The Next Reel Film Podcast

“Life isn't like in the movies. Life... is much harder.” Talking About Cinema Paradiso with our guest, Special Effects Supervisor Chris Reynolds In this magical episode, we chat with veteran special effects artist and supervisor Chris Reynolds about his storied career bringing movies to life through innovative engineering and technology. Our focus is the classic Cinema Paradiso , a nostalgic ode t...

“Dead or alive, you are coming with me.” In 1987, screenwriters Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner developed an original story idea while working on the set of Blade Runner . They envisioned a dystopian future where privatized police forces maintained law and order. After pitching the concept to studios, Orion Pictures greenlit the production of RoboCop , directed by Dutch filmmaker Paul Verhoeven....

"This is true love. You think this happens every day?" After William Goldman's novel The Princess Bride was published in 1973, film studios immediately saw its potential and vied for the movie rights. 20th Century Fox won out, paying Goldman to adapt his novel into a screenplay. But after languishing in development hell for over a decade, Rob Reiner and Norman Lear finally brought Goldman's fantas...

“There’s something out there waiting for us, and it ain’t no man. We’re all going to die.” After the huge success of Rocky IV in 1985, screenwriters Jim and John Thomas saw an opportunity for another Rocky film where he'd have to fight an alien, calling it "Rocky vs Predator." They developed the idea into a script titled "Hunter" about a group of alien hunters looking for the most dangerous prey....

“Kill your brother, you’ll feel better.” The 80s were a transformative time for vampire films, leading studios to rethink the genre and develop sexier, edgier stories for modern audiences. Under Joel Schumacher’s direction, The Lost Boys brought together attractive young stars, iconic music, and cutting-edge special effects to create an instant cult classic. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson –...

“You just digested the bad guy.” Innerspace came about after Jeffrey Boam took Chip Proser’s original script and injected comedy into the straightforward sci-fi concept. With Joe Dante directing and Steven Spielberg executive producing, the film had the freedom to push boundaries. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we kick off our 1988 Academy Awards Best Visual Effects Nominees series wit...

“Game? This wasn’t meant to be a game. Never!” James Caan stars as Jonathan E., a legendary athlete in the brutal sport of Rollerball in Norman Jewison’s 1975 dystopian sci-fi thriller. With a screenplay by William Harrison based on his short story, Jewison intended the film as a critique of exploitative sports and their dehumanizing effects. However, audiences were enthralled by the violent futur...

“You may think you know what you’re dealing with, but you don’t. Believe me.” Talking About Chinatown with our guest, Cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt Roman Polanski's 1974 neo-noir Chinatown is regarded as one of the greatest films of all time. In this episode, we're joined by Academy Award-winning cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt to discuss this masterpiece of cinema. We start by talking to...

“Oh, what sad times are these when passing ruffians can say ‘Ni!’ at will to old ladies. There is a pestilence upon this land, nothing is sacred. Even those who arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress in this period in history.” After the immense success of Monty Python’s Flying Circus on television, the Python troupe set out to take their unique brand of absurd (møos...

“Don’t give me any of that ‘intelligent life’ stuff. Find me something I can blow up!” John Carpenter and Dan O'Bannon met as film students at USC in the early 1970s. Together they created a 45-minute student film called Dark Star that ended up gaining traction on the film festival circuit. With additional funding, they expanded it into a feature film that was released in 1974. This sci-fi comedy...

“You’re so funny when you’re sexually frustrated.” In 1975, producer Alvy Moore teamed up with director L.Q. Jones to bring Harlan Ellison’s 1969 novella A Boy and His Dog to the big screen. With a budget of just $400,000, Jones cast newcomer Don Johnson alongside canine actor Tiger in this post-apocalyptic sci-fi that would go on to earn acclaim and cult status. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nel...

“A painting means as much to you as a string of pearls to an ape.” In the early 1960s, French author Rose Valland pitched the idea for The Train to producer Jules Bricken. Valland had worked at the Jeu de Paume Museum in Paris during World War II, overseeing the Nazi looting of French art treasures. Intrigued by her true story of resisting Nazi art theft, Bricken brought in director Arthur Penn to...

“My life is an empty place.” Harold Pinter adapted Penelope Mortimer’s 1962 semi-autobiographical novel The Pumpkin Eater into a screenplay for this 1964 British drama film directed by Jack Clayton. With acclaimed performers Anne Bancroft and Peter Finch on board, Clayton and cinematographer Oswald Morris shot the black and white film partly on location in London and Shepperton Studios. Despite it...

