The Next Reel Film Podcast

“Shall we play a game?” The technology felt real, the threat felt real, and in 1983, so did the fear. Join us—Pete Wright and Andy Nelson—as we continue the Thinking Machines series with a conversation about "WarGames." Director John Badham's film stars Matthew Broderick as David Lightman, a teenage hacker who stumbles into something far bigger than the video game he was looking for, alongside All...

“If you obey me, you will survive.” The most frightening AI isn't the one that malfunctions—it's the one that does exactly what you asked. Join us—Pete Wright and Andy Nelson—as we begin the Thinking Machines series with a conversation about Colossus: The Forbin Project. Directed by Joseph Sargent, the film stars Eric Braeden as Dr. Charles Forbin, the scientist who builds the world's most powerfu...

“ I guess when you’re really good at escapes, you figure you can get away with anything.” “The Escape Artist” is Caleb Deschanel’s feature directorial debut—and a rare, nearly forgotten American fable about a teenage escape artist who picks the wrong pocket and ends up entangled in a corrupt mayor’s family drama. Join us—Pete Wright and Andy Nelson—as we return to our Magicians series with a conve...

“He’s telling you who he is. Believe him.” Two childhood friends face each other across decades of silence, and only one can walk out champion. Creed III arrives as the first entry in the Rocky/Creed franchise without Sylvester Stallone's Rocky Balboa, marking Michael B. Jordan's directorial debut as he steps behind the camera while still starring as Adonis Creed. Jordan brings anime-inspired visu...

“Sadly, people don’t buy lady art.” A painter's work becomes the center of a husband's fraudulent claim. We close out the True Lies series with Big Eyes , Tim Burton's biographical drama about artist Margaret Keane, whose distinctive big-eyed waif paintings were claimed by her controlling husband Walter throughout the 1950s and 60s. The story unfolds against mid-century gender dynamics, when women...

“Sometimes, it’s easier living the lie.” The most audacious con in the story isn't the forgeries—it's the autobiography. Catch Me If You Can , our second member bonus episode in our True Lies series, is Spielberg's crime comedy-drama built on a biography journalist Alan Logan has since largely debunked—which makes the film more fascinating, not less. Set in a 1960s America where a uniform commande...

“We’re gonna put television on trial.” A celebrated academic steps into a television booth and discovers how easy it is to compromise. We continue the True Lies series with "Quiz Show," Robert Redford's examination of the 1950s scandal when NBC's Twenty-One was exposed for feeding contestants answers. The film captures a moment when quiz shows were pitched as inspiring educational programming whil...

“He gave me a prune. Howard Hughes gave me a prune on the beach at Nassau.” A charismatic writer spins an audacious deception at the highest levels of the publishing world. In "The Hoax," part of our True Lies series, we explore Lasse Hallström's examination of the notorious 1971 literary scandal surrounding Howard Hughes' alleged autobiography, featuring compelling performances by Richard Gere an...

“Did I do something wrong? Are you mad at me?” Trust is the whole engine—until the details start to wobble. In the True Lies series, we dig into "Shattered Glass," Billy Ray’s newsroom drama about journalism under pressure and the fragile machinery of verification. Along the way, we talk about why the film’s structure can feel like it drops viewers into the “third act,” and how that choice shapes...

“I had a book on the New York Times Bestseller list. That has to count for something.” A small crime with big nerves: words, money, and trust under pressure. In True Lies, we dig into "Can You Ever Forgive Me?"—Marielle Heller’s understated character study, anchored by Melissa McCarthy and Richard E. Grant. Because it’s adapted from Lee Israel’s memoir and set inside a tiny collectibles world, the...

“There should be a TV show about a guy who calls home one day and he's there, he answers, he's talking to himself, only he's someone else. He's somehow divided into two, and the second one of him drives away and the rest of the show is about him trying to find the guy.” Corporate deception spins out of control when an executive's cooperation with the FBI takes unexpected turns. In "The Informant!"...

“With all my heart, I still love the man I killed!” One shot can change everything—and the shadows don’t let go. In our Bette Davis series, we dive into "The Letter," directed by William Wyler, a studio-era crime drama where a shooting sparks a legal scramble and a single letter becomes leverage. Along the way, we track how Production Code pressure and the film’s colonial framing shape what the st...

“She's standing on the corner like an angel in disguise, and as I look a little closer, she's got dangerous eyes.” Finding Musical Magic in 1980s Dublin John Carney's 2016 film Sing Street continues his exploration of music's transformative power, following Once and Begin Again with a heartwarming coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of 1980s Dublin. With a modest $4 million budget, Carney...

