Highly Suspect Reviews One Of Us - Everything

CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM SEASON 12

After 24 years and 12 seasons, the other show about nothing has come to an end. This creation of Larry David gave us the cringiest of comedy as Larry navigated his life and relationships in Los Angeles, often revolving around his incessant need to speak his mind without filter. The series gave us truly hilarious moments like a pants tent, the Producers, a misunderstanding holy war, the most finely crafted cursing on television, the discovery of perfect Palestinian chicken, the proper exploitation of the carpool lane and soliciting a hooker, and guest star after guest star getting to go toe-to-toe with Larry, often giving us the nicest people playing fictionalized asshole versions of themselves, like Michael J. Fox. Most importantly, this finale gives Larry David the chance to reconcile the grievances many had with the final episode of Seinfeld. But as was the edict of that classic comedy series, so is the edict of this one: No lessons shall be learned. So, can this finale land where Seinfeld failed? Kim, Mike, and T.C. reflect on Curb and offer a final judgement for the man who never knows when to shut his mouth.

WATCH HERE

CREATED BY: Larry David

STARRING: Larry David, Cheryl Hines, J.B. Smoove, Jeff Garlin Susie Essman, Richard Lewis, Ted Danson, Tracey Ullman, Vince Vaughn, Dana Lee, Sean Hayes, Dan Levy, Sharlto Copley, Jimmy Kimmel, Ellia English, Jon Reep, Saverio Guerra, Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, Stacey Abrams, Bruce Springsteen, Lionel Boyce, Sienna Miller, Troy Kotsur, Dana Lee, Willie Geist, Annie Mumolo, Rob Riggle, Ike Barinholtz, Lori Loughlin, Essence Atkins, Trevor Einhorn, Conan O’Brien, Steve Buscemi, Joyce Lapinsky Lewis, Al Madrigal, Matt Berry, Sanaa Lathan, Ian Harvie, Rick Chambers, Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, Allison Janney, Dean Norris, Greg Kinnear, Saverio Guerra, Alexander Vindman, Dan Abrams, Chris Hayes, Nicole Suarez, Jerry Seinfeld, Iris Bahr, Jillian Bell, Bailey Thompson

 

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.

 

 

Kimberly Brown (Highly Suspect Reviews)

Kimberly wants to live in a world filled with blue telephone boxes, speedsters, and ice dragons but through an ironic twist of fate, she’s stuck in this reality where these wondrous things only exist on page or film. Kim’s perpetual desire to consume sci-fi and fantasy media as a teen led her to the study of illustration/design at university to better understand its creation. Currently an Austin transplant, when she’s not wearing her critic hat you can find her pretending to like hiking, fielding questions about her hair or maybe even enjoying a local brew at the nearest dive bar.

 

ABIGAIL MOVIE REVIEW

Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett have directed several films together, often referring to themselves and their team of collaborators as Radio Silence. Having hit the ground running with arguably the best segment in the original V/H/S “10/31/98”, they went out to become a big hit with 2019’s Ready or Not and then Scream (2022) and Scream VI. With Abigail, they return to Ready or Not‘s comedic horror tone as well setting it again in a big creepy mansion. The story follows a group of criminals who have been hired to abduct a little girl from her rich daddy’s estate and take her to a prearranged location to wait out a gigantic ransom demand. None of the criminals know each other and certainly don’t trust each other. They also can’t help but wonder why they have to wait it out in a crumbling manse that feels like Disney’s Haunted Mansion. Soon they start getting picked off in horribly gory ways and wonder…is it one of their own? Has the child’s father sent a vicious killer after them that urban legend associates with him? Or is it something else entirely? Well, if you’ve seen the trailers, or really the bulk of the marketing, you already know the answer, which is kind of a shame because it would have been much more fun to go into this entirely cold. Regardless, Abigail is both a fun horror romp and a great ensemble comedy with a cast that all totally gets the assignment and clearly is delighted to see how far they can push it. Especially young Alisha Weir, playing the titular character, who after seeing this it’s hard to remember her being so absolutely charming in Matilda the Musical. Chris, Wright, Kim, and Mike all get out some toothy humor while reviewing Abigail for your listening pleasure. The children of the review…what music they make.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE/TRAILER

DIRECTED BY: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (Radio Silence)

STARRING: Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Alisha Weir, Will Catlett, Kathryn Newton, Kevin Durand, Angus Cloud, Giancarlo Esposito, Matthew Goode

 

YOUR REVIEWERS

 

Christopher Lawrence Cox (Founder, Da Boss)

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 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). You can also check out Chris in his videocast, along with Martin Thomas and Danni Danger, that One Of Us does with our friends at Bell of Lost Souls: Crossover Event. He also regularly guests on the video game website Rage Select.

