Episode 516: "The Dead Don't Hurt" and "Backspot"

What a week for movies! Megan and Dave watched writer/director/composer/co-star Viggo Mortensen's THE DEAD DON'T HURT (2:30), a bittersweet drama set in the 1860s. Viggo (the only actor Dave permits being called by first name, because it's fun to say "Viggo") is Olsen, a Dane, and Vicky Krieps is Vivienne, a French-Canadian, who meet in San Francisco, fall in love, and make a life together in a tiny Nevada town. TDDH is Vivienne's movie, as it traces her tough, tender, and resilient character from childhood to adulthood. It's a dense story with lots of twists and turns (and too much to get into in this description) and superior performances by Viggo and especially Krieps, and Megan and Dave loved it. Then Evan, Megan, and Dave talk director D.W. Waterson's BACKSPOT (28:56), a drama about a high school cheerleading team with a cutthroat coach (Evan Rachel Wood) and a squad that will do almost anything to prove themselves. Riley (Devery Jacobs), the squad's backspotter, thirsts for the coach's approval, putting a strain on all of her relationships, especially with her girlfriend, Amanda (Kudakwashe Rutendo), who's also a teammate. We had divergent opinions on this one. And over on Patreon, Ang Lee's THE WEDDING BANQUET won our May poll! If you're a patron, you can listen here (and if you're not a patron, you can become one!).