Derek (@DerekMirand85) and Karen (@KarenMPeterson) go to war this week over Ridley Scott's latest historical epic, NAPOLEON.
As always, featured reviews are done in two parts, a NON-SPOILER review with letter grade and brief discussion, followed by a more in depth SPOILER review.
PLOT SUMMARY:
NAPOLEON is a spectacle-filled action epic that details the checkered rise and fall of the iconic French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. Against a stunning backdrop of large-scale filmmaking orchestrated by legendary director Ridley Scott, the film captures Bonaparte's relentless journey to power through the prism of his addictive, volatile relationship with his one true love, Josephine, showcasing his visionary military and political tactics against some of the most dynamic practical battle sequences ever filmed.
Directed by: Ridley Scott
Written by: David Scarpa
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Vanessa Kirby
Studio: Sony Pictures, Apple Original Films
*Clip from NAPOLEON courtesy of Sony Pictures.
Support the show! www.Patreon.com/TheWatchAndTalk
The inspirational underdog story hits the field this week as Derek (@DerekMiranda85) and Karen (@KarenMPeterson) sit down to talk NEXT GOAL WINS.
As always, featured reviews are done in two parts, a NON-SPOILER review with letter grade and brief discussion, followed by a more in depth SPOILER review.
PLOT SUMMARY:
NEXT GOAL WINS follows the American Samoa soccer team, infamous for their brutal 31-0 FIFA loss in 2001. With the World Cup Qualifiers approaching, the team hires down-on-his-luck, maverick coach Thomas Rongen hoping he will turn the world’s worst soccer team around in this heartfelt underdog comedy.
Directed by: Taika Waititi
Written by: Taika Waititi and Iain Morris
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Elisabeth Moss, Oscar Kightley, Uli Latukefu, Rachel House, Kaimana, David Fane, Beulah Koale, Chris Alosio, Taika Waititi, Will Arnett, Rhys Darby
*Clip from NEXT GOAL WINS courtesy of Searchlight Pictures.
Support the show! www.Patreon.com/TheWatchAndTalk
The Marvels are back and so are we! This week, Karen Peterson (@KarenMPeterson) and Derek Miranda (@DerekMiranda85) are talking all about THE MARVELS, plus a super-sized edition of What We've Been Watching Lately.
As always, featured reviews are done in two parts, a NON-SPOILER review with letter grade and brief discussion, followed by a more in depth SPOILER review.
PLOT SUMMARY:
Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. But unintended consequences see Carol shouldering the burden of a destabilized universe. When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, her powers become entangled with that of Jersey City super-fan, Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel, and Carol's estranged niece, now S.A.B.E.R. astronaut Captain Monica Rambeau. Together, this unlikely trio must team-up and learn to work in concert to save the universe as "The Marvels."
Directed by: Nia DaCosta
Written by: Nia DaCosta, Megan McDonnell, Elissa Karasik
Starring: Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani, Zawe Ashton, Samuel L. Jackson
Support the show! www.Patreon.com/TheWatchAndTalk
Halloween may be over, but it's always a good time to talk about spooky movies!
This week, Derek Miranda (@DerekMiranda85) and Karen Peterson (@KarenMPeterson) review FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S and also share our five favorite movies to watch every Halloween.
PLOT SUMMARY:
A troubled security guard begins working at Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria. While spending his first night on the job, he realizes the late shift at Freddy's won't be so easy to make it through.
Directed by: Emma Tammi
Written by: Scott Cawthon, Seth Cuddleback, Emma Tammi
Starring: Josh Hutcherson, Piper Rubio, Elizabeth Lail, Mary Stuart Masterson, Matthew Lillard
Support the show! www.Patreon.com/TheWatchAndTalk
With the release of Martin Scorsese's latest, Derek Miranda (@DerekMiranda85) and Karen Peterson (@KarenMPeterson) discuss Scorsese's 21st century filmography and review KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON.
As always, featured reviews are done in two parts, a NON-SPOILER review with letter grade and brief discussion, followed by a more in depth SPOILER review.
PLOT SUMMARY:
In the 1920s, members of the Osage Native American tribe of Osage County, Oklahoma, are murdered after oil is found on their land, and the FBI decides to investigate.
