Be Reel

Ba da. Ba da. Bum bum bum bum bum. Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the movies, Hollywood (and China) releases a new shark picture—and it commands the summer box office! Chance and Noah use this as an opportunity (as if they needed a better reason) to talk Sharks that Aren’t “Jaws” one more time: this summer’s "The Meg", "Open Water" (2003) and Johannes Roberts’ "47 Meters Down” (2017). They’re joined by author and “The Meg” enthusiast Caroline Moss to explain the simple pleasures of the summer blockbuster without deeper meaning or politics. Chance and Noah are a bit more critical, but what else is new? Highlights of this week’s ep: Chance claiming he can name 20 kinds of sharks, Noah being pretty skeptical of the bends, and Mandy Moore getting jacked up on nitrogen.

In today's mini-episode, Chance talks to veteran documentarian Rachel Dretzin about her new film "Far From The Tree." They discuss her surprisingly close collaboration with bestselling author Andrew Solomon and how to be ethically curious when interviewing people with disabilities. "Far From The Tree" opens this weekend in select cities.

What’s more impressive: that Tom Cruise is still making Mission: Impossible movies into his 50s or that Chance and Noah recorded 100 episodes of Be Reel? Feels like a toss-up, and reviewing all six MIs is our chosen victory lap. Inspired by the current box office hit, “Fallout”, Chance and Noah look to the Brian de Palma origins of the franchise, the John Woo growing pains, and the JJ Abrams-ification of the Cruise-produced series. Does Tom’s personal/tabloid life almost perfectly mirror the arc of his character Ethan Hunt? Does Tom have more sex appeal than Jeremy Renner and Henry Cavill (living embodiment of Gaston) combined? How is it these movies are about everything internationally relevant but nothing important? All will be addressed on this special 90-minute megapod edition!

In this special prelude to our Mission: Impossible super show, Chance calls up Sheryl Oh. The Film School Rejects writer breaks down the character development and camera work that together make "Fallout" a new high point in the MI franchise. Then, Chance and Sheryl look backward at "Mission Impossible" and "MI2" and wonder when this series shifted genres. Read Sheryl's "Fallout" piece here: https://filmschoolrejects.com/how-mission-impossible-fallout-gets-immersive-action-right/

Do you ever stop and look at a New Yorker cartoon or a sardonic comic book and wonder, "Huh! I wonder what sort of deviant mind would create this"? Lucky for you, dear listener, there are at least three movies about such people--one fiction, two biopics. This week, with the release of Gus Van Sant's "Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far On Foot" (about the late John Callahan), Chance and Noah look at movies about cynical cartoonists: Harvey Pekar in "American Splendor" and fictional writing duo Holden McNeil and Banky Edwards in "Chasing Amy." And big news! We got Gus Van Sant himself on for an interview (20:05-mark) --talking John Callahan, Joaquin Phoenix and the late Robin Williams. So stop doodling and give a listen!

Oh, dads! They love things like the great outdoors and mansplaining political movements. But where does one draw the line between normal dad and egomaniac, survivalist dad? Does your father rant about consumerism or the coming nuclear holocaust? Does he ship your family off to the jungle to act out a colonialist fantasy? On this episode of Be Reel, Chance and Noah look at movies about wild dads and their wild dad ways. From Harrison Ford in “Mosquito Coast” to Viggo Mortensen in “Captain Fantastic” to Ben Foster in the recently released “Leave No Trace”, the guys break down how this off-the-grid genre portrays, glorifies, damns and justifies fathers with a dream of a simpler life. At the 20-minute mark, director Debra Granik joins Chance to talk about portraying the Pacific Northwest's local flavor in “Leave No Trace," rendering a creeping sense of fear in her 2010 breakout "Winter's Bone," and what it means to take only what you need in America.

Friends of the podcast and dear listeners, welcome to the Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom mini pod! The park is gone and the characters’ basic desires have been totally rewritten, but that won’t stop Universal from releasing another unholy beast of a movie for our viewing pleasure. Come along as Chance and Noah dissect how this movie fits (or doesn’t) into the JP Universe, as well as the new sci-fi ground this film endeavors to break. Pod will find a way!

