Death of a Unicorn (what to expect)
Scorecard, Di Caprio doing the most, Brian's got jams
For those of you who don’t know, 60% of the crew lives in Denver. You can imagine how excited we were to see that the Sundance Film Festival is moving to Boulder in 2027. That gives us two years to make them our best friends and get invited as VIPs for free.
Concession Stand Scorecard: Death of a Unicorn
Watchlist Worthy: PTA + Leo = cinema magic
Friends We Recommend: Friend of the pod, Brian Wight
This week’s movie - Death of a Unicorn
Letterboxd Description:
They’re going to make a killing.
A father and daughter accidentally hit and kill a unicorn while en route to a weekend retreat, where his billionaire boss seeks to exploit the creature’s miraculous curative properties.
Best Watched With
Big Foot hunters and thousandaires.
End credit thoughts
Expect to experience the absurd and surreal with a splash of an acid trip. Death of a Unicorn is based on our world, but you’ll need to suspend a good amount of disbelief. I mean, we are dealing with vengeful mythical (allegedly) and magical creatures here.
This movie is billed as a horror/comedy, which is accurate because you will be both horrified and tickled. We felt the comedy outweighed the horror in terms of quantity, but as far as quality goes, both delivered. Blood and guts were not spared, and neither were the jump scares that will make you say %^&* out loud. A big contributor to the horror shock factor is the horrifying creatures that were also found on our Lisa Frank apparel and school supplies, which were accompanied by rainbows and bright colors.
The ensemble cast is effortlessly funny. Paul Rudd is Paul Rudd and will always draw out a laugh, but surprisingly, he was the weakest link. Jenna Ortega nails the hurting daughter of a single father who fails to connect. But it’s the billionaire Leopold residence that absolutely crushes and takes the comedic crown. Téa Leoni and Richard E. Grant as the detached-from-99%-of-humanity billionaires, and Will Poulter as their son do not stop contributing to the satire and display of humanity’s folly. Anthony Carrigan might not have a lot of lines, but between his body humor and Poulter’s comedic timing, we were in stitches.
The story definitely has a message to deliver: it speaks to greed and the insatiable desire for wealth by those who already swim in abundance. What precious parts of life are we willing to risk because of (hu)man’s fear of mortality? Do the rich cosplay as well-intended philanthropists who care about the progression of humanity but are actually participating in benevolent work for their own self-interest? If you work for Big Pharma or happen to be a billionaire, this movie might not be for you.
What they are doing with this movie might be too on the….nose, but those seeking a good laugh at absurdity who don’t mind a bloody mess will delight in this indie flick.
This one sits on the verge of catching a matinee and streaming as soon as it hits platforms.
One Battle After Another (2025) by Paul Thomas Anderson
Listen, I’m not a big Paul Thomas Anderson fan (like at all) but Leonardo Di Caprio playing characters who are spiraling and losing their goddamn minds is one of my favorite genres. Now we get a spiraling character who also looks like an early 90s cholo.
-NMD
Letterboxd Description:
When their evil nemesis resurfaces after 16 years, a band of ex-revolutionaries reunite to rescue the daughter of one of their own.
Also Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson:
Phantom Thread (2017)
There Will Be Blood (2007)
Boogie Nights (1997)
Brian Wight
Brian Wight is a multi-genre and multi instrumentalist songwriter, producer, touring musician and artist based in Nashville. He recently released a new single “Prettier With Time” and has an album dropping in May. Follow on Spotify and be notified when its released!
ICYMI: We had Brian on our latest podcast episode where he and Josh chopped it up about Musicals!
La La Land & Les Misérables: Guest Brian Wight Talks Musicals #052
🎧 Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
🎥 Watch this episode on YouTube
Josh sits down with Brian Wight, musician, songwriter, producer, and musical aficionado to catch up on life and dive deep into the world of musicals, focusing on La La Land and Les Misérables.
They use the Jimmy V 1993 ESPY Speech rubric—held in thought, laughed, and moved to tears—to argue that the movies are a full watch while interweaving the movie's narratives with their life narratives.
Tune in next week for | A Minecraft Movie
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