superpowers. Marvel Zombies shambles onto Disney Plus, expanding the fan-favorite What If…? episode that first teased this gruesome alternate Marvel universe. Inspired by the 2005 comic series by Robert Kirkman, the animated show imagines a world where a zombie virus infects Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, turning them into flesh-hungry monsters with cosmic-level abilities. A new generation of survivors—including Ms. Marvel, Kate Bishop, Yelena Belova, Shang-Chi, Jimmy Woo, and Red Guardian—must band together to outwit zombified versions of Captain Marvel, Namor, Wanda Maximoff, and a slew of other recognizable faces (mostly recognizable if you’ve been avidly following the MCU post-Endgame). But, does the show live up to its promise of grotesque and action-packed horror? Does this series push Marvel animation deep enough into darker, bloodier territory to appeal to zombie fans? Alyssa, Christopher, and T.C. hole up in the One Of Us Bunker to discuss the MCU Zombie Apocalypse and decide if this show is worth surviving.

WATCH HERE

CREATED BY: Bryan Andrews, Zeb Wells

STARRING: Iman Vellani, Dominique Thorne, Hailee Steinfeld, Kerry Condon, Kenna Ramsey, Todd Williams, Kari Wahlgren, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Randall Park, Feodor Chin, Wyatt Russell, Rama Vallury, Elizabeth Olsen, Hudson Thames, Paul Rudd, Greg Furman, Adam Hugill, Daniel Swain, Sheila Atim, Tessa Thompson, F. Murray Abraham, Piotr Michael, Zenobia Shroff, Isaac Robinson Smith, Debra Wilson, Alison Haislip

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.

Alyssa Miller

Alyssa emerged from the trenches of Cleveland, Ohio in 1992 and travelled to Austin in 2014, where she resides now as a bar manager. She is a self-proclaimed horror aficionado with a background in writing analyses for Scriptophobic and reviews for Morbidly Beautiful. In her spare time, she also makes jewelry and rosaries of all persuasions, specializing in uranium glass and beading. She also enjoys music of all kinds, and has worked extensively with the punk and metal scene in Austin. Alyssa ‘s biggest achievement is creating and growing the Austin Ghoul Gang, a local group that gets together every 3-4 months to watch a weird movie and have some bands play. Ask her about her Creature from the Black Lagoon tattoo!

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!

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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STEVE MOVIE REVIEW

A famous monologue in the Irvine Welsh novel Trainspotting reads “Choose us. Choose life. Choose mortgage payments; choose washing machines; choose cars; choose sitting oan a couch watching mind-numbing and spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing fuckin junk food intae yir mooth. Choose rotting away, pishing and shiteing yersel in a home, a total fuckin embarassment tae the selfish, fucked-up brats ye’ve produced. Choose life. Well, ah choose no tae choose life.” . Still with me? These are the thoughts of the protagonist named Mark Renton. But what if Mark had a school to go to for violently psychological tortured adolescents? Adapted from the novel Shy, the Netflix film Steve is about a film crew following the head teacher named Steve (Cillian Murphy) of that school for seriously traumatized kids. With his work colleague Amanda (Tracey Ullman) Steve shows the emotional maturity and courage it takes to give severely troubled youth some stability in hopes to build the foundations within these kids for a better future. Bradly, Drew, and Ryan discuss the film’s focus on Shy (Jay Lycurgo), the subject of the novel and a secondary lead to Cillian in the adaptation, whether the film effectively portrays a ray of hope in such dreary circumstances, and the powerhouse performance of Cillian Murphy.

WATCH HERE

DIRECTED BY: Tim Mielants

STARRING: Cillian Murphy, Tracey Ullman, Jay Lycurgo, Simbi Ajikawo, Emily Watson, Douggie McMeekin, Youssef Kerkour, Luke Ayres, Joshua J Parker, Araloyin Oshunremi, Tut Nyuot, Tom Moya, Ahmed Ismail, Joshua Barry, Archie Fisher, Ben Lloyd-Hughes, Priyanga Burford, George Fouracres, Marcus Garvey, Ruby Ashbourne-Serkis, Roger Allam

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.