It was Ben Franklin or George Bernard Shaw or someone who said, "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." Luckily, this also happens to be a Be Reel tailor-made genre! On today's show, Chance and Noah review "Tag," "Game Night" and the classic "Clue" as we look at adults refusing to grow out of their childlike need to play games. As it happens, this genre is also a great referendum on both the legacy and current health of the broad comedy. When it comes to playing a crew's handsome guy, is a straight Kyle Chandler ultimately funnier than a goofy Jon Hamm? And who is 2018's Chevy Chase heir apparent: Jason Bateman or Ed Helms? And at the 21-minute mark, we welcome Joe Tombari, member of the real-life friend group who inspired "Tag" onto the show to shed a little light on having one's life adapted for the screen. Play on, friends!

Boredom, boldness and a proper mark — those are the three ingredients shared by today's category of "American" criminal films. It matters not if it's New York in the '70s or a sleepy college campus in 2004; flying too close to the sun for that big score is apparently a national pastime. We start the episode in the true crime realm with a discussion of the new film "American Animals" and the dramatization of its stranger-than-fiction premise. Chance interviews director Bart Layton to ask about connecting with the real people who tried to steal $12 million worth of rare books and the world view of the four young men who seemingly set out to create havoc in their own lives. Then, it's on to "American Made," last year's Tom Cruise extravaganza. We consider whether this silly, slippery movie is a proper crime epic or a ridiculous highlight reel of faux-history. And speaking of faux-history, we wrap up with "American Hustle," revisiting the film five years after we were both initially dazzled by its star-studde

Sequels are so 20th century; in the 21st, we supposedly want origin stories. Starting with the relative disappointment that is Disney's new "Solo: A Star Wars Story," Chance and Noah look at other more or less successful prequels: "Red Dragon" (prequel to "Silence of the Lambs") and "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" (prequel to the Harry Potter films). The guys pick apart what makes these films nominally successful or totally grating: How many links does one need to the films that came before? How much world-building must occur to have these films stand alone? And is it possible to make a prequel that isn't a shameless money grab? To help answer those questions where Star Wars is concerned, Film School Rejects' John DiLillo joins Chance in a conversation about "Solo" and all the meaning wrapped up in its big cameo.

A couple 4/20's ago, we spent a day on the couch with the genre of Cult Weed Movies ("How High," "Bongwater," etc.), but today our chosen stoner movies are on a mission, maybe to nowhere. In this week's episode, we unpack the wild and circuitous journeys of some unlikely high heroes. “Inherent Vice” is groovy and insane (5:00), “Dude, Where’s My Car?” is the featherweight sci-fi prequel to “The Hangover” (37:50), and “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle” is actually more about race than weed (51:30). With the help of Slash Film writer Marshall Shaffer (19:00) and his strong feelings about where "Inherent Vice" belongs in the PTA canon, Chance and Noah head off on their own little mission. They're searching for the proverbial lost car of their often-conflicting film taste. Light up and listen in.

Here's the story, of guys watching movies, and these movies are all linked around a theme. All of them are about adaptions, of TV series, about families with a dream. It's a podcast, where Chance made Noah, watch three TV Land movies on his own. They were weird and, without context, maybe didn't stand alone. 'Til the one day Chance and Noah were recording, and they knew it was much more than a hunch, that quality of these films would not be equal, when they reappraised the merits of The Brady Bunch. (Also we reviewed "The Addams Family" and "The Flintstones")

You don’t get to a couple hundred listeners without making a few social media observations. On this episode, Chance and Noah collect all their likes and reposts and subtweets to analyze how terrifying being online can be. Through "Ingrid Goes West" (6:15), "Unfriended" (39:55), and "The Social Network" (52:10), they look at the thin line between follower and stalker, trend and obsession, and friend and frenemy. In the middle of it all (23:10), Instagram influencer and The Cut editor Emily Sundberg stops by to discuss the warped lenses of social media perception, what it's like to try and put her phone away, and the stereotypes of the LA 'gram-gal as seen in "Ingrid Goes West." Ultimately, whether it’s building a platform with your dormmates, following an Insta-famous trendsetter to Joshua Tree, or watching your high school classmates die over Skype, it’s clear that social media as subject matter makes for challenging film. Oh, and make sure to like and follow us, or else we’ll possess your laptop and dilut