“And you have cursed me when there’s no one left to blame, and I have loved you just the same.” From Busking to Big Budget: John Carney's Begin Again Following the indie success of Once , writer-director John Carney moved from Dublin to New York City for his 2014 musical drama Begin Again . Starring Mark Ruffalo as struggling music producer Dan Mulligan and Keira Knightley as independent songwrite...

“I don’t know you but I want you.” From Street Busker to Global Sensation: The Making of Once John Carney's micro-budget musical Once (2007) emerged from Dublin's streets with a mere €112,000 budget to become an international phenomenon. Starring musicians Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, this intimate story of two struggling artists creating music together captured hearts worldwide and launched...

“You're very sharp Mr. Fabian. You've done a very sharp thing. Maybe even sharp enough to cut your throat.” Noir in London: Wrestling with Fate in Night and the City Jules Dassin's 1950 film noir Night and the City follows small-time hustler Harry Fabian (Richard Widmark) through the seedy underbelly of post-war London. Forced to relocate to Britain due to Hollywood blacklisting, Dassin crafted th...

“They say that fate is in the stars, that each of our years is planned ahead and nothing can change destiny. Is that true?” A Noir Holiday Tale of Second Chances Repeat Performance , directed by Alfred L. Werker, blends film noir sensibilities with supernatural elements in this unique story about second chances. Released through poverty row studio Eagle-Lion Films in 1947, this adaptation of Willi...

“I’ve found it! I’ve found it! A Mountain of Gold.” A Tale of Survival and Comedy: The Gold Rush Climbs to New Heights In 1925, Charlie Chaplin transformed the harsh realities of the Klondike Gold Rush and the tragic Donner Party saga into what would become one of silent cinema's greatest achievements. Through United Artists, Chaplin crafted The Gold Rush as a masterful blend of physical comedy an...

“Your grandfather has left you the sum of seven million dollars. Providing --- you are married by seven o’clock on the evening of your twenty seventh birthday.” Running for Love and Legacy: Revisiting Seven Chances (1925) Seven Chances (1925) stands as one of silent cinema’s most inventive romantic comedies—a perfect blend of physical precision, deadpan humor, and daring spectacle. Directed by Bus...

“I can not leave the opera now. There is a strange force that drives me on.” From Stage to Screen: Universal's Monster Legacy Begins The Phantom of the Opera (1925), directed by Rupert Julian, marked Universal Studios' first major entry (kinda) into what would become their legendary monster film series. Based on Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel, the film starred Lon Chaney in his iconic role as Erik, th...

“I came to fight—not to wait and rot in a lousy hole while they murder my pal!” World War I Through 1925's Eyes: The Big Parade Marches On King Vidor's The Big Parade , released in 1925, represented a watershed moment in how cinema portrayed the Great War. Just seven years after World War I's conclusion, the film offered audiences an intimate look at the conflict through the eyes of an idle rich b...

“I will ride you down—wrench off your wheels—trample you into the sand! You shall race—to your death!” Epic Biblical Tale Celebrates Centennial Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925) stands as MGM's most ambitious and expensive silent film production, costing nearly $4 million ($71.5 million adjusted) and taking two years to complete. Director Fred Niblo crafted this adaptation of Lew Wallace's 1880...

“The land is ours. Tomorrow is ours!” Revolutionary Cinema: Battleship Potemkin Turns 100 Sergei Eisenstein's landmark 1925 Soviet silent film Battleship Potemkin revolutionized cinema through its innovative use of montage and dramatic storytelling. Commissioned to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 1905 Russian Revolution, Eisenstein focused on a single episode—the mutiny aboard the Potemkin...

“We didn’t need dialogue. We had faces.” Hollywood's Dark Mirror: Sunset Boulevard (1950) Billy Wilder's noir masterpiece Sunset Boulevard stands as both a scathing critique of Hollywood and a haunting character study. Released in 1950, this tale of an aging silent film star and a struggling screenwriter expertly blends elements of film noir, dark comedy, and psychological drama. Gloria Swanson de...

“What I’d give for a sink full of dirty dishes.” Women Behind Bars: A Groundbreaking Prison Drama Caged (1950), directed by John Cromwell, established the template for women's prison films while earning three Academy Award nominations. Eleanor Parker stars as Marie Allen, a pregnant 19-year-old imprisoned as an accessory to her husband's failed robbery. The film's stark portrayal of prison life an...