Be Reel

With Noah and several thousand writers visiting Portland for AWP '19 last week, we cracked the spine live and in-person on a related podcast category: the writer as forger, as plagiarist, as literary Danny Ocean. This time out, Be Reel reviews “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” (2018), “The Hoax” (2007) and “Secret Window” (2004) for a three-movie slate of word crimes. Plus, we’re joined by two esteemed authors who’d never do any of this shady shit — Natalie Serber (“Shout Her Lovely Name”) and Nick White (“Sweet and Low”) — to discuss their favorite films about writers. Be Reel is brought to you by California College of the Arts’ MFA in Writing program.

JC Chandor's "Triple Frontier" isn't the first movie to wonder what would happen if a few rogue soldiers tried to get rich while allegedly doing the right thing. On a new "Be Reel," Chance and Noah review Netflix's latest film and compare its themes and all-star casts to "Three Kings" (1999) and "Kelly's Heroes" (1970). Be Reel is brought to you by California College of the Arts' Writing MFA program.

The rich are monsters, and Noah and Chance are watching three movies based on the scandalous French novel "Les Liaisons Dangereuses." Don't know it? That's fine. You might know "Cruel Intentions," the now-20-year-old teen movie it inspired, as well as the 1988 Oscar contender "Dangerous Liaisons," starring Glenn Close and John Malkovich. We watched a less-known third adaptation called "Valmont" too, and we're psyched to have film critic Abbey Bender back on the program to once again discuss "teens" behaving badly in erotic thrillers. "Be Reel" is brought to you by the California College of the Arts' Writing MFA program.

Last year, we got absolutely crushed in Noah's Oscar pool. This year is different. Tune in for our 2019 Oscars guide, featuring some level-headed awards talk, Noah explaining his love for "The Wife", and a podcast interruption for the ages. Be Reel is presented by the California College of the Arts' Writing MFA program.

This week, we try desperately not to do a sports podcast while discussing sports movies where the most important games are played in offices. Starting with the slick, provoking new Steven Soderbergh film "High Flying Bird" and its critique of the NBA, the pod then revisits the statistical revolutions of "Moneyball" and the racial profiteering of "The Great White Hype." Be Reel is brought to you by the by California College of the Arts MFA in Writing Program and is proudly part of The Playlist Podcast Network.

Gene Hackman may be happily retired, but the same can't be said for your trusty hosts. We're still breaking down three movies a pop, and this week, we celebrate the all-time great actor's 89th birthday by looking at three of his iconic villain/antagonist roles: "Superman: The Movie" (1978), "Unforgiven" (1992) and "The Firm" (1993).

M. Night Shyamalan's "Glass" is the biggest hit of the young year, but does it make Chance and Noah wish they'd been dead the whole time? Today, we search for this heart of M. Night's unlikely super-hero trilogy, beginning with UNBREAKABLE (2000), continuing with SPLIT (2017) and culminating in GLASS. Guardian contributor Zach Vasquez joins the program! This episode is brought to you by California College of the Arts MFA in Writing Program and Converse College MFA in Writing Program. Visit BeReelPodcast.com or ThePlaylist.net for more.

On this week's episode, we unbox the newly released "Escape Room" and two of its thrilling enclosed-space predecessors in 2002's "Panic Room" and the 1954 classic "Rear Window.” This episode is brought to you by California College of the Arts MFA in Writing Program and Converse College MFA in Writing Program. Visit BeReelPodcast.com or ThePlaylist.net for more.

To close out 2018, Chance and Noah look back at this year's comedy offerings in what feels a bit like a slate of movies without a proper center. For today, we watched BLOCKERS to represent traditional studio fare (14:20), EIGHTH GRADE for an upstart indie (32:15), and SET IT UP for Netflix's full-on foray into rom-coms (48:00). Finally, we name our five favorite comedy performances of the year from films like GAME NIGHT, SORRY TO BOTHER YOU, and more (1:04:30). Be Reel is part of The Playlist Podcast Network and is brought to you by Converse College MFA program and California College of the Arts MFA in Writing program. Find old episodes at bereelpodcast.com.

Listeners! This week, we're talking about the work of the recently deceased screenwriting legend William Goldman: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Princess Bride, and  All The President's Men. Slate editor Marissa Martinelli joins to discuss The Princess Bride novel. This is also the first show available via ThePlaylist.net. And we're brought to you by California College of the Arts' MFA in Writing program and Converse College's Low-Residency MFA. Explore their programs at the links below! https://www.cca.edu/academics/graduate/writing https://www.converse.edu/program/master-of-fine-arts-mfa/

Have you ever found yourself out of a job? Dead criminal husband? Recently out of prison and looking for a quick payday? Well, gather up your girlfriends and rob a bank/gala/corrupt politician’s coffers! That’s the premise that links our three films today: “Widows,” “Set It Off” and “Ocean’s 8.” Aided by podcast favorite and Hollywood Reporter writer Ciara Wardlow, Chance and Noah break down the criminal exploits of these films' Bonnies loudly and proudly without Clydes. The guys discuss everything from Steve McQueen’s harrowing long takes, the surprisingly woke treatment of lesbians in a '90s action movie, and the troubling fact that all these movies (and many recent women ensemble movies) are directed by men.

What did you stream this weekend, partner? Well, the guys on Be Reel saddled up and saw the new Coen Bros movie, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, an anthology film set upon a very Coen Bros frontier. We’ve got a singing sharp shooter, a mumbling and lucky-as-hell prospector, and a stagecoach bound for hell. Chance and Noah chat about what distinguishes a topflight Coen movie, our favorites from the film's dozens of memorable performances, and speculate why Buster Scruggs might have originally been sold as a mini-series.

