The Next Reel Film Podcast

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Léon: The Professional • The Next Reel Dec 06, 2012

Show notes

It's the perfect description of the awkward yet touching relationship between a simple 40-something assassin and a wise-beyond-her-years pre-teen girl, and it's at the heart of our next pick in our Luc Besson series, his first foray into English-language cinema, 1994's Leon: the Professional, or more simply just Leon. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we talk about this fascinating film that we both quite enjoy, a film that is possibly Besson's best.
We discuss the fascinating hitman story and what Besson brings to the table, including his Besson-isms that aren't as prevalent as they were in Nikita but still show their face. We deliberate on the difficult waters the filmmakers were treading when telling this love-story-buried-within-a-crime-story between Natalie Portman's Mathilda (in her first movie role) and a much older hitman (the always awesome Jean Reno). We talk about the amazing talent — Reno, the amazing turn of 12-year-old Portman, and the ridiculously over the top and meme-inspiring performance of Gary Oldman as a corrupt and evil DEA agent. We chat about the powerful cinematographic moments that Besson and his DP Thierry Arbogast used to capture a few of the most powerful scenes in the film. And we again wonder why Besson feels it necessary to continue employing a composer as bad as Eric Serra. It's a film that Pete has always loved and Andy only just recently realized he likes it a lot more than he thought, and we have a great time talking about it. Listen in!
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Nikita • The Next Reel Nov 29, 2012

Show notes

We're starting off our Luc Besson series with a film that fascinates us, even if it sometimes devolves into a cartoonish atmosphere. This week, we chat about Besson's 1990 film Nikita, or La Femme Nikita if you're so inclined. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we start off this series with this Pygmalion-like tale of a young woman trained to be a government assassin.
We discuss what works and what doesn't in the performances, particularly focusing on Anne Parillaud's performance of the title character. We chat about Besson and what he brings to the table, for better or for worse. We talk about the nature of this French government assassin program and why it creates an interesting idea, though that is pretty ridiculous when you think about it too long. And we talk about the amazing visual style that Besson uses to tell this story, even if the script and the direction aren't always on par with it. He's a wild director and we have a wild romp in this, the first of our Luc Besson series. Listen in!
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Drive • The Next Reel Nov 22, 2012

Show notes

Ryan Gosling plays such a mysterious, quiet character in Nicolas Winding Refn's 2011 film, "Drive," that he's never even given a name — he's simply credited as Driver. The film has shades of noir and of 80s crime films, creating a dreamy neon quality interrupted by horribly violent outbursts that wake you up. It's a fascinating film that critics really took notice of when it was released. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we talk about it in this week's episode of Movies We Like, wrapping up our Great Car Chase series.
We talk about the car chases in this film and what they bring to the story. We chat about Gosling as well as all of the other great actors, particularly Albert Brooks who's darker than we've ever seen him before. We chat about the camera used to shoot the film and what that brings to the table. And we mull over the violence as it's depicted in the film, and question what Refn could be saying by making it so violent. It's a great finish to a fun series. Listen in!
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Ronin • The Next Reel Nov 15, 2012

Show notes

One of John Frankenheimer's best films came late in his career — 1998's Ronin. A seemingly simple story about a group of mercenaries who take a job trying to get a mysterious case is twisted around with double-crosses and plot twists, and becomes a perfect example of Hitchcock's MacGuffin. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — on this week's episode of Movies We Like as we continue our great car chase series. We talk about the great car chases in this film and how they were executed, as well as why Frankenheimer chose to film them the way he did. We discuss the script and the writers, most notably David Mamet, and how he ended up deciding to get credited as co-screenwriter under an alias. We chat about the great actors and what they bring to the film, yet how one of them never has felt right to us in his role, as great of an actor as he is. And we chat about the title of the film, the nature of ronin warriors, and what it means in context of this film. It's a great action thriller with amazing car chases and definitely a film worth talking about. Listen in!
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The French Connection • The Next Reel Nov 09, 2012

Show notes

It's our ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY, everyone! That's right, we've been doing the "Movies We Like" podcast for one year now, and what better way to celebrate than with the next in our Great Car Chase series—William Friedkin's 1971 Best Picture Oscar-winner, "The French Connection." Join us—Pete Wright and Andy Nelson—as we celebrate one of our absolute favorite films. We talk about the fantastic car chase in this film and how Friedkin and his producer Philip D'Antoni—who also produced "Bullitt"—worked hard to come up with a way to kick it up a notch and create what is now regarded one of the best car chases in cinema history. We chat about Friedkin's documentary background and what he brought to the table, creating a gritty vibe and a new style of filmmaking that would change the nature of cop films for years to come. We discuss the fantastic performances all through the film—Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider, Fernando Rey, etc.—and how they tapped into this gritty realism by working with their real-life counterparts. We also, of course, talk about the real French connection case that this was based on, who was involved, how they helped with this film, and how the film and the real story differ. And we look at 1971's other cop films and Oscar nominees to see how this film compares. It's top-notch filmmaking and certainly a movie we like. We have a blast talking about it and hope you enjoy listening.
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Bullitt • The Next Reel Nov 01, 2012

Show notes

Steve McQueen was one of the coolest actors out there. He brought amazing performances to the screen time and time again. The Magnificent Seven. Papillon. The Thomas Crowne Affair. The Great Escape. The Getaway. The Sand Pebbles. The list goes on. In 1968, he played Frank Bullitt in Peter Yates' film Bullitt, and brought incredible realism, sensitivity and intelligence to the role of a San Francisco policeman. He also brought his desire to create realistic car chases, and because of this ended up a part the granddaddy of all car chases put on film.
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The Descent • The Next Reel Oct 25, 2012

Show notes

These aren't words you want to hear when you're stuck on a spelunking trip, particularly when you find out that the "something" that's down here wants to eat you.
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Dawn of the Dead (2004) • The Next Reel Oct 18, 2012

Show notes

Zack Snyder's 2004 "Dawn of the Dead" remake of George A. Romero's 1978 zombie classic may not be trying to say much, but it sure provides a good, fun scare.
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28 Days Later • The Next Reel Oct 11, 2012

Show notes

Zombies had notoriously been slow entities—let's face it, the walking dead just don't move so fast. But then Danny Boyle came along and, with writer Alex Garland, injected the zombie sub-genre with speed in their film "28 Days Later."
This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5640170/advertisement

The Thing • The Next Reel Oct 05, 2012

Show notes

In 1982, John Carpenter's "The Thing" was released but had a tough time competing against other big sci-fi films released at the same time—E.T. the Extra Terrestrial and Blade Runner. It also was viewed by critics as being overly gory and wretched.
This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5640170/advertisement

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