2007
Filmmaker Uwe Boll joins us to talk about Paul Thomas Anderson’s dark masterpiece THERE WILL BE BLOOD from 2007. Why do we like Daniel Plainview so much considering he’s such a difficult character to like? What about Anderson’s techniques used to make the film? How has the film influenced Boll’s own passions as a filmmaker? And what is he up to these days? Tune in!
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Which version should you watch, color or black-and-white? Does the bleak ending ruin the film for us or make the film stand up in a pool of mediocre horror fare? And how much does everyone just hate Marcia Gay Harden’s character by the end of this thing? We talk about these points and more on the show this week. Tune in!
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Even though Ocean’s Twelve was financially successful, it was largely disliked by audiences who saw it as a misfire. When the studio decided to make a follow-up, they returned the story to Vegas where the first film took place and made a film that largely feels like a return to form. But that doesn’t mean the film isn’t without its problems. Join us as we continue our Ocean’s series with Steven Soderbergh’s 2007 film Ocean’s Thirteen.
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After receiving an Oscar nomination for his short film 7:35 de la mañana, Spanish director Nacho Vigalondo went to work using his moment of glory to get his first feature written and financed. As is so often the case, he finally got it released years later, but Timecrimes was critically acclaimed and became quite the sci-fi festival darling. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t get the push it needed for its theatrical release and it died a quiet death at the box office. Luckily, its quality has kept people talking about it and watching it. Join us as we kick off our Time Travel series with Vigalondo’s 2007 film Timecrimes.
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Making a sequel is always a challenge, but making the fourth film in a franchise after a 12-year hiatus seems like a recipe for disaster. Luckily, the team behind Live Free or Die Hard found a director who was a huge fan of the franchise and worked hard with his team to not just make a great film but to really make a sequel to the original film that was better than the others. Join us as we continue our Die Hard series with Wiseman’s 2007 film Live Free or Die Hard.
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Biopics come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Olivier Dahan’s film “La Vie en Rose” detailing the life of Edith Piaf, one of France’s greatest singers and international stars, is a whirlwind of a film. Unlike biopics that tell the story linearly, this one wraps its audience in and proceeds to take them on a wild ride all through Piaf’s sadly short life, not so much focused on chronology as much as an emotional journey. It’s a brazen way to tell the story but one that mostly works. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we conclude our 4-part Guess the Connection series with Dahan’s 2007 Oscar-winning film “La Vie en Rose.”
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Rarely does a film truly take you into somebody’s head for almost the entire film. Sure, you get POVs here and there in films, but it’s a tricky tool to use, especially for longer periods of time. When Ronald Harwood hit on this in-the-head technique for his adaptation of Jean-Dominique Bauby’s biography, it was exactly what the story needed to be told as a film. Enter Julian Schnabel, an artist/filmmaker who brought his own intuitive magic to the directing of it, and you end up with 2007’s “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly,” a stunningly gorgeous film that’s as powerful a story of human resilience and beauty as it is a difficult film to watch because of the subject — a man living with locked-in syndrome. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we continue our foreign language series with this brilliant film.
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At the 2008 Oscars, Joel and Ethan Coen pulled off what only 4 other directors had done before them, walking away that night with 3 wins. The film, of course, is “No Country for Old Men,” and they won for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Directors, and Best Picture. Javier Bardem won Best Supporting Actor for his chilling portrayal of hitman Anton Chigurh, which was well-deserved, and the film was nominated for 4 other Oscars. At the time, it was their highest grossing film, and put right at the top of many critics’ best film of the year lists. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we conclude our Dramas of the Brothers Coen series with a conversation about “No Country for Old Men.”
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We continue our Original Science Fiction series with Danny Boyle’s 2007 film, Sunshine. It’s a film that stands out as a highlight in sci-fi films for its magnificent vision depicting mankind needing to travel to the sun to reignite it, but one that most people seemed to never hear about or avoid as it was a big box office disappointment. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — on this week’s episode of The Next Reel as we continue our series with this film.
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This isn’t your typical happy-go-lucky musical. No, this is dark and bloody and beautifully grim. It’s the perfect story for Burton and ends up being one of our favorite films of his, the final film in our Richard D. Zanuck series. Join us—Pete Wright and Andy Nelson—for this episode as we delve into everything about this film.
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