The Next Reel Film Podcast

“This is my whole world, and it’s enough – or rather it was until a few weeks ago.” David Lean had already adapted Noël Coward three times for the silver screen by the time he set out to adapt Brief Encounter . Clearly, he connected with Coward’s material, and also proven himself adept at it. His last adaptation of Coward’s work is the one-act play “Still Life,” and with that he made a touching an...

“Nobody’s job is safe with all these servicemen crowding in.” Struggles of All Types for Post-War Veterans The end of World War II brought a wave of veterans back to American society and an array of challenges as they tried to reintegrate and reconnect with family, friends, jobs and a society that struggled to fully understand their war experience. William Wyler’s 1946 multiple Oscar winner “The B...

“That king certainly hasn’t very good manners.” The Less-Singing, More Burnings Version Audiences have been fascinated with the life of Anna Leonowens and her time spent in Thailand (then Siam) teaching English to King Mongkut’s wives and children. What’s the draw though? Perhaps the story of a woman on her own in a foreign country? Or a common person who is swept up into a world of royalty and ha...

“Any vampires around these parts, Pa?” Talking About The Reflecting Skin with our guest, storyboard and concept artist Anson Jew There’s a lot going on in this story of childhood. It’s a story about vampirism and nuclear devastation. It’s about a town’s secrets and the perspective of children. Homosexuality in a time when it was far from being accepted. Dealing with loss. Growing old. Finding love...

Welcome back to Behind the Sites, a long-overdue return to one of our favorite series here at The Next Reel . This series celebrates the technology behind the entertainment industry... specifically, the sites and apps we use to learn about the movies and shows of which we call ourselves fans. Casey Liss is a podcaster, developer, and writer from Richmond, Virginia. However, these days, it might be...

”No matter what I ever do or say, Heathcliff, this is me – now – standing on this hill with you. This is me, forever.” My, My, My... Those Heights, They Are A-Wuthering... Adapting Emily Brontë’s novel for the big screen isn’t an easy task, but it’s one that many people have taken on as “Wuthering Heights” has been adapted for the big or small screen over 30 times. And that doesn’t even take into...

"Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore!" REBROADCAST Still a Classic Victor Fleming didn’t just direct two movies in 1939, he directed two of what many consider to be the greatest films made – Gone With the Wind and The Wizard of Oz . Where the former, though, has more problems to contend with in today’s society, what with its depiction of slavery and race in the South during the Civil...

"We’re the victims of a foul disease called social prejudice, my child." REBROADCAST Ford Delivers A Classic Western When John Ford decided to helm Stagecoach in 1939, he hadn’t done a western since his days in the silent film era. Yet it was this film, along with his relationship with John Wayne, that would lead to him making arguably some of the greatest westerns in cinema. Yet with this film, i...

“I remember about the rabbits, George.” Capturing Steinbeck and Americana on the Big Screen Having been writing novels for 10 years, it made sense that eventually, Hollywood would turn to John Steinbeck’s novels as a source for the silver screen. The first film to make the transition was Of Mice and Men , a novella he originally wrote as a ‘playable novel’ and then as a play itself. To that end, i...

“I should hate to see our country endangered by my underwear." REBROADCAST Greta Garbo Smiles! And It’s a Delight! Taking a completely different turn from last week’s Civil War epic, Ninotchka is a very light comedy by Ernst Lubitch dealing with Russians in their post-Revolution society. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we continue our film about the great films of 1939 with Lubitch’s Ni...

“You’re not a Senator, you’re an honorary stooge." REBROADCAST Capra’s Film Stands As Strong As Ever It’s rare to find a film from 75 years ago that feels relevant still in today’s world, but Frank Capra’s 1939 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is one of those films. Corruption in the Senate? Check. Corporate interests secretly working their own machinations behind the scenes to get their political pup...

“We’re heading into rough seas, Michel.” A Love Story That Stands the Test of Time It’s interesting that Leo McCarey’s 1939 film Love Affair largely fell into obscurity due to both slipping into the public domain and to McCarey’s own remake in 1957 as An Affair to Remember . It largely was thanks to Nora Ephron including mention of both films in her 1993 classic Sleepless in Seattle that interest...