Ryan Aleck Hill (Screener Squad, Video and Audio Editor)

Ryan is a Washington D.C. based filmmaker & video editor who loves watching and talking about movies more than just about anything. He currently works at a creative agency as a director of photography/video editor, and does freelance video editing for Anthony Fantano/TheNeedleDrop. He also has a YouTube channel (Downhill Media) where he works on a weirdo art explainer series called “Artsplained” with his partner Michelle. He was a part of the Spill.com community way back in the day, where he was cursed with an obsession for movies. In an effort to break the curse, he shows up on the Screener Squad podcast every once in a while and edits for One Of Us. Chris Cox claims that this is the only way it can be broken. You can follow him on Twitter but you’ll probably regret it.

Drew Shaw

As the son of a Coast Guard pilot, Drew has lived everywhere in the US that has a coast that needs guarding. All his childhood travels eventually landed him in Northern Virginia where he works at a brewery by day and watches movies with all the other free time life has to offer him. Drew’s fiance and cats are tired of him ranting and raving about whatever his latest movie obsession is so he is taking to the air waves to make it everybody else’s problem. On the off chance Drew isn’t watching a movie, he likes spending his time reading comics and literature, gaming, and playing around with all his various music making gadgets.

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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GOOD FORTUNE MOVIE REVIEW

Aziz Ansari has been wanting to move into feature filmmaking for awhile now but, as most are aware, there were a series of stumbling blocks. But now he writes, directs, and stars in this comedy that crosses Wings of Desire with Trading Places, the aptly named Good Fortune. Ansari plays Arj, a man struggling to get by with multiple gig economy jobs. When it seems like he finally got a break, working as a personal assistant for a rich guy named Jeff (Seth Rogen) who seems like a cool dude, it falls apart when he makes a simple mistake and Jeff lets him go. But wait: Anj has a guardian angel. Gabriel’s (Keanu Reeves) job is to try to keep people who text while driving from getting hurt or hurting others but he is moved by Arj’s plight. Although he is strictly forbidden from doing so, he reveals himself to Arj and uses some angel magic to make Arj and Jeff switch lives. Gabriel believes Arj will see that the life of a rich guy is not all it’s cracked up to be. Unfortunately for Gabriel, it kinda is and Arj has no interest in switching back. This is really unfortunate for Jeff who is decidedly kinda pissed. Even Gabriel is demoted and has to see for himself what the actual struggle of humans is like. Chris, Wright, Ben, and Rhett differ a bit on the success of this angelic comedy but all agree it has a lot of charm.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE/TRAILER

DIRECTED BY: Aziz Ansari

STARRING: Aziz Ansari, Keanu Reeves, Seth Rogen, Keke Palmer, Sandra Oh

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.

Ben Glasthal (Highly Suspect Review, Screener Squad, Breakfast Pub, Unstabletop Gamers, Video and Audio Editor)

Born in Boston, then ending up in Dallas, Texas in the early 2000s, Ben has always had a passion for film. He started in film school not long after where he launched MovieReelizations.com where he still writes reviews to this day. He’s since moved to Austin where he has been also hopping on podcasts and both editing and shooting videos for One of Us. A fan of films from almost all genres, and many that predate him more than makes sense, he is anything if not eclectic in what he’s watching at any point. For the rest of his free time, he can be found biking, drinking craft beer, being an amateur photographer, and playing video games by himself or on Twitch. He’s best found on Instagram or Twitter as @MovieReelBen.

Rhett O’Hara

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.

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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BLACK PHONE 2 MOVIE REVIEW

