16 - 'Monkey Man' goes ape, 'Civil War' divides, and 'The Sympathizer' dazzles

Sena Adjei returns to the show as he and The Schmear break down Dev Patel, going bananas, in his new revenge thriller 'Monkey Man,' hailed as the “Indian John Wick" (4:00) They discuss Patel’s performance in front of and behind the camera, as well as the fiery politics, before suggesting some unsung talent they’d like to see lead their own action thriller (29:00).

Next—maybe just how director Alex Garland intended—their opinions are split on the speculative thriller 'Civil War.' They weigh the pros and cons of the lightning-rod film, parse its meaning, and discuss how it might age (34:30).

Then, Hayden Zelson drops by to discuss the new HBO series ‘The Sympathizer' (1:05:36). He and Schmear discuss Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning espionage novel before delving into the adaptation, hitting such topics as Park Chan Wook’s god-tier filmmaking, Robert Downey Jr.’s performance, and the overall themes. Does HBO/Max have a new Sunday night hit on their hands?

Host: Gabriel Frieberg

Producer: Pavlo Melnyk

Music: Justin Friedman

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