Episode 23 – The Bridge on the River Kwai

, with special guest:

Bridge on the River KwaiThis month, we began our new relationship with the Trylon microcinema in Minneapolis!  They have great popcorn!  For our first film, we watched David Lean’s epic masterpiece The Bridge on the River Kwai featuring Sir Alec Guiness and William Holden.  There was much whistling and a bridge was destroyed!  Nary a lightsaber was to be seen! We had great fun talking about this movie with the attendees of the film and you can hear how much fun if you only listen to the episode!

Our June 1st episode will feature guests Kelvin Hatle and Jerry Belich as we talk about the David Lynch’s failed epic, Dune!

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
The Bridge on the River Kwai poster Rating: 8.1/10 (232,163 votes)
Director: David Lean
Writer: Pierre Boulle, Carl Foreman, Michael Wilson
Stars: William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins
Runtime: 161 min
Rated: PG
Genre: Adventure, Drama, War
Released: 14 Dec 1957
Plot: British POWs are forced to build a railway bridge across the river Kwai for their Japanese captors in occupied Burma, not knowing that the allied forces are planning a daring commando raid through the jungle to destroy it.

 

Episode 22 – Goodfellas

, with special guest:

GoodfellasHard to believe we’ve made it this far in the life of our little podcast without getting down with some Martin Scorsese!  Have no fear, this episode we take a look at one of his masterworks, GoodfellasDeNiro, Pesci and Liotta take us through the world of the gangster in a way that is very nearly Shakespearean.  Larger than life characters play across the screen until we start to understand that they are are all seduced by their own ideas of their lives.  Enjoy our trip through the lives of gangsters, Scorsese style!

Our next episode will be recorded live at the Trylon theater on Sunday the 4th of May!  We’ll be watching “Bridge on the River Kwai!”  Join us!

Goodfellas (1990)
Goodfellas poster Rating: 8.7/10 (1,251,316 votes)
Director: Martin Scorsese
Writer: Nicholas Pileggi, Martin Scorsese
Stars: Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci
Runtime: 145 min
Rated: R
Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama
Released: 21 Sep 1990
Plot: The story of Henry Hill and his life in the mafia, covering his relationship with his wife Karen and his mob partners Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito.

Episode 21 – 12 Years a Slave

, with special guest:

12 Years a SlaveIn what is becoming a tradition, we watched this year’s Academy Award winner for Best Picture, 12 Years a Slave!  In an unusual twist, Tim was the only host who had actually seen the film already.  The movie inspired a lot of discussion about slavery, the Oscars and, oddly, Gravity.  We hope you enjoy our annual trip to the Academy Awards!

Next time, we’ll be discussing one of Martin Scorsese’s greatest works: Goodfellas!

12 Years a Slave (2013)
12 Years a Slave poster Rating: 8.1/10 (738,643 votes)
Director: Steve McQueen
Writer: John Ridley, Solomon Northup
Stars: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Kenneth Williams, Michael Fassbender
Runtime: 134 min
Rated: R
Genre: Biography, Drama, History
Released: 08 Nov 2013
Plot: In the antebellum United States, Solomon Northup, a free Black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery.

Episode 20 – Sunset Boulevard

, with special guest:

Sunset BoulevardThis week, we dive into Billy Wilder for a walk along Sunset Boulevard!  William Holden and Gloria Swanson guide us through a wonderfully cynical look at Hollywood.  We go down the meta rabbit hole as we discuss the casting on this film.  We also spend far too much time talking about the horrible musical that was inspired by the film.  Accept no substitutes!

Our next episode, on April 15th, will be about the 2014 Academy Award Winner for Best Picture: 12 Years a Slave!

Sunset Blvd. (1950)
Sunset Blvd. poster Rating: 8.4/10 (234,943 votes)
Director: Billy Wilder
Writer: Charles Brackett, Billy Wilder, D.M. Marshman Jr.
Stars: William Holden, Gloria Swanson, Erich von Stroheim
Runtime: 110 min
Rated: Passed
Genre: Drama, Film-Noir
Released: 04 Aug 1950
Plot: A screenwriter develops a dangerous relationship with a faded film star determined to make a triumphant return.

A Reel Education LIVE on May 4th!

Bridge on the River Kwai Final

A Reel Education is returning to live shows, starting on May 4th! This time, we will be at The Trylon Microcinema, where you can join our live recording session, which comes after a screening of the Alec Guinness classic, Bridge on the River Kwai!

We are excited to introduce you to our new venue, The Trylon. The Trylon Microcinema is a wonderful, intimate non-profit theater in South Minneapolis, whose focus is on rare, classic, and unusual films.

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

Join us! And spread the word!

A Reel Education LIVE featuring Bridge on the River Kwai

Sunday, May 4th
Film starts at 8:00 PM. Podcast will be recorded immediately after the film.

The Trylon Microcinema
3258 Minnehaha Av
Minneapolis, MN

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
The Bridge on the River Kwai poster Rating: 8.1/10 (232,163 votes)
Director: David Lean
Writer: Pierre Boulle, Carl Foreman, Michael Wilson
Stars: William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins
Runtime: 161 min
Rated: PG
Genre: Adventure, Drama, War
Released: 14 Dec 1957
Plot: British POWs are forced to build a railway bridge across the river Kwai for their Japanese captors in occupied Burma, not knowing that the allied forces are planning a daring commando raid through the jungle to destroy it.