Based on a Joe Hill short story, 2021’s The Black Phone was a surprise late-pandemic success, a modestly budgeted supernatural horror film that found a sizable audience despite not having any big stars, or recognizable IP. With success comes expectations – and sequels – so director Scott Derrickson and frequent collaborator, screenwriter C. Robert Cargill picked up the phone again, and called up the entire principal cast to return to this newly minted franchise. Four years after Finney (Mason Thames) escaped and killed a vicious serial killer known as The Grabber (Ethan Hawke), he’s struggling with PTSD and still hears voices from beyond the grave. Meanwhile, his sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) continues to be haunted by nightmares of past murders. These terrifying visions lead the siblings to Alpine Lake, a remote winter youth camp where their mother was once a camp counselor. Joined by their friend Ernesto (Miguel Mora, playing the younger sibling of his deceased character from the original film), the teenagers go all Scooby Doo, and get themselves jobs as camp counselors so they can investigate Alpine Lake’s dark past. No sooner have they arrived than the camp gets snowed in, and these meddling kids find themselves beset by malevolent supernatural forces. Could this be the work of The Grabber? And didn’t he die at the end of the last film? Well, you know what they say, you can’t keep a good ghoul down. Neal, Nathan, Mike the Editor, and Marco hopped into the One of Us Mystery Machine, popped in our favorite Pink Floyd cassette, and braved the elements to bring you this review. Did we warm up to this hotly anticipated sequel, or did it leave us colder than a frozen lake? Listen to the review to find out!

OFFICIAL WEBSITE/TRAILER

DIRECTED BY: Scott Derrickson

STARRING: Mason Thames, Madeline McGraw, Ethan Hawke,Demián Bichir, Jeremy Davies, Miguel Mora, Arianna Rivas, Anna Lore, Graham Abbey, Maev Beaty

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.”

Nathan Flynn (Screener Squad, Highly Suspect Reviews)

Nathan Flynn is the resident goofball of OneofUs.Net, often found overly caffeinated, slightly stoned, and ready to unleash the hottest takes imaginable. As the resident Letterboxd Lunatic, his movie opinions are as bold as his love for Top Gun: Maverick — a film he considers less of a movie and more of a religion. When he’s not passionately defending his latest cinematic obsession, Nathan manages a comedy club in downtown Austin, where he’s somehow avoided being heckled… so far. Around here, he’s usually the punching bag, but hey, someone’s gotta do it.

Neal Fowler

Born and raised in Austin, Neal has a lifelong passion for movies, anime video games, and media analysis and discourse. He has been writing film reviews for his personal blogs and social media for over five years and is now contributing to The Afternoon Tune on YouTube and OneofUs.net. He appreciates great film and art no matter the genre, budget, or form it takes. While not reviewing movies, he enjoys reading comic books, hiking the outdoors, and indulging in good food. Remember one thing though: he’s Batman.

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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HAUNTED HOTEL SERIES REVIEW

Whenever I check into a hotel I know I’m in good hands when I see that delicious mint on my pillow. Chocolate and fresh breath? I am loved. Worst case scenario? Cold water showers, paper thin walls, no mints, and a diabolical room 1408 situation. For those of you that haven’t seen 1408 with John Cusack and Samuel L Jackson, now is the time! Spooky Scary month is upon us and Netflix has conjured up a delightfully spooky scary animated series about a haunted hotel that dares to ask the question, what if every room was like 1408? From creator Matt Roller, Haunted Hotel is about a single mom named Katherine (Eliza Coupe) who has inherited a hotel from her dearly departed brother Nathan (Will Forte). With the help of her brother, who’s still in the hotel as a ghost, she’ll turn this rickety old manor of terror into a tower of profits. Ben (Skyler Gisondo), Kathrine’s oldest son in the midst of a coming of age story of his own, manages chores and his longing to be with the ghost of a flapper taken in the throes of her youth. Esther (Natalie Palamides) lends a helping hand in keeping the ghosts in line in a way that only a living scamp can. Also there is Abaddon (Jimmi Simpson) a demon from hell trapped in the body of a little Victorian boy. It’s an animation séance with Bradly, Mike and Caroline discussing the beautifully drawn sequences, a wonderfully cast ensemble of hilarious comedians, and the show’s deep dark heart beating with the rhythm of a classic sitcom’s heartstrings.

WATCH HERE

CREATED BY: Matt Roller

STARRING: Will Forte, Eliza Coupe, Skyler Gisondo, Natalie Palamides, Jimmi Simpson

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.

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.

