‘Wicked: For Good’ Is No Good. But ‘Train Dreams’ Is.

Sean and Amanda are joined by Juliet Litman to return to the (not so) wonderful world of Oz to cover Jon M. Chu’s Wicked: For Good, starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. Before diving in, they react to new movie trailers for Charli XCX’s The Moment (1:02) and The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping (10:54). Then, they discuss Wicked: For Good, which they found deeply frustrating due to its bizarre story choices and one-dimensional characters (18:22). They hypothesize about its potential box office, compare this year’s press tour to last year’s, and weigh its Academy Awards chances (1:07:44). Next, Sean and Amanda briefly examine Clint Bentley’s Train Dreams, starring Joel Edgerton and Felicity Jones, a deeply earnest and sincere portrayal of grief with some beautiful digital photography and an amazing collection of character actors (1:22:55). Finally, Bentley joins the show to discuss his new film. He explains why he initially thought the original material was unadaptable, dives into how he put a lot of intent behind capturing the logging scenes in the movie, and shares his feelings on the current state of independent film (1:34:28).

Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins
Guests: Clint Bentley and Juliet Litman
Producer: Jack Sanders