The Kick

The boys are back to belatedly send out 2016. They start with a full-on review of LA LA LAND, arguing whether its half-commitment to the musical genre is a problem. At 16:20, they apply their rating system to ROGUE ONE, trying to divorce its quality from the STAR WARS universe. At 21:25, they hand out some BRG superlatives for 2016 in film, like who acted most shamelessly, what performers caught t...

More than 170 years since its writing, the Charles Dickens novella A CHRISTMAS CAROL still looms large as the seminal text on how not to be a penny-pinching goon during the holidays. And why not? It's mostly secular and it makes capitalism seem compassionate if you can spare a few shillings. This December, Noah and Chance watched three Hollywood spins on A CHRISTMAS CAROL to see which gimmicky ret...

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, we set about on our now-apparently-annual tradition of watching three pairs of twin movies — same subject matter, same year(ish). We took in the power and limits of an Old West lawman in TOMBSTONE (1993) and WYATT EARP (1994). We asked how creatively CAPOTE (2005) and INFAMOUS (2006) ought to treat the epitome of creative non-fiction. And we've seen what can go wrong...

On this new mini-episode, Noah and Chance review MOONLIGHT, perhaps the most acclaimed American film of 2016 thus far. Well, we don’t diverge too far from that line. With a camera that’s imperfectly beautiful, director Barry Jenkins presents a coming-of-age triptych on race and sexuality that’s both quiet and stirringly acted. Find all episodes at bereelguys.com.

From Chance's couch in Portland, your trusty hosts exchanged many looks (but mostly held it together) through three movies about the adult film industry. We begin with the new film KING COBRA, a depiction of rival production teams in the 2000s gay porn business. It's very James Franco. At 17:45, we move on to the porn movie monolith, BOOGIE NIGHTS, except we don't agree on just how great the saga...

This week, Noah and Chance saw the artful new alien invasion film "Arrival." Directed by Denis Villeneuve, it stars Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner as scientists charged with discovering shell-shaped spacecrafts' purpose on Earth. That familiar premise led Noah and Chance to argue whether "Arrival" is a relative of movies we've seen before or something more meditative with stranger designs. Spoilers a...

The boys were together in Portland last week for a category they'd been sitting on for awhile: battling invaders at cruising altitude. First, they revisit "Snakes On A Plane" for its 10th anniversary –- a movie that must be bad-good, but is it? Then it's on to "Air Force One" and conspiracy theories about the president being drunk while literally beating back communism. They wrap up with "Executiv...

On this week's show, we watched a trio of movies about adults returning to the small towns they abruptly left as teenagers. Comprising GROSSE POINTE BLANK, SWEET HOME ALABAMA and THE JUDGE, this genre raises all sorts of questions about self-reflection, the meaning of roots, and forgiving your younger self for handing out judgment. So naturally, we had to have Noah's little brother (a high school...

This week, Noah and Chance order up the 1988 Tom Cruise vehicle "Cocktail." Never seen it? Somehow we hadn't either, despite the fact that it features one of the brashest, most encompassing Cruise performances ever. He plays a showman bartender who twirls bottles, gyrates to '80s hits, parties with the clientele, competes poisonously with his mentor, and fancies himself "the world's last barman po...

This week, Noah and Chance climb out of hell with three contract killers left for dead. They begin with "Kill Bill, Vol. 1," asking whether this is a turning point in the scope of Tarantino's genre bloodbaths. At 18:10, they analyze Mel Gibson's lost and compromised stardom in "Payback" (1999)and quibble over when this Hollywood noir riff is set. When "John Wick" is approached at 28:15, they ask i...

Few instances invite “based on a true story” films like individuals amid massive conspiracies and cover-ups stepping up to the plate and blowing the whistle. Edward Snowden knows it. And Oliver Stone really wants you to know it in his 2016 Snowden biopic. We begin the show in conversation with GQ culture writer Scott Meslow, discussing his recent piece on Snowden’s ascendance as a blockbuster them...

From the mind that brought you "Boyhood," sit back and enjoy ... "Brohood"? In this week's mini-episode, Noah and Chance move in with the much-praised 2016 Richard Linklater film "Everybody Wants Some!!" Set in a Texas house of college baseball players in 1980, it's easygoing, it examines every inch of a social group, and it's an idealist's take on just duding around in the days before class start...

