Reading Between the Reels: Film analysis with snark and heart

In this year’s second installment of Star Wars 101, Din from F-105 joins my English classes to explore the causes and consequences of galactic conflict in a galaxy far, far away. Because sometimes the best way to understand the real world is to analyze a fictional one filled with space wizards and laser swords. ----more---- Thank you so much for listening! Please help us spread the word by leaving...

Star Wars 101 is back! Join us for the first installment is our annual summer series in which middle school English students do their best to break down the themes and character arcs of the Star Wars saga. In this episode, we are joined by educator, podcaster, and cosplayer extraordinaire Jay Krebs! ----more---- Thank you so much for listening! Please help us spread the word by leaving us a 5-star...

For this installment in our Steven Spielberg series, we unpack A.I. — the feel-good family story about replacing your dead child with an upgraded model. We’re talking abandoned robot children, existential loneliness, uncanny smiles, fairy tale symbolism, and why this movie somehow feels like both a warm hug and a psychological evaluation. Also: the tonal whiplash of watching a sweet robot boy wand...

In Minority Report, people are judged before they act—which hits a little close to home, because we definitely formed strong opinions early and spent the rest of the episode trying to justify them. Join us for the latest installment in our Steven Spielberg series as we wrestle with pre-crime, free will, and a movie that’s clearly operating on a higher level than we are. The system isn’t broken… we...

In War of the Worlds, global annihilation isn’t stopped by genius alien tech or tactical brilliance—it’s ultimately halted by Earth’s smallest, least cinematic residents: germs. Join us for the latest entry in our ongoing series on Steven Spielberg films—and the third in a miniseries exploring alien invasions—as we deconstruct the film’s cinematic craft alongside its panic-fueled chaos and collaps...

The third episode of our Spielberg series covers E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and explores how one glowing finger traumatized a generation, turned bikes into pedal-powered UFOs, and made Reese’s Pieces an emotional bribe. We break down suburban chaos, DIY alien tech, government creeps, and the subtle art of guilt-tripping kids via extraterrestrial manipulation. Snark, nostalgia, and your tear ducts...

For the second stop in our Spielberg deep dive, we’re landing straight in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. From the five-note tune that ruins lives to mashed potato mountains, we dissect all the weird, wonderful, and downright confusing choices that make this sci-fi classic unforgettable.   Expect snark, speculation, and some obsessive breakdowns of our own. Whether you’re a casual viewer, a di...

We’re kicking off our Steven Spielberg series with Jaws, the movie that made beaches terrifying and mechanical sharks famous. Spielberg turns a busted shark into pure panic, proving he’s the master of suspense and blockbuster terror. Dive in as we break down every scream, every shadow, and why this 1975 classic still bites decades later—just don’t go near the water afterward. ----more---- Thank yo...

If you could snap your fingers and assemble the ultimate movie dream team, who’s on your list? The director who actually gets it, the writer who really writes, the composer who makes you feel things, and the actors who could carry it all. In this episode, your three regular podcast hosts—joined by guests Dan Zehr and Jeff McGee—draft their own fantasy crews to build the “perfect” movie. Along the...

Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer isn’t just about explosions—it’s a visual and emotional symphony. In “Oppenheimer - Part Two: Faces, Places, and Consequences,” the final episode in our series on Nolan’s films, we unpack the costumes, makeup, set design, and how every character choice builds tension and guilt. All served up with the surgical snark you’ve come to expect. ----more---- Thank you so mu...

Oppenheimer, directed by Christopher Nolan, hits like a ticking bomb. In “Oppenheimer - Part One: Light, Sound, and Panic,” the penultimate entry in our series on Nolan’s films, we break down why. From cinematography that could start wars to sound design that rattles your soul and dialogue sharper than a physicist’s temper, this episode dives deep into the film’s craft. Snark, insight, and existen...

For this year’s “Star Wars Podcast Day," we go back into the archives for one of our first deconstructions and revisit an early episode of “Coruscant Community College” in which we break down Solo: A Star Wars Story. ----more---- Thank you so much for listening! Please help us spread the word by leaving us a 5-star review!    Hosts: Craig Dickinson: x.com/CraigMDickinson Corey Heitschmidt: x.com/H...

In the conclusion of our two-part Tenet breakdown, we examine the film’s performances, set design, and characters—all in hopes of unpacking one of the movie’s most brain-melting ideas: when cause becomes effect and effect becomes… something else entirely. We dig into the film’s warped logic, inverted motivations, and why the time rules in Tenet feel like they were written on a whiteboard during a...