THE MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE MOVIE REVIEW

If anyone is going to make a World War 2 movie look cheeky and fun then Guy Ritchie is your bloke. Ritchie returns to the big screen after last year’s somber The Covenant with The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. Based on a true story, the film follows a group of unhinged, some would say mad, highly skilled soldiers assigned to take down a U-Boat stronghold off the coast of Africa in 1942. The unsanctioned mission is led by Gus March-Phillips (Henry Cavill), who recruits his old mates (Alan Ritchson, Alex Pettyfer, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Henry Golding) who have a similar distaste for Nazis and set a course for the military stronghold to turn the tide of the war. At the same time, we follow Eiza Gonzalez’s Marjorie Stewart, and Babs Olusanmokun’s Heron on the island as they infiltrate and do recon for the boys in order for them to have an opening to blow up the Third Reich’s U-Boat supply chain. Twist and turns occur and take this war flick into an oddly delightful romp. Listen as our wide boys, Wright, Ben, Spider-Mike, and Nathan, discuss Ritchie’s latest flick and how satisfying it was to watch Alan Ritchson kill a lot of Nazis with a bow-and-arrow.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE/TRAILER

DIRECTED BY: Guy Ritchie

STARRING: Henry Cavill, Eiza González, Alan Ritchson, Henry Golding, Alex Pettyfer, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Babs Olusanmokun, Cary Elwes, Til Schweiger, Henrique Zaga, Roger Snipes, Danny Sapani, Freddie Fox, Olaf Kayhan, Mert Dincer, Ethel von Brixham

 

YOUR REVIEWERS

 

Wright Sulek (Screener Squad, Digital Noise, Highly Suspect Reviews, Trash in the Can, Audio Editor)

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.

 

 

Nathan Flynn (Screener Squad, Highly Suspect Reviews)

A recent transplant to Austin originally hailing from the wretched hive of scum and villainy that is the Midwest, Nathan Flynn has been a movie super freak since he saw “An American Werewolf in London” way too young and grew up worshipping the James Bond franchise and all things related to Cold War-era spycraft. When he’s not watching movies and being a constant defender of the Tron franchise, he can be found practicing his second biggest love: cooking (having been a chef for 10+ years) and hitting his head up against a desk to write screenplays that nobody reads. He also spearheads his own podcast on the Mission Impossible franchise titled “Mission: Impodible”. He can be found rarely posting on his personal twitter.

 

 

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.

CIVIL WAR MOVIE REVIEW

Director/Writer Alex Garland is known for his not exactly optimistic but deeply intelligent sci-fi films, like Ex-Machina and Annihilation. It seemed surprising for him to veer so distinctly political with his latest, Civil War, and very near future at that. Needless to say, there has been no small amount of ‘why in hell would I want to see this movie?’ sentiments loudly expressed online. Many feel that the film appears to be taking advantage of the current heightened tensions in the US and is irresponsible. As it turns out, Chris, Wright, Eric, and Mike thought that nothing could be further from the truth, although one certainly can’t be blamed for feeling that way from the marketing. Civil War takes place in the final days of a war to depose a sitting President (Nick Offerman) now entering his third term. Nothing is really made clear about the specifics of the politics on either side. What is clear is that there’s nothing romantic or good about war and especially a civil war. A renowned photojournalist Lee (Kirsten Dunst) is traveling across the country to try to get an interview with the President before his inevitable deposition, as the troops close in. She is joined by her colleague Joel (Wagner Moura), her mentor and friend Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson), and a young photographer named Jessie (Cailee Spaeny) who idolizes Lee. The danger of their voyage only increases the closer they get to DC and Civil War attempts to make as clear as possible: there has GOT to be another way.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE/TRAILER

DIRECTED BY: Alex Garland

STARRING: Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Nick Offerman, Nelson Lee, Evan Lai, Sonoya Mizuno, Jefferson White, Juani Feliz, Edmund Donovan, Karl Glusman, Jin Ha, Jojo T. Gibbs, Jesse Plemons, Jess Matney

 

YOUR REVIEWERS

 

Christopher Lawrence Cox (Founder, Da Boss)

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 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). You can also check out Chris in his videocast, along with Martin Thomas and Danni Danger, that One Of Us does with our friends at Bell of Lost Souls: Crossover Event. He also regularly guests on the video game website Rage Select. Follow Chris on Twitter and Facebook and check out his Amazon Wish List.

3 BODY PROBLEM SERIES REVIEW

Move over Newton, that three body problem of yours isn’t just for discussing the moon’s motion about the earth under the influence of the sun anymore. Hugo winning Sci-Fi masterpiece The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu has been adapted into a netflix series titled 3 Body Problem by the Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss. Our five main characters are all top of the class Oxford graduates of science. Not just any plain jane geeks in lab coats, they are sexy, flirty, and love to party. Saul (Jovan Adepo) considers himself the god of test tubes and seduction. Former lover and forever friend Auggie (Eliza González) loves wine and to whine at everybody while working on a nano fiber project that could change the world. Jack (John Bradly) is a big teddy bear who can wax philosophical and reference geek pop culture. Will (Alex Sharp) represents the best of humanity with a mind for physics and puppy dog eyes for his friend Jin (Jess Hong) whom is the brightest of the students under their professor Ye Winjei (Rosalind Chou). The five are reunited through grief at the news of one of their alum and professor Ye’s daughter committing suicide. In fact, scientists all around the world seem to be taking their own lives. Private investigator Da Shi (Benedict Wong) is on the case, and will slowly unravel the mystery behind these unsettling deaths, how the five are connected, and how a message sent by their professor Ye in the past will change the course of all mankind forever. Bradly, Neil, and Rae discuss their relationship with the book, sci-fi in general, and the impact of first contact stories in our modern age. Does alien visitation and influence have a place in our 24/7 social media hellscape, or is it time for mankind to move on from looking at the stars?

