60 episodes

From Minnesota Public Radio News, MPR News producers Samantha Matsumoto and Aron Woldeslassie share a passion for movies. Each week, they take a break from their day jobs to talk about what they've seen lately.

Cube Critics Minnesota Public Radio

    • TV & Film
    • 4.0 • 51 Ratings

From Minnesota Public Radio News, MPR News producers Samantha Matsumoto and Aron Woldeslassie share a passion for movies. Each week, they take a break from their day jobs to talk about what they've seen lately.

    Cube Critics review ‘Shōgun’ and ‘The Regime’

    Cube Critics review ‘Shōgun’ and ‘The Regime’

    Cube Critics Regina Medina and Alex V. Cipolle review “Shōgun” and “The Regime.”

    The following is a transcription of the audio heard using the player above, lightly edited for clarity.

    Click here.


    MPR News senior arts reporter and critic Alex V. Cipolle: Why did you want to watch this show in the first place? Like, what what drew you into it?

    MPR News correspondent Regina Medina: It wasn’t even the trailer. It was, like, what’s going on here?

    Cipolle: I’m Alex V. Cipolle.

    Medina: I’m Regina Medina

    Cipolle: And this is Cube Critics.

    Regina, what did you watch this week?

    Medina: I watched a show called “Shōgun” on Hulu, which is a 10-part miniseries that is based on the book by James Clavell called “Shōgun,” which was also a 1980s miniseries.

    It takes place in late 16th-century feudal Japan. And it’s a historical drama that is very sweeping and epic, and it involves political intrigue, and, really, to tell you the truth, I’m not grasping half of what’s going on here — but I love it.

    Hiroyuki Sanada, who you've seen in “Avengers: Endgame” and “Lost,” he plays Lord Toranaga, our lead protagonist — and his rivals are trying to get ahold of him, trying to eliminate him from the group.

    Anyway, what’s my point? My point is, the production design is gorgeous. The Japanese landscape is gorgeous. And if you just want fun, here it is.

    Cipolle: So, I also watched a show that deals in political intrigue, except the show I watched was a satire. So it is called “The Regime.” It’s a mini-series on HBO Max starring Kate Winslet and, wow, does she just take the reins of the show and run with it.

    Medina: Don’t doubt it.

    Cipolle: It is in the form of a sort-of head-of-state show. So it’s got some commonalities with the “The West Wing” and even “Veep.” Like, it has a lot of “Veep” — another HBO show.

    Kate Winslet plays Madame Chancellor, the head of state of a place only identified as “Middle Europe,” a small country that could be Germany, it could be Hungary, we don’t really know. But it’s sort of this alternative universe.

    And this show pulls from basically every head of state you can think of — she is Hillary Clinton. She is Trump. She is Putin.

    MedinaL She’s a lot of people.

    Cipolle: Angela Merkel. She even compares herself to Charlemagne.

    It could have been a really muddy mix of trying to do too much, but instead, it’s taking all these ingredients and doing something entirely new with it. I’ve never seen her display her comedic chops quite like this. She does this crazy, sort-of British version of a mid-Atlantic accent. It’s both posh and strange at the same time.

    Anyway, HBO Max — highly recommend.

    • 3 min
    Cube Critics argue about ‘Airbender’ on Netflix

    Cube Critics argue about ‘Airbender’ on Netflix

    Cube Critics Jacob Aloi and Kyra Miles disagree about Netflix’s live-action “Avatar: The Last Airbender.”

    The following is a transcription of the audio heard using the player above, lightly edited for clarity.

    Click here.


    MPR News reporter Jacob Aloi: You can say “half-assed,” “you can say “kick-ass,” you can say “worked my ass off,” you just can’t say [BEEP] like, or refer to your [BEEP].

    And with that, my name is Jacob Aloi.

    MPR early education reporter Kyra Miles: And I’m Kyra Miles.

    Aloi: And this is Cube Critics.

    So Kyra Miles, thank you for coming back on Cube Critics. This week we both watched the live-action adaptation of “Avatar: The Last Airbender” on Netflix.

    It’s adapted from the beloved animated series of the same name, which tells the story of Aang, The Last Airbender, who is picked as this mystical sort-of shaman sort-of otherworldly being called The Avatar, who is destined to save the world from being overtaken by the Fire Nation.