What connects indie comic book movie adaptations from the ‘90s and early ‘00s? Why they're all about demons, of course! Today, Chance and Noah dissect the gross, weird, often incoherent tendencies of 1994's "The Shadow", 1997's "Spawn" and 2004's "Hellboy" in a round-up of the lesser known Hollywood superheroes. Joining the guys to add superhero context is novelist Adam Nemett, whose debut WE CAN SAVE US ALL chronicles a group of Ivy League undergrads who form their own sort of Justice League to stop the threat of global warming. The three discuss Alec Baldwin's prosthetic nose and how a dagger is the real villain of "The Shadow", the sick campiness of John Leguizamo in a fat suit, and Guillermo del Toro failing to pick between sand Nazis and Rasputin for Hellboy's Big Bad. Look at the size of that whammer!

When the guys heard about Paul Dano's directorial debut, "Wildlife," they both admitted to pre-judging it as good-bad: a period piece, a troubled marriage, a child bearing witness to fighting. But much like the characters on screen, the film revealed itself to be much more nuanced than they had imagined. Today, we dive deep into this quiet Richard Ford adaptation and discuss the multitudes therein: a captivating Carey Mulligan, a simmering score, and a director clearly influenced by the greats he's acted for (PTA, Rian Johnson, and others). Then, Chance gets on the phone with Paul Dano to discuss his process, his collaboration with Zoe Kazan, and a few shots fired Dano wants to take back re: establishing shots and the Los Angeles Lakers.

At these dark times (read: Halloween, not the burning hellscape of our democracy, come on!) we look to the “Prince of Darkness” himself for frights and insights into the state of horror. This week, Chance and Noah watch and review John Carpenter’s “Halloween,” “The Fog” and “The Thing.” We’re joined by Andy Crump and Niela Orr to unpack articles they wrote for The Hollywood Reporter and The Ringer, respectively, about the legacy of 1978’s “Halloween” as it celebrates its 40th birthday and hits theaters again in its latest sequel form. Your hosts discuss everything from how Carpenter uses space to create terror, whether “Halloween” gets a free pass on its mediocre dialogue, and what makes the special effects in “The Thing” so brilliantly disgusting. Listen up!

Forget John Hughes and Freddie Prinze, Jr.! 2018 was a watershed year for high school movies as Hollywood has turned to best-selling YA novels to inform the future of "10 Things I Hate About You" and "Sixteen Candles." In this episode, Chance and Noah apply their maybe too lofty standards to "The Hate U Give," "Love, Simon" and "To All the Boys I've Loved Before." The guys break down all the racial fairy tales, internet hate crimes and the sex appeal of Peter Kavinsky, plus we welcome BuzzFeed reporter Krystie Yandoli to give some context about the production controversies behind "The Hate U Give" and shout out other YA material that’s not afraid to get political. Sometimes didactic and nonsensical, but always entertaining, this genre is certainly ripe for reappraisal by two white, heterosexual men 10 years removed from high school. Let’s do it.

In this special in-person episode recorded in a hotel room in Lincoln, Nebraska, Chance and Noah reunite to watch and review "A Star is Born." The guys discuss everything from the film's portrayal of pop music, what it means to be a songwriter, why the hell Dave Chappelle is in this movie, and how Bradley Cooper can play sweaty, drunk and sexy at the same time. While Chance believes this movie is the great Vanessa Carlton/Caleb Followill (Kings of Leon) love story that no one ever asked for, Noah has a pretty hot take on the real reason for the tragic ending everyone is talking about. Give 'em a listen, unless you're too fuckin' loaded there, brother.

It's not easy building a musical narrative from the pieces of one artist's catalogue. That's one thing Chance and Noah learned this week when they reviewed three jukebox musical movies: "Mamma Mia," "Rock of Ages," and "Across The Universe." In experiencing cinematic delivery systems for ABBA, The Beatles, and the worst of '80s rock, your hosts gained a little appreciation for the jukebox musical form while also struggling with some of its conventions. Luckily, Playbill editor Ruthie Fierberg stopped by to contextualize the seemingly ceaseless Broadway trend and to defend the jukebox musical idea, if not always the execution. Highlights of today's episode include Noah critiquing "Mamma Mia" for exploiting Greek isles, an argument about why hair metal and musical showstoppers are too similar, and Chance not having a George or Ringo impression.

If you're looking for a late-summer/early-fall adventure, might we suggest NOT taking a rafting trip? Ample evidence of why rafting is a terrible idea is provided by classic river pictures "Deliverance" (1972), "The River Wild" (1994) and "Without a Paddle" (2004). Even if you have enough river savvy to navigate the white water of the Gauntlet or the burning marijuana fields of Oregon, you're definitely going to get picked off (or picked up) by the river hillbillies! Chance and Noah investigate why these movies are a genre, why they're so sympathetic to the male ego (even when Meryl Streep is the protagonist) and how Hollywood has no empathy for the rural poor. Make sure to pack a fresh pair of socks for this episode, because very few of the rafts actually make it to the end.

In this pseudo-mini pod (oops, it's long!) Chance and Noah watch and discuss the end of summer's biggest hit, "Crazy Rich Asians." It's the first major Hollywood movie to feature an all-Asian cast in 25 years, and your hosts are on hand to unpack its romantic comedy tropes, its visions of excess and cultural specificity, and to pick out some favorite players from this giant cast. While attempting not to get distracted by just how beautiful Henry Golding is, the guys analyze the difficult pedestal this movie is on (and the future of non-Marvel films that target new film-going demographics). Then, writer and editor Vivian Lee helps explain mahjong allegories, the resonance of the film's soundtrack, and the importance of the satay plaza scene. Let's go!