Be Reel

Noah and Chance briefly considered the genre of sci-fi cowboy films before realizing our ill-fated manifest destiny: watching "Wild Wild West" on HBO and reconciling that decision as best we could. This mini-episode raises all sorts of questions. How do you pronounce "Kenneth Branagh"? How do you pronounce Kenneth Branagh pronouncing the nonsense words he says in this movie? And what didn't go wrong with the most expensive movie of 1999?

Live from Noah's bed in Brooklyn, we cozy up and discuss the genre that houses our favorite film. But not that film; what is there to say about "Jaws" anyway? So we watched three lesser shark movies: Blake Lively battling a great white in "The Shallows," the deranged shark science of "Deep Blue Sea" and attempts at disaster camp in "Sharknado."

The moms took their turn; yesterday the dads were on deck. Noah and Chance called "Big Rod" and "Digdoug" to discuss a pair of movies about early 20th century sporting. (It's worth noting that the dads chose movies independent of each other.) First, Chance called his father to discuss 2005's Cinderella Man, listening to classic fights on the radio, and remembering Great Depression anecdotes passed down through the family. At 27:15, we transition to Rod Ballard's selection, Chariots of Fire. There's talk of post-WWI anxiety, Antisemitism meeting classism, and Olympic running. Ya know, dad stuff all around.

With the presidential election cycle eating itself (and many of our souls), this week's episode takes on three recent electoral satires: 1999's "Election," 2012's "The Campaign" and 2003's "Head of State." In them, races for student council president, a rural Congressional seat and the highest office in the land are wrought with the betrayal, the puppeteering and the backroom handshakes we imagine (or try not to) in the political system. This week, we're joined by journalist Leo Adam Biga, author of "Alexander Payne: His Journey In Film," to talk about "Election," a young Payne trying to capture Omaha, and a sneak preview into Payne's return to satire with 2017's "Downsizing." Table of Contents: 3:40 - "Election" and its fearlessness 16:00 - Leo Adam Biga on Alexander Payne's career and his next movie 29:00 - "The Campaign" doesn't understand satire 39:40 - "Head of State" gets a bad rap

We may not always see eye to eye, but dammit, we're partners. This week, Noah and Chance take on three examples of Shane Black's buddy cop movies, 1987's Lethal Weapon, 2005's Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and the new Gosling/Crowe team-up, The Nice Guys. Noah is away from New York this week recording from a Summersville, West Virginia radio station with his lifelong pal Alex "Spiel" Wiederspiel.  But first, Chance starts the show in conversation with director, actor and very busy film and TV crew member Josh Stephenson. Stephenson recently had his Shane Black trope-highlighting supercut featured on The AV Club. https://vimeo.com/166662405 2:30 - Josh Stephenson on Shane Black and Iron Man 3  15:30 - Noah, Chance and Spiel talk Lethal Weapon 29:00 - Pathetic RDJ is praised in our Kiss Kiss Bang Bang review 40:30 - Noah & Chance disagree on whether Gosling makes or sinks The Nice Guys

Pop on your vest or polo and try not to lose your mind as we head inside the fluorescent maze of movies set in big box stores. This week, Chance and Noah are joined by an old colleague to discuss the experience of working in a haven of "sad commerce." Former Walmart baker and current editor/radio host Casey Welsch starts the show with some personal insights. Then at 11:20, Chance and Noah talk the odd, inward plot weave of 2002's "One Hour Photo." At 29:30, it's onto "Employee of the Month" (2006), which stars Dane Cook and cannot be good. Then they close the show at 40:30 with an argument over whether the messy, alien-killing comedy "The Watch" (2012) has redeeming value.

In the spirit of this past weekend, Noah and Chance called their moms to discuss a favorite film from each. We begin from a dining room in Lawrenceville, New Jersey with a discussion of 1985's "Out of Africa," a sweeping romance about a Danish baroness (Meryl Streep) making her life in Kenya. At 27:50, they transition to 2001's "The Royal Tenenbaums," a movie the Solem-Pfeifer house bonded over for its lying, lovable patriarch and visual detail. Thanks for listening. And thanks for showing us movies, Moms.

In honor of Prince and the singular acting method of truly not caring that there's a camera in your vicinity, Noah & Chance each watched "Purple Rain" for the first time. They discuss its "miraculous" existence, a comparison to "Lemonade" and how the 1984 film is a genuine artistic fantasy.

Your ship’s nose may look majestic cutting it and it may invite one hell of an orchestral overture, but do not trifle with the sea. This week, we watched three disaster movies upon the waves. Noah and Chance hop right into marveling at "Titanic" (1997) and quoting a lot of Billy Zane lines. At 22:30, "The Perfect Storm" (2000) is far from a perfect movie, but only one of the hosts can forgive the chowdah accents and script. They close out at 34:15 with 1972’s "The Poseidon Adventure," a ‘70s disaster hulk with an over-sized cast and some dark, outdated ideas on what should happen to its members. Bon voyage! Wear a life vest!

I know it sounds crazy, but there's just something *different* about this episode. Could it be that these kids see dead people, move inanimate objects or shoot light from their eyes? We begin with Noah having a firsthand encounter with the seemingly mystical. Then, it's on to a reappraisal of The Sixth Sense at the 6-minute mark. Is it still a watchable movie if you know about ... well, you know. At 24 minutes, they dive into the new Jeff Nichols movie Midnight Special, which is beautiful, but oh-so-frustrating. Finally, at 36 minutes, they argue about whether Matilda is charming or "icky."