    Miles: Boo!

    Aloi: Yes, boo the Fire Nation, they are an imperial Force that needs to be stopped in the world of “Avatar.”

    I will say that when the series started, back in the day, the animated series, I did not watch most of it. I was actually just not interested. It just wasn’t for me. I don’t know why.

    Miles: For shame, for shame.

    Aloi: But I will say with this live-action adaptation, I really enjoyed it. It was so fun. I really think that it held true to what I remember from the animated series. I think that the acting was fairly good. I thought that, sure, it was a little scrungly sometimes with the budget, but overall, I thought it was enjoyable and actually made me want to watch the animated series.

    But I will say, I think you might have a different take, being a fan of the animated series.

    Miles: Okay, first of all, the fact that you’re reviewing an adaptation and haven’t seen the source material is crazy.

    Aloi: I’ve seen some of the source material, just not all.

    Miles: It’s crazy.

    Um, it was not as bad as I thought — I went in wanting to hate it. And I still kind of do. But it wasn’t that bad. I agree that the budget, the money, did not reflect the quality that I was expecting. I will say that the acting was clunky. The costumes were giving cosplay. They weren’t shooting on set.

    We saw a lot of green screen in this “Avatar” live-action. It was a bit half-assed and I already was skeptical because the original creators did leave the production halfway through, we remember that.

    But, overall, what I did like about it was that I think it had a nice backstory. It explained more about the backstory than we got in the animated version.

    I think having it live-action, we were really able to see the atrocities of war. We were really able to see like, oh, people are being burned alive. Oh, the world is at war. But I also think that what makes the original show so beloved, and so good to rewatch again and again — even as an adult — is that it has those light moments and it still lets the kids be kids.

    I think when it’s live action, and you see, like you said, the atrocities of the war and everything that’s going on, it’s hard for it to stay light. And I think the animated version is able to give that balance better than the adaptation was able to.

    That’s why I said I just need to figure out who’s the audience for this. I don’t know.

    • 3 min
    Cube Critics review ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ and ‘Jenny Slate: Seasoned Professional’

    Cube Critics review ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ and ‘Jenny Slate: Seasoned Professional’

    Cube Critics Alex V. Cipolle and Aron Woldeslassie discuss the final season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and a new comedy special from Jenny Slate.

    The following is a transcription of the audio heard using the player above, lightly edited for clarity.


    https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cube-critics/id525807831?mt=2

    MPR News senior reporter and critic Alex V. Cipolle: Richard Lewis recently passed. And he is, crazy enough, buried in Roseville.

    MPR associate producer Aron Woldeslassie: Do we know his Minnesota connection? Did he just enjoy the city of Roseville?

    Cipolle: I would love that. I think his wife is originally from here and bought plots there.

    Woldeslassie: Okay, I’m imagining him going to the AMC and going like I gotta get buried here. It’s so good.

    Cipolle: I’m Alex V. Cipolle.

    Woldeslassie: And I’m Aron Woldeslassie.

    Cipolle: And this is Cube Critics.

    Speaking of Richard Lewis, I am currently watching the final season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” the brainchild of Larry David, who is the co-creator of “Seinfeld.“

    And it’s really touching because Richard Lewis plays a large part of this season. I mean, he’s been in it since the beginning — it started in 2001 — and one of the funniest bits of the season so far is Richard Lewis going to AA, which he attends with Larry David’s girlfriend, played by Tracey Ullman.

    And he starts using AA as a sort of comedy club set, a place to workshop his ideas and he starts talking about it in terms of like, I’m gonna do a tight five or tight 10 or another AA member, he’s like, they opened for me today.

    So it’s a pretty funny send-off for him.

    Woldeslassie: How charmingly abusive.

    Cipolle: Absolutely. And, like, narcissistic. But that was kind of the heart of what Richard Lewis did.

    And, you know, it’s also just a classic season filled with all the petty confrontations that Larry David the curmudgeon gets into, and some of the star cast is still there like Ted Danson, Cheryl Hines, Susie Essman, J. B. Smoove.