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Written by: Eric Roth and Martin Scorsese
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone, Robert De Niro, Jesse Plemons, Tantoo Cardinal, Cara Jade Myers, Janae Collins, Jillian Dion, Jason Isbell, William Belleau, Brendan Fraser, John Lithgow
*Clip from KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON courtesy of Paramount Pictures and Apple Original Films.
Support the show! www.Patreon.com/TheWatchAndTalk
This week Karen Peterson (@karenmpeterson) & Derek Miranda (@DerekMiranda85) explore the world of gender politics and finance with Chloe Domont's debut feature FAIR PLAY. The film is now streaming on Netflix.
As always, featured reviews are done in two parts, a NON-SPOILER review with letter grade and brief discussion, followed by a more in depth SPOILER review.
PLOT SUMMARY:
An unexpected promotion at a cutthroat hedge fund pushes a newly engaged couple's relationship to the brink.
Written and Directed by: Chloe Domont
Starring: Phoebe Dynevor, Alden Ehrenreich, Eddie Marsan, Rich Sommer, Sebastian De Souza
Studio: Netflix
*Clip from FAIR PLAY courtesy of Netflix.
Support the show! www.Patreon.com/TheWatchAndTalk
This week, @KarenMPeterson and @DerekMiranda85 are traveling down under with the new thriller THE ROYAL HOTEL.
As always, featured reviews are done in two parts, a NON-SPOILER review with letter grade and brief discussion, followed by a more in depth SPOILER review.
PLOT SUMMARY:
Americans Hanna and Liv are backpacking in Australia and take a temporary live-in job in a remote Outback mining town. Soon, they find themselves trapped in an unnerving situation that grows rapidly out of their control.
Directed by: Kitty Green
Written by: Kitty Green, Oscar Redding
Starring: Julia Garner, Jessica Henwick, Hugo Weaving, Ursula Yovich, Daniel Henshall, James Frecheville, Toby Wallace
*Clip from THE ROYAL HOTEL courtesy of Neon.
Support the show! www.Patreon.com/TheWatchAndTalk
One of the hottest topics in media right now is artificial intelligence, so this week we're talking about it. @DerekMiranda85 and @KarenMPeterson review the new film THE CREATOR, plus share their top 5 21st century films about AI.
As always, featured reviews are done in two parts, a NON-SPOILER review with letter grade and brief discussion, followed by a more in depth SPOILER review.
PLOT SUMMARY:
As a future war between the human race and artificial intelligence rages on, ex-special forces agent Joshua is recruited to hunt down and kill the Creator, the elusive architect of advanced AI. The Creator has developed a mysterious weapon that has the power to end the war and all of mankind. As Joshua and his team of elite operatives venture into enemy-occupied territory, they soon discover the world-ending weapon is actually an AI in the form of a young child.
Directed by: Gareth Edwards
Written by: Gareth Edwards and Chris Weitz
Starring: John David Washington, Madeleine Yuna Voyles, Allison Janney, Gemma Chan, Ken Watanabe, Ralph Ineson
*Clip from THE CREATOR courtesy of 20th Century Studios
Support the show! www.Patreon.com/TheWatchAndTalk
Who's ready for a wicked French thriller? This week Karen Peterson (@karenmpeterson) & Derek Miranda (@DerekMiranda85) sit down to talk THE ORIGIN OF EVIL (L'ORIGINE DU MAL).
As always, featured reviews are done in two parts, a NON-SPOILER review with letter grade and brief discussion, followed by a more in depth SPOILER review.
PLOT SUMMARY:
In a luxurious seaside villa, a modest young woman finds herself in the company of a strange family: the wealthy father she's never met, his extravagant wife, his ambitious daughter, a rebellious teenager, and their creepy maid.
Directed by: Sébastien Marnier
Written by: Sébastien Marnier and Fanny Burdino
Starring: Laure Calamy, Doria Tillier, Jacques Weber, Suzanne Clément, Dominique Blanc
Support the show! www.Patreon.com/TheWatchAndTalk
We're traveling to Venice this week as Karen Peterson (@karenmpeterson) & Derek Miranda (@DerekMiranda85) sit down to talk A HAUNTING IN VENICE.
We're also sharing our top 5 films set in Venice.
As always, featured reviews are done in two parts, a NON-SPOILER review with letter grade and brief discussion, followed by a more in depth SPOILER review.
