For all you proper film enthusiasts who would like to peruse the films of TruStory FM’s entertainment podcasts by release decade. Get ready for a firehose of film history in these here stacks.
We’re keeping with The Next Reel 2017 theme of “Let’s Scare JJ.” Prisoners tortured in secret underground tunnels! A power-crazed cult leader! But even more frightening – it really happened! This month we rewind to Chile in 1973 for Colonia, starring Emma Watson, Daniel Bruhl, and Michael Nyqvist for a film based on true events at Colonia Dignidad.
Unfortunately, Certain Women didn’t find its audience and lost money at the box office. But, Reichardt’s proven herself as a filmmaker who knows how to tell intimate character stories and will continue making movies.
For her follow-up to Wendy and Lucy, Kelly Reichardt chose to make Meek’s Cutoff, a film about a historical journey and the people who suffered through it. But is her minimal filmmaking style effective for a historical drama?
Right from the start, it was clear that Albert and Allen Hughes knew how to put films together. Whether paying homage to filmmakers they admire or playing with their own showy techniques, they know how to play with the visual tools they have available. In their post-apocalyptic film The Book of Eli, they make a very compelling film that’s exciting and entertaining while still maintaining the visceral edge they love to employ. But sadly, it’s the last film they worked on together, having since parted ways as filmmakers. Will they reunite down the road? Who knows. Will they increase their output now that they’re working solo? Not so far. Time will tell, but for now, this stands as the final Hughes Brothers film. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we close the chapter on our Hughes Brothers series with their 2010 film The Book of Eli.
We couldn’t let this one go by – Marvel comics movies are continuing to find their graphic stride this month with LOGAN and our thugs need to get in the fight and mix it up about the value of a hard “R” comic representation in the cinematic universe.
Zhang Yimou has done serious dramas. He’s done big wuxia action films, but he hasn’t had a success in a while and perhaps it should come as no surprise that his newest film is designed to be a big fantasy action blockbuster – a legend about the Great Wall of China and the dragons they people were trying to thwart. While it’s been a success in China and the rest of the world, though, it opened third at the US box office, likely due to its terrible trailers that sold it poorly. But is the film any good? Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we wrap up our Zhang Yimou series with his 2016 film The Great Wall.
This month, in a departure from the heady intensity of the Oscars line-up, our Gang of Thugs takes on a thriller written and directed by a comedy all-star: Get Out from writer/director Jordan Peele.
In a world where being a couple is a legal requirement, one man dares to be alone. This Valentine’s Day, grab a loved one and learn why Colin Farrell is The Lobster.
The Danish Girl certainly took a long time getting to the big screen. The script went through dozens of iterations after David Ebershoff’s book was first was optioned. The cast changed numerous times. Directors passed it back and forth. Finally, after fifteen years of floating around, Tom Hooper’s film was released. And while the lead performances were brilliant, the film itself felt a bit flat. And weirdly, this seems to be something we say far too often about films that take a long time to get to the silver screen. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we wrap up our Transgender series with Hooper’s 2015 film The Danish Girl.
DON’T LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE OF THE FILM BOARD until you see Split! Here at The Next Reel, we always mention how WE SPOIL MOVIES and this month we’ve taken on twistmaster M. Night Shyamalan’s newest film with a conversation that is completely impossible without SPOILING this movie for you.