    And I really think it’s going out on a high note. And I feel like it might end up the same way that “Seinfeld” did with kind of a final episode that’s a trial. I think Larry David is doing it out of spite because people did not like that finale.

    Woldeslassie: “Seinfeld” diehards will know that “Seinfeld” ended on a very contentious episode that a lot of people didn’t like, including myself.

    Cipolle: I liked the finale personally, but yes, it was very divisive. And I really recommend this season — going out on a high note on HBO Max.

    Woldeslassie: If you’re interested in some comedy that feels a little bit less final might I suggest Jenny Slate’s second stand-up special ”Seasoned Professional” on Amazon Prime

    In this special, Slate covers everything that went on in her life during the pandemic: love, marriage, pregnancy and therapy. You probably remember Slate from her work in “Marcel the Shell,” “Big Mouth” and obviously “Parks and Rec,” where she was such a great member.

    Cipolle: The best!

    Woldeslassie: And her one season on “Saturday Night Live,” which she briefly alludes to in this special.

    Slate has this very charming, childish energy that feels similar to “Pee-wee’s Playhouse.” And in that, she’s kind of making fun of a certain type of silliness and we’re all kind of just enjoying this exuberance and at the same time, you’re also enjoying the multiple cuts to the left she takes with her gross-out humor.

    Slate is a member of alt-comedy and because of that, I don’t think her humor is for everyone.

    I definitely think you should check this out if you’re looking for some weeknight watching. It’s a good time. “Seasoned Professional” on Amazon Prime.



    Updated March 9, 2024: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the television show “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

    • 3 min
    Cube Critics review ‘Drive-Away Dolls’ and ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’

    Cube Critics review ‘Drive-Away Dolls’ and ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’

    Cube Critics Max Sparber and Aron Woldeslassie discuss a quirky Ethan Coen film, “Drive-Away Dolls” and a unique adaptation of “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” as a series; plus, performer Bill Irwin’s deep dive into Samuel Beckett’s legacy, connecting vaudeville to the playwright’s profound influence.

    The following is a transcription of the audio heard using the player above, lightly edited for clarity.

    Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or RSS.

    MPR Arts Editor Max Sparber: Aron, “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” the movie, starred Angelina Jolie, didn’t it?

    MPR Associate Producer Aron Woldeslassie: And Brad Pitt, but she carries it.

    Sparber: And the movie that I saw is a Coen Brothers film, who also wrote a movie for Angelina Jolie. So that’s kind of the theme for this weekend.

    Woldeslassie: Oh, yeah. Angelina Jolie-adjacent. I enjoy that.

    Sparber: And with that, I’m Max Sparber

    Woldeslassie: And I’m Aron Woldeslassie.

    Sparber: And this is Cube Critics.

    Aron, I watched a film called “Drive-Away Dolls,” in theaters now. It’s a film by Minnesota’s own Ethan Coen, without his usual partner, his brother Joel. It was co-written with his wife, film editor Tricia Cooke. And it’s loosely based on her own experiences, going to lesbian bars and that sort of thing when she was younger.

    It is a lesbian road trip crime film, you don’t see a lot of those and it tells of two friends who take the wrong car and definitely the wrong trip. They’re chased across the country by two goofy goons, which gives a sense of the tone of the film. It’s a very silly film.

    The Coen Brothers occasionally write movies for other people, and it’s not generally their best work, but it can be entertaining. Some examples of the ones that I don’t particularly like are “Intolerable Cruelty,” which was intended for Ron Howard, and “Ladykillers,” which was intended for Barry Sonnenfeld. And they also wrote “Unbroken,” which was directed by Angelina Jolie.

    But some of these films, even if they’re not their best, are fitfully enjoyable, and sometimes go on to be cult films. I’d compare this with one of the better ones, a film called “Crime Wave” from 1985, which I think I’m the only person who has ever seen. This is similarly silly, loud, cartoonish, frenzied, wild and I recommended it. “Drive-Away Dolls” in theaters today.

    Woldeslassie: I have to ask, do you see this becoming another gem and the Coen discography,

    Sparber: I think it might go on to become a cult film, which sometimes happens with Coen Brothers films.

    Woldeslassie: Well, if it doesn't become a cult film, maybe it’ll get remade into a series, which is what happened with “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” the series I ended up watching this week.