Strap in, reverse your entropy, and whisper “pincer movement” like you actually know what it means. In this episode, we launch Part I of our two-episode deep dive into Christopher Nolan’s mind-melting blockbuster Tenet. We’ll unravel (or re-ravel?) the film’s bold structure, its signature Nolan time shenanigans, and why every character sounds like they’re delivering plot exposition into a blender...

A quick end-of-year episode to settle the debate one last time. Die Hard is a Christmas movie. So are Lethal Weapon, The Long Kiss Goodnight, and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. If it’s set at Christmas and ends with emotional closure and gunfire, it counts. Happy New Year! ----more---- Thank you so much for listening! Please help us spread the word by leaving us a 5-star review!    Hosts: Craig Dickinson: x...

Brace yourself for a holly-jolly hostage situation! This special Christmas bonus re-release of Reading Between the Reels is decking the halls… and the villains. From John McClane’s barefoot antics to explosive corporate holiday parties, we reveal why Die Hard is the ultimate Christmas movie you secretly love (or pretend to hate).   Originally released in 1988, Die Hard defied low expectations to b...

In this episode, we dive into Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk—the movie that weaponizes sound design, disorientation, and narrative chaos to make you feel like you’re drowning in tension even when the characters aren’t in the water (yet). We break down the film’s infamous three timelines, why Nolan thinks clocks are a personality trait, and how the movie somehow maintains zero chill for 106 minutes st...

We’re back on the other side of the black hole — emotionally and maybe spiritually. In Part Two of our deep dive into Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar, we unpack Cooper’s bookshelf breakdown, the emotional math of Murph’s ghost, and whether “love” was actually the answer or just Nolan trolling us all. Expect equal parts awe, analysis, and exasperation. Bring tissues… and maybe a physics degree. An...

Strap in and don’t forget your helmet — we’re launching into Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar, where science meets sentimentality and somehow both cry. In this episode, we begin to tackle wormholes, relativity, and why Nolan seems to hate linear storytelling. Expect theories, sarcasm, and just enough pseudo-physics to make Neil deGrasse Tyson sigh audibly. ----more---- Thank you so much for listen...

Part 2 of our The Dark Knight Rises analysis dives into the details that make (or break) Nolan’s finale: body language, costuming, set design, and character arcs. Anne Hathaway slinks her way through as Catwoman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt maybe-becomes Batman, and Batman trades his cape for a cappuccino in Florence. We’ll pull apart the visual storytelling, the prison pit metaphors, and the way Gotham...

In Part 1 of our two-part The Dark Knight Rises breakdown, we dig into Christopher Nolan’s favorite toys: IMAX spectacle, chest-rattling sound design, and dialogue that makes you wonder if Bane swallowed a CB radio. We’ll unpack the film’s big themes—fear, pain, hope, and rebirth—before diving into the performances and the script’s endlessly quotable (and sometimes laughable) lines. Is Nolan a mas...

Inception isn’t just a movie—it’s Christopher Nolan’s ultimate brain prank. In the conclusion of our two-part deep-dive on Nolan’s mind-bending epic, we dissect dream heists, confusing layers, and that infamous spinning top. Did you really understand it—or are you just pretending? We break down every twist, turn, and “what just happened” moment so you can finally feel smug about your cinematic IQ....

Inception promised answers, but instead gave us spinning tops, folding cities, and Leonardo DiCaprio screaming into the void of his own trauma. In this first episode of our two-part dissection of Christopher Nolan’s ‘dream heist masterpiece,’ we begin to discuss why the film is equal parts brilliant, pretentious, and meme-worthy. From Hans Zimmer’s foghorn symphony to Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s gravit...

This week, we return to our series on the films of Christopher Nolan by diving headfirst into The Dark Knight — the movie that convinced an entire generation that growling equals gravitas. From Heath Ledger’s chaos-icon Joker to a Batman so serious he makes taxes look fun, we’re dissecting the film’s themes, IMAX spectacle, and how Hans Zimmer’s score is a nerve-shredding symphony of dread.  Is it...

What happens when you hand a microphone to a bunch of students, toss in a few Star Wars-obsessed adults, and ask them to unpack Episodes I–VI? Absolute mayhem—and movie magic. With Aaron Harris as our special guest, we attempt the impossible: covering all six Star Wars films in one classroom session without anyone spontaneously combusting. Whether you stan Hayden or still can’t forgive the Ewoks,...