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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.

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

Cube Critics Jacob Aloi and Max Sparber discuss “Argylle” and “Meat Raffle.” Plus a Cube Critics extra: An interview with “Meat Raffle” filmmaker Aimee Chenal. The following is a transcription of the audio heard using the player above, lightly edited for clarity. MPR Arts Reporter Jacob Aloi: I’m Jacob Aloi MPR Arts Editor Max Sparber: And I’m Max Sparber. Aloi: And you’re listening to Cube Critics. Sparber: Cube Critics. Aloi: And then the (hums theme music) Sparber: Music starts. We dance. Aloi: So, Max Sparber, this week I saw “Argylle.” It is a new spy action comedy that was directed by Matthew Vaughn and it was written by Jason Fuchs. And it stars Bryce Dallas Howard and Sam Rockwell and Henry Cavill. Basically, Bryce Dallas Howard does her best J. K. Rowling impersonation as an espionage spy novelist — has the haircut and everything. And she gets swept up into a real-world espionage case. Because while she’s been writing these books, it’s mirrored a lot of real-life things that have happened. Sparber: So psychic, or perhaps spy-chic. Aloi: Exactly. So she gets swept up into this case that’s unfurling in front of her. And there’s a lot of twists and turns. I will say, though, that while I’m a fan of things that are mediocre — I’m a big believer that things don’t have to be great to be enjoyed — this was a little too mediocre for me. I think that the cast is great, but I think they’re underutilized. And there’s some people specifically that are a little underutilized. And if you go to see the movie, you might agree. And there’s a twist in it, but the twist kind of seems like it comes from a mile away. Some of the shots are really great. And then some of them felt a little too campy. You know, I think some camp can work in a movie like this, but there’s one, particularly, towards the end of the film where there’s a lot of bright colors and it was just an off-putting mess for me, personally. But if you do like that kind of comic book style that shows up in films like “The Kingsman” or its sequel, I think that you might enjoy “Argylle” — so check it out in theaters now. Sparber: Jacob. Are you familiar with meat raffles? Aloi: Yeah, I’m familiar with meat raffles. Yeah. Sparber: They are when you go to a bar, give some money and you get a massive amount of meat if you win. Well, there’s a horror comedy movie called “Meat Raffle.” It is set in Burnett County, Wis., which is just an hour and a half from here. It had its Minnesota debut at the Parkway Theater a couple of nights ago. It was created by someone named Aimee Chenal, who wrote, directed and starred in it. Although it was co-directed by Minnesotan, Shawn Engelmann, who is responsible for a really fun web series that I recommend looking up called “Creepy Acres.” It’s a horror horror-themed puppet show. Subscribe to Cube Critics I will tell you this film is not technically polished. It kind of reminds me of a lot of movies that came out in the 2010s that were independently filmed and made by people who are enthusiastic; had more enthusiasm than a great deal of skill under their belt — but a lot of imagination, a lot of creativity and a lot of fun. So if you have problems with stuff that’s not technically polished, this might not be right for you. But if you're looking for a film that is very entertaining nonetheless, I do recommend it. It’s made up of community theater actors and sometimes feels like it but it is also the most Wisconsin film ever made. It’s a film about hunting, playing bar games and eating other people, which is a huge theme in Wisconsin storytelling. And made me feel nostalgic for those kinds of movies. I really forgot how much I liked them. Aloi: It had a charm to it. Sparber: It has a real charm to it. So again, the film is called “Meat Raffle.” Go to their Facebook page to