    This series is based on “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” the movie that came out in 2005. The movie follows a married couple, as they inevitably find out that they’re secret agents and try to kill each other.

    The series goes in a different direction. It follows two strangers who land a job as spies, who are then forced to get married and work together. The two slowly fall in love and we get to see them descend into madness, as well as romance.

    “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” stars Donald Glover, who we obviously know from “Atlanta,” as well as Childish Gambino. What a weird thing to say. And Maya Erskine, who you will absolutely know from her incredible work in “Pen15.”

    “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” is eight episodes of odd romance, where you where you think action and violence would be a great way to punctuate this series. It’s actually the love and the intimate details of two people slowly intertwining with each other. And with that comes the insecurity of opening yourself up well, as well as the danger of two spies opening themselves up.

    I really love this series, it did a great job of forcing us to understand all of the dangerous conflicts that come with two people melding together. I

    • 6 min
    Cube Critics discuss ‘Madame Web’ and ‘The Iron Claw’

    Cube Critics discuss ‘Madame Web’ and ‘The Iron Claw’

    Cube Critics Jacob Aloi and Sam Stroozas discuss “Madame Web” and “The Iron Claw.”

    The following is a transcription of the audio heard using the player above, lightly edited for clarity.

    Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or RSS.

    MPR News Art Reporter Jacob Aloi: This movie was so horrible, like I can’t even like begin to describe how much I hated this movie, and I paid money to see it. And with that, my name is Jacob Aloi.

    MPR News Digital Producer Sam Stroozas: And I’m Sam Stroozas.

    Aloi: And this is the Cube Critics.

    So. Sam, this week I saw “Madame Web,” which is the newest addition to the Sony Spider-Man universe.

    Now, this is not part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s produced by Sony and made by Sony. And the reason why it’s not part of the MCU is because there’s some legal dealings with who owns the rights to who can make movies about Spider-Man and characters associated with Spider-Man.

    So anyway, this is part of the “Venom” universe, the horrible “Morbius” movie that’s part of this universe as well. And this one is called “Madame Web.” It stars Dakota Johnson as a woman named Cassie Webb, who gains powers through mystical means, and she gains the ability to see the future and is tasked with saving three high schoolers — who may get powers in the future — from being murdered by an evil billionaire, I think.

    This movie was confusing and bad. I’m just going to say it, it was pretty terrible. It very much reminds me of “Morbius” and all of those horrible Spider-Man Sony movies.

    There’s nothing really redeeming about it other than it’s a fun hate-watch. The CGI is terrible. The audio is terrible. Everything about it from beginning to end is really rough and hard to watch. So “Madame Web,” in theaters if you are a glutton for punishment.

    Stroozas: So, I’m talking about a movie that I did see a month ago, but it’s definitely one that I’m still thinking of: “The Iron Claw.”

    So it is a true story of a family of wrestlers in the 1980s. It stars Zac Efron and Jeremy Allen White. I feel like Zach did amazing. I’ve known he has been a star since “High School Musical” — one, two and three. And I just feel like he’s finally getting a lot of recognition. The soundtrack was really great. I’ve had it on repeat, lots of vibes like “Tom Sawyer” by Rush.

    I don’t really care about sports that much, obviously. But immediately I was sucked into the whole movie. It is just this beautiful narrative of brothers and family. And what it kind of means to have toxic masculinity rule your life so much. And to kind of decide how things have to work out not — only in your personal life, but also in your professional life.

    I’ve seen a lot of people compare it to kind of a “Little Women” or “Virgin Suicides,” but for men. So I feel like that tracks a lot because I feel like a lot of people don’t understand what those movies feel like. But this is a really good example of just the masculinity.

    And so many people in the theater were just crying. It was a very intimate and personal movie. And for me, it was really disappointing that Zac was not nominated for any awards because I think it really did solidify his career in my eyes. And again, it was very beautiful.

    I think people that know more about wrestling than me will understand it a bit more, but I still had a great time.

    • 4 min
    Cube Critics discuss ‘Finding Her Beat’ and ‘Marmalade’; plus an interview with drummer Jennifer Weir

    Cube Critics discuss ‘Finding Her Beat’ and ‘Marmalade’; plus an interview with drummer Jennifer Weir

    Cube Critics Jacob Aloi and Max Sparber discuss “Finding Her Beat” and “Marmalade.” Plus a Cube Critics extra: An interview with taiko drummer Jennifer Weir.