PLOT SUMMARY:
Now retired and living in self-imposed exile in the world's most glamorous city, Poirot reluctantly attends a seance at a decaying, haunted palazzo. He soons gets thrust into a sinister world of shadows and secrets when one of the guests is murdered.
Directed by: Kenneth Branagh
Written by: Michael Green
Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Kelly Reilly, Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Dornan, Jude Hill, Tina Fey
*Clip from A HAUNTING IN VENICE courtesy of 20th Century Studios.
Support the show! www.Patreon.com/TheWatchAndTalk
School is back and so is the high school comedy! This week Karen Peterson (@karenmpeterson) & Derek Miranda (@DerekMiranda85) sit down to talk BOTTOMS.
As always, featured reviews are done in two parts, a NON-SPOILER review with letter grade and brief discussion, followed by a more in depth SPOILER review.
PLOT SUMMARY:
BOTTOMS, a refreshingly unique raunchy comedy, focuses on two girls, PJ and Josie, who start a fight club as a way to lose their virginities to cheerleaders. Their bizarre plan works. The fight club gains traction and soon the most popular girls in school are beating each other up in the name of self-defense. But PJ and Josie find themselves in over their heads and in need of a way out before their plan is exposed.
Directed by: Emma Seligman
Written by: Emma Seligman & Rachel Sennott
Starring: Rachel Sennott, Ayo Edebiri, Havana Rose Liu, Kaia Gerber, Nicholas Galitzine, with Dagmara Dominczyk and Marshawn Lynch
*Clip from BOTTOMS courtesy of Orion Pictures.
Support the show! www.Patreon.com/TheWatchAndTalk
This week is all about Academy Award winner, Dame Helen Mirren and her latest film. Join Karen Peterson (@karenmpeterson) & Derek Miranda (@DerekMiranda85) as we sit down to talk GOLDA and our Top 5 Helen Mirren films.
As always, featured reviews are done in two parts, a NON-SPOILER review with letter grade and brief discussion, followed by a more in depth SPOILER review.
PLOT SUMMARY:
Faced with the potential of Israel's complete destruction, Prime Minister Golda Meir must navigate overwhelming odds, a skeptical cabinet and a complex relationship with U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger as millions of lives hang in the balance during the tense 19 days of the Yom Kippur War in 1973.
Directed by: Guy Nattiv
Written by: Nicholas Martin
Starring: Helen Mirren, Camille Cottin, Henry Goodman, Rami Heuberger, Liev Schreiber
Support the show! www.Patreon.com/TheWatchAndTalk
There are a lot of alien invasion movies out there, but none quite like this. Karen Peterson (@karenmpeterson) & Derek Miranda (@DerekMiranda85) sit down to talk LANDSCAPE WITH INVISIBLE HAND.
As always, featured reviews are done in two parts, a NON-SPOILER review with letter grade and brief discussion, followed by a more in depth SPOILER review.
PLOT SUMMARY:
In a near-future in which an alien species known as the Vuvv has taken over Earth, an aspiring teenage artist and his girlfriend hatch a scheme to make money by broadcasting their dating life to the fascinated aliens in the wake of the Vuvv's labour-saving technology. But the two teens slowly come to hate each other, and cannot break up without bankrupting their families.
Directed and Written by: Cory Finley
Starring: Asante Blackk, Tiffany Haddish, Kylie Rogers, Josh Hamilton, Michael Gandolfini, Brooklynn MacKinzie, William Jackson Harper
*Clip from LANDSCAPE WITH INVISIBLE HAND courtesy of MGM.
Support the show! www.Patreon.com/TheWatchAndTalk
It's time to talk vampires! This week Karen Peterson (@karenmpeterson) & Derek Miranda (@DerekMiranda85) sit down to talk THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER, plus our top 5 vampire movies.
As always, featured reviews are done in two parts, a NON-SPOILER review with letter grade and brief discussion, followed by a more in depth SPOILER review.
PLOT SUMMARY:
The crew of the merchant ship Demeter sets sail from Carpathia to London to deliver a cargo of 50 unmarked wooden crates. However, they soon discover they're not alone as Dracula's unholy presence turns the trip into a nightmarish fight for survival.