Cube Critics Jacob Aloi and Lukas Levin discuss their differing opinions about the Disney+ series “Percy Jackson and the Olympians.” The following is a transcription of the audio heard using the player above, lightly edited for clarity. MPR Producer Lukas Levin: The main difference between this and Harry Potter is that Harry Potter maintains a lot of whimsy. MPR Arts Reporter Jacob Aloi: So, Lukas, this week we both watched “Percy Jackson and the Olympians,” which is an adaptation of the popular book series by Rick Riordan, which tells a story of a boy named Percy who steals Zeus’s lightning bolt, and then over the course of the series has to prove that he did not steal that lightning bolt, at least this first season. I really enjoyed it. I thought it actually captured quite well the whimsy and the fun of the books that I grew up reading. I also think that it was it encapsulated how middle schoolers actually talk to themselves and actually act. The thing I had to keep reminding myself is that I’m a 20-something-year-old single man with no children. But if I did have kids, and I was the age that I was, or even older, I actually think that I would have really enjoyed watching this with my children. So I really enjoyed it. I think that it’s a fun family show that everyone could find something to enjoy. And you can check it out on Disney+, but I feel like you have different thoughts, Lukas? Subscribe: Cube Critics Podcast Levin: Well, I just think that for a young adult adaption — most people who read young adult novels are not young adults. A lot of them are, but there’s a lot of people who are of an older age, like us, that want to see something adapted from a book that is beloved, into a TV show. And I just think that this sort of misses the mark. It just sort of takes everything from the book, and condenses it to a point where the character development, the arcs, the jokes, everything just feels very lobbed off in a way. And you know, as much as you think that an eight-episode series arc would work, it just does not seem to hit its head or hit its stride, really, It starts out strong. I remember reading the books also in third grade, or just as a young adult. And I remember reading the books and seeing the first couple of episodes, I was like, wow, this really is hitting it. And then, like the final episode, it just sort of starts strong and falls down on its face. You know, just because it's for young people or because it’s designed that way, I don’t think it means that has to be bad. I don’t necessarily think that this was bad. But I think that it could have used another rewrite. Aloi: Well, here’s the thing that I think about it. What I actually enjoyed about it is that Rick Riordan was actually involved in that process. The guy who wrote the books was actually heavily involved in writing the series. Levin: I was surprised by that. I was excited to see that. Aloi: And what I liked about it, though, is that it did not feel like it was a one-for-one adaptation. It felt like it was Percy Jackson 2.0. Levin: Right. Aloi: He was able to change some things, he was, like, I would prefer it to be this way. I’d prefer for this scene to take place over here. Levin: Right. Aloi: Here’s an interesting conflict to happen. Levin: But for the things that were adapted — I would say most of the things that were changed were almost minor. Like I wouldn’t say there was major changes. I would say that the adaption was like, it was like, oh, that scene didn’t happen where it usually happens or that scene didn’t happen here. Aloi: But I think that it helped with some of the character development and I should say the kids are great in this. I think that they’re actually really good child actors. Levin: Sure. I think I think they needed more help from the writing and directing team. Aloi: That — perhaps, sure.

Cube Critics Jacob Aloi and Max Sparber discuss “Echo” and “Wild At Heart.” Plus a Cube Critics extra: An interview with the Chief of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Gary Batton. The following is a transcription of the audio heard using the player above, lightly edited for clarity. MPR News Arts Editor Max Sparber: Howdy Howdy. MPR News Arts Reporter Jacob Aloi: I don’t know what we should do for our little — Oh! Oscars! We should talk about the Oscars. So you know, the Oscars nominations just came out. Sparber: I do know that they came out. Aloi: And we’re not going to talk about any of that. Sparber: Nope. Aloi: So Max Sparber. This week, I watched “Echo.” It is the new Marvel mini-series that’s on Disney Plus about Maya Lopez, who’s a Choctaw superhero. And she’s working to take down criminal kingpin Wilson Fisk while trying to repair some familial ties that have been fractured. And she’s also dealing with the echoes of her past her ancestors that are giving her her supernatural powers. Sparber: Ah yes, “echo.” Aloi: They echo, right? And this show is so fun. “Echo” has finally beat Marvel’s greatest supervillain: pacing. This felt like it actually worked in the timeframe that it was given in the medium that it was delivered in. And there are so many little things that are just so integral to the story, that are so authentic. So, sign language is a huge part of this. The main character, Maya Lopez, is deaf and played by a deaf actress — Alaqua Cox is the name of the actress. And you see sign language used throughout the entire show. And based on the different levels of how close of a family member she has — how close they’re related — is how much they know sign language. That was kind of a cool thing to watch. And also, there’s a lot of authenticity paid to portraying the Choctaw culture. Disney actually partnered with the Choctaw Nation and brought on consultants before filming even began to make sure that everything was presented correctly. And so, anyway, it’s all around great representation, a great show, check it out “Echo” on Disney Plus. Sparber: So I am not going to recommend a new movie. I’m going to recommend a revival because this one is very hard to see nowadays and it’s not on streaming. It hasn’t been released as a DVD for years, perhaps a decade. This is a film from 1990 by David Lynch called “Wild at Heart.” It won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, but that was controversial — it was actually booed when it won. Because it’s a weird and kind of edgy, strange, craggy, mean film, but I love it. The story tells of Nicolas Cage. He plays a character named Sailor Ripley. He’s dressed in a snakeskin jacket and does an Elvis impersonation all the way through the movie, which Nicolas Cage was born to do. His girlfriend is played by Laura Dern, one of Lynch’s greatest collaborators. She’s hilarious and she’s a delight. And Ripley breaks his parole goes on the road with her and so the whole film is just a bizarre American road trip. Lynch is obsessed with “The Wizard of Oz.” And this is his most “Wizard of Oz” film, including Laura Dern’s own mother, Diane Ladd, who basically plays the Wicked Witch — she was nominated for an Oscar for the role. And it has Willem Defoe, in the sleaziest role in film history, a character named Bobby Peru who ropes Cage into a crime scheme that goes disastrously wrong. It’s hard to see legally, so go see it. It will be playing at the Parkway Theater next Tuesday. Aloi: Hey, this is Jacob Aloi, I’m one of the Cube Critics. And because I watched “Echo” for this week of Cube Critics, I decided that I wanted to know a little bit more about the process that the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma went through when collaborating with Disney and Marvel to make the series. So I had the chance to sit down and interview the Chief of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Gary Batton. Gary