WATCH HERE

CREATED BY: David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, and Alexander Woo

STARRING: Jovan Adepo, John Bradley, Rosalind Chao, Zine Tseng, Liam Cunningham, Eiza González, Jess Hong, Marlo Kelly, Alex Sharp, Sea Shimooka, Saamer Usmani, Benedict Wong, Jonathan Pryce, Vedette Lim, Eve Ridley, Ben Schnetzer, John Dagleish, Gerard Monaco, Adrian Edmondson, CCH Pounder, Lan Xiya, Josh Brener, Mark Gatiss, Reece Shearsmith, Conleth Hill, Phil Wang, Naoko Mori, Kevin Eldon, Jason Forbes, Jim Howick, Nitin Ganatra, Dustin Demri-Burns, Tom Wu, Guy Burnet, Jake Tapper, Bobak Ferdowsi, Stacy Abalogun

 

YOUR REVIEWERS

 

Bradly Martin (Screener Squad, 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 Eye on the prize and maybe even provide 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,

MASTERS OF THE AIR SERIES REVIEW

War, huh, good god ya’ll. What is it good for? Absolutely nothing… except when the people behind Band of Brothers make another WWII series, this time focusing on the Mighty Eighth Air Force of the United States Army Air Forces. Okay maybe war still is good for nothing, but this series (like it’s predecessors) shows the ultimate costs of war. Being an airmen was basically a death sentence. You could be the best, most highly trained wing in your group, but one lucky flak hit and you’re done. Not only that, your plane was essentially your coffin, never to be recovered. It’s horrific to think, but it absolutely happened. Aside from some vfx issues, this series does a good job of setting up the anxiety every time the Mighty 8th went into the air. Now sit back, (try to) relax, and enjoy the commentary from Bradly, Sarah Jane, and Chad.

WATCH HERE

CREATED BY: John Shiban and John Orloff

STARRING: Austin Butler, Callum Turner, Anthony Boyle, Barry Keoghan, Nikolai Kinski, Stephen Campbell Moore, Sawyer Spielberg, Isabel May, James Murray, Nate Mann, Kai Alexander, Laurie Davidson, Joanna Kulig, Louis Hofmann, Jamie Parker, Bel Powley, Sam Hazeldine, Josiah Cross, Branden Cook, Ncuti Gatwa, Kerry MacKinnon, Josh Dylan, Darragh Cowley, Matt Gavan, Jonas Moore, Jordan Coulson, Ben Radcliffe, David Shields, Edward Ashley, Raff Law, Adam Long, Elliot Warren, Samuel Jordan, Harry Ames, Bailey Brook, Louis Greatorex, John Hopkins, Nathan Solly, Josh Bolt, Ian Dunnett Jr, Thomas Flynn, James Frecheville, Jonathan Halliwell, Dean John-Wilson, Tom Joyner, Riley Neldam, Adam Silver, Ben Spong, Spike White

 

YOUR REVIEWERS

 

Chad Halvorsen (Screener Squad)

Chad Halvorsen currently resides in Milwaukee, WI, where he produces and edits commercials, films, and everything in between. He was always a fan of film/television growing up, spending days in the Summer, making (terrible) home movies with his brothers. Little did he know that passion would carry on into adulthood. Since 2006, Chad has worked for several agencies in various departments. Shooting, producing, editing, production management, directing, and when forced to, writing copy. In 2015, Chad decided to take the big leap and become a freelancer. Since then, he’s produced content for Lyft, AT&T, Target, and Discovery Network. His passion lies in entertaining people, making them feel better, even for a moment. All the pain and suffering of this business is worth it, if even just one person views his work. Chad is a frequent podcaster, most notably posing as a co-host for the podcast “The Film Illogical Society.”

 

 

Sarah Jane (Highly Suspect Reviews, Screener Squad)

Sarah Jane was born and raised in Southern California but currently calls Austin, TX her home. She’s seen over 5,700 movies so far with zero plans on stopping. She has a penchant for all things exploitation, and she loves Godzilla with all her heart. Her favorite films are Deep Red, Le Samourai, and Miller’s Crossing. When she isn’t watching movies, she’s busy herding her four cats, her husband, and her 11-year-old kiddo. She’s been a contributor to TalkFilmSociety, Daily Grindhouse, FThisMovie!, Looper, and the Austin Chronicle. You can find her on Twitter and Letterboxd at @fookthis.

 

 

Bradly Martin (Screener Squad, 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 l...