Episode 19 – The Emperor’s New Groove

, with special guest:

The Emperor's New GrooveOne of the challenges we’ve faced is finding an animated film that Jena hasn’t seen.  While we can toss just about anything else in front of her, she’s watched almost everything by Disney.  What a delight it was, then when we discovered that she had never seen one of the most underrated Disney films of all time, The Emperor’s New Groove!  She had seen the straight to video sequel but not the hilarious original.  We have managed to rectify that situation so sit back and enjoy our conversation about a movie that is not nearly as Disney as you might expect.

The Emperor's New Groove (2000)
The Emperor's New Groove poster Rating: 7.4/10 (224,250 votes)
Director: Mark Dindal
Writer: Chris Williams, Mark Dindal, David Reynolds
Stars: David Spade, John Goodman, Eartha Kitt
Runtime: 78 min
Rated: G
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Released: 15 Dec 2000
Plot: Emperor Kuzco is turned into a llama by his ex-administrator Yzma, and must now regain his throne with the help of Pacha, the gentle llama herder.

Our next podcast will be on April 1st and we’ll be discussing Sunset Boulevard!

Episode 18 – The Magnificent Seven

, with special guest:

The Magnificent SevenFollowing up on our last episode about Seven Samurai, this episode looks at the American remake.  Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, James Coburn, Charles Bronson and more up the manly quotient to unbearable levels in The Magnificent Seven!  The movie is a remarkably close adaptation of Kurosawa’s classic.  We talk about the similarities as well as some of the very important differences.  Tim even comes up with a convoluted and frighteningly logical explanation of how this movie is actually remake of The Wizard of Oz. We also sing.  That’s a warning.

Stick around after the closing theme to hear the brilliant Magnificent Seven song from Trailer B!

The Magnificent Seven (1960)
The Magnificent Seven poster Rating: 7.7/10 (101,911 votes)
Director: John Sturges
Writer: William Roberts, Akira Kurosawa, Walter Bernstein
Stars: Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson
Runtime: 128 min
Rated: Approved
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
Released: 12 Oct 1960
Plot: Seven gunfighters are hired by Mexican peasants to liberate their village from oppressive bandits.

Our next episode will be about The Emperor’s New Groove!

 

Episode 17 – Seven Samurai

, with special guest:

Seven SamuraiIt is time for some Reel Education subtitled action courtesy of the great Akira Kurosawa’ s masterpiece, Seven Samurai! While Jena speculates there will be flips in this film, she finds nary a one.  Instead, she finds one of the greatest films ever along with some truly racist Japanese accents courtesy of Melissa and Tim!  Seven Samurai enter!  How many leave?  That would be a spoiler!

Seven Samurai (1954)
Seven Samurai poster Rating: 8.6/10 (365,525 votes)
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Writer: Akira Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto, Hideo Oguni
Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Keiko Tsushima
Runtime: 207 min
Rated: Not Rated
Genre: Action, Drama
Released: 19 Nov 1956
Plot: Farmers from a village exploited by bandits hire a veteran samurai for protection, who gathers six other samurai to join him.

Our next episode will be all about The Good, The Bad and The Ugly!

Episode 16 – Double Indemnity

, with special guest:

Double IndemnityJena was unable to make our recording at Pepito’s this episode so we pulled in a Stunt Jena.  Joining us at the Parkway was Tim’s son Alex, who got to watch his first Noir on the big screen.  Our movie was the Noir classic Double Indemnity by Billy Wilder.  People betrayed each other.  People died.  Insurance was sold.  Yep.  Insurance.  Enjoy our conversation about a great film!

Double Indemnity (1944)
Double Indemnity poster Rating: 8.3/10 (166,696 votes)
Director: Billy Wilder
Writer: Billy Wilder, Raymond Chandler, James M. Cain
Stars: Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson
Runtime: 107 min
Rated: Passed
Genre: Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Released: 06 Jul 1944
Plot: A Los Angeles insurance representative lets an alluring housewife seduce him into a scheme of insurance fraud and murder that arouses the suspicion of his colleague, an insurance investigator.

Episode 15 – Modern Times

, with special guest:

Modern TimesThis week’s episode dives headfirst into the world of Charles Chaplin as we enjoy one of his most iconic works – Modern Times.  We talk about making a “silent” film in sound era, Chaplin’s apparent death wish on roller skates and a great deal more!  Listen as we educate Jena on one of the three greatest comics of the silent film era!

Our next episode will be Double Indemnity, recorded live at Pepito’s Parkway Theatre on January 18th featuring Alex Wick as our stunt Jena!

Modern Times (1936)
Modern Times poster Rating: 8.5/10 (257,290 votes)
Director: Charles Chaplin
Writer: Charles Chaplin
Stars: Charles Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Henry Bergman
Runtime: 87 min
Rated: G
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Released: 25 Feb 1936
Plot: The Tramp struggles to live in modern industrial society with the help of a young homeless woman.