The Next Reel Film Podcast

“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.” John Carney follows Once with a bigger, slicker New York music story in Begin Again —and Pete Wright and Andy Nelson can feel the tension. They talk about what changes when you swap Dublin’s scrappy intimacy for a polished production with Mark Ruffalo and Keira Knightley at the center, and how the film...

“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...

Cast your vote for The Next Reel as Best TV & Film Podcast today! “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, Ch...

Cast your vote for The Next Reel as Best TV & Film Podcast today! “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 Seven Chances (1925) stands as one of silent cinema’s most inventive romantic comedies—a perfect blend of physical...

Cast your vote for The Next Reel as Best TV & Film Podcast today! “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...

“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...

“I want everybody to be smart. I want 'em to be as smart as they can be. A world full of ignorant people is too dangerous to live in.” A Comedy of Intelligence: Breaking Down Born Yesterday George Cukor's 1950 comedy Born Yesterday stars Judy Holliday as Billie Dawn, a former showgirl who finds herself caught between her corrupt businessman boyfriend Harry Brock (Broderick Crawford) and Paul Verra...

“How come I've got to run into a squirt like you nearly every place I go these days? What are you trying to do? Show off for your friends?” A Thoughtful Western About Fame's Heavy Burden The Gunfighter (1950) emerged from an unexpected path to production, with the story originally written for John Wayne, who declined due to a grudge against Columbia Pictures. The film ultimately landed at 20th Cen...

“I know when they're going to come because a few seconds earlier, I feel something. The doctors call it ‘aura’.” Into the Mind of a Taxidermist: Exploring The Aura Fabián Bielinsky's final film The Aura (2005) marked his second and tragically last collaboration with Argentine star Ricardo Darín before the director's untimely death at age 47. Following their success with Nine Queens , this psycholo...

“I tell you something, man, I’d really love to get my hands on that sleepy-eyed bastard.” From Iran With Mayhem: The Curious Case of The Invincible Six Jean Negulesco's 1970 action-adventure The Invincible Six represents a fascinating moment in Iranian cinema history. Shot during Iran's pre-revolution period of international co-productions, this Seven Samurai -inspired tale brought together an ecl...

“Live fast, fight well, and have a beautiful ending.” Space Cowboys and Samurai Meet in Roger Corman's Star Wars Roger Corman's 1980 space opera Battle Beyond the Stars reimagines Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai with a distinctly B-movie flair. Directed by Jimmy T. Murakami from a John Sayles screenplay, this low-budget response to Star Wars features Richard Thomas as a young hero gathering warrior...

“They are criminals, no doubt. But they’re brave. They’re dangerous because they know how to fight. They’re bad, but there’s a good side to them as well.” From Curry Western to Cultural Phenomenon: Sholay at 50 Released in 1975, Ramesh Sippy's Sholay revolutionized Indian cinema by blending Western genre conventions with Bollywood sensibilities. This epic action-adventure, starring Amitabh Bachcha...

“He needed the money for the operation for you?” Bank Robbery Meets Social Commentary in Lumet's Masterpiece Sidney Lumet's Dog Day Afternoon (1975) dramatizes the true story of a Brooklyn bank robbery gone wrong, transforming a sensational crime into a penetrating study of media spectacle, sexual identity, and institutional power. Based on a 1972 robbery attempt by John Wojtowicz, the film stars...

“Listen, human beings. I’m Princess Elzebub. I’ve conquered the Earth. I’m your new master now.” Hong Kong's Super-Powered Shaw Brothers SpectacleThe Super Inframan, released by Shaw Brothers Studio in 1975, represents a fascinating fusion of tokusatsu, kung fu, and superhero genres. Directed by Hua Shan, this Hong Kong science fiction action film emerged during a period when Asian cinema was acti...

“You have killed and you will kill again!” Italian Horror Meets Murder Mystery in Dario Argento's Deep Red Dario Argento's 1975 Deep Red ( Profondo Rosso ) stands as a defining example of Italian giallo cinema. The film follows a British jazz pianist who witnesses a brutal murder and becomes entangled in solving the crime, working alongside an investigative reporter to unravel a mystery involving...

“I could have made mashed potatoes, but we’re having that tomorrow.” When Routine Becomes Revolution: Chantal Akerman's Masterpiece In 1975, Belgian filmmaker Chantal Akerman created Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles , a groundbreaking examination of feminine domestic life that would later be named the greatest film of all time by Sight & Sound critics in 2022. With a modest...