Directed by: André Øvredal
Written by: Bragi F. Schut and Zak Olkewicz, based on the chapter "The Captain's Log" from Bram Stoker's Dracula
Starring: Corey Hawkins, Liam Cunningham, Aisling Franciosi, David Dastmalchian, Woody Norman
*Clip from THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER courtesy of Universal Pictures
Support the show! www.Patreon.com/TheWatchAndTalk
Join us this week as Derek Miranda (@DerekMiranda85) and Karen Peterson (@KarenMPeterson) talk TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM.
As always, featured reviews are done in two parts, a NON-SPOILER review with letter grade and brief discussion, followed by a more in depth SPOILER review.
PLOT SUMMARY:
After years of being sheltered from the human world, the Turtle brothers set out to win the hearts of New Yorkers and be accepted as normal teenagers. Their new friend, April O'Neil, helps them take on a mysterious crime syndicate, but they soon get in over their heads when an army of mutants is unleashed upon them.
Directed by: Jeff Rowe
Written by: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Jeff Rowe, Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit
Starring: Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Nicolas Cantu, Brady Noon, Ayo Edebiri, Maya Rudolph, John Cena, Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne, Natasia Demetriou, Giancarlo Esposito, Jackie Chan, Ice Cube, Paul Rudd, Austin Post, Hannibal Buress
*Clip from TMNT: MUTANT MAYHEM courtesy of Paramount Pictures
Support the show! www.Patreon.com/TheWatchAndTalk
In this episode of The Watch and Talk, Karen Peterson (@karenmpeterson) & Derek Miranda (@DerekMiranda85) talk HAUNTED MANSION, plus our Top 5 ghost movies.
As always, featured reviews are done in two parts, a NON-SPOILER review with letter grade and brief discussion, followed by a more in depth SPOILER review.
PLOT SUMMARY:
A woman and her son enlist a motley crew of so-called spiritual experts to help rid their home of supernatural squatters.
Directed by: Justin Simien
Written by: Katie Dippold
Starring: LaKeith Stanfield, Rosario Dawson, Owen Wilson, Tiffany Haddish, Danny DeVito, Chase W. Dillon
*Clip from HAUNTED MANSION courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures.
Support the show! www.Patreon.com/TheWatchAndTalk
It's here! This week Karen Peterson (@karenmpeterson) & Derek Miranda (@DerekMiranda85) sit down to talk BARBIE and OPPENHEIMER, otherwise known as BARBENHEIMER.
As always, featured reviews are done in two parts, a NON-SPOILER review with letter grade and brief discussion, followed by a more in depth SPOILER review. Time stamps for both films are included below.
PLOT SUMMARY:
BARBIE
Barbie and Ken are having the time of their lives in the colorful and seemingly perfect world of Barbie Land. However, when they get a chance to go to the real world, they soon discover the joys and perils of living among humans.
Directed by: Greta Gerwig
Written by: Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach
Starring: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, Issa Rae, Simu Liu, Michael Cera, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Will Ferrell and more
OPPENHEIMER
During World War II, Lt. Gen. Leslie Groves Jr. appoints physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer to work on the top-secret Manhattan Project. Oppenheimer and a team of scientists spend years developing and designing the atomic bomb. Their work comes to fruition on July 16, 1945, as they witness the world's first nuclear explosion, forever changing the course of history.
Directed/Written by: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Cillian Murphy, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr, Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, and more
TIMESTAMPS
0:00:00 - Intro/Catching Up/What We've Been Watching Lately
0:36:35 - BARBIE non-spoiler reviews
0:44:47 - OPPENHEIMER non-spoiler reviews
1:01:30 - OPPENHEIMER spoilers
1:33:46 - BARBIE spoilers
Support the show! www.Patreon.com/TheWatchAndTalk
A sequel we've been waiting five years for, this week Karen Peterson (@karenmpeterson) & Derek Miranda (@DerekMiranda85) sit down to talk MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - DEAD RECKONING PART ONE.
We also share what we've been watching lately, plus a bit of talk about the 2023 Emmy nominations.
As always, featured reviews are done in two parts, a NON-SPOILER review with letter grade and brief discussion, followed by a more in depth SPOILER review.
PLOT SUMMARY:
In Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team embark on their most dangerous mission yet: To track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity before it falls into the wrong hands. With control of the future and the fate of the world at stake, and dark forces from Ethan's past closing in, a deadly race around the globe begins. Confronted by a mysterious, all-powerful enemy, Ethan is forced to consider that nothing can matter more than his mission – not even the lives of those he cares about most.