A love so great it spawned a movie and this podcast episode. Thanks, Obamas. We lead off our discussion of romance movies set during a single day with the new film "Southside With You." First, Chance speaks with LA Weekly's lead film critic April Wolfe about the movie's ambitious premise, odd diction and political bubble. At 27 minutes, Noah and Chance move to "Before Sunrise," discussing what mak...

Cinematic Americans cross the border for myriad reasons: to unwittingly liberate a village with their theatrical abilities, to chase down an ornamental pistol with a deep folklore, or to tell a cartel chief what's what. Off the screen, our Noah Ballard went to Mexico for the pools and the margaritas. This week, he calls in with his old pal Brent to discuss ¡Three Amigos! (1986), The Mexican (2001)...

Our long summer continues with a mini-episode on the 2015 music biopic "Love & Mercy." Chance and Noah are torn on this two-headed telling of the Brian Wilson story. One is a deep studio dive into Wilson's orchestral pop genius and the other is an overcast, nearly unrelated custody drama. Listen to all episodes of BRG at bereelguys.com. Love & Mercy is streaming now on Hulu and Amazon.

You know we'll wave the flag for a few bad movies. Hell, we have a whole category on the show for them (bad-good). But are we fans of "Bad" movies? The kind that take a career or societal station and stand on a premise of someone doing a heinously poor job at it? This week, we're talking "Bad Moms" (2016), "Bad Company" (2002) and "Bad Lieutenant" (1992). Misbehaving never felt so good, baby. (Nor...

At a certain point in life we all make that choice: Are we chasing tornados because they killed our dads or are we corporate posers who barely even listen to classic rock in pursuit of a cyclone? You have until the end of our mini-episode on 1996's "Twister" to decide. Also discussed — oh, that's too much Paxton, there are no other tornado films, and what movie does Philip Seymour Hoffman think he...

Right, so let me introduce you to your bunkmates. This is Moonrise Kingdom (2012), meticulously packed and maybe too earnest. This is Heavyweights (1995), vaguely inspirational and with an insane look in its eye. And this is Sleepaway Camp (1983). Who knows what the hell's going on with it. Play your cards right, and this could be the best summer of your life. Find all episodes of Be Reel, Guys at...

Toss the kids in the back and chart a winding course to a kitschy destination — we're at the wheel of three American road trip comedies this week. Pit stops include a deep psychological analysis of Clark Griswold, a theory on how you market indie pop and questions about whether Netflix is making the new cable movie. Chance begins the episode in conversation with writer Saul Austerlitz. They discus...

Noah and Chance briefly considered the genre of sci-fi cowboy films before realizing our ill-fated manifest destiny: watching "Wild Wild West" on HBO and reconciling that decision as best we could. This mini-episode raises all sorts of questions. How do you pronounce "Kenneth Branagh"? How do you pronounce Kenneth Branagh pronouncing the nonsense words he says in this movie? And what didn't go wro...

Live from Noah's bed in Brooklyn, we cozy up and discuss the genre that houses our favorite film. But not that film; what is there to say about "Jaws" anyway? So we watched three lesser shark movies: Blake Lively battling a great white in "The Shallows," the deranged shark science of "Deep Blue Sea" and attempts at disaster camp in "Sharknado."

The moms took their turn; yesterday the dads were on deck. Noah and Chance called "Big Rod" and "Digdoug" to discuss a pair of movies about early 20th century sporting. (It's worth noting that the dads chose movies independent of each other.) First, Chance called his father to discuss 2005's Cinderella Man, listening to classic fights on the radio, and remembering Great Depression anecdotes passed...

With the presidential election cycle eating itself (and many of our souls), this week's episode takes on three recent electoral satires: 1999's "Election," 2012's "The Campaign" and 2003's "Head of State." In them, races for student council president, a rural Congressional seat and the highest office in the land are wrought with the betrayal, the puppeteering and the backroom handshakes we imagine...

We may not always see eye to eye, but dammit, we're partners. This week, Noah and Chance take on three examples of Shane Black's buddy cop movies, 1987's Lethal Weapon, 2005's Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and the new Gosling/Crowe team-up, The Nice Guys. Noah is away from New York this week recording from a Summersville, West Virginia radio station with his lifelong pal Alex "Spiel" Wiederspiel.  But first...

Pop on your vest or polo and try not to lose your mind as we head inside the fluorescent maze of movies set in big box stores. This week, Chance and Noah are joined by an old colleague to discuss the experience of working in a haven of "sad commerce." Former Walmart baker and current editor/radio host Casey Welsch starts the show with some personal insights. Then at 11:20, Chance and Noah talk the...