Reel Ripe & Reel Rotten

Reel Ripe & Reel Rotten Takes on "The Fourth Man" In the latest episode of "Reel Ripe & Reel Rotten," Wes and Clay dive into the dark, psychological world of Paul Verhoeven's "The Fourth Man." This 1983 Dutch thriller is a fascinating blend of horror, eroticism, and surrealism that showcases Verhoeven’s talent for pushing boundaries. If you’re intrigued by films that blur the lines between...

Reel Ripe & Reel Rotten Dives into "End of Days" In the latest episode of "Reel Ripe & Reel Rotten," hosts Wes and Clay take on Arnold Schwarzenegger's "End of Days," the 1999 supernatural action thriller that earned a mixed reception from critics and audiences alike. Known for exploring the best and worst films of notable actors and directors, Wes and Clay bring their insightful commentar...

Reel Ripe & Reel Rotten is Back: The Return with "The Terminator" After a three-year hiatus, the "Reel Ripe & Reel Rotten" podcast has made a triumphant return, much like the unstoppable T-800 in "The Terminator." Hosts Wes and Clay have dusted off their microphones and recharged their film critique circuits to bring fans another season of deep dives into the cinematic spectrum. And what b...

Wes and Clay wrap up their coverage of the 2020 Academy Awards by watching their B-Roll selection of the Best Picture nominees, “Marriage Story”. Directed and written by Noah Baumbach, “Marriage Story” stars Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson as a […] Find all of our content at The Pensky File Links! • https://thepenskyfile.com/links • e-Mail : thepenskyfilevideo@gmai...

The lowest rated Best Picture nominee at the 2020 Academy Awards is Todd Phillips’ “Joker”. Currently at 68% with 543 reviews, the film stars Joaquin Phoenix as the eponymous villain. Based on the Joker character from DC Batman comics, Phoenix […] Find all of our content at The Pensky File Links! • https://thepenskyfile.com/links • e-Mail : thepenskyfilevideo@gmail.com

Who would you say is the “Parasite” in this film? Bong Joon Ho brings his work home to Korea in this pitch-black modern fairytale. Meet the Park Family: the picture of aspirational wealth. And the Kim Family, rich in street […] Find all of our content at The Pensky File Links! • https://thepenskyfile.com/links • e-Mail : thepenskyfilevideo@gmail.com

We are continuing our coverage of the “master of horror”, Wes Craven. We have already discussed “Vampire in Brooklyn” and “A Nightmare on Elm Street“. With our “B-Roll” selection, we chose to watch 1996’s “Scream”! Scream is a metatextual homage […] Find all of our content at The Pensky File Links! • https://thepenskyfile.com/...

Happy Halloween! Our “Wes Craven” themed coverage continues with the director’s highest-rated film (according to Rotten Tomatoes), “A Nightmare on Elm Street”! It’s the film that gave the world one of the most iconic villains of all time: Fred “Freddy” […] Find all of our content at The Pensky File Links! • https://thepenskyfile.com/links • e-M...

Happy Halloween! As is customary in podcast culture, Reel Ripe & Reel Rotten are covering something horror-themed: the “Master of Horror” himself, Wes Craven, and his critical low-point, “Vampire in Brooklyn”. Starting off with Craven’s lowest-rated film, Wes, Clay and […] Find all of our content at The Pensky File Links! • https://thepenskyfile.com/links •...

For the B-Roll selection of our coverage of Kathryn Bigelow, we are turning out the lights, pouring ourselves a tall glass of blood, and watching “Near Dark”! “Near Dark” is Bigelow’s 1987 attempt to meld the vampire and western genres. […] Find all of our content at The Pensky File Links! • https://thepenskyfile.com/links • e-Mail : thepenskyfilevideo@gmail.com

In “The Weight of Water“, journalist Jean Janes (Catherine McCormack) begins researching the 1873 axe-murder of two sisters and discovers new information in the case. Meanwhile, her marriage to writer Thomas (Sean Penn) begins to fall apart. The show has […] Find all of our content at The Pensky File Links! • https://thepenskyfile.com/links • e-Mail : thepenskyfilevideo@gmail.com

The show has moved onto Kathryn Bigelow because Clay “deparately wanted to do her” and that means we’re starting off with the critically acclaimed “The Hurt Locker“. Directed by Bigelow and scripted by Mark Boal, The Hurt Locker is regarded […] Find all of our content at The Pensky File Links! • https://thepenskyfile.com/links • e-Mail : thepenskyfilevideo@gmail...

