This week we watch two films, the indie comedy-drama ROCKY’S (2:26), about five friends in their mid-20s who come together for a funeral, but first regroup in the parking lot of the 24-hour deli they loitered around in high school. Then it’s INHERITANCE (23:11), a spy thriller with Phoebe Dynevor and Rhys Ifans as an estranged daughter and father caught in a conspiracy. (Please excuse Dave’s room noise when the podcast begins; his space heater ran for a few minutes.) Over on Patreon, we talk about the 1989 Nicole Kidman thriller DEAD CALM.

This week Megan saw WOLF MAN (2:20), director and co-writer Leigh Whannell’s latest trip down the horror highway, starring Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner. Megan likes this new take on Universal’s legendary Wolf Man…until she doesn’t. A good start, a meh finish. Then Evan and Dave join in when the conversation turns to NIGHT CALL (16:17), Michiel Blanchart's tense and nimble French-language thriller about a locksmith (Jonathan Feltre) who has the misfortune of opening a door…TO CRIME! (See what we did there?) A seemingly innocent call makes a normal shift turn nightmarish as lead character Mady is conned into opening the door, is chased by criminals, chased by more criminals, chased by cops…you get the idea. We all enjoyed this clever, fast-paced, and frenetic thriller. Then we all weigh in on Cameron Diaz’s first screen role since 2014, the Netflix spy thriller BACK IN ACTION (44:21), directed by Seth Gordon. Don’t let the lazy title fool you: The screenplay is just as lazy as the title! Ho ho! Not for nothing, this movie throws in just about every action trope known to humankind, but it doesn’t do anything particularly well. Good thing Diaz cranks the charm to 100, and she has an easy chemistry with her equally charming co-star Jamie Foxx. But otherwise…bleh. Over on Patreon, we talk about Max Eggers and Sam Eggers's 2024 horror flick THE FRONT ROOM, starring Brandy.

This week Evan, Megan, and Dave take in the new Nick Frost-written-and-starring horror comedy GET AWAY (2:50), about a family that goes to a remote Swedish island for a holiday weekend, only to be trapped as a killer is on the loose. Zoinks! Blood and guts ensue! But do the laughs follow? DO THEY?!! Two-thirds of us felt one way, and one-third of us felt another way. Then we watch RED ROOMS (26:02), the French-Canadian drama about obsession (among other things) about the trial of a man accused of absolutely horrifying, grisley murders - all captured on video as snuff films (thankfully, the visuals of said snuff films make limited appearances, though the audio doesn't leave much mystery). However, the lead character, Kelly-Anne (Juliette Gariépy) goes down the rabbit hole during the trial, and writer-director Pascal Plante doesn't lay out easy answers for the questions he poses. We were all fascinated, and this made Megan's Top 10 of 2024 list. Over on Patreon, we're joined by Jimmy Stewart to talk about the 1956 Alfred Hitchcock film THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH.