Two Reel Cinema Club

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

Oh, dear, what have we gotten ourselves into this episode? Join us for a look at some of the most evil people in history as we watch the new Oscar nominated Auschwitz movie The Zone of Interest and compare it to the Nazis' own 1935 propaganda epic, Triumph of the Will. Light hearted fun is in short supply this time round, but we still manage to challenge evil with ridicule as we ask who exactly paid for all those jackboots? Which film features the most pathetic and ineffectual salute? Which film breaks the fourth wall? And which film best portrays the insidious creeping advance of fascism? Plus, we ask why Donald Rumsfeld isn’t more popular among seven year olds, we check out some of the longest short films we’ve seen in ages, we enjoy a submarine drama with a twist on Apple TV, we debate exactly what to do with an umlaut, and we taste some unique new flavours of popcorn at our very own popcorn counter. 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

Sometimes at the Popcorn Counter we just go off on one. We have no idea how it happens, we try to plan these things out, but there it is. So join us this week for a high speed tour that takes in intermittent fasting, mind reading, Woody Allen, feral cats, raccoon families, French cinema’s tribute to the animal kingdom, the financial performance of canine movies and a lengthy guest appearance from Kiki the dog. Plus Mishima, Adaptation, and Wonder Boys. Also, this podcast includes maybe the most restful, hypnotising moment we’ve recorded in over a hundred episodes, so if you find your eyes gently closing at the ten minute mark, don’t panic, it’s intentional… 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 enjoy a clever and ironical look at black cinema this episode as we watch the hilarious and heartfelt Oscar-nominated feature American Fiction, and then compare it to the 1961 Chicago drama A Raisin in the Sun. Plus we see the return of the Two Reel Book Club, as we’ve also read the book and the play that gave birth to each film. But how do the two films differ in their explorations of racism? Which film could have made life even harder for its characters? Which film uses anti-cinematic photography to tell its story? And most importantly, which film has the best gags? Plus a fragrant message from our new sponsors, a viewing of an unmissable new feature from Ana DuVernay, a tour of the Musée Rodin in Paris, a caution from the Cliche Squad about stock characters, a worldwide search for the Blue Zones, and a handful of synthetic thoughts. 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

As George W Bush famously once asked, ‘Is our children learning?’ Join us in the specially commissioned TRCC Popcorn Counter Lecture Theatre as we celebrate our 100th episode. There we try to distill the lessons we’ve garnered from recording two years of podcasts into ten condensed nuggets of insight. Has all that viewing and talking about films made us any wiser, or just hoarser? Can we apply the intelligence of George Orwell to the podcaster’s craft? Why does Oppenheimer get mentioned not once but twice? And have we come up with the perfect sequel to Groundhog Day? Thanks to all our listeners for sticking with us over the first one hundred episodes, and here's hoping you'll join us in raising a half empty soda can to the next hundred. 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 Dogtooth recently, we’re convinced that endings are hard. Or are they? Join us at the Popcorn Counter as we take a look at movie endings good and bad from the history of cinema, Including: John Sayles’ Limbo, Birdman, The Long Good Friday, North by Northwest, Planet of the Apes, Fight Club, Top Gun Maverick, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and The Libertine. (…How do you like us now?) 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

A new Hayao Miyazaki film from Studio Ghibli has appeared! The Boy and the Heron is the master animator’s first feature length work in more than ten years, and on this week’s episode we dive deep into its mysterious, dreamlike world and measure it up against what might be the studio’s greatest feature, 1988’s My Neighbour Totoro. It’s no great surprise to find a lot of common ground here, with both films examining magic, love, fear and family crises. But which of the two is filled with so many ideas it risks incoherence? Which offers a barely disguised guest appearance from Mussolini? Which film vividly reminds us of our own endless summers? And which one stars our new favourite animated characters, the Potato Puff People? Plus an extra special ‘Also Playing’ segment, a look at new Portland-based feature film ‘Hangdog’, a novel peripheral for your television, a visit to a shooting location for a well known science fiction series, and the startling realisation that maybe the whole world is actually just a 13 piece block puzzle… 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

How many times has Frankenstein been made into a movie? More times than we remember, it turns out. There’s Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, Young Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein 2, yes, yes, yes. But what about Robocop? The Fly? The Six Million Dollar Man? Even one of our own scripts was a Frankenstein story. What does Frankenstein have in common with socialism? And what connects Mary Shelley to Philip K Dick? Join us at the Popcorn Counter as we slowly figure out that Frankenstein is the cinematic story that will simply never die… 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

What happens when you put the brain of a baby in the body of an adult woman? You get Sexy Frankenstein, apparently. At least that’s the opinion of the new Yorgos Lanthimos picture Poor Things starring Emma Stone, which is out in the UK this week. We’re comparing it to Lanthimos’ 2009 feature, Dogtooth, which first brought him to international prominence. And it turns out there’s plenty of common ground between these two curious, violent, comic fables. But which film reminds us of Terry Gilliam? Which film shares a premise with The Croods? And which film serves as a lesson on what the French will give out awards for? Plus a rewatch of All About Eve, a few tips on dissecting a worm, a caution from the Cliche Squad, the return of the Two Reel Cinema Book Club, a refresher in Greek mythology, and a tribute to TRCC dog Dino. 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

Ines Braga hangs out at the Popcorn Counter with us this week, where she confesses that she really doesn’t like musicals. But there are a few notable exceptions, including last week’s masterpiece West Side Story. Is there a rule that distinguishes good movie musicals from bad ones? Why do The Lion King, Frozen and Moana succeed where others do not? Is it possible to go wrong when you have the Beatles catalogue to draw from? And how does Clint Eastwood fit in to all this? 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

Tonight, tonight, we’re joined by screenwriter Ines Braga to sing a song of two musical pictures, the new Leonard Bernstein biopic Maestro, helmed by A Star is Born director Bradley Cooper, and Bernstein’s own 1961 masterpiece, West Side Story. They’re both very enjoyable, but which one has more to say about contemporary la la la la la l’America? Which one paints the most vivid picture of toxic masculinity? Which one can’t quite decide whose story it wants to be? And who forced Stephen Sondheim to change his lyrics before they’d accept a part? Plus the return of Gary Oldman to Apple TV+, one of us is abducted by a low budget 1950s UFO thriller, we hear a message to Bee Kind from our sponsor, we make an observation about what happens to people who cough in movies, and we watch a Project Runway episode so exciting it makes us pull the cable out of our microphone. 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 the show we’ve been anticipating for the last twelve months, the Two Reel Cinema Club Film of the Year Show. We’ve seen some masterpieces this year, we’ve seen some real clunkers, we’ve seen some incredible performances and we’ve seen some very eye catching hats. Who will win, who will get a dishonourable mention, and who will leave the ceremony emotional, drunk and bitter as their personal security staff roll them into the back of a white limo with lightly stained upholstery? We’ve kept our nominations secret from each other, so join us for some lively debate that includes Sergio Leone, Sydney Sweeney, Ralph Fiennes, Cillian Murphy, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, a Hollywood horse, a mini miracle, a disguise based on the outfit of a German tourist and much more. 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

Happy Holidays from the Two Reel Cinema Club, as we watch one of the funniest, dourest and most heartfelt Christmas films we’ve seen in years, Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers. We discover it perched under the mistletoe kissing a film forty years its senior, 1983’s English private school drama Another Country. These two films both examine privilege, wealth and class, while simultaneously exploring the depths of the human heart. But which one features a triple tragedy? Which revolves around a wonky drainpipe? And which one is so good it is more or less 100% cliche resistant? Plus a preview of a new podcast about Elon Musk, a cameo from the LoFi HipHop girl, our most confessional game of ‘Who Am I?’ yet, a new Netflix misfire, a trip through a Japanese time travel comedy, a highly detailed local weather report, a quick lesson on treating a dislocated shoulder, and a French film that turns out to be a Spanish film when we actually pull the dvd off the shelf… 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