Sep 15 2014

Episode 31 – Citizen Kane

, with special guest:

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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

, with special guest:

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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

A Reel Education LIVE on July 20th!

Metropolis

A Reel Education is pleased to return to The Trylon microcinema on July 20th! This time, we will be presenting Metropolis, the very first feature-length science fiction film. As an extra treat, this silent classic will be accompanied with live music by FUGITIVE!

The Trylon microcinema is a wonderful, intimate non-profit theater in South Minneapolis, whose focus is on rare, classic, and unusual films. They also serve organic popcorn with real butter, so you know these folks are serious about the film experience.

Tickets are $10. (Five-show Trylon discount cards are also available for $25!)

Join us! And spread the word!

A Reel Education LIVE featuring Metropolis

Sunday, July 20th

Film starts at 8:00 PM. Podcast will be recorded immediately after the film.

The Trylon microcinema
3258 Minnehaha Av
Minneapolis, MN

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.

Jun 15 2014

Episode 25 – Cabaret

, with special guest:

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CabaretJena wasn’t able to make it to the recording of this episode but that’s OK, we bought in a stunt Jena!  This week’s stunt Jena was…Melissa!  Turns out Cabaret was one of the few films that she had never seen.  With Melissa our acting Jena, we were down one expert.  Enter our friend Windy Bowlsby!  Windy is a huge fan of the film and of Bob Fosse so she provided a great expert perspective.  Enjoy our conversation about the only Oscar winning musical set in pre-Nazi Germany that we know about!

Our next episode is going to be recorded live at the Trylon Theatre on June 29th.  We’ll be watching The Conversation!

And don’t forget to check out Windy and Melissa’s podcast – Xanadu Cinema Pleasure Dome!

Cabaret (1972)
Cabaret poster Rating: 7.8/10 (63,304 votes)
Director: Bob Fosse
Writer: Joe Masteroff, John Van Druten, Christopher Isherwood
Stars: Liza Minnelli, Michael York, Helmut Griem
Runtime: 124 min
Rated: PG
Genre: Drama, Music, Musical
Released: 13 Feb 1972
Plot: A female girlie club entertainer in Weimar Republic era Berlin romances two men while the Nazi Party rises to power around them.

 

Jun 05 2014

A Reel Education LIVE on June 29th!

Conversation-RGB

A Reel Education is pleased to return to The Trylon Microcinema on June 29th! This time, we will be presenting the The Conversation, the 1974 psychological thriller starring Gene Hackman. One of Francis Ford Coppola’s finest films, The Conversation is a complex piece steeped in Watergate-era paranoia.

The Trylon Microcinema is a wonderful, intimate non-profit theater in South Minneapolis, whose focus is on rare, classic, and unusual films. They also serve organic popcorn with real butter, so you know these folks are serious about the film experience.

Tickets are $8. (Five-show Trylon discount cards are also available for $25!)

Join us! And spread the word!

A Reel Education LIVE featuring The Conversation

Sunday, June 29th

Film starts at 7:15 PM. Podcast will be recorded immediately after the film.

The Trylon Microcinema
3258 Minnehaha Av
Minneapolis, MN

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.

Jun 01 2014

Episode 24 – Dune

, with special guest: , ,

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DuneFor our newest episode, we subjected Jena to the 1984 train wreck that is David Lynch’s Dune!  We are joined by two special guests.  First is Kelvin Hatle, who has an unholy love for bad movies great and small.  Second is Jerry Belich who, along with Melissa, produced a Swede version of the film that you can (and should) watch on Youtube!  We try to make sense of a film that almost works on many levels and yet completely fails on all of them.  Who knows if we succeeded?

We added the horrible song that Tim wrote for the credit sequence of the Dune Swede.  It is after the closing music to the podcast.  If you’d like to download your own version of the song (though we don’t know why you would), you can do that here.

Our June 15th episode will be about Cabaret and features special guest Windy Bowlsby!

Dune (1984)
Dune poster Rating: 6.3/10 (190,293 votes)
Director: David Lynch
Writer: Frank Herbert, David Lynch
Stars: Kyle MacLachlan, Virginia Madsen, Francesca Annis
Runtime: 137 min
Rated: PG-13
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Released: 14 Dec 1984
Plot: A Duke's son leads desert warriors against the galactic emperor and his father's evil nemesis to free their desert world from the emperor's rule.