Bret Easton Ellis is a writer, commentator and real-life character almost too easily defined by the word "problematic." The quintessentially '80s novelist who struck a cultural chord with his borderline-nihilistic tales of excess, perversion and violence has aged into a fascinating person to do a podcast about. This week, Noah and Chance drop in on the most famous three films adapted from Easton Ellis' novels: "Less Than Zero" (1987), "The Rules of Attraction" (2002), and "American Psycho" (2000). Press play for a million and one Patrick Bateman impressions, a take about why only women should be allowed to adapt BEE, and Chance catching you up on his trip to Europe in a speedy parody montage. TABLE OF CONTENTS: Chance's trip @ 3:55 "Zero" review @ 11:05 What is Bret's deal @ 29:10 "Rules" review @ 32:35 "Psycho" review @ 47:55

It's this year's unexpected horror smash... but is "A Quiet Place" actually good-good? Is the cinematic ingenuity of this pseudo-indie picture enough to overcome some Cloverfield-level world-building? Chance and Noah break down the hokey premise (sound aliens), potentially pro-life politics (or lack thereof), and whether Jim from "The Office" could be a believable father even without a beard in this mini appraisal of John Krasinski's third directorial effort.

Since early fairy tales, the wolf and red riding hood have done battle towards grandmother’s house. Of course in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, this predator/prey relationship continues in our cinema—usually ending in murder. On this week’s episode, we look at cult classic "Wild Things," and two recent additions to this genre of teen girls plotting against skeezy older men, "Thoroughbreds" and "Flower." As we unpack these femme Lolitas, there’s sex, horse murder and Adam Scott’s weirdly charged bowling lessons. Plus, film critic Abbey Bender celebrates the 20th anniversary of "Wild Things" with Chance at the 22-minute mark. Buckle up!

Thirty years after "Bull Durham," Kevin Costner remains one of baseball's most recognizable avatars. Between 1988 and 1999, the square-jawed, iron-armed movie star made three films about the quintessentially American aura of the game: "Field of Dreams," "Bull Durham," and "For Love Of The Game." This week, we're joined by Houston Chronicle reporter and Astros beat writer Hunter Atkins to assess Costner's baseball abilities, update Susan Sarandon's "Bull Durham" character, and question whether "Dad, do you wanna have a catch?" is just too much. Happy Opening Day to you and yours.

There's nothing more compelling than an unlikely spy — especially a good femme fatale out of her depth! Noah and Chance gather their best intelligence (read: listening to Marc Maron's podcast) and are fully authorized to debrief you on Jennifer Lawrence in "Red Sparrow," Angelina Jolie in "Salt" and Melissa McCarthy in "Spy." We talk star power, agency in female-led action movies and why Paul Feig might need to reassess the way he spoofs genres. Much the way Chance recently hoisted razor clams out of the unforgiving Washington coastline, the guys dig at why audiences love some spy movies and pass on others (hint: it might be contemporary Russophobia!). While neither Chance nor Noah have gone to secret government podcasting school to train in the art of auditory manipulation, their love of critiquing is God given. The game is on!

Are you a top scientist gearing up to investigate an unexplainable phenomenon at a great distance from home? We warned you in one of our very early episodes to be careful. The rule still applies as Chance and Noah dissect Alex Garland’s sophomore film "Annihilation," Netflix’s Super Bowl Hail Mary “The Cloverfield Paradox,” and Paul W.S. Anderson’s cult classic “Event Horizon” in this deep dive into sci-fi horror. Aided by the insights of film critic and biology student Ciara Wardlow, the findings of Be Reel’s research mission feature a bizarre Sam Neill performance, a few surprising thoughts on transgenic mutation, and someone's attempt to categorize all sci-fi films as “Cloverfield” movies. Regardless of who they were going in, Chance and Noah come out of this episode forever changed!

It’s that time again, movie-lovers! The Oscars — aka the Yom Kippur of cinema — are upon us again. It's five hours of network television so the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences can remember its 2017 highs (and lows) and take its own political temperature. This year, our preview takes the form of Chance chiming in while Noah fills out his office's Oscar ballot. They talk dark horses and snubs while returning to the eternal Oscar pool question: "Do you wanna pick good movies, or do you wanna win?"