Two Reel Cinema Club

We’re lost in the desert, deep in conspiracy country this episode, as we enjoy the new Scarlett Johansson / Channing Tatum ‘how they could have faked the moon landings’ rom com Fly Me To The Moon, and compare it to its direct antecedent, the 1977 Elliot Gould ‘how they might fake the Mars landings’ thriller Capricorn One. The parallels are obvious, the treatments are completely different. Or are they? Which film features ‘fluffy gravity’? Which reminds us of Doris Day and Rock Hudson? Which features a Charlie’s Angels cameo? Which stars the father of Thanos? And which film truly saves the cat? Plus a modern classic from Steven Soderbergh, an environmental documentary with a convicted felon who’s served her time, a discussion of Elon Musk’s bitter foretaste, a flock of birds visits the studio, we tackle the world’s hardest word puzzle with our sponsor, and we discover exactly what NASA does when one of their engineers disappears... If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media: Instagram: @tworeelcinemaclub Contact us at tworeelcinemaclub@gmail.com 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 wiping away the tears of a clown at the Popcorn Counter this episode, as we spend a happy twenty minutes asking: how come so many well known actors got their start as stand up comedians, and yet there seem to be so few films about comedians? We draw parallels between comedians and writers, wonder if the best comedy reveals too much about its writer, and ask: who told the joke ‘The Aristocrats’ the best? Who is the comedian’s comedian that every comic in London went to see for one night only? And why is so much that’s funny also painful? If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media: Instagram: @tworeelcinemaclub Contact us at tworeelcinemaclub@gmail.com 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 comedy night at the Two Reel Cinema Club this episode, as we watch the new Canadian dramedy I Used To Be Funny and compare it to an early Tom Hanks picture, Punchline, from 1988. Both films are set in and around stand-up comedy venues, and it’s fascinating to see what’s changed and what’s not in 36 years. But does either film have much more to say than the usual ‘tears of a clown’ cliches about comedians being sad and troubled people off stage? Which film is the most authentic? Which film is the funniest? And which film features the most bacon? Plus: we discuss a little about our own brief stand-up career, we weigh up the value of getting the audience hammered during the interval, we try to prove the existence of God and regret seeing a recent Disney clunker, we ask how far can you get in New York on $15, we welcome a furry new sponsor to the podcast, and we warn against typing ‘out-joking each other’ into your phone when you have autocorrect switched on… If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media: Instagram: @tworeelcinemaclub Contact us at tworeelcinemaclub@gmail.com 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

Everyone loves a quiz. Well, we do. Well, one of us does. This week at the Popcorn Counter, Maurice has inspired us to make a note of just how many eponymous films there are on the IMDb. So join us for an eponymous movie quiz, where we’ll give you a trickle of clues to help you guess forty movies each with a forename as their title. Play along at home and let us know if you can beat Andres’ score. (Unlikely, if you ask us...) Featuring Clint Eastwood, Gwyneth Paltrow, Mia Farrow, and of course Tom Hanks. If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media: Instagram: @tworeelcinemaclub Contact us at tworeelcinemaclub@gmail.com 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

Everyone’s coming out this week at the Two Reel Cinema Club, as we watch the new-ish Tig Notaro comedy Am I Ok? and compare it to 1987’s Merchant Ivory heritage picture Maurice. When stood next to each other these two films have a lot to say about the experience of coming out as LGBTQ a century apart. But what bit of 1980s UK legislation is Maurice really about? Which film features a job we would love to have? And exactly how many people live in LA? Is it five? It certainly looks like five. Plus we stare at Dave Gilmour’s nipple, spend seven hours with a serial killer, question whether a Tom Hanks short story works as a play, buy a meal kit that’s a little light on ingredients, burst into tears as we make an IKEA wardrobe, and sigh enviously at Hugh Grant’s hair. If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media: Instagram: @tworeelcinemaclub Contact us at tworeelcinemaclub@gmail.com 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