Cube Critic Alex V. Cipolle discusses the new season of “True Detective”; guest critic Regina Medina discusses “Slow Horses.” The following is a transcription of the audio heard using the player above, lightly edited for clarity. MPR News Senior Arts Reporter and Critic Alex V. Cipolle: You can basically smell him through the screen. MPR News Correspondent Regina Medina: Yes. Cipolle: Not the best hygiene. Medina: No, he doesn't like to shower. Cipolle: So, Regina, we both watched detective shows this week. Medina: Yes. I love detective shows. Cipolle: Me too. I watched the fourth season of “True Detective,” which just started on Sunday on HBO. And it is a return to form of season one. Nobody really talks about the other seasons, they’re not that good. Season one — amazing. And it’s this kind-of like gritty noir detective series. This time instead of being based in the south, it’s based in Alaska. There’s also a new director, Issa López, and it’s a much more women-led cast as well, with Jodie Foster and kind-of newcomer Kali Reis, who is a professional boxer. Medina: Ooh! Cipolle: Very impressive. And so they play these detective partners, kind of at war with each other a little bit. Jodie Foster is kind of like an anti-woke cop. Kali Reis is a Native cop who brings some of those sensibilities and concerns to the role. But as with the best “True Detective,” the main character is the place, right? So it is dark, cold Alaska — Medina: Perfect. Cipolle: — and how that seeps into people. So, the premise is kind of similar to John Carpenter’s “The Thing,” where a bunch of researchers are working at a research lab and something goes wrong. And like with most “True Detective,” it’s where reality starts scraping at the supernatural. For Minnesota fans, there’s also a prominent display of a Viking sweatshirt, and the actor that plays Jodie Foster’s daughter is St. Paul actress Isabella Star LaBlanc. Medina: Yay! Cipolle: I highly recommend it. HBO, Sunday night. Listen here https://open.spotify.com/show/0CSBZiPf0Pdlwh5xLxLmPb Medina: I, this week saw — well I’ve seen it for a few weeks because it just ended — “Slow Horses.” It’s an Apple TV show, based on a series of spy novels by Mick Herron. It stars Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas, and I love it. So, this is about a group of misfits — MI5 agents who work in a way from the MI5 headquarters, because the agency is trying to make them quit by [sending them to] a house that’s decrepit. And they basically process passports from the 1990s. Cipolle: And they’ve sort of done something wrong in their jobs. Media: Yeah. Cipolle: They’re like, grounded. Medina: Yeah, they have gambling habits and they got caught, or they left a very important confidential file on a train. You know, these people are not the best and the brightest. So their boss is someone called Jackson Lamb, played by Oldman, who’s fantastic. He’s wonderfully insulting. He’s brutal to them. He urges them to quit. Yet he has flashes of, Hey, I care about these people. And somehow, even though they're supposed to be away from the action, they’re in the middle of it in most episodes. So you can see it on Apple TV, seasons one, two and three. I urge you all to watch it and you. And YOU, Alex V. Cipolle, to watch it again.