Directed by: Christopher McQuarrie
Written by: Christopher McQuarrie & Erik Jendresen
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Mariela Garriga, Henry Czerny, Shea Whigham, Greg Tarzan Davis
Support the show! www.Patreon.com/TheWatchAndTalk
This week we are celebrating our 300th regular podcast episode with a look back at The Watch and Talk through the years. Derek Miranda (@DerekMiranda85) and Karen Peterson (@KarenMPeterson) welcome back the man who started it all, Dylan Schuck (@TheDylanSchuck) for a look back our favorite W&T episodes.
And then, Derek and Karen talk the Indiana Jones franchise and review INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY.
PLOT SUMMARY
Daredevil archaeologist Indiana Jones races against time to retrieve a legendary dial that can change the course of history. Accompanied by his goddaughter, he soon finds himself squaring off against Jürgen Voller, a former Nazi who works for NASA.
Support the show! www.Patreon.com/TheWatchAndTalk
This week Karen Peterson (@karenmpeterson) & Derek Miranda (@DerekMiranda85) sit down to talk ASTEROID CITY.
As always, featured reviews are done in two parts, a NON-SPOILER review with letter grade and brief discussion, followed by a more in depth SPOILER review.
PLOT SUMMARY:
World-changing events spectacularly disrupt the itinerary of a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention in an American desert town circa 1955.
*Clip from ASTEROID CITY courtesy of Focus Features.
Support the show! www.Patreon.com/TheWatchAndTalk
This week Karen Peterson (@karenmpeterson) & Derek Miranda (@DerekMiranda85) sit down to talk ELEMENTAL.
As always, featured reviews are done in two parts, a NON-SPOILER review with letter grade and brief discussion, followed by a more in depth SPOILER review.
PLOT SUMMARY:
In a city where fire, water, land, and air residents live together, a fiery young woman and a go-with-the-flow guy discover something elemental: how much they actually have in common.
*Clip from ELEMENTAL courtesy of Disney/Pixar.
Support the show! www.Patreon.com/TheWatchAndTalk
This week Karen Peterson (@karenmpeterson) & Derek Miranda (@DerekMiranda85) sit down to talk TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS.
As always, featured reviews are done in two parts, a NON-SPOILER review with letter grade and brief discussion, followed by a more in depth SPOILER review.
PLOT SUMMARY:
Optimus Prime and the Autobots take on their biggest challenge yet. When a new threat capable of destroying the entire planet emerges, they must team up with a powerful faction of Transformers known as the Maximals to save Earth.
*Clip from TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS courtesy of Paramount Pictures.
Support the show! www.Patreon.com/TheWatchAndTalk
This week Karen Peterson (@karenmpeterson) & Derek Miranda (@DerekMiranda85) sit down to talk SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE.
As always, featured reviews are done in two parts, a NON-SPOILER review with letter grade and brief discussion, followed by a more in depth SPOILER review.
PLOT SUMMARY:
After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn's full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. However, when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders. He must soon redefine what it means to be a hero so he can save the people he loves most.
Support the show! www.Patreon.com/TheWatchAndTalk
This week Karen Peterson (@karenmpeterson) & Derek Miranda (@DerekMiranda85) sit down to talk all about the series finales of THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL, SUCCESSION, BARRY, and TED LASSO.
This episode is 100% SPOILER FILLED, so proceed with caution. The time stamps below show when we discuss each show so you can skip to the ones you are ready to hear.
TIME STAMPS:
02:45 - The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
11:55 - Succession
28:15 - Barry
44:55 - Ted Lasso
Support the show! www.Patreon.com/TheWatchAndTalk
This week Karen Peterson (@karenmpeterson) & Derek Miranda (@DerekMiranda85) sit down to talk THE LITTLE MERMAID and YOU HURT MY FEELINGS.
As always, featured reviews are done in two parts, a NON-SPOILER review with letter grade and brief discussion, followed by a more in depth SPOILER review.
PLOT SUMMARY:
YOU HURT MY FEELINGS
A novelist's long-standing marriage is suddenly upended when she overhears her husband give his honest reaction to her latest book.
*Clip from THE LITTLE MERMAID courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures.
Support the show! www.Patreon.com/TheWatchAndTalk