Two Reel Cinema Club

Did we ever tell you about the time we met Al Gore? Join us at the Popcorn Counter to hear how we encountered the man who was almost the President of the United States, and what it had to do with the film industry. Plus, once we’re on the subject of An Inconvenient Truth, we ask why there aren’t more environmental films, given the size of the problem. Movies mentioned include Silent Runnings, The China Syndrome, Oppenheimer, The Cove, Darwin’s Nightmare, Virunga, My Octopus Teacher, Koyaanisqatsi and more. Should we eat creatures that can solve crosswords better than us? What happens when humans abandon land? And why do we want to go to Mars when we have a perfectly good planet to mess up right here?

If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media:

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Or come to our website, where we’ll be writing about the movies we cover in the show and a few more things besides: https://tworeelcinemaclub.com

We’re watching new Latvian animated film Flow this episode, a beautiful and distinctive looking parable about cooperation and environmental collapse, and we’re comparing it to the 1997 Studio Ghibli classic Princess Mononoke. These two movies offer two very different perspectives on the effects of humans on the lives of animals: Flow seems simple and family friendly, while Mononoke is violent, complex and morally ambiguous. But which of these films offers hope? Which could do with more jokes? Which is surprisingly violent? Which left us with more questions than answers? And which one has just tooooo much going on?

Plus the return of an old sponsor in a new outfit, a screening of a Hitchcock silent picture with live music, a strange dream about Florence Pugh, a review of a philosophical essay from 1974 about bats, a watch of a 2019 film that could almost be a video game, and quite a lot of talk about mice.

If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media:

Instagram: @tworeelcinemaclub

Contact us at [email protected]

Or come to our website, where we’ll be writing about the movies we cover in the show and a few more things besides: https://tworeelcinemaclub.com

This year is the first time in the history of cinema that every film in the top ten is a sequel or a prequel. Join us at the popcorn counter to talk about what’s wrong with the industry, how we’ve ended up here and what we might do to get ourselves out of this particular creative ditch. Who has the star power to open a non-franchise film these days? How can we encourage more risks? What can we learn from the craft brewery business? And how might A.I., our favourite nemesis, possibly come to our rescue this time around?

If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media:

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Contact us at [email protected]

Or come to our website, where we’ll be writing about the movies we cover in the show and a few more things besides: https://tworeelcinemaclub.com

We have watched the new Sebastian Stan movie A Different Man this week, a low budget, independent, off kilter comedy drama about an actor with neurofibromatosis who transforms his appearance and alters his identity. But do things change for the better or the worse? We’re comparing it to the classic tale of stolen identity, 1982’s The Return of Martin Guerre. These movies offer two takes on similar phenomena, with some wildly varying conclusions. But which film contains the best surprise? Which film looks like a painting brought to life? And which film has a link to animated favourite Robot Dreams?

Plus we read a novella by Alexandre Dumas, we discover a personal connection to a beautifully scored Netflix documentary about lost children, no-one saves us from a fun and almost silent alien invasion movie, one of us gets lost in the Maine woods, and we enjoy a word from our sponsors and their nuclear powered mints. 

If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media:

Instagram: @tworeelcinemaclub

Contact us at [email protected]

Or come to our website, where we’ll be writing about the movies we cover in the show and a few more things besides: https://tworeelcinemaclub.com

We’re in conversation with probably the world’s number one sound recordist this week, friend of the pod Mike Primmer, who was the man holding the boom in last week’s film A Prairie Home Companion. Join us for not only the best recorded Popcorn Counter ever, but also for some incredible insights into the making of this 2006 classic. How many takes does Robert Altman like to shoot? What’s Woody Harrelson’s guitar playing like? How pregnant was Maya Rudolf? And how was Paul Thomas Anderson involved? Plus some fresh news on the current state of the film industry in California and beyond, and some reflections on the tenth anniversary rerelease of Interstellar.

