A Reel Education

As has become an annual tradition, we sat down to watch the Academy Award winner for Best Picture of 2014, Birdman: Or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)!  We marveled at the amazing Cinematography and the unexpected score.  We had a thoughtful conversation about the meaning of the film’s ending.  In other words, we watched the movie and then we talked about it.  Which is sort of our thing!

The next film on our list is The Usual Suspects!

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This episode, we managed to find another animated film Jena hasn’t seen, which is quite the challenge!  In addition to being only our second animated film, it is also our second foreign language film.  We watched “Persepolis,” which is a phenomenal film about growing up in post revolutionary Iran.  If you are feeling particularly ambitious, we would suggest that this film pairs quite nicely with Argo.

Our next episode will be about the winner of the 2015 Academy Award for Best Picture: Birdman: Or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)!

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Having recently watched The Ten Commandments, we decided that Jena needed more Anne Baxter in her life.  What better way to mainline Anne Baxter than with All About Eve!  A delightfully witty script and fantastic performances by five great actresses are all you need to know.  If you haven’t watched this movie yet, you should rush out and fix that as soon as possible!

Our next episode will be about Persepolis!

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Our episode was recorded live at the Trylon theater in Minneapolis.  We watched the only