Caroline Sulek

Caroline Sulek resides in Mckinney, TX with her son Henry and two cats: Sally and Rocky. As a mom, corporate baddie, and unabashed lover of all things silly, spooky, and creative, she brings a unique perspective to the One of Us network. Her love of art and movies started long ago when she and her brother, Wright, would spend entire summer vacations in front of the TV and she would draw portraits of Wright as he sat watching for hours. Caroline has been a frequent guest and fan favorite of the Trash in the Can podcast with her brother, Wright, and his life podcast partner, Eric Samaniego. Caroline enjoys the most gruesome of horror movies and the most bingeable of reality shows and anywhere in between!

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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PEACEMAKER SEASON 2 REVIEW

Who would have guessed that a D list superhero like Chris Smith AKA Peacemaker would be the cornerstone of DC Comics latest cinematic universe, or that the role would offer former wrestler turned actor John Cena the meatiest role of his career, thus far? Nobody, that’s who. And yet here we are, one movie and two seasons later. Peacemaker and his band of emotionally damaged misfits have thoroughly cemented their place in James Gunn’s DCU. Despite having saved the world from an alien invasion at the end of S1, Peacemaker and the rest of the 11th Street Kids find themselves ostracized and blackballed from the intelligence community (pro tip: never cross Amanda Waller, or kill Rick Flagg Sr. ‘s son). Full of regret and self-loathing, a despondent Peacemaker retreats into a seemingly perfect alternate dimension; a happy world (“Best. Dimension. Ever.”) where his life took a very different course, and where he has the family, the girlfriend, and the love and respect that he always wanted. Naturally, not all is as it seems, and it’s up to the 11th Street Kids to rescue Chris from this too-good-to-be-true dimension. Naturally, hijinks ensue, and we’re treated to more of Gunn’s trademark blend of gross out gags, gore, and gooey sentiment. But did it live up to the hype? Listen to Marco, Kate, and Mike the Editor, as they join forces for a spoiler-filled discussion on the latest (and possibly last) season of Peacemaker.

WATCH HERE

CREATED BY: James Gunn

STARRING: John Cena, Myles Benson, Danielle Brooks, Freddie Stroma, Jennifer Holland, Steve Agee, Frank Grillo, Robert Patrick, David Denman, Sol Rodríguez, Tim Meadows, Reinaldo Faberlle, Brandon Stanley, Nhut Le, Michael Rooker, Sean Gunn, Isabela Merced, Nathan Fillion, Elizabeth Ludlow, Nicholas Hoult, Stephen Blackehart, Lochlyn Munro, Terence Rosemore, James Hiroyuki, Matthew Nelson, Gunnar Nelson, Joel Kinnaman, Michael Ian Black, Brey Noelle, Anissa Matlock, Taylor St. Clair, Dorian Kingi

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.”

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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HEART/FELT – A DARKER, CAVERNOUS PLACE: THE DARK CRYSTAL

In this episode of Heart/Felt, I’m joined by fellow One of Us podcaster Rhett O’Hara to explore The Dark Crystal, Jim Henson’s bold departure from the Muppets into darker, more immersive fantasy. We discuss the film’s groundbreaking puppetry, rich world-building, and its lasting impact on Henson’s legacy.

YOUR HOST

Eric Samaniego (Trash in the Can, Heart/Felt, One Man’s Trash, Highly Suspect Reviews)

Eric is a multi-award show watching, sometimes comedian, sometimes writer that began life as a Muppet and 1930’s screwball comedy obsessed goon and continues to carry a torch for all things felt and funny. With a passion for genre films, poor taste, and whiskey, he and co-conspirator, Wright Sulek, indulge in the best/worst films the world has to offer with One of Us’s podcast, ‘Trash in the Can’. When not podding, Eric works as an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797.