“This is something that happens.” Talking About Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1999 film Magnolia with our guest, cinematographer Lyn Moncrief On this episode of Movies We Like, hosts Andy Nelson and Pete Wright invite cinematographer Lyn Moncrief to discuss his career and one of his favorite films, Paul Thomas Anderson’s sprawling 1999 drama Magnolia . We talk with Lyn about how he first got interested i...

"Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here! This is the war room!" REBROADCAST Stanley Kubrick didn’t do comedy often which is a shame because “Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb” is arguably one of the funniest films ever made. What’s interesting is that Kubrick intended on making a serious film about one of his greatest fears at the time: the threat of nuclear war. But...

“But where is Becket’s honour?” Before cameras could roll on Becket , the film's producers had to secure the screen rights to Jean Anouilh's original French play. Anouilh was initially hesitant to sell the rights, but the persistence of producer Hal B. Wallis convinced him to sign on. With the acclaimed playwright on board, the next task was finding a director who could bring the theatrical story...

“Stella! Hey, Stella!” Tennessee Williams' Pulitzer Prize-winning play A Streetcar Named Desire took Broadway by storm in 1947. Four years later, director Elia Kazan decided to adapt the play for the big screen, bringing together many members of the original Broadway cast like Marlon Brando, Kim Hunter, and Karl Malden. After a tumultuous pre-production filled with casting conflicts and clashes ov...

“Criss cross.” In 1951, Alfred Hitchcock was at a low point in his career after the disappointing critical reception of his previous two films, Under Capricorn and Stage Fright . Desperate for a hit, he wanted to adapt the 1950 Patricia Highsmith novel Strangers on a Train about a chance encounter that leads to a murder pact between two very different men. He bought the rights and enlisted screenw...

“I think I could turn into you if I really tried.” Talking About Persona with our guest, writer/director Sophie Barthes On this episode of Movies We Like, we speak with writer/director Sophie Barthes about one of her favorite films, Ingmar Bergman’s 1966 psychological drama Persona . We also discussed Barthes' own directing career and thoughts on filmmaking. We have an in-depth discussion about Be...

“If you’re an Eastman, you’re not in the same boat with anyone.” Based on the 1925 novel An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser, A Place in the Sun tells the story of working-class George Eastman (Montgomery Clift), who moves in with his wealthy uncle's family and begins a romantic relationship with an affluent young woman named Angela Vickers (Elizabeth Taylor). However, he becomes entangled in...

“Of all the strange breeds that mighta come along, it was their bad luck to get me.” In the years during and after World War II, the exploits of US Navy frogmen captured the American imagination. Seeking to showcase them on the silver screen, Hollywood producers worked closely with the Navy starting in 1950 to develop the film The Frogmen . The Navy provided extensive support, training actors usin...

“Why are you so hateful to one another?” Kicking Off Our Next Series With a Conversation About László Benedek’s 1951 Film Death of a Salesman It had only been a few years since Arthur Miller’s play made its successful debut, and the story was exactly the sort producer Stanley Kramer sought out. He brought László Benedek on to direct and Stanley Roberts on to adapt it for the screen. Unfortunately,...

“We're fighting for something that has to be, that can't help coming. The road may be long and hard, but we'll get there and we'll see a better world. And our children especially will see it.” Rome Wasn't Built in a Day, But This Movie Sure Was Rome, Open City is adapted from a book of true stories about living through the Nazi occupation. Co-writer and director Roberto Rossellini took these tales...

“If might is right, then love has no place in the world.” Talking About The Mission with our guest, Academy Award-winning costume designer Deborah L. Scott Andy and legendary costume designer Deborah L. Scott dive deep into Roland Joffé’s 1986 masterpiece The Mission , an intense and emotional story of faith, colonialism, and redemption. Set in 18th century South America, this Best Picture Oscar n...

“I tell ya what’s gonna happen. We’re gonna kill a Swede.” The Killers: Dissecting a Landmark Noir Robert Siodmak’s 1946 crime drama The Killers earned four Oscar nominations at the 19th Academy Awards, including Best Director for Siodmak and Best Adapted Screenplay. The influential film noir also marked the screen debut of Hollywood legend Burt Lancaster. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – a...