The Next Reel Film Podcast

“In the end, no place was truly safe.”Zombies Are On the March in Peninsula! It’s no surprise that the studio and filmmakers wanted to return to the Train to Busan well after its initial success. And crafting a sequel that’s less an immediate sequel but more of a story in the same universe taking place four years after the original sounded intriguing. But a bigger budget and expanded scope doesn’t...

“You’re clearly an expert at leaving useless people behind.”The Zombie Hordes Are Headed Our Way! For his first live-action film, director Yeon Sang-ho decided to take on a horror film with confined locations, certainly something first time directors do when figuring the medium out. On the other hand, the film is a zombie movie with hundreds of zombiefied people, both on and off the high-speed tra...

“A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we foresake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day!”There and Back AgainWith the success of Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy in 2003, he proved that epic fantasy storytelling could not only work, but that it could be worth the risk to film them all at once. It could be argued that the biggest downside to this pro...

“I told you he was tricksy. I told you he was false.”The Epic Journey ContinuesWith his three epic films of one epic book shot back to back, it’s amazing that Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens found a path through the stories to build a film that works as well as this one does. Sure, it has elements of many famous middle films in trilogies, but it still stands strong. Join us – Pete W...

“Your mother can’t be with you anymore.”Talking About Bambi with our Guest Todd Alcott, ScreenwriterWhen released in 1942 during WWII, Walt Disney’s Bambi struggled to find its audience. It still did well enough for itself, but it wasn’t until its subsequent releases over the decades when Disney would bring its classics back to theatres where it really found its audience. Since that time, it’s oft...

“Do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. Even the very wise cannot see all ends.”We Finally Talk About Peter Jackson’s Epic Fantasy TrilogyConsidering our immense love for this film and the original material, it’s a bit surprising that it’s taken us into our twelfth season to discuss The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Peter Jackson and his amazing team believed in this world and crafted a s...

“Friendship means little when it’s convenient.”Wrapping Up the John Wick SagaBefore the pandemic, director Chad Stahelski and team had been planning to film John Wick: Chapter 4 and Chapter 5 back to back. After delays, they ended up dropping the fifth chapter, opting to wrap everything up in the fourth film. So how does Chapter 4 work to continue expanding this world of assassins while also wrapp...

“I will serve. I will be of service.”We’re On the Run With John Wick. Picking up right where Chapter 2 ended, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum gives us more of what came before – amazing fight sequences with serious stuntwork, beautiful cinematography, and expanded world-building. While it delivers on all fronts, some people found this one’s expanded universe to be a bit too much. But is it? Or d...

When we started our movie podcast, the original name was Movies We Like. Eventually, as we began talking about some movies we didn't like, we figured we should rebrand. Hence, The Next Reel Film Podcast was born. But we never could let go of the name Movies We Like. We just didn't have a place for it at the time. Then, as we were looking at rebranding this podcast as we worked to bring more guests...

“Can a man like you know peace?”We’re Back With John as He Takes on the Italian MafiaJohn Wick: Chapter 2 starts mid-action sequence as John fights Viggo’s brother to get his car back. It sets up the action for this film, and sets up John’s motivations. He’s a man stuck in the past who clings to his relics. Once he has his car, he even goes so far as to try breaking the rules to stay out of the bu...

“Now that I have found my peace, find yours.” Time to Avenge the Dead Puppy with John WickIt took some time to get all the right players so the movie John Wick could move forward. Luckily, everything worked out and stunt coordinators Chad Stahelski and David Leitch got the opportunity to direct their first big film. Derek Kolstad’s script had all the right magic and Keanu Reeves reinvented himself...

“So be addicted. Be addicted to something else.”Checking in 20 Years Later with Renton, Spud, Sick Boy, and BegbyThat’s right, it’s time to talk about Danny Boyle’s legacy sequel T2 Trainspotting. It was a long time coming, and that’s even after author Irvine Welsh wrote a 10-years-later sequel called “Porno” to his original novel “Trainspotting.” Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we wrap...

“Living like this is a full-time business.” Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose Trainspotting. Danny Boyle had directed before making Trainspotting, but it’s this film that really seemed to stamp him as a director to notice. This film follows a rowdy group of twenty-somethings, several of whom are heroin addicts. It not only pushed Boyle into the conversation, but Ewan McGregor as well, who stands o...

