Couch Spuds Couch Spuds

In this episode, Ray, Nate, and Tracy discuss the winner of the Best Picture Oscar from 2017; The Shape of Water. Directed by Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water stars Sally Hawkins as Elisa Esposito, a mute cleaner at a military base in Baltimore, and falls in love with an "Amphibian Man" played by venerated suit actor Doug Jones. Also starring Richard Jenkins, Michael Shannon, Octavia Spencer, and Michael Stuhlbarg, the film acts as del Toro's love letter to classic monster movies like Creature from the Black Lagoon while adding his own spin on what would happen if beauty truly fell for the beast. 

0:00 - 21:20 - Weekly Catchup/Ghost of Tsushima Initial Thoughts
21:20 - 55:18 - Shape of Water Discussion 

This week, the guys watched The Disaster Artist (2017).  Directed by and starring James Franco as Tommy Wiseau, The Disaster Artist tells the story of how Wiseau's film The Room was made. The screenplay for The Disaster Artist was adapted from a book of the same name written by Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell. Greg Sestero is a close friend of Tommy Wiseau's and also starred in The Room. Greg is portrayed in The Disaster Artist by James Franco's brother, Dave Franco.

The Disaster Artist is equal parts biographical drama and buddy comedy and Ray, Nate, and Tracy have no shortage of laughs when discussing the film or its source material. 

This week, Tracy finished The Last of Us 2 and gives his full opinions on the game. He also chose the movie of the week, Sonic the Hedgehog. Directed by Jeff Fowler, Sonic the Hedgehog is the latest video game character to hit the big screen. Ben Schwartz voices Sonic with Jim Carrey portraying Dr. Robotnik aka Eggman. James Marsden and Tika Sumpter round out the human cast as the married couple who help Sonic on his quest to retrieve his rings so he can leave Earth. A fun-filled action-adventure comedy, the guys give their approval and hopes for more video game movies like this to follow. 



0:00 - 13:10 The Last of Us 2 Review (SPOILERS!)

13:10 - 20:37 What we're playing & watching

20:37 - 44:56 Sonic the Hedgehog 

This week, Tracy kicks off the podcast giving his initial (spoiler-free) thoughts on the first 10 hours of The Last of Us 2. Afterwards, the trio discuss their movie of the week, chosen by Ray, Color out of Space.

Directed and co-written by Richard Stanley, this film is his first time directing since being fired from the set of The Island of Dr. Moreau in 1996. Starring Nicolas Cage, Joely Richardson, Madeline Arthur, Elliot Knight, and Tommy Chong, Color out of Space is a modern interpretation of H.P. Lovecraft's short story "The Colour out of Space" first published in 1927. The guys also discuss the racist ideals held by Lovecraft and how it is difficult to separate the art from the artist. 



0:00 - 15:45 Intro/Last of Us 2

15:45 - 36:45 Color out of Space/Separating art from the artist

This week's movie chosen by Nate was Capone. 

Capone, directed by Josh Trank, tells the story of Al Capone's final years of his life while dealing with the psychological side effects of late-stage syphilis. Starring Tom Hardy as the title gangster, Linda Cardellini as his wife Mae, as well as Matt Dillon and Kyle MacLachlan, this film teeters on its own madness as plot lines are left unresolved, performances are over the top, and Tom Hardy defecates himself on-screen three times too many. 

Afterwards, the guys clean their palates by discussing their all-time favorite gangster films.

WARNING: Spoilers lie within 

0:00 - Intro & What are we playing/watching?

4:18 - Capone analysis

29:00 - Favorite Gangster films 

This week, Tracy rants on his newest gaming addiction - Valorant. After Tracy pours out the salt, the trio discuss The Invisible Man. 

Directed by Leigh Whannell, The Invisible Man (2020) is a modern interpretation of H.G. Wells' classic science fiction story. Starring Elizabeth Moss, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, and Aldis Hodge, The Invisible Man is a tale of surviving abuse and the lengths abusers will go to maintain control. 

0:00 - Intro/What are Playing and Watching?

11:37 - Invisible Man review