The Outlaw Josey Wales

April 27, 2013

For Clint Eastwood’s fifth directorial effort, he returned to one of the genres he’s most well-known for — the western — and created an absolute classic, The Outlaw Josey Wales. A western affected both by the revisionist movement within the genre that had been growing for nearly a decade as well as by the overall darker, more realistic tones exhibited in 70s cinema, this film took a lot of old elements from classic westerns and turned them on their heads: the Union soldiers are the bad guys, the outlaw is the hero, the Native Americans are not just real characters but actually integral to the story, and the final shootout takes an unexpected — and ultimately very gratifying — turn.

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Carrie

April 20, 2013

Brian De Palma had been making feature films for almost a decade before he made Carrie in 1976, but it was this film that became his first blockbuster and really pushed him to the next level. By making an adaptation of the first book by an up-and-coming writer at the time, Stephen King, and turning it into a very effective and frightening psychological horror film, De Palma created a classic that is nearly as effective (if a bit dated) as it was when first released. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we continue our 1976 series with Listen Now

Taxi Driver

April 12, 2013

We’re continuing our 1976 series with Martin Scorsese’s gritty film Taxi Driver, one of his greatest and arguably most talked about films.

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Marathon Man

April 5, 2013

In 1976, John Schlesinger made a film adaptation of William Goldman’s novel Marathon Man, and in the process, made everyone afraid to go back to their dentist. There are few things more horrifying than watching Laurence Olivier’s Nazi dentist drill into Dustin Hoffman’s teeth (the healthy ones because it’ll hurt more, naturally). Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we start a new series digging into great films from 1976, a great year for cinema, and we start it off with Marathon Man.

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Gattaca

March 29, 2013

We end our Original Science Fiction series with Andrew Niccol’s visionary 1997 film set not too far in the future, Gattaca. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we delve into not just what makes this film great and unique, but also what ties the four films from this series together.

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Moon

March 22, 2013

Our original science fiction series continues with Duncan Jones’ fascinating film debut from 2009, Moon. Made for a low budget, this entry into the science fiction genre showed that you didn’t need a $100 million budget to tell a science fiction story that makes you think while also being a great story. Sure, it has its problems, but it’s easy to forgive when it’s as fascinating to watch as Moon is. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we talk about it on this week’s episode of The Next Reel.

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Sunshine

March 15, 2013

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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Dark City

March 8, 2013

With all the franchises, spin-offs and films based on other mediums these days, it seems rare to find original sci-fi films. That inspired us to do a series of original sci-fi films, and we’re starting with one of our favorites. In 1998, Alex Proyas created a fantastic and wholly unique science fiction film, Dark City, that unfortunately bombed at the box office but has since proven to be a cult hit in the after markets. This film, a neo-noir sci-fi with a very mysterious twist, follows a man with amnesia as he tries to uncover who he is, why nothing seems to make sense, and why he woke up at the scene of a murder. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — this week on The Next Reel as we begin our Original Sci-Fi series with Proyas’ Dark City.

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The Sandlot

March 1, 2013

There’s something about memories of childhood and baseball that seem to go hand in hand. Perhaps it’s the tradition of baseball — it feels as tied into good ol’ Americana as much as fireworks on the Fourth of July or hot apple pie, things that can certainly define childhood memories. Perhaps it’s just that it was one of those things you did as a kid that helped shape who you would become. Regardless, David Mickey Evans tapped into this connection for 1993’s The Sandlot, his directorial debut, and ended up creating a cult favorite that will stand the test of time because of it. This week, join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we wrap up our current baseball series with this fantastic movie that tells a simple childhood baseball story yet seduces the audience into reconnecting with their own childhood.

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Moneyball

February 22, 2013

It’s spring training season again, and we’re back to discuss more baseball movies! In 2011, Bennett Miller directed Moneyball, a fascinating film — one of our favorites — that details the 2002 season of the Oakland A’s, and particularly how General Manager Billy Beane decided to use a new statistical approach nicknamed moneyball to buy players, bucking all tradition within the game. The film was a critical and commercial success, and received numerous awards and nominations including 6 Oscar nominations. This week, join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we begin this year’s baseball series with this amazing film.

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