Reel Beans: A Film and Coffee Podcast

Join host Benjamin Schneider with guests Casey Haltom and Allen Stafford as we explore the 1957 workplace comedy Desk Set, starring Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. We dive into how this classic film anticipated modern tech anxiety—depicting the introduction of an early computer (EMERAC) into a corporate research department and the fear of automation replacing human workers. From Hepburn's bri...

Join host Benjamin Schneider as we cruise through one of the greatest comedy films ever made — Airplane! (1980). We explore why the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker team's rapid-fire humor still lands decades later, how parody is far more difficult than it looks, and why casting serious dramatic actors (Leslie Nielsen, Robert Stack, Lloyd Bridges) made it even funnier. We also discuss how certain jokes have...

Join host Benjamin Schneider for a cozy, heartfelt episode celebrating tradition, food, and the overlooked power of older actresses in cinema. We explore Nonnas (2025), directed by Stephen Chbosky and starring Susan Sarandon, Brenda Vaccaro, Lorraine Bracco, and Talia Shire. Based on the real-life Staten Island restaurant Enoteca Maria—where grandmothers from around the world cook traditional dish...

Join host Benjamin Schneider with guests Casey Haltom and Allen Stafford for a thought-provoking deep dive into The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969), featuring Maggie Smith's Oscar-winning performance as the charismatic and dangerous Edinburgh teacher. We explore Jean Brodie's manipulation of young minds, the film's complex tension between beauty and control, and the surprising connections to Ital...

Join host Benjamin Schneider for a surreal journey through Luis Buñuel's The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972)—the Oscar-winning masterpiece that satirizes upper-class absurdity through dreamlike repetition and dark comedy. We explore Buñuel's brilliant use of surrealism to critique bourgeois society, from dinner parties that never happen to bizarre dream sequences that blur reality. Highli...

Welcome to the very first episode of Reel Beans! Join host Benjamin Schneider as we unwrap the eerie elegance of Black Christmas (1974)—the quietly revolutionary horror film that helped define the slasher genre before Halloween made it famous. With a hot cup of coffee in hand, we explore what makes this Canadian proto-slasher so unnerving, why it still resonates nearly 50 years later, and how dire...

Welcome to Reel Beans — a podcast brewed for deeper conversation. What do a French press and a film reel have in common? Both require patience, precision, and the promise of something rich. Join host Benjamin Schneider as we pair exceptional films with exceptional coffee, exploring the themes, artistry, and human truths that connect them. For the film lovers, the caffeine junkies, and the curious...