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.

Enjoy two back-to-back episodes — one about Baby Reindeer and one about The Sympathizer — because Tim forgot to post Baby Reindeer. In this episode, we talk about missed connections, stalkings, empathy. and low-key helpful small-town cops. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when you give jail inmates more control over their lives? Let's poor some hooch, light up some coffee cigarettes, and talk about Netflix's Unlocked: A Jail Experiment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode, your pod pals Keith, Aaron and Tim talk about Netflix's the Three Body Problem, how the Game of Thrones guys love killing everyone you love, and how weird it is when supermodels are cast as cops and EMTs. We like the Three Body Problem, based on the novel by Liu Cixin that Tim is not sophisticated enough to understand. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we talk about our love of the brilliant X-Men 97, dream re-cast the 2000 X-Men movie, and pitch the greatest comic-book story that will never, ever be made. We also imagine a solution to the Logan-Scott-Jean love triangle, talk about past great animated shows, and envision a plan for world peace inspired by Magneto.Come to me, my X-Men (fans).P.S. Tim was wrong about X-Men #168 being the first issue he ever bought. It was #185. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Netflix's Damsel flips the typical woman captured by beast narrative on its head, and lets the women take the lead but is it successful? Aaron and Keith talk about Millie Bobby Brown's performance as a fantasy heroine, why Damsel might have the best dragon CGI ever, and the oddness of so many reviewers focusing on gender while completely missing the impactful Grendel parallels for the main antagonist. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is the Dune 2 worth the hype, or does the adaptation fail to build on the original film's strengths? Aaron, Keith and Tim talk through the challenges of watching science fiction epics, why the Dune series is flipping the typical hero formula, and how Dune 2 is likely to influence future Hollywood projects. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode we talk about Griselda, the story of a woman who can sell drugs and kill people as well as any man.Tim loves it, Keith has some reservations, Aaron finds some things goofy.Also, since we recorded this conversation, the lawsuit filed by Griselda's son has been settled. Hooray! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer-director Issa Lopez enlists The Greatest Actress Ever, Jodie Foster, and rising star Kali Reis to reinvent HBO's gloriously gloomy crime series.Also: Check out Sonya Alexander's terrific interview with Issa Lopez for Moviemaker Magazine right here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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This is a true story. We discuss the first four episodes of the magnificent Fargo Season 5.Also here's the deal with the nipple rings. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

Did people who got offended by No Hard Feelings actually see No Hard Feelings?We also talk about Hall & Oates, Nelly Furtado, ?uestlove and the youth of today Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode, we talk about how Low Key Season 2 is the Wire Season 2 of Disney+ shows. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We talk about Netflix's live-action pirate adventure series One Piece, and whether it bodes well for the future of live-action anime adaptations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We dig into the space procedural Ahsoka, the 400th Disney+ Star Wars series. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

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

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

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 finally puts our favorite, Rocket Raccoon, at center stage, even if he spends most of the movie asleep. We're divided on the latest from the great James Gunn, but that leads to a discussion of our favorite superhero movies ever and which comic books we wish we could adapt. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We think Woody Harrelson and Justin Theroux are very good in The White House Plumbers, and we realize the writers had a very difficult job to do, and we love and respect all writers everywhere. But this just wasn't our thing.Also, Aaron wonders why there are so many Nazis in our films and TV shows, because fuck those guys.Finally, Tim recommends the excellent 2004 mockumentary Confederate States of America by Kevin Willmott. And this is maybe Keith's least-favorite conversation ever. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Prepare to be delighted by Rye Lane, a film about two people who've recently broken up with others and make a quick connection. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

Swarm, the new serial killer social satire from Donald Glover and Janine Nabers, stars Dominique Fishback in an astonishing performance. We're into it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The new Hulu film Bruiser is about 14-year-old Darious (Jalyn Hall) who has a seemingly happy family. But when he begins hanging out with a mysterious local man named Porter (Trevante Rhodes), his parents (Shamier Anderson and Shinelle Azorah) warn him to stop, and things turn violent.The more we talked about the film, by director Miles Warren, the more we came to appreciate its subtle and nuanced characterizations, and the questions they raise. We ended up talking a lot about what it truly means to be a father. 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 Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, a movie that is weightless in every sense. We wanted to like it but the movie made that impossible. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Aaron, Keith and Tim talk about the simple, well-crafted joys of Poker Face, which follows an ex-gambler (Natasha Lyonne) who solves murders as she flees the mob. It's just high-stakes enough to keep you in the game, but doesn't stress you out with constant drama. We like it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

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

Let's talk about the terrific and fun M3GAN, where the murders are the funny part and the points about kids and technology are terrifying. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Let's talk about the impressively structured, simultaneously complicated and obvious Rian Johnson mystery. Keith calls it "a treat to watch." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.