    The following is a transcription of the audio heard using the player above, lightly edited for clarity.

    MPR News Arts Editor Max Sparber: Jacob, what did you see?

    MPR News Arts Reporter Jacob Aloi: Okay, hang on, wait! Max Sparber! And with that, I’m Jacob Aloi.

    Sparber: And I’m Max Sparber.

    Both: This is Cube Critics!

    Aloi: So, Max, I watched a documentary this week called “Finding Her Beat,” which was actually filmed largely here in Minnesota, about an event that took place in Minnesota.

    Sparber: Nice.

    Aloi: It’s about taiko drumming. Now for some context, taiko drumming is a Japanese art form that traditionally only men are allowed to be taiko drummers. But there has been a movement of women and nonbinary people that want to be recognized for their contributions to the art form.

    And in 2020, there was a concert that was put on locally and it was produced and sort of artistically directed by Jennifer Weir, who is the executive director of a local taiko group called TaikoArts Midwest.

    The film kind of follows this Avengers-style collection of the best minds of taiko women and nonbinary individuals who have been drumming in Taiko. And they put on this concert. It follows the ups and downs and all of the stress that comes with doing it, and also the stress of the looming threat of COVID. It was filmed right up to it.

    So I highly recommend it. It is available widely on Amazon Prime Video for rent or to buy.

    Sparber: Local filmmakers?

    Aloi: Yes, local filmmakers Dawn Mikkelson and Keri Pickett were the co-directors.

    Sparber: Jacob, I also saw a film that was lensed locally. This is a work of fiction. It is the first film directed by an actor, Keir O’Donnell, and you probably know him best as Todd in “The Wedding Crashers” — he’s the arty younger brother.

    This is a result of something that is called Snowbate. It’s a tax credit offered to filmmakers that existed for a while and then didn’t — and now is back. And like a lot of Minnesota-filmed movies, you don’t necessarily know that it’s in Minnesota, like, Minnesota is just available as a set. It’s sort of a general regional film. Everybody’s got Southern accents for some reason.

    That being said, I don’t really care if I know it’s in Minnesota. I just like the fact that we’re making movies here.

    The film stars Joe Keery, probably best known as The Haircut from “Stranger Things.” He was also on this year’s season of “Fargo” and he was great in it — another Minnesota connection.

    Let me tell you the plot: The film starts off amiably. It’s about a manic pixie dream girl, but what if she’s a criminal — and a very dangerous criminal. But I will say it starts getting twisty about half an hour in and then just gets twistier and twistier.

    And sometimes I don’t really like twists in movies. But this time, it really works. First of all, it’s really good at the twists — you think you know where it’s going, and you are guessing wrong every time. And secondly, each of the twists actually make the film deeper, weirder and more fun.

    And so I love that. Again, the film is called “Marmalade.” It's in several Marcus theaters locally, and it’s also available on streaming.


    Aloi: Hey, I’m Jacob Aoi, and I’m one of the Cube Critics. I have two things I wanted to add really quickly to this podcast version of Cube Critics.

    One, Max talks about a Minnesota tax credit that exists here that is meant to entice filmmakers to come to Minnesota to shoot movies. There’s actually an article all about that from one of our reporters here at MPR News, Feven Gerezgiher. You can check that out on our website.

    And two, I actually did an interview with one of the subjects of the documentary that I watched, “Finding Her Beat,” Jennifer We

    • 12 min

Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5
51 Ratings

51 Ratings

Iswoon ,

great reviews…theme music, not so much.

Listening to thoughtful, considered reviews from an adult perspective is much appreciated. These two make a good pair, yet don’t always agree, like regular folks. The theme music is g-awful, annoying, grating. Wrong notes and all…
it’s gotta go. So do I.

Granny Kak ,

Realistic reviews of movies

Very brief, conversational discussion of movies new and old. Helpful ideas without a lot of analysis.

rdladd ,

Nice short movie update

Must listen to every week to find out what's coming to the theaters and what I should catch up on at home.

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