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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TRON:ARES MOVIE REVIEW

Has it really been FIFTEEN years since Tron: Legacy? Disney has been trying to get a third Tron film up off the ground ever since Legacy with multiple stumbling blocks, including the cast of that film being unwilling to return for a third. So of course they go to everyone’s favorite leading man actor, Jared Leto (there’s still no sarcasm font, so apologies). Leto plays Ares, a sentient AI inside ‘the grid’ controlled by Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters), the CEO of Dillinger Systems and the grandson of the bad guy (in both worlds) in the original film. The time has come to not be digitized and appear inside the computer world, but to take things from the computer world and digitize them here. The problem is, that anything digitized here only lasts for 29 minutes before it de-rezzes. Meanwhile, on the good guys who run a powerful competing corporation side (!) is Eve Kim (Greta Lee) who is the CEO of ENCOM, the company started by Flynn (Jeff Bridges). Both bosses are looking for the ‘permanence code’ that will make the digital creations last indefinitely in our world, ’cause what could go wrong there? Ares, eventually, realizes that he just wants to live in our world and that Julian is kinda a dick. But really, the only premise of Tron: Ares is: what would lightcycles look like racing around our world? And admittedly, that is some cool stuff. Everything else, not so much. Listen to Chris, Wright, Frank, and Nathan be grumbly old men who don’t like all this newfangled tech in their review for Tron: Ares.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE/TRAILER

DIRECTED BY: Joachim Rønning

STARRING: Jared Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters, Jodie Turner-Smith, Hasan Minhaj, Arturo Castro, Gillian Anderson, Jeff Bridges, Cameron Monaghan, Sarah Desjardins

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.

Nathan Flynn (Screener Squad, Highly Suspect Reviews)

Nathan Flynn is the resident goofball of OneofUs.Net, often found overly caffeinated, slightly stoned, and ready to unleash the hottest takes imaginable. As the resident Letterboxd Lunatic, his movie opinions are as bold as his love for Top Gun: Maverick — a film he considers less of a movie and more of a religion. When he’s not passionately defending his latest cinematic obsession, Nathan manages a comedy club in downtown Austin, where he’s somehow avoided being heckled… so far. Around here, he’s usually the punching bag, but hey, someone’s gotta do it.

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

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 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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PLAY DIRTY MOVIE REVIEW

Trim the tree, put up the lights, hang the stockings with care: there’s an action film on Amazon Prime with Shane Black as writer/director…Christmas will soon be here! Inspired by the popular Parker book series by Donald E Westlake, Play Dirty starring Mark Wahlberg, is about a heist gone wrong that presents an opportunity to stop billionaires from making things worse by cooking up an even bigger heist that could go wrong in the pursuit of making everything right. Parker (Mark Wahlberg) is the lone survivor of a robbery in which the robbers got robbed. He vows to avenge his fellow crooks…who says there’s no honour amongst thieves? After a proposition from Zen (Rosa Salazar) involving a sunken ship thought to be a myth, Parker calls his old buddy from the order, Goofield (LaKeith Stanfield) who knows how to organize a crew. Together they will double cross the double crossers. Also it’s Christmas in New York! Bradly, Mike, and Ian lock and load for a twisting, turning, shoot-first heist wrapped in a caper. It’s all set to the stylish and bombastic score of Silvestri, but does Shane Black’s Play Dirty end up with silver bells? Or should we fill its stocking up with coal? Either way, the sex, violence, and action on display here propel Shane Black to the top of the Naughty list.

WATCH HERE

DIRECTED BY: Shane Black

STARRING: Mark Wahlberg, LaKeith Stanfield. Rosa Salazar, Keegan-Michael Key, Chukwudi Iwuji, Nat Wolff, Gretchen Mol, Thomas Jane, Tony Shalhoub, Hemky Madera, Alejandro Edda, Claire Lovering, Chai Hansen, Sebastian Carr, Nick Russell, Byron Coll, Kat Hoyos, Michelle Ang, Peta Wilson, Yvonne Zima, Mark Cuban

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.

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.

Ian Butcher (Highly Suspect Reviews, Eye on the Prize, Breakfast Pub)

Moving all around the country growing up meant that there was only one constant in Ian’s life, the video store. Thus began a lifelong obsession with all things celluloid. While spending most of his origin story becoming a human IMDB, Ian came across a certain site called Spill.com, This discovery, combined with a need to move away from the pacific northwest and never look back, led Ian to drop out of film school and move to Austin. A general man about town, you can usually find Ian in a hole in the wall bar in east Austin, running around town with a camera pretending to be something of a filmmaker, or talking about all things movies here on OneOfUs.net and DoubleToasted.com.

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.