Driller Killer’s Back! But He’s Different...It was inevitable with the successes of The Slumber Party Massacre and Slumber Party Massacre II that Roger Corman would want a third film made. Again, he chose to have a female writer and female director which is a nice change from the norm – particularly for the era. But why does this one feel separate from the first two? Join us – Pete Wright and Andy...

“I didn’t know girls really did this stuff!” All aboard for the rockabilly massacre dreamscape! There’s a clearly logical path from The Slumber Party Massacre to its followup five years later, Slumber Party Massacre II. The sequel follows the young sister from the first movie, now in high school herself, as she’s still dealing with how being a witness to the murders in the first affected not only...

“Maybe we should split up.” Time to Tackle Some 80s Slumber Party Slashers Amy Holden Jones had been working as an editor but wanted to direct. She found her chance with Roger Corman doing one of his slasher films. The script, however, was a parody of slashers written by Rita Mae Brown, and even though it was reworked by Corman’s team, it still has some traces of that parody. What resulted is an i...

“Death is certain. If God doesn’t kill me, this neighborhood will.” Another Gangster Saga About Being Trapped in the Family Business Chalk it up to writer/director Anurag Kashyap’s connection to the films of Coppola, De Palma, and Scorsese, but there’s a lot of The Godfather Part II, Scarface, and GoodFellas in this film. The family business. Betrayal. Extreme violence. Different factions working...

We head to the coal mines in India as we tackle the epic gangster saga Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 1. It’s over two-and-a-half hours and is quite a ride. Visceral filmmaking and a tale based on real events as we follow several families and groups vying to rule the area in this wild tale. We have a great time with it so check it out then tune in!“A dog always stays a dog.” Tackling the Epic Indian Ga...

“Oh boy! Another murder!” Closing Out Our Time With Nick and Nora In 1947, Edward Buzzell directed the last of the ‘Thin Man’ films, written by a new pair – Steve Fisher and Nat Perrin. Despite the fact that the creative team’s largely new, William Powell and Myrna Loy remain the constants, and bring their same charm as Nick and Nora Charles to the screen. And the creative team here does a wonderf...

“There’s nothing in the world Nick wants more than a pat on the back from his father. If he got that, I think he’d pop a vest button.” Nick and Nora head to small town America to visit Nick’s parents and find mystery... It took some doing, but Myrna Loy was finally convinced to make just one film during the War, taking time out of her volunteer efforts she was committing to the Red Cross. That one...

Nick and Norah investigating a murder at the racetracks W.S. Van Dyke’s back to have another good time with Nick and Nora Charles, though this time it’s with different writers. How does that affect things? And is William Powell seeming to be feeling better this time around? Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our Thin Man series with a conversation about Maj. W.S. Van Dyke II’s...

“He says his name is Charles, but he looks to me like a pool parlor dude.” Nick and Nora have a baby! It wasn’t an easy film for William Powell to jump into. He was recovering from the death of the love of his life, and he was also recovering from cancer. But he returned for yet another round with Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles, and this time they have a baby. But does Powell seem like he has...

“C’mon, let’s get something to eat. I’m thirsty!” Back in the World of Nick and Norah Charles With the success of The Thin Man, it was inevitable that the studio would want to return to the world of Nick and Norah Charles. While not based on another book by Dashiell Hammett, it’s clearly his characters and the returning screenwriting duo of Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich know how to bring Nic...

Co-Parenting in the MoviesWe’re ending the year with a podcast crossover episode. Andy joins Pete on How to Split a Toaster: A Divorce Podcast About Saving Your Relationships. On that show, Pete and his co-host Seth Nelson discuss a variety of divorce-related topics to help those going through the difficult process. Today’s episode is a reprieve from that specific focus. In this episode, everyone’...

“Jake, you really do stink.” The End of the ‘Epic’ Saga The time has come to wrap up the adaptations of Stephenie Meyer’s supernatural romance novels. And we didn’t even talk about reasons why they split the book up! Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we conclude our Twilight series with a conversation about Bill Condon’s 2012 film The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2. Vampires and we...