Noah and Chance were held up by sickness and travel in their plans for a steel-jaw-meets-iron-glove fight over Batman Vs. Superman. But they still squabble a bit. Noah calls from a parked car in Los Angeles to explain what he finds entertaining about the much-maligned superhero showdown. Chance is largely incredulous.

In the late '80s and throughout the 1990s, Hollywood conceived a new wave of animation, cross-branding and films for children. They looked half-animated and half-live action, with entries like "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?", "Space Jam" and "The Pagemaster." On this week's episode, Noah and Chance revisit that trio and that era in filmmaking to assess the industry's artistic and business intentions and how well these cartoon hybrids hold up today. But first, Chance calls Nigel Miguel, the basketball technical advisor to "Space Jam," to talk about the movie turning 20, the roadblocks to a potential sequel and Miguel's work in basketball movies like "White Men Can't Jump." 3:00 - Nigel Miguel Interview 14:30 - "Space Jam" Review 28:00 - "The Pagemaster" Review 42:00 - "Roger Rabbit" Review

In the post-awards wasteland, Noah and Chance took shelter underground this week with "10 Cloverfield Lane." A spirited conversation followed the bunker thriller and "Cloverfield" pseudo-sequel — about the state of popcorn filmmaking in 2016, how marketing creates suspense and what happens when you give John Goodman a real role.

For as long as humanity has dreamt of traveling through time, it's also dreamt of time manipulation as a means of preventing terrorism, apprehending warlords in future dystopias and stopping your younger self from killing your older self. But don't take our word for it! This week, we watched a trio of "Fight Crime Through Time" movies, including Demolition Man (1993), Looper (2012) and Deja Vu (2006).  This episode's special guest is Justin Taylor, an acclaimed author and a Demolition Man fan from way back. He's the writer of Flings, The Gospel of Anarchy and Everything Here Is The Best Thing Ever. Follow Justin on Twitter at @my19thcentury and find his work at justindtaylor.net.  If you're looking to hop around the episode:  3:05 - Noah and Chance gives their opening genre remarks 10:45 - Justin Taylor on "Demolition Man"  33:40 - Overly ambitious "Looper" is discussed 49:55 - 17-year-old-Chance standby "Deja Vu" is revisited 

Spurred forth by Brie Larson's Oscar victory, Noah and Chance watched "Room" for this mini-episode. Worthy of both tears and cringes as it was, a debate ensued about whether adaptational problems from Emma Donoghue's 2010 novel are severe enough to derail this emotional study of trauma-sick mother and son.

Noah and Chance discuss the Coen Brothers' three kidnapping movies: the wild-eyed "Raising Arizona," the neo-classic black comedy "Fargo" and the new Hollywood tribute spectacle "Hail, Caesar!" Zooming out, Noah wonders about the brothers' precarious place in contemporary film and Chance speculates about their one-of-a-kind storytelling priorities and areas of narrative neglect. 5:30 - "Hail, Caesar!" Review 16:00 - "Fargo" Review 30:30 - "Raising Arizona" Review

On this week's episode, Chance and Noah tell you about everything but their childhoods. But a little personal disclosure is appropriate as they discuss three movies about therapists and their patients. Plus, Chance invites a counseling graduate student (to whom he's also a live-in boyfriend) onto the show to talk about the accuracy and responsibility-of-representation sides of "A Dangerous Method" (2011), "Girl, Interrupted" (1999) and "Analyze This" (1999). Via drama and comedy, these titles portray psychotherapy from its birth to its cultural growing pains to its absolute exhaustion in the wrong hands. Enjoy, and don't forget to tell us how this episode makes you feel. 8:15 - "A Dangerous Method" 23:30 - "Girl, Interrupted" 41:45 - "Analyze This"

On this week's episode, Noah and Chance dive below the surface and into the high stakes, misunderstanding-wrought world of submarine movies. With a little help from retired navy man and sub expert John Clear, they take on the undeniable plot of "The Hunt for Red October" (1990), the bad movie genetics of "Below" (2002) and the nuclear acting war happening in "Crimson Tide" (1995). 4:00 - John Clear Interview 16:30 - "Hunt For Red October" 32:30 - "Below" 42:30 - "Crimson Tide"

Because they mostly like their suffering beautiful, Noah and Chance review "The Revenant" in this mini-episode. There's talk of Emmanuel Lubezki's gorgeous catastrophes, disagreements over whether Leo's performance is interesting and comparisons to Alejandro Iñárritu's previous outing. Plus, a friend of the program hops on for a segment we're calling "The Kozal Proposal."

Noah and Chance were reunited over the holidays when they spent a few very head-achy days in a dim and borrowed living room. Back together in their Nebraska college town, they rang in 2016 watching three movies (all covered in the 2015 "Trailer Pod," by the way) about trying to reconcile with family before it's too late. Did Liam Neeson save his son from hitmen in "Run All Night"? Did the sellout pop star Danny Collins strut and clown his way into his estranged family's life? Does "Mississippi Grind" even really fit this category? Did Noah and Chance ever leave Nebraska? Questions are answered and Chance's childhood bedroom is revealed. Enjoy. 4:30 - "Run All Night" 19:00 - "Danny Collins" 37:00 - "Mississippi Grind"