Reels of Cinema

Send us Fan Mail Danny Boyle brings something special to the subgenre of the "zombie film" in directing a tale of a rage-fueled virus threatening to dominate the human race. Continuing with the follow-up is director/co-writer Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, who adds new characters with their own story arcs. Special guests Dani and Woifi of The Collections of Cinema Podcast bring their insights...

Send us Fan Mail 36 years ago this month, actress Rebecca Schaeffer was on the brink of superstardom, not only because of the acting credits she had already accumulated in her 21 years, but also because of her excellent prospects with director Francis Ford Coppola. Tragically, she is more remembered for her tragic murder at the hands of an obsessed stalker than for her work. This meticulously rese...

Send us Fan Mail When a Broadway playwright has a strong of flops but sees a brilliant script by a former writing student of his, that can only mean one thing: kill him and pass the script off as his own! Sidney Lumet directs this comedic thriller adapted from Ira Levin's Broadway production! Special guest Antonio of The Cultworthy Cinema and Back 2 the Balcony Podcasts joins me for a look at...

Send us Fan Mail When an intergalactic infant suddenly drops from the sky inside a cosmic bassinet, you sit up and take notice! He is raised as Clark Kent, later learns he's Kal-El from Krypton and fulfills his destiny to become one of the greatest superheroes cinema has ever seen! Special guests Beau and Shane of the Kentucky Fried Critics Podcast join me for a look at 1978's Superman:...

Send us Fan Mail With the latest entry in the Jurassic Park franchise, Jurassic World: Rebirth , just released in theaters, it seems timely to reedit, repackage, and rerelease a 2022 episode on the long-running franchise from my previous podcast (Silver Screeners), especially when the guests were the three co-hosts of The Gold Standard Oscars Podcast. Enjoy this rerun from the summer of 2022 when...

Send us Fan Mail Celebrate 65 years of Alfred Hitchcock's classic shocker - the razor-sharp dialogue, the stellar acting of Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh, the screeching violins in the score - and reportedly the first time a toilet flushed in an American film. Take a trip to the Bates Motel off the main highway and then return for a second helping of Norman Bates in the stellar sequel that&...

Send us Fan Mail In this special bonus episode, the spotlight is thrown not on a pair of films, but someone who is involved in making them ... Josh Leeper, stage, screen, and TV actor and voiceover artist! You'll hear about his background, his career successes, his upcoming projects, and even his co-founding of The Short Leap Theater Company in Chicago, Illinois. All of this show's regul...

Send us Fan Mail Two quirky romantic dramadies get the spotlight in this episode as they both attempt to answer the questions: what is love, and is it possible for everyone? In their own ways, Benny & Joon and 500 Days of Summer tackle that age-old thought. Plus, poll results, entertainment news, the cooking segment Cinemunch, and interactive listener trivia! Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0...

Send us Fan Mail When a 30-year-old bartender named Vince Papale (played by Mark Wahlberg) makes it to become a Philadelphia Eagle, that's when the game of football has a new playbook. Special guest Mark, host of The Get Help, Dad Podcast and #1 fan of the Eagles, joins me for a look at  Invincible , the incredible true story of Papale's meteoric rise to football fame! Plus, poll results...

Send us Fan Mail Pack your pop tent - we're going camping! Before there was a never-ending franchise, before there was a hockey mask, there was just a bloody little Halloween rip-off made on the cheap. It's the 45th anniversary of 1980's Friday the 13th , the slasher that launched a thousand sequels! The second entry gets its equal time here as Amy Steel and Adrienne King both try t...

Send us Fan Mail The Great White Shark turns 50 this month, and not to be outdone, the Reese's Pieces-munching, heartlight-fluttering, neck-craning extraterrestrial is another Steven Spielberg production worthy of another look! Jaws and E.T. have left indelible marks on cinematic pop culture that remain substantial slices of film history. Plus, poll results, entertainment news, behind-the-sce...

Send us Fan Mail It's a Martin Scorsese-Robert De Niro-Joe Pesci two-fer with 1980's Raging Bull and 1990's Goodfellas ! Special guest Chris of The Cinematic Traveler Podcast joins me for a look at these two highlights in the filmographies of this trio of collaborators. Plus, poll results, entertainment news, behind-the-scenes fun facts, the cooking segment Cinemunch, and interactiv...

Send us Fan Mail What happens two actors rightfully deemed Hollywood royalty each tackles a role of an aging rock musician who has some serious family fences to mend? If you're Pacino, you get a Golden Globe nod, and if you're Streep, you get Rick Springfield in your band. 2015 brought on Danny Collins and Ricki and the Flash , both fictional but inspired by real-life rock singers. Plus,...

Send us Fan Mail Greenwich Village, 1961. The folk music scene. The fictional Llewyn Davis in the Coen Brothers' Inside Llewyn Davis and the real-life icon Bob Dylan in James Mangold's A Complete Unknown . Two great films that explore the ups and downs in the lives of these two musical artists and folk singers on the verge of a turning point in society. Plus, poll results, entertainment...

Send us Fan Mail Celebrate Mother's Day with this pair of films about mother-daughter dynamics in both comedic and dramatic ways! Sally Field and Julia Roberts are the magnolias of Louisiana, while America Ferrera and Lupe Ontiveros have curves in Los Angeles. Plus, poll results, entertainment news, behind-the-scenes fun facts, the cooking segment Cinemunch, and interactive listener trivia! C...

Send us Fan Mail That most sacred of days for Star Wars fans, May the 4th, is peeking over the parapet, as is George Lucas's birthday on the 14th! An in-depth look at the first film to bring him mainstream success, American Graffiti , and the one that launched a career and a cultural phenomenon, Star Wars . Will Harrison Ford frame a door during the Star Wars auditions with Lucas in the room?...

Send us Fan Mail When gangsters are afoot, seek out your sisters, as Eric Idle, Robbie Coltrane, and Whoopi Goldberg all learn in Nuns on the Run and Sister Act ! An in-depth look at these two farcical comedies about unsavory characters in hiding by disguising themselves as nuns in a convent. Will their prayers be answered? Plus, poll results, entertainment news, behind-the-scenes fun facts, the c...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to Reels of Cinema ! In this premiere episode, it's an in-depth look at 1976's Rocky and 1984's The Karate Kid - plus, poll results, entertainment news, behind-the-scenes fun facts, the cooking segment Cinemunch, and interactive listener trivia! Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported  — CC BY 3.0  Music promoted by Copyright Free Music - Background Musi...