"Give a boy a sense of humor and a sense of proportion and he’ll stand up to anything." REBROADCAST Learning Lessons That Last a Lifetime With Mr. Chips Robert Donat defied the odds and beat both Clark Gable and Jimmy Stewart for the Best Actor Oscar in the 1940 Academy Awards with his portrayal of Mr. Chips in Sam Wood’s Goodbye, Mr. Chips . It’s a movie that celebrates school heroes everyone had...

“Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn." REBROADCAST Finding Rhett and Scarlet Less Relevant Considering the racially-charged climate of the US right now, it’s oddly perfect timing that we’re starting our 1939 series with Gone With The Wind , a film as technically brilliant to look at as it is hard to watch because of it’s portrayal of slavery and the ‘lost cause’ Southern view of the Civil War. I...

“When you get inside my head, see if you can find any sense in it.” Bette Davis Dealing with and Dying From Glioma There’s a strength in storytelling that can exist in disease films because we’re following a person as they’re going through a very difficult period in their life that could very well end in death. That’s one of the elements that drew Bette Davis to the play “Dark Victory,” of which s...

“We're living in a world that's blowing itself to hell as fast as everybody can arrange it.” Talking About Terrence Malick’s 1998 film The Thin Red Line with our guest, cinematographer Ross Riege While Terrence Malick’s war film came out five months after Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan , it couldn’t be more different. They’re both exceptional films, but Malick’s takes a more pensive, thoug...

“The world is changing. Truth is vanishing.” Ethan Hunt and Co. Are Back For our July member bonus episode, we wrap up our conversation about Ethan Hunt and his impossible missions. For Christopher McQuarrie’s latest entry into the franchise, Ethan and his team are up against none other than a form of sentient AI they call The Entity. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we close our chats i...

“The IMF is like Halloween, a bunch of grown men in rubber masks playing trick-or-treat.” Hunt Is Back, and He’s Better Than Ever... Really It’s crazy that we’re at the sixth film in the franchise and it’s the best of the bunch. How does that happen? Likely, it’s because Cruise has been driving this franchise not just as star but also producer from the start, but it’s hard to dismiss the fact that...

“We’re kind of formulating a plan B, although technically it’s a plan C.” Everyone’s Gone Rogue in Rogue Nation Christopher McQuarrie did some uncredited rewrites on Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol , though he’d worked with Tom Cruise a number of times in the past, having written and directed Jack Reacher then writing Edge of Tomorrow . Clearly, his strength as a storyteller, perhaps more tha...

“You actually said that out loud? ‘Mission accomplished?’” Ethan Hunt Shifts Gears and Finds His Groove Brad Bird’s on board the franchise, getting a chance to not only make his first live action film but also to do so in a major franchise with giant set pieces and mega-stars. Perhaps that’s what the franchise needed, after all of Cruise’s antics around the time the third film was released. There...

“You don’t get anywhere in this world by waiting for what you want to come to you. You make it happen.” Talking About Working Girl with our guest, writer/producer Rachel Lewis Mike Nichols’ film has been in all of our lives for decades now, and there are reasons it stands out as a classic. It’s a Cinderella story dealing with the sexism in the 80s workplace, and how one woman proves she has the st...

“Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.” Ethan’s back, and he’s getting married! It took some time to sort out the plans for this one’s script, and it wasn’t easy finding the director either. Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner did get there though, locking in TV showrunner JJ Abrams to co-write and helm the third in this franchise, making it his feature film debut. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we con...

“Well, this is not ‘mission: difficult’, Mr. Hunt. This is ‘mission: impossible.’ ‘Difficult’ should be a walk in the park for you.” Hunt’s Back for Love, Doves, and Viruses! Returning for a sequel to their hit, Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner decided to explore the franchise with a different director – something they’d continue doing for the first five films. For this, they went with Hong Kong action...

“This whole operation was a mole hunt.” Tom Cruise Upgrades the TV Show with Mission: Impossible It took Paramount a while to get the Mission: Impossible movie off the ground. They’d tried for years with the property, nearly getting a version made in the early 80s before it fell through because of an escalating budget. By the time Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner were ready to start their own producing...

“I have a competition in me. I want no one else to succeed. I hate most people.” Talking About Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2007 film There Will Be Blood with our guest, filmmaker Uwe Boll There are many films filmmaker Uwe Boll could’ve picked to discuss with us on the show, but the most recent film that’s affected him as much as some of his all-time favorites is Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2007 film There...