After watching two robot pictures back to back last week, we’ve cleared some space at the Popcorn Counter this episode for a Robot Rumble: eight cinematic robots in a knockout contest with mystery challenges. We have electronic wrestlers from sci-fi classics, post-humans from TV that moved to the big screen, and children’s characters with depth and pathos. Who will win? Who will be assimilated? And who will graduate to a lucrative career DJing across Europe? If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media: Instagram: @tworeelcinemaclub Contact us at tworeelcinemaclub@gmail.com 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

(You may hear the sound of cats in the studio this episode, but just think of it as atmospheric background sound effects…) This week, we watch the new, Oscar-nominated animated feature Robot Dreams, which stars anthropomorphic animals living in a stylised 1980s New York and a beautiful, unconventional love story. We’re comparing it to the film that features possibly the first ever robot in cinema, Fritz Lang’s Metropolis from 1927. Two cities, two robots, two eras, and plenty in common. And as a bonus, we've read (most of) both of the books these films were based on. But which offers the most authentic portrait of day to day life in a MegaCity? Which presents a version of Elon Musk and a rabble rousing sexbot? And which is really three love stories woven into one? Plus, we drink in an ad from a sponsor you may already have in your house, make a visit to an Italian archaeological dig, take a journey four light years into space with Netflix, extol the joys of 1.5x, and struggle to pronounce ‘recipe’. And to cap it all off, we have a possible chance to meet Tom Hanks for real… If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media: Instagram: @tworeelcinemaclub Contact us at tworeelcinemaclub@gmail.com 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 a theory… Do long series of films only hit their stride after their first three instalments? Join us at the Popcorn Counter this week after our Mad Max marathon as we try to prove or disprove our thesis, using a hefty list of examples. Surely if you rummage around in the IMDB for long enough it’s possible to ‘prove’ anything, isn’t it? We take a whistle stop tour of franchise cinema that includes James Bond, Star Trek, Mission Impossible, Star Wars, the ‘Before’ movies and more. Which of these movies is the best one? Has the power of Godzilla has been diluted over dozens of sequels? And what is the secret to making films with the same actors playing the same characters that improve as the years go by? If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media: Instagram: @tworeelcinemaclub Contact us at tworeelcinemaclub@gmail.com 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

Join us in the post apocalyptic wasteland for one of our longest episodes ever this week, as we watch the new ‘Mad Max Saga’ Furiosa, and compare it with its direct antecedent, 2015’s action masterpiece Mad Max Fury Road. These two high octane, gas guzzling thrillers are more or less anagrams of each other, but can Furiosa drive away with Fury Road’s crown? Which film makes us think of the post literate society, and which one leaves us quoting T S Eliot? Which film features a character who belongs in an M and Ms ad, and which film is aimed at fifty five year old teenagers? Why are these films a triumph for inclusion and progress, and how come it’s so easy to find a decent mechanic in the wasteland? Plus we announce a new podcast for would-be neuroscientists, we reflect on whether the Bible is literature, we suggest how George Miller may have saved money on salaries and trailers, we call the Cliche Squad over some hairdressing controversies, we watch a surreal recent classic about San Francisco, and we sit through every other Mad Max film in a single week. And after all that, we could really do with a drink and a cool shower. If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media: Instagram: @tworeelcinemaclub Contact us at tworeelcinemaclub@gmail.com 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 a bit of a disaster this week as we get stuck in the elevator on the way to the popcorn counter, but at least it gives us a chance to practise our elevator pitches. And after watching The Fall Guy last week we’re basing all our pitches on pre-existing 1970s and 80s properties. Three pitches each, which one would we commission? Including a remix of an evergreen children’s classic, a potential seafaring mega-franchise, some nostalgic blue eyed soul, a gender swapped Robert Redford movie, a highly topical revisit of a Michael York film, and a do-over of a low budget British sci-fi serial. Can we get through all six before we get rescued or maintenance turns off the power…? If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media: Instagram: @tworeelcinemaclub Contact us at tworeelcinemaclub@gmail.com 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 stunt performers smash up cars, leap from helicopters and ride horses across the desert in this week’s movies as we compare the new Ryan-Gosling-Emily-Blunt 80s throwback The Fall Guy to 2006’s surreal and sumptuous The Fall. They’re both films about stuntmen, but aside from sharing most of a title they could hardly be more different. Or could they? Which film features the Homoerotic Avengers? Which film reminds us of a Suzanne Vega video? Which film stars a Canis Ex Machina? And which film is ‘perfectly fine’? Plus a quick look at the new Ken Loach feature, an anime movie about furniture, a brief but delicious message from our sponsor, a meditation on the general quality of 1980s television, a review of a book by the world’s greatest stuntman, and, if you listen carefully, you might just be able to hear someone doing donuts in the parking lot outside the studio while we record. Probably Ryan Gosling. If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media: Instagram: @tworeelcinemaclub Contact us at tworeelcinemaclub@gmail.com 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

Apparently there’s some kind of election in the US soon? We’re not sure of the details, but if we had the opportunity to write the name of a movie president on the ballot, who would get our cross? Join us as we hash out the possibilities at the Popcorn Counter this episode. And while we’re at it, we ask what’s the difference between Bill Pullman and Dubya? Which Terry Crews comedy becomes more prescient with every passing year? Was John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever or Saturday Night Live? And who is our favourite actor to play two different US presidents? If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media: Instagram: @tworeelcinemaclub Contact us at tworeelcinemaclub@gmail.com 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

Neighbours fight neighbours in this week’s pod, as we watch Alex Garland’s new, maybe-too-close-to-real-life, dystopian thriller Civil War and compare it with Ken Loach’s 1995 Spanish Civil War picture Land and Freedom. Both of these films are certainly thought-provoking, with action, bloodshed, tragedy and tension. But which one makes the best use of a rucksack? Which takes the most humane view of its characters? Which features a cameo from a well-known screenwriter? And which makes us think of Billy Bragg? Plus a revisit to a dour and dull desert epic, a doc about a 60s TV icon, an ad from Netflix about their follow up to Three Body Problem, a suggestion for what Alex Garland should call his next book, a whole crowd of people in a room talking about politics, and one of us steps in ‘do’ while the other one forgets what they’re doing. (The joy of live radio!) If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media: Instagram: @tworeelcinemaclub Contact us at tworeelcinemaclub@gmail.com 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

You’re welcome to join us at the Popcorn Counter this episode, but speak up because we’ve got our noise cancelling headphones on. (You know, the ones for dogs, remember?) We’ve been listening to a few rival pods while we wait for the popcorn machine to warm up, but which would we sincerely recommend? What are the podcasts that make it into our subscriptions, and when do we find time to listen to them? And do we ever think about anything else besides movies? Featuring guest appearances from blazers, Malcolm Gladwell, the first half of the 1980s, soccer tournaments, heavyweights, dead people, John Lanchester and video games. Now THAT sounds like quite a party. If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media: Instagram: @tworeelcinemaclub Contact us at tworeelcinemaclub@gmail.com 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

Is it term time already? It must be, because we’re heading back to school again, this time comparing the new, Oscar-nominated German drama The Teachers’ Lounge with 1967’s scholastic classic, To Sir With Love. There are so many elements in common here that you have to ask if someone’s been copying their homework: outsider teachers, rebellious pupils, racism in the classroom, and scarily self confident teenagers. But which film has an actual ending? Which film offers some medical truths? And which film has the most thirty-year-old looking sixteen-year-olds? Plus a transatlantic haunting from the BBC, a controversial solution to the problem of reading menus in dark restaurants from our sponsor, a musical guest from Manchester, and some stone cold, legitimate, real medical advice. If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media: Instagram: @tworeelcinemaclub Contact us at tworeelcinemaclub@gmail.com 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

Please be seated, the Court of the Popcorn Counter is now in session. We’re hosting a constitutional controversy of our own this episode, as we accuse Legal Dramas of the crime of being a bit boring and fundamentally uncinematic. And in true legal tradition, we flipped a coin beforehand to decide which one of us was going to prosecute and which defend. (Like so many movie lawyers, you can tell we’re only in it for the money.) Which film did we fall asleep in twice? Which film sees Julia Roberts settle before she makes it to the courtroom? And have we been to Peyton Place recently? If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media: Instagram: @tworeelcinemaclub Contact us at tworeelcinemaclub@gmail.com 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 double anatomy at the Two Reel Cinema Club this episode, as we catch up on the last of the Oscar nominees with Anatomy of a Fall, the French courtroom drama that ended up with the Best Screenplay Academy Award this year. It’s a bloody and nuanced multilingual piece with a couple of dynamite performances, but is it possible that not quite enough happens? We’re comparing it to the 1959 Otto Preminger picture Anatomy of a Murder, starring the ever charming James Stewart and a young Lee Remick, and accompanied by a rollicking soundtrack from Duke Ellington. But which of these films features a barrister dressed as Santa Claus? Which film stars a dog that won an award at Cannes? And which film is based on a book that Stephen King would have been furious with? Plus we watch a Marvel film that isn’t very good, though probably not for the reasons you may have heard, we argue over the pronunciation of ‘lieutenant’, we learn something about Senator McCarthy, we discover what makes modern business tick thanks to our sponsor, and during the break we clean up some vomit. (Screenwriting is a dirty job, but somebody’s got to do it….) If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media: Instagram: @tworeelcinemaclub Contact us at tworeelcinemaclub@gmail.com 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

Join us at the Popcorn Counter this episode for some late-to-the-party Oscars chat. Which nominated film was hit with plagiarism claims? Which film was like getting struck by a steamroller? What exactly is Barbie ‘adapted’ from? When is sound crucial? What are short films actually for? And how much controversy can we generate over the pronunciation of the word ‘controversy’? If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media: Instagram: @tworeelcinemaclub Contact us at tworeelcinemaclub@gmail.com 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

Again? Seriously? Yes, welcome to our third podcast in a row to feature Nazis. These guys will just not go away. This episode we have watched the new Ava DuVernay docudrama Origin, and read the book it’s based on - Isabel Wilkerson’s non-fiction best seller Caste. We’re comparing it to what may be the first ever cinematic epic, 1915’s silent KKK movie Birth of a Nation. There’s a lot of highly emotional material here about the history of racism and prejudice, but we do have a few questions. Why are these films like looking down opposite ends of a telescope? What do they teach us about the scars racism leaves on society? Which film is so full of house-building metaphors that it feels like a property show? Which film do we nickname ‘American Fiction for stupid people’? And which film features a cameo from ‘Massive Jesus’? Plus one of us fires a handgun, we both eat a lot of waffles, and then we drink a beer with White-Arm-Jack and Anvil-Man. Also we have a look at two films about artists that begin with the letter ‘A’, make a visit to a cult from a 2017 low budget sci-fi movie, and discover a new slant on PPP from our sponsors. If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media: Instagram: @tworeelcinemaclub Contact us at tworeelcinemaclub@gmail.com 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

Join us at the Popcorn Counter this week as we ask: why are Nazis such commonly used villains in movies? Films and shows discussed include Hogan’s Heroes, Indiana Jones, Schindler’s List, Star Wars, Starship Troopers, Saving Private Ryan, The Producers, Das Schreckliche Mädchen, Germany Year Zero, and They Saved Hitler’s Brain. Give yourself a bonus mark if you can guess which of those films has the lowest Rotten Tomatoes rating… If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media: Instagram: @tworeelcinemaclub Contact us at tworeelcinemaclub@gmail.com 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