The Reel Addicts Podcast

We know how to pick 'em here at The Reel Addicts! Matt's final pick of our Top 4 of '24 series saw Sean Baker personally walk with FOUR Academy Awards this past Sunday (Best Picture, Editing, Original Screenplay, and Director) - the first to do it since Walt Disney. We're talking of course about the indie sensation, Anora. Joining us to give her thoughts on the film's content and accuracy is Creat...

The Reel Addicts welcome brainiac Michelle Martinez for a journey into the mechanical heart of 2024'sThe Wild Robot. Join Jonathan, Matt, and Michelle (who brings both her nature-loving expertise and maternal wisdom) as they disassemble this surprise animated hit piece by piece. The crew tackles everything from the film's voice casting to its unflinching approach to mortality, while compiling thei...

Welcome to our "Top 4 of '24" series! Matt kicks things off with his favorite film of 2024, Rich Peppiatt's indie gem, Kneecap (2024). Jonathan and Matt start the party with a brief summation of 2024 in film, then Irish-American/New York native/ex-pat extraordinaire and storytelling powerhouse, Paul Coughlan joins in for the conversation about all things Irish, all things film, and all things Knee...

The Reel Addicts welcome the hilarious Jared Watterworth for a basement-level excavation of Bong Joon-ho's Oscar-winning phenomenon, Parasite (2019). Join Matt, Jonathan, and Jared as they descend through the film's intricate layers of class warfare, moral ambiguity, and family bonds. The trio dares to imagine an American remake (while praying it never happens), debates the film's complex entangle...

The Family Celebrations continue with an existential crisis of Americana wrapped inside of an unsuspecting slice-of-life film: Sam Mendes' all-time classic, American Beauty (1999). Matt and Jonathan break down everything they can in this masterpiece, including it's importance for sexual exploration, the acceptance of alternate lifestyles, fatherhood and male role models, what we're taught is impor...

The Reel Addicts take flight this week with special guest Mary Antonini (24-Karat Christmas, Yuletide the Knot) for an analysis of Dreamworks' soaring 2010 masterpiece, How To Train Your Dragon. Join Matt, Jonathan, and Mary as they unpack the film's rich themes, share their collective love for everyone's favorite Night Fury, and explore how legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins helped shape the...

'Tis the season for family on The Reel Addicts Podcast! As such, Matt brought the first person who came to mind on as a special guest to help he and Jonathan unpack the 2005 Christmas classic, The Family Stone: His Mom. Fresh off her fantastic Moonstruck episode earlier this year, Matt's Mom, Diane Warren, brings the matriarchal perspective needed to better understand what makes this film so wonde...

Step away from the mayhem and violence as The Reel Addicts welcome the delightful cinephile extraordinaire Georgina "Gee" Franco for a magical journey through Alfonso Cuarón's enchanting 1995 masterpiece, A Little Princess. Join Matt, Jonathan, and Gee as they explore the film that helped launch Cuarón's legendary career, diving deep into its spellbinding visual storytelling, timeless themes, and...

We're closing out our November: Film Feast series with a Matt pick, Peter Greenaway's 1989 masterwork, The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover. Despite it's difficulty to dig up (it is available on YouTube), this is a must-watch for any fan of cinema. Alongside our return guest, writer/filmmaker Patrick Connolly, who is back by popular demand, we run the gauntlet of surrealism, misogyny, abu...

Get ready to dork out with your fork out! Continuing on to the main courses of our film feast, we're diving deep into Peter Jackson's groundbreaking adaptation that launched a thousand cosplay outfits: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001). Join Matt and Jonathan for an episode so it necessitated two guests! They welcome the ultimate Middle-earth power couple, Katie Duennebier and Andrew Hollingworth,...

November continues it's Film Feast theme with a Matt pick: Bob Giraldi's under-seen indie darling, Dinner Rush (2000). Join the fellas alongside the sensational NYC-bred actor/restauranteur, John Solo, as the three celebrate the accuracy of the film's depiction of old New York, degenerate gambling, and life in a thriving fast-paced restaurant. And for fans of The Bear, an opportunity's never misse...

Grab a bottle a wine, a big ol' basket of bread, and drape a cloth napkin across your lap because you're in for a feast! Matt and Jonathan continue the Film Feast of November with the 1996 indie hit Big Night. Our hosts are joined by Jonathan's sister, Lisa Wallick, to discuss one of her favorite films and tackle such savory topics as Italian families, great dialogue, the independent cinema scene...