The B-Roll selection for Amy Adams has Wes and Clay watching a film that both of them are unfamiliar with, 2016’s Nocturnal Animals. Directed and written by Tom Ford, Nocturnal Animals is the story of an art gallery owner named […] Find all of our content at The Pensky File Links! • https://thepenskyfile.com/links • e-Mail : thepenskyfilevideo@gmail.com

For our coverage of the “best” Amy Adams film, we discuss the intellectual science fiction of Arrival! It’s currently at 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and it secured several Academy Award nominations in 2016. Amy Adams stars as a linguist who […] Find all of our content at The Pensky File Links! • https://thepenskyfile.com/links • e-Mail : thepenskyfilevideo@gmail.com

Amy Adams stars in a truly horrible romantic-comedy where the jokes fall flat, the Irish are maligned, and Adam Scott is mis-used! “Leap Year” is a film from 2010 and is currently at 23% on Rotten Tomatoes. Adams stars as […] Find all of our content at The Pensky File Links! • https://thepenskyfile.com/links • e-Mail : thepenskyfilevideo@gmail.com

To complete our coverage of the 2019 Best Picture nominees, we have selected “A Star Is Born” as our B-Roll. It’s Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut, and he also stars as the talented but troubled rock star Jackson Maine. When Jackson […] Find all of our content at The Pensky File Links! • https://thepenskyfile.com/links • e-Mail : thepenskyfilevideo@gmail.com

This episode of the podcast covers the highest rated Best Picture nominee from 2018, Ryan Coogler’s MCU entry: Black Panther! The crown jewel of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (so far), Black Panther follows the adventures of T’Challa, the newly crowned […] Find all of our content at The Pensky File Links! • https://thepenskyfile.com/links • e-Mail : thepenskyfilevideo@gmail.com

As a special event, we’re going to cover the “ripe” and “rotten” films nominated for the 2019 Best Picture Oscar! For the low end of the spectrum, we start with Bohemian Rhapsody, a biopic about the rock band Queen, and […] Find all of our content at The Pensky File Links! • https://thepenskyfile.com/links • e-Mail : thepenskyfilevideo@gmail.com

We say farewell to Edgar Wright with the final film in his Three Flavors Cornetto trilogy, The World’s End. At 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, it is critically adored but audiences generally see it in a different light. Starring Simon Pegg […] Find all of our content at The Pensky File Links! • https://thepenskyfile.com/links • e-Mail : thepenskyfilevideo@gmail.com

This week, we take a look at the lowest rated film on Edgar Wright’s Rotten Tomatoes listing: 2010’s Scott Pilgrim vs the World. Currently at 81%(!), Scott Pilgrim stars Michael Cera as the titular “hero”, a young twenty-something who falls […] Find all of our content at The Pensky File Links! • https://thepenskyfile.com/links • e-Mail : thepenskyfilevideo@gmail.com

We kick off our Edgar Wright coverage with his highest rated film, 2017’s Baby Driver! Currently at 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, Baby Driver tells the story of a getaway driver (the best in the biz!) who yearns for both a […] Find all of our content at The Pensky File Links! • https://thepenskyfile.com/links • e-Mail : thepenskyfilevideo@gmail.com

Denzel Washington’s “B-Roll” selection is Man on Fire, which is currently at 39% on Rotten Tomatoes. Highly stylized in the way that only early 2000s action films are, Washington takes the role of John Creasy, an alcoholic bodyguard. When his […] Find all of our content at The Pensky File Links! • https://thepenskyfile.com/links • e-Mail : thepenskyfilevideo@gmail.com

When a racist cop inherits the heart of a black lawyer, the end result is a fun-filled comedy romp that ends in shotgun murder! Denzel Washington’s worst film (according to Rotten Tomatoes) is the 0% rated “Heart Condition“. It’s a […] Find all of our content at The Pensky File Links! • https://thepenskyfile.com/links • e-Mail : thepenskyfilevideo@gmail.com

Denzel Washington has been acting in Hollywood since early in the 1980’s but his highest rated film is 2016’s Fences, which stands at 94% on RottenTomatoes. Originally a theatrical play, the film is a showcase of writing and acting (Washington […] Find all of our content at The Pensky File Links! • https://thepenskyfile.com/links • e-Mail : thepenskyfilevideo@gmail.com

In our first “B-Roll” episode (where we discuss a film of our choosing from the topics filmography), we discuss the 2002 neo-noir sci-fi thriller, Minority Report! Featuring a plot that examines the battle of free will and determinism, Minority Report […] Find all of our content at The Pensky File Links! • https://thepenskyfile.com/links • e-Mail : thepenskyfilevideo@gmail.com