The following is a transcription of the audio heard using the player above. MPR News producer Matt Alvarez enters. MPR News arts reporter Jacob Aloi: Matt Alvarez. Now take your time. MPR News arts editor Max Sparber: No hurry. Aloi: We’re just kind of chillin’. Sparber: Chillaxing. Aloi: I want to be so clear: Never say that again. So, Max Sparber, this week I saw “American Fiction” starring Jeffrey Wright. It’s actually based on a novel, which I did not know. It’s a meta-novel called “Erasure.” And it tells the story of a writer named Monk. He’s also a professor of mythology and writing. And basically, Monk cannot get published. He has had a career publishing retellings of Greek stories, but he hasn’t been published in the last couple of years. And the reason why is because he feels like he’s being pigeonholed as a Black writer. He feels like he’s being pushed to write stories about a very particular kind of experience in the Black community when he’s from an affluent Bostonian family. Right? He feels like he’s being pushed to write stories about gangs and gang violence and all of that. And so one night in a drunken stupor he writes that book, and he kind of skewers it, he kind of writes it in to say, “I’m going to write the book that white America wants me to write.” And of course, it actually does very well gets published and is nominated for awards. And that’s a huge part of the story. What really the movie is, is a character study of a man who’s deeply dissatisfied with his life, and he’s taking it out on everyone else. But through the course of the film, writing the book, his experiences with publishers, dating a woman, a death in his family, it’s really about him trying to find that spark for life again, that hopefully he can finally write his magnum opus. So that is “American Fiction.” Check it out in theaters now. Sparber: Funny? Aloi: Very funny, but also poignant. Sparber: That’s true of the film that I saw as well. I did not see it this week. It is called “Poor Things.” And it’s been out for a minute, and I saw it a couple of weeks ago, but it won a couple of Golden Globes this week, including Emma Stone as Best Actress, and that makes it freshly contemporary. It will probably do well at the Oscars. It was directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, who is a big Oscar winner already. And I would describe this film as being sort of a feminist cyberpunk Frankenstein fantasy in which Stone plays a child-woman who was created by a mad scientist, she goes out and has adventures. The film is presented as being sort of feminist. I don’t know if it’s good feminism, but I do know it’s weird feminism, like “Barbie,” which I do like. Emma Stone is great in it. She has a huge character arc from being basically a child at the beginning of the movie to being fully in possession of her own experiences by the end of it. It’s two and a half hours. So it gives her a lot of time to do that. But the two things I like most about the film, first of all, is Mark Ruffalo. He plays just the most embarrassing libertine in history. He talks about freedom. But the moment he starts going out with Emma Stone, he becomes pathetic, needy, controlling. The moment she asserts herself, he’s just a blubbering mess. The second thing is I like whoever the makeup designer was, who was told Willem Dafoe, who plays the mad scientist, should look like he’s dissembled and maybe broken puzzle for a face — but he should also look exactly like Willem Dafoe. That person nailed it and probably should win an Oscar as well. It’s still in theaters. If you want to get ready for the Oscar season, go see it.

Cube Critics Alex V. Cipolle and Nina Moini look at documentaries about cults: “Escaping Twin Flames,” “Desperately Seeking Soulmate” and “Love Has Won.”

MPR News Cube Critics Jacob Aloi and Kyra Miles review “Anyone But You” and “The Color Purple.”

Cube Critics Max Sparber and Aron Woldeslassie discuss season five of “Fargo” and the film “Maestro”

Cube Critics Jacob Aloi and Max Sparber review "The Boy and the Heron" and "Godzilla Minus One."

Cube Critics Jacob Aloi and Aron Woldeslassie review “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off” and “Scavengers Reign.”