The Next Reel Film Podcast

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Se7en • The Next Reel Mar 02, 2012

Show notes

Well, movie lovers, it's that time. We've hit the end of our Benjamin Button style Fincher Fest. This week, Pete Wright and Andy Nelson talk about David Fincher's knock-you-out-of-your-seat detective thriller Seven, or Se7en if you prefer. Join us as we talk about how we feel about this film now that we've worked backward through Fincher's oeuvre. We talk about all the wonderful performances (though we get sidetracked on Brad Pitt and don't give Morgan Freeman enough attention) and how Fincher really from the start knew how to work with his actors as well as his technical partners. We discuss the script and how it found its way to Fincher. We hash through the ending and what other endings it could have had. And we chat about the bleach bypass process that Fincher used to give the film its look. It's a stellar film that stands out as a highlight in Fincher's career and we look forward to you joining us this week as we talk about it on "Movies We Like!"
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The Game • The Next Reel Feb 24, 2012

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Greetings, movie lovers! This week, we continue our Fincher Fest with a discussion about "The Game," a dark and twisting tale that Pete finds he doesn't really like anymore while Andy still connects with. Join us as we chat about why this film doesn't seem to work for Pete anymore and how Blake Snyder's book "Save the Cat!" may give us the answer, particularly as it relates to the current 99% movement and possibly also to some extent previous roles Michael Douglas has portrayed. We dig into why some people bought into this elaborate hoax that the story sets up and others didn't. We discuss how this movie came to be and who was originally slated to star in it, and we really get off on some of the great language in the script. It's a gloomy ride that satisfies some and leaves other pining for later and greater Fincher efforts, but we still have a great time talking about it so join in!
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Fight Club • The Next Reel Feb 17, 2012

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Greetings, movie lovers. This week, we hit David Fincher's film "Fight Club." Is it just an anarchic, pugilistic sensation or is Fincher really working at tapping into a dark zeitgeist affecting the average person at the turn of the century? Join us as we talk about this tale of an everyman narrator struggling to find sense in his Ikea life and how his dark counterpart, Tyler Durden, helps him find himself. We hit on the brilliant performances by Edward Norton and Brad Pitt, as well as the always wonderful Helena Bonham Carter. We discuss the message Fincher is saying and how this is, possibly, the only real film that Fincher's made that is more than just a genre film of some sort. Listen in, and let us know what you think of this wild ride!
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Panic Room • The Next Reel Feb 10, 2012

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We've made it to the middle of the Fincher-Fest, movie lovers! This week, join us as we talk about his one-location movie, "Panic Room." Falling right between "Fight Club" and "Zodiac", this movie really marks a turning point for David Fincher's films -- starting here, he moves into the land of digital cinema (mostly) and finds a more controlled approach to his storytelling. Join us as we talk about the trials and tribulations that went into getting this film made -- an impending writers' strike, last minute actress and supporting actress replacements, a seemingly simple script that redefined complexity of camerawork on the set, and a six-month production schedule that had to work around not only Jodie Foster's pregnancy going from 1st to 3rd term, but also Kristin Stewart -- then not so famous for being Bella in "Twilight" -- growing from being shorter than Jodie Foster to being taller than her. This in a film that takes place over the course of one night for the most part. It's a tense, claustrophobic, well-paced thrill ride that's worth taking, and we have a blast talking about it. Listen in!
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Zodiac • The Next Reel Feb 03, 2012

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Back in 2007, David Fincher created what many consider his best film, Zodiac. Hailed by dozens of critics as one of the best films of the year, it unfortunately never found its audience and ended up a financial failure. This week, movie lovers, join us as we delve into this meticulously crafted, haunting and sometimes scary film that details the obsession one man had in solving the Zodiac killings in the San Francisco area in the late 60s. From a script by James Vanderbilt based on Robert Graysmith's doggedly detailed books "Zodiac" and "Zodiac Unmasked", Fincher's pursuit to create as accurate a portrayal of the truth as possible give us a beautifully restrained look at how the police and newspaper reporters worked hard to try to find an answer to the killings yet never did so. We talk about how this potentially is the reason the film didn't fare well at the box office. We also discuss the film's impeccable cast (let's all give a hand to John Carroll Lynch's unforgettably creepy portrayal of Arthur Leigh Allen!); chat about the amazing (and invisible) visual effects used to recreate the San Francisco area from 1968 to 1991 that truly take us back in time; and cover how this film was the first film to shoot with the then new digital camera, the Viper, and what that allowed Harry Savides, the cinematographer, to do. It's a drastically underwatched film, in our opinion, and we think you ALL need to go rent it right now then listen in!
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The Curious Case of Benjamin Button • The Next Reel Jan 27, 2012

Show notes

Our third stop on the Fincher Fest train brings us to David Fincher's 2008 drama, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." Fincher outdid himself on this film, combining all elements available to him from tried and true practical elements through state-of-the-art digital effects -- not to mention countless top-notch performances -- to create an astounding period film about an astounding person who is born old and ages backward. We discuss the journey this F. Scott Fitzgerald story took to get to the silver screen -- a long one that at one point had Frank Oz slated to direct it and Martin Short to star as Benjamin! We chat about watching Benjamin Button, played by Brad Pitt in one of his best performances, age backward and the unreal makeup work done to pull it off, not just for him but for all the characters in the film. We talk about the themes this story is hitting upon and why it works so well, and we discuss the immense amount of money put into getting this film made and how Fincher managed to pull it all off and still turn it into a profitable film. The film won 3 Academy Awards and was nominated for an amazing 13 Academy Awards (though it should have been 14 as Cate Blanchett, who didn't get a nomination as Best Actress, has never been better!). Join us as we dig into this gorgeous film!
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The Social Network • The Next Reel Jan 20, 2012

