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.

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.

Murderbot is a security droid who is happy to just watch his shows, and so are we. Without being security droids.

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.

We talk about the excellent of Sinners, the bad version of Sinners, and letting the right and wrong ones in.

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.

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.