If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media:

Instagram: @tworeelcinemaclub

Contact us at [email protected]

Or come to our website, where we’ll be writing about the movies we cover in the show and a few more things besides: https://tworeelcinemaclub.com

Stop singing that Whigfield hit from 1994 and instead join us for a look at Saturday Night, the brand new feature film comedy from Jason Reitman about the first broadcast of US television institution Saturday Night Live. With its fairly soft plot, character based comedy, constantly moving camera and huge ensemble cast it looks a lot like a Robert Altman movie – which is a lucky coincidence, because we’re comparing it to Altman’s final picture, 2006’s A Prairie Home Companion, a gentle drama about life backstage at a long running radio show. It’s one of those weeks where the two films have so much in common that if feels like we’ve watched the same movie twice. But which film stars a character with a face for radio? Which film has more than one connection to I Used To Be Funny? Which film has some of the best sound we’ve heard in a long time? And which film obeys one of the great rules of screenwriting?

Plus a judging position on a Sri Lankan popstar lookalike contest, a look back at running a real comedy club, a brief requiem for John Belushi, a nod to BBC Radio Four’s Loose Ends, a visit to a midwestern lake of dinosaur poo, and a new real estate opportunity out at sea from our sponsor. It must be Saturday Night!

If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media:

Instagram: @tworeelcinemaclub

Contact us at [email protected]

Or come to our website, where we’ll be writing about the movies we cover in the show and a few more things besides: https://tworeelcinemaclub.com

It’s quiz night once again at the Popcorn Counter this week, in what we’re going to call ‘Pop Quiz’ from now on. This time: detective movies. Can you name forty detective movies given our cryptic, random and rambling clues? Score over 28 to earn our undying respect. In between the questions, we wonder about Orson Welles’ shooting style, recall some outstandingly well recorded dialogue, and summarise capitalism in a single word.

If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media:

Instagram: @tworeelcinemaclub

Contact us at [email protected]

Or come to our website, where we’ll be writing about the movies we cover in the show and a few more things besides: https://tworeelcinemaclub.com

Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut Woman of the Hour is our new film at the Two Reel Cinema Club this week, a true life serial killer thriller that mixes perky humour and dreadful violence to powerful effect. We’re comparing it to one of the granddaddies of serial killer movies, 1971’s Dirty Harry. Which film is stacked to the rafters with Christian imagery? Which film takes no interest in the victims of crime whatsoever? Which film feels like four different films squished together? And which film is like a Rosetta Stone that can explain modern American politics?

Plus we have a Portland Maine special edition, with two local horror films, two locally born stars and one local real estate deal, as well as a cameo from Churchill, a surprisingly helpful doctor, a naked blues band, a sauce that goes with everything, a real life baddie from the seventeenth century, a complaint from the cliché squad about the colour orange, and a surprise guest appearance by Donald Trump’s ear.

If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media:

Instagram: @tworeelcinemaclub

Contact us at [email protected]

Or come to our website, where we’ll be writing about the movies we cover in the show and a few more things besides: https://tworeelcinemaclub.com

It’s not an episode for those with claustrophobia this week, as we get stuck in the elevator on the way to the Popcorn Counter for the second time. At least we have our microphones, so we take the opportunity to practice our best elevator pitches. With Joker: Folie à Deux fresh in our minds, are there any other well known properties that would benefit from a musical redo? Which three films from recent podcasts would we love to see in song? Which three outliers from cinematic history deserve a fresh lease of life with the benefit of a few show tunes? And will we finish our pitches before the fire service arrives to perform a daring rescue?  (Spoiler: yes).

If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media:

Instagram: @tworeelcinemaclub

Contact us at [email protected]

Or come to our website, where we’ll be writing about the movies we cover in the show and a few more things besides: https://tworeelcinemaclub.com

When Joker made nearly $1.1bn at the box office, a sequel was more or less assured. But who expected a musical? Join us this week as watch Joaquim Phoenix and Lady Gaga in Joker: Folie à Deux and ask: is it possible to turn a comic book movie into anything? What does the film say about the state of the world? Is society a civilising force or a tissue-thin cover for anarchy? And how does this new film compare to the movie to which it pays a twisted homage, 1964’s sweet and colourful The Umbrellas of Cherbourg? 

Plus we enjoy a new Pixar home run, we watch a documentary about surfing, we wonder what it would be like to read the Bible at 40, we tell a true life story about being arrested, we flick through DSM 5, we try on a new brand of underwear, and we question the significance of cults centred around criminal television personalities.

If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media:

Instagram: @tworeelcinemaclub

Contact us at [email protected]

Or come to our website, where we’ll be writing about the movies we cover in the show and a few more things besides: https://tworeelcinemaclub.com