Category: Podcast

Nov 15 2014

Episode 35 – The Maltese Falcon

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The Maltese FalconWe talked about this movie as far back as Episode 1 and it is finally here!  Jena gets shown one of the great classic noir films that she had, until this point, only known about through an episode of the Animanianiacs.  We talk about Humphrey Bogart, Sidney Greenstreet, Mary Astor, Peter Lorre, maguffins and one of the most famous movie props of all time. Enjoy our conversation about The Maltese Falcon!

Our next episode will be recorded live at the Trylon Theater on Sunday, November 30th.  We’ll be watching Planes, Trains and Automobiles!

The Maltese Falcon (1941)
The Maltese Falcon poster Rating: 7.9/10 (171,879 votes)
Director: John Huston
Writer: John Huston, Dashiell Hammett
Stars: Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Gladys George
Runtime: 100 min
Rated: Approved
Genre: Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Released: 18 Oct 1941
Plot: San Francisco private detective Sam Spade takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a gorgeous liar and their quest for a priceless statuette, with the stakes rising after his partner is murdered.

Nov 01 2014

Episode 34 – A Mighty Wind

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A Mighty WindIn our last episode, we watched a documentary.  This episode, we watched a mockumentary!  We showed Jena a film by a group of gifted comedians who have sort of mastered the genre.  A Mighty Wind is a fabulously funny film about folk music. Created by Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy, it has a smart approach to the topic and even manages to be poignant every now and again.  It’s one of Tim’s favorite movies.  We hope it will be one of yours as well!

Our next episode will be about The Maltese Falcon!

A Mighty Wind (2003)
A Mighty Wind poster Rating: 7.2/10 (29,900 votes)
Director: Christopher Guest
Writer: Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy
Stars: Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy, Michael McKean
Runtime: 91 min
Rated: PG-13
Genre: Comedy, Music
Released: 09 May 2003
Plot: Mockumentary captures the reunion of 1960s folk trio the Folksmen as they prepare for a show at The Town Hall to memorialize a recently deceased concert promoter.

Oct 15 2014

Episode 33 – Man on Wire

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Man on WireFor this episode, we took a look at a genre that has, as yet been untouched by our podcast – the documentary!  We chose the 2009 Oscar winner, Man on Wire. The movie tells the story of one amazing stunt and at the same time, it tells the story of two buildings.  We talk about this film as well as the genre of documentaries in general. The film is streaming on Netflix so we highly recommend checking it out.

Our next episode will be about A Mighty Wind!

Man on Wire (2008)
Man on Wire poster Rating: 7.7/10 (59,935 votes)
Director: James Marsh
Writer: Philippe Petit
Stars: Philippe Petit, Jean François Heckel, Jean-Louis Blondeau
Runtime: 94 min
Rated: PG-13
Genre: Documentary, Biography, Crime
Released: 29 Aug 2008
Plot: A look at tightrope walker Philippe Petit's daring, but illegal, high-wire routine performed between New York City's World Trade Center's twin towers in 1974, what some consider, "the artistic crime of the century".

Oct 01 2014

Episode 32 – The Dirty Dozen

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The Dirty DozenJena had a last minute conflict so we were forced to enlist an emergency stunt Jena.  Fortunately, Tim’s wife Pat was available.  We had to make an alteration in movie (Pat has seen Man on Wire) so we pulled out The Dirty Dozen! This classic example of a mission movie involves a great cast trying to save the world from the Nazis.  Because that’s what heroes do.  They save the world from the Nazis.

Our next movie will, we promise, be Man on Wire!

The Dirty Dozen (1967)
The Dirty Dozen poster Rating: 7.7/10 (82,152 votes)
Director: Robert Aldrich
Writer: Nunnally Johnson, Lukas Heller, E.M. Nathanson
Stars: Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson
Runtime: 150 min
Rated: Approved
Genre: Action, Adventure, War
Released: 22 Oct 1967
Plot: During World War II, a rebellious U.S. Army Major is assigned a dozen convicted murderers to train and lead them into a mass assassination mission of German officers.

Sep 15 2014

Episode 31 – Citizen Kane

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Citizen KaneWe’ve finally arrived at “the greatest movie ever made” – Citizen Kane!  We tackle Orson Welles’ groundbreaking film as well as it’s reputation.  We encounter a stable of great actors and talk about Welles’ career.  Is this film the greatest move ever?  That is certainly a matter of taste.  We spend a lot of time talking about the film’s legacy and that may be more important than the film itself.

We also say the next movie we watch will be “Man on Wire.”  Turns out we were wrong.  It will be “The Dirty Dozen.”

Citizen Kane (1941)
Citizen Kane poster Rating: 8.2/10 (486,858 votes)
Director: Orson Welles
Writer: Herman J. Mankiewicz, Orson Welles, John Houseman
Stars: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore
Runtime: 119 min
Rated: PG
Genre: Drama, Mystery
Released: 05 Sep 1941
Plot: Following the death of publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane, reporters scramble to uncover the meaning of his final utterance: 'Rosebud.'

