Episode 578: Mercy, The Testament of Ann Lee, Come See Me in the Good Light

It's Oscar nominations week, so we're playing catch up as well as slogging through some extremely January movies.

We recorded these reviews before Thursday's Academy announcement, so we have a couple of updates for you: Amanda Seyfried didn't get a nomination for "The Testament of Ann Lee," but "Come See Me in the Good Light" did make it into the documentary feature category.

Here's what we discussed:

• MERCY. Chris Pratt is a police detective accused of killing his wife in a futuristic hellscape of Los Angeles. He has 90 minutes to prove his innocence before an AI judge (Rebecca Ferguson) or he'll be executed. We debate exactly what this Amazon release is propaganda for, but agree that it (and Pratt) are terrible. In theaters.

• THE TESTAMENT OF ANN LEE. Amanda Seyfried IS Ann Lee, found of the Shaker religious movement, in director and co-writer Mona Fastvold's ambitious musical. This had a brief awards run at the end of 2025 and is returning to theaters this weekend. The song and dance numbers are mesmerizing.

• COME SEE ME IN THE GOOD LIGHT. The late poet Andrea Gibson is the subject of this intimate documentary, which is alternately hilarious and heartbreaking but always stirring. Director Ryan White follows the genderqueer Gibson and their partner as they navigate a lengthy and painful cancer battle, but there's plenty of room for humor and even hope. Streaming on Apple TV.

Thanks for being here with us and have a great weekend!

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