Show notes

Greetings and salutations, movie aficionados! Welcome to the second episode of our Benjamin Button-style David Fincher-fest! Tonight, we discuss arguably his greatest film—certainly his most critically acclaimed. It's "The Social Network," from Aaron Sorkin's script that is simply on fire. Joining us tonight as a special guest is Chadd Stoops: actor, longtime friend of Pete and Andy, and HUGE fan of this film. In this episode, we discuss the realities of the movie's reality—was it fair for the filmmakers in telling this story to change the truths in order to make a more compelling film? We talk about the spot-on performances all around as well as the amazing magic Fincher worked to double Armie Hammer as the Winklevoss twins. We look at what this film is really saying about social networking and the people behind Facebook, and we discuss how "Fincher" this film really is. We also chime in on our opinions as to why it didn't win Best Picture at the Oscars. It's a spirited conversation about an incredibly relevant and hugely important piece of modern history. Listen in! Oh, and since we're talking about a movie about Facebook, make sure you go to the Rash Pixel page on Facebook and Like us! That way you can be a part of OUR social network! Happy listening!
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The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) • The Next Reel Jan 13, 2012

Show notes

It's the start of the Benjamin Button-style Fincher-Fest, movie lovers! And what better way to kick it off than to take a look at David Fincher's current film, "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," based on Stieg Larsson's first book in his internationally best-selling "Millenium" trilogy. It's already racking up end-of-the-year accolades and incredible buzz about Rooney Mara's knock-your-socks-off performance of Lisbeth Salander (all well-earned), even though some contingents of fans of the original Swedish films (great films in their own right that only came out last year) question why Hollywood felt it so necessary to adapt the books again so quickly after the others were made. The Swedish films certainly put Noomi Rapace and Michael Nyqvist -- who play Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist, respectively -- on the map in international casting circles (Rapace has since appeared in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and just wrapped in Ridley Scott's Prometheus while Nyqvist appeared in John Singleton's Abduction earlier this year and currently can be seen in Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol.) In this episode, we talk about the various iterations of this first of Larsson's stories -- did the Americans need to make their own version, what works in each version and what doesn't, what did Fincher and his team bring to the table, etc. We work to put in context what the Swedish film is to Swedish audiences by comparing similar statistics with American films. We discuss the performances -- Rooney Mara's brilliant work as well as the amazing Daniel Craig who we both feel isn't just playing James Bond in Sweden. We discuss the change in the end of the story and how we feel about it as well as all of the sequences that come after the climax. We chat about the team behind this -- Steven Zaillian who is having a great year with this and Moneyball, Jeff Cronenweth, Ren Klyce, Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross -- and that's just some of the crew! Robin Wright, Stellan Skarsgard, Julian Sands and the always amazing Christopher Plummer all give brilliant performances. One actor we don't mention in this episode but who is worth mentioning here is Yorick van Wageningen, the poor actor stuck with playing the brutal role of Nils Bjurman. He was so traumatized after filming his pivotal rape scene with Mara that he locked himself in his hotel room for a day and cried. Obviously his choice to take the role, but it's always good to be reminded that an actor is not the character they portray. So if you haven't had a chance to read the book or watch either film version, go do so before listening in because we have some spoilers, then tune in and join us as we take on this fascinating murder mystery with one of film's most intriguing characters in years.
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When Harry Met Sally... • The Next Reel Jan 06, 2012

Show notes

It's a new year, movie lovers, and in this episode, we take on an incredible film with crisp, spot-on, endlessly quotable dialogue, a cast that is absolutely perfect, and not one but two fantastic New Year's Eve scenes. That's right, we're talking about Rob Reiner's 1989 romantic comedy classic When Harry Met Sally.... We talk about how the film sprang from the real lives of Rob Reiner, his producing partner Andrew Scheinman and the Oscar-nominated writer Nora Ephron. We discuss the nature of the filmmaking process for this film and how smart it was to let the storytelling stand out front even though they could have easily brought out an arsenal of cinematic tools to use. Restraint can be a good thing! We laugh about the neverending lines from the film that are still quoted to this day. And we report on the truth of those cute old couples who pop up throughout the film to recount their own tales of falling in love. It's a magical, heartwarming tale of love, friendship, and the constant struggle between men and women to try to understand each other. Tune in and join us to start 2012 off right!
**Notes & Links**
- [Daniel Craig Interview at TimeOut London](http://rashpixel.co/Ai1RC9)
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Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind • The Next Reel Dec 29, 2011

Show notes

Greetings and salutations, movie lovers! In tonight's episode, we'll wrap up 2011 and our Charlie Kaufman trilogy with 2004's Eternal Sunshine for the Spotless Mind, directed by Michel Gondry. Kaufman won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for this film, along with Gondry and Pierre Bismuth with whom he shares story credit, and they certainly deserved this award along with every other accolade they received for this incredible film. We discuss how this story about relationships fits in Kaufman's canon. We talk about all of the amazing tools of filmmaking, both digital and practical, that Gondry and his team employ to create this disintegrating world within our protagonist's head as his memories of his girlfriend are erased. We cover Gondry and what he's bringing to the table. We also discuss the actors and how much they all bring to the table, whether its Kate Winslet in her Oscar-nominated performance as Clementine, Jim Carrey in one of his greatest serious performances ever, or Elijah Wood in maybe the creepiest role he's played. It's an incredible film about love, loss, destiny, memory and identity. Listen in as we end the year with a bang!
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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