What's your pleasure? If it's BDSM-horror-sci-fi-fantasy-demon-gore-erotica, you've come to the right place! Join your infamous hosts, Matt Flynn & Jonathan D'Ambrosio, alongside special guest extraordinaire and friend of the pod, writer/journalist, Veronika Lee, as they dissect the divisive debut from horror master Clive Barker, Hellraiser (1987). The conversational gauntlet runs from the fil...

October continues with the 1987 cult sensation The Monster Squad. Film aficionado Lauren Boynton joins us for Jonathan's final pick of the month. Grab a bucket of candy or a tub full of popcorn and listen as the three get into discussions about the 1980s, Shane Black's dialogue, special FX, Stan Winston, The Sopranos, electricity, dated jokes, and timeless one liners. Directed by Fred Dekker Co-Wr...

October keeps movin' on The Reel Addicts with a Matt pick - one of his all-time favorite monster films, John Landis' 1981 classic, An American Werewolf in London. The fellas are joined by filmmaker Christina Acevedo to form a holy trinity of horror love that celebrates, educates, and stimulates all of you fellow monster-obsessed film fans out there. Horror recommendations and deep-cuts are flyin'...

Monster Mash continues as Jonathan and Matt sit down to talk about Matt Reeve's "Let Me In" (2010). For this english-language remake, the duo are joined by special guest, documentarian Lindsay Thompson, to get into all kinds of subjects including friendship, horror, music of the 1980s, the meaning of vampiric symbolism, Alfred Hitchcock, and compare this film to the original "Let The Right One In"...

Spooky Season is HERE and we're kicking off our new monthly theme, October: Monster Mash, with the Matt pick and all-time classic, Guillermo del Toro's, Pan's Labyrinth (2006). We celebrate this masterpiece with some hardcore analysis and hilarity that no fan of this film will want to miss, so enjoy and soak up all of our love for Ofelia, as well as all of our hate for Captain Vidal! Directed by G...

The Reel Addicts Podcast closes out September and the "Fall Around The World" theme with 2023's Anatomy of a Fall. Jonathan and Matt are joined by Caroline Bloom to discuss culture clashes, gender roles, animal trainers, and the French justice system. Tune in to hear the trio rap about everything from the 2023 Academy Awards to how easy it would be to frame Jonathan for a murder. You can stream th...

Join us on our trip to Japan for an exploration of 21st century Yukuza betrayal during our September: Fall Around the World series with Takeshi Kitano's 2010 firestorm, Outrage. We find cause to reference not only three out of four of our August: Summer's Ovah picks as we break down this ultra-violent gangster epic, but we also manage to tie-in everything from parenting to pornography in our quest...

Our month of international films continues with a Jonathan pick straight out of Holland... The Celebration ("Festen"). Join Jonathan and Matt as they discuss Thomas Vinterberg's 1998 masterpiece, exploring topics such as family secrets, the Dogme 95 film movement, ultra-dark themes, while sharing many uncomfortable laughs along the way. Directed by Thomas Vinterberg Written by Thomas Vinterberg an...

Join us as The Reel Addicts go full-on international for the month of September as we celebrate our theme: Fall Around the World! First up is a Matt pick - we travel to the slums of Rio de Janeiro in the 60s & 70s via the 2002 masterpiece, City of God, directed by Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund. In order to properly unpack this modern classic, Matt & Jonathan have brought fellow Reel Ad...

Is The Social Network a perfect film? Is it the best film (so far) of the century? Is one of the hosts an Ivy League elitist? These are the questions that Jonathan and Matt set out to answer in the final installment for the month. They are joined by special guest Stephanie Simpson to dissect the David Fincher masterpiece, and discuss an array of things including: Boston, Facebook, technology, frai...

You''re in for a treat as the fellas break down Matt's final pick for the August: Summer's Ovah series, David O. Russell's 2010 masterpiece, The Fighter. Jumping in the ring on this week's episode is a man whose acting credits are surpassed only by his knowledge and love for boxing, a wonderful performer and friend of the podcast, Cliff Moylan. (IMDb & Instagram listed below.) IMDb: https://ww...

The guys get wicked smaht as they talk about 1997's Good Will Hunting with special guest Maria Alvarez. The group chats about an onslaught of things, including: Boston accents, friendship, predatory professors, how Kevin Smith was instrumental in the film, the makings of a great therapist, and they ask who would have been a better choice as director, Michael Mann or Mel Gibson? Tune in and get you...

August is here!! For some it means dog days, but in Massachusetts it just means SUMMER'S OVAH. Join us all month as we celebrate films shot in the motherland. We kick things off with a Matt pick - the very first, most authentic, and highly-informed Boston crime film of all time, Peter Yates' 1973 masterpiece, The Friends of Eddie Coyle. (Streaming for FREE - and without ads - on the CinemaBox app....