Before we start talking movies, Megan has some news. Then: We often say on Spoilerpiece that movies we select to review end up being thematically related, even when we don't intend them to be. Well, not today, gang! THE CHORAL (5:50) and THE RIP (24:12) could not be less alike if they're directors (Nicholas Hytner and Joe Carnahan, respectively) made conscious decisions to make them live on opposite ends of the movie spectrum. Evan and Dave take on THE CHORAL (Megan had screener problems), an all-over-the-place drama about a chorus putting together a performance under the heavy cloud of World War I. Ralph Fieness is great. Everything else? Hmm... Then there's THE RIP (and if you forget what this flick is called, it will remind you), which all of us watched. This police thriller about some Miami PD cops seizing a giant stash of cartel money has some tense moments, but overall we didn't love it (even if we didn't hate it). Though we ackowledge Ben Affleck blows the roof off this one. Matt Damon? Not so much. Over on Patreon, we pay tribute to Rob Reiner and talk about A FEW GOOD MEN.

This week we get down to the wire - the DEAD MAN'S WIRE (2:56), that is! (Hey-o!). This drama about a well-known-to-Hoosiers (like Dave) historical incident didn't really work for us. Which incident, you ask? Why, a very public kidnapping! Bill Skarsgård plays a disgruntled Indianapolis resident who holds a mortgage executive hostage over a loan dispute. Featuring an unrecognizable Cary Elwes and Kelly Lynch in small roles (and a recognizable over-the-top - natch - Al Pacino in another), we kind of rip DMW a new one. Following that, we tackle Albert Birney's OBEX (25:57), which is more of a split decision. In it, a man climbs into a fictional 1987 computer game to resuce his dog, avoid cicadas, and battle stop-motion-like skeletons. Over on Patreon, we watched Park Chan-wook's 2003 action thriller OLDBOY.

Welcome to 2026! We start out the year by doing what we do best: Not enjoying a movie that is otherwise being heaped with critical praise! That's right, folks, Evan and Megan didn't really get the critical brouhaha behind THE PLAGUE (2:42). This story about extreme bullying at a water polo camp left them a little cold, and not because the water temperature is a chilly 65 degrees. Dave joins them for WE BURY THE DEAD (21:45), and unconventional the-dead-are-coming-back-to-life tale. This one left Dave cold, but not just because he has a frigid critics' heart. Evan and Megan liked it, and its take on zombieism is different: Not all the dead come back, they don't seem to want to eat you (though a few look like they'll kick the crap out of you), and have things on their minds. Daisy Ridley is excellent in the lead as an American woman in Tasmania looking for her husband, and Brenton Thwaites is solid as a ne'er-do-well trying to do well. Over on Patreon, we watched the 1982 courtroom drama THE VERDICT, starring Paul Newman.