Sep 02 2014

Episode 30 – Plan 9 From Outer Space

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Plan 9 from Outer SpaceHaving tackled Tim Burton’s Ed Wood, we used our latest episode to look at Ed Wood’s magnum opus, Plan 9 From Outer Space!  The film, rightly or wrongly, is hailed as the worst movie of all time.  Our friend and bad movie aficionado Kelvin Hatle joins us once again to explore what will forever be known as Bela Lugosi’s last film.  Listen as we talk about how this film got made and how it went from obscurity to cult classic.

Our next episode will be all about one of the best movies ever made: Citizen Kane!

Plan 9 from Outer Space (1957)
Plan 9 from Outer Space poster Rating: 3.9/10 (41,824 votes)
Director: Edward D. Wood Jr.
Writer: Edward D. Wood Jr.
Stars: Gregory Walcott, Tom Keene, Mona McKinnon
Runtime: 79 min
Rated: Approved
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi
Released: 22 Jul 1959
Plot: Evil aliens attack Earth and set their terrible "Plan 9" into action. As the aliens resurrect the dead of the Earth, the lives of the living are in danger.

 

Aug 15 2014

Episode 29 – Ed Wood

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Ed WoodThis episode, we enter the world of Tim Burton and his homage to the king of bad movies, Ed Wood!  What is true and what is not true about this story is nowhere near as important as the personal touch Burton brings to this story.  You can tell that this is a movie dedicated to everyone who wanted to be an artist so badly, the fact they had no talent was of little consequence.

Our next episode is inspired by this one.  We’ll be watching Plan 9 From Outer Space!

Ed Wood (1994)
Ed Wood poster Rating: 7.8/10 (188,531 votes)
Director: Tim Burton
Writer: Rudolph Grey, Scott Alexander, Larry Karaszewski
Stars: Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, Sarah Jessica Parker
Runtime: 127 min
Rated: R
Genre: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Released: 07 Oct 1994
Plot: Ambitious but troubled movie director Edward D. Wood Jr. tries his best to fulfill his dreams despite his lack of talent.

Aug 01 2014

Episode 28 – Metropolis

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MetropolisOur newest installment was once again recorded live at the Trylon microcinema in Minneapolis!  We watched Metropolis with live accompaniment from Fugitive.  Jena was treated to what many would consider the first true Science Fiction film with original music composed specially for the showing! A sold out house joined us for a great experience and many of them stayed behind to discuss the film.  It was a great discussion cut short only because we wanted to make sure the folks at the Trylon could go home.

Please note that part one of the episode was recorded outside and part two was recorded inside the theater with audience interaction.  We apologize if anything is difficult to hear.

The break music is “Desruction” by Loverboy.  It comes from the Moroder soundtrack.

Our August 15th episode will be a discussion of Tim Burton’s Ed Wood!

Metropolis (1927)
Metropolis poster Rating: 8.3/10 (195,819 votes)
Director: Fritz Lang
Writer: Thea von Harbou, Fritz Lang
Stars: Brigitte Helm, Alfred Abel, Gustav Fröhlich
Runtime: 153 min
Rated: Not Rated
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi
Released: 13 Mar 1927
Plot: In a futuristic city sharply divided between the working class and the city planners, the son of the city's mastermind falls in love with a working-class prophet who predicts the coming of a savior to mediate their differences.

Jul 15 2014

Episode 27 – The General

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The GeneralJuly is silent film month at A Reel Education!  For our newest episode, we had Jena watch Buster Keaton’s best known work – The General!  Not only was this our first Buster Keaton film, it was our first trip into the world of silent film.  We talk a lot about how the musical accompaniment changes the experience of watching one of these films.

Speaking of silent films and musical accompaniment, our next episode will be recorded live at the Trylon theater on July 20th!  We’ll be watching Metropolis with a live band!

The General (1926)
The General poster Rating: 8.1/10 (104,099 votes)
Director: Clyde Bruckman, Buster Keaton
Writer: Buster Keaton, Clyde Bruckman, Al Boasberg
Stars: Buster Keaton, Marion Mack, Glen Cavender
Runtime: 78 min
Rated: Passed
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy
Released: 02 Jan 1927
Plot: After being rejected by the Confederate military, not realizing it was due to his crucial civilian role, an engineer must single-handedly recapture his beloved locomotive after it is seized by Union spies and return it through ene...

Jul 01 2014

Episode 26 – The Conversation

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The ConversationThis week’s episode was recorded live at the Trylon theater in Minneapolis.  We watched Francis Ford Coppola’s classic thriller The Conversation featuring Gene Hackman.  Afterward, we had a spirited conversation with several members of the audience.  Because we were live in the theater, some of the conversation might be a little bit quiet for some listeners.  Sorry about that!

Our next episode will be all about Buster Keaton’s The General!

The Conversation (1974)
The Conversation poster Rating: 7.7/10 (133,330 votes)
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Writer: Francis Ford Coppola
Stars: Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Allen Garfield
Runtime: 113 min
Rated: PG
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Released: 12 Apr 1974
Plot: A paranoid, secretive surveillance expert has a crisis of conscience when he suspects that the couple he is spying on will be murdered.