Low Key

Tyler Perry's Straw has a misleading title — because it isn't a straw that breaks the camel's back in the film about a single mom (Taraji P. Henson) driven to extremes, but an absolutely nightmarish event that is only revealed in the film's insane final act.In this episode, Aaron, Keith and Tim talk about whether the movie takes place in hell, great movie twists and why they work — from Fight Club to The Sixth Sense — and the correct way to pronounce San Pedro.We wrap up by praising Tubi's Flew'd Out and the works of fantasy author Brandon Sanderson. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is the message of Mountainhead? Aaron and Tim talk about the film as a condemnation of the gamification of everything in Jesse Armstrong's Succession successor. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Murderbot is a security droid who is happy to just watch his shows, and so are we. Without being security droids. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sometimes we talk about movies that are a good hang. Elijah Bynum's Magazine Dreams is not one of them, but it is a fascinating watch with an astonishing performance by Jonathan Majors. At one point it looked like he could win an Oscar for the role — before legal troubles nearly ended his career. Now Magazine Dreams is part of a comeback attempt. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We talk about the excellent of Sinners, the bad version of Sinners, and letting the right and wrong ones in. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Due to various calamities we couldn't find time to watch the same show or movie this week, so instead Aaron, Keith and Tim are just listing off a bunch of cool stuff they like and recommend. We also discuss great Disney sequels, the Righteous Gemstones, hip-hop Percocet era, and why Frozen 2 is, no kidding, the wokest movie ever. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

THE SUBSTANCE is almost a perfect partner to the last film we discussed, A DIFFERENT MAN. It's about aging and beauty standards, but also the kindnesses and harms we do to our future selves. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Different Man stars Sebastian Stan as Edward, an aspiring actor with neurofibromatosis who, through a new procedure, gets the face he's always wanted. But then he meets a different man, Oswald (Adam Pearson) who thrives in a play based on Edward's previous life — and makes Edward question everything about himself. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We like Creature Commandos, and are endlessly amused that it is the first project under DC Studios leader James Gunn to be canon in the new DC Universe.We also have some thoughts on the weird relationship between Batman and Robin. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We also plan to rewatch The Wiz sometime soon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Has James Patterson already used TRIPLE CROSS as the title of one of his dozens of Alex Cross novels? We don't know. If not, Mr. Patterson, it's all yours. On this episode of LOW KEY we talk about DC cop/psychologist Alex Cross, played in the new Amazon Prime series CROSS by the always good Aldis Hodge. We think it has crossover appeal. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Woman of the Hour starts out with a deliciously trash concept: a woman (Anna Kendrick) goes on a dating show where one of the three bachelors is a serial killer. But it takes a serious turn when almost every man in sight fails as a human being — except for George Elliott. We talk this episode about how to be a real man. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

No cute hook here. This is just an awesome movie. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We discuss the new City of God: The Fight Rages On, a series sequel to the iconic 2002 film about violent kids growing up in the desperate slums of Rio De Janeiro. The kids are all grown up, and some are actually doing OK — at least in the pilot. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we talk about HIT MAN, which Richard Linklater and Glen Powell wrote together, and which Linklater directs and Powell stars in. We also reference Quentin Tarantino saying Linklater's DAZED AND CONFUSED, released more than 30 years ago, is a great hang — and whether HIT MAN is, too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We have a multitude of opinions about Godzilla Minus One, which has been pretty much universally praised. Also, Aaron explains the Act 3 problem that plagues every Godzilla movie.And we scold the critics for being scolds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In keeping we the two sides seen by the protagonist of The Sympathizer, we offer the second of our two episodes this week. The Sympathizer is a brilliant absurdist nightmare. Marlon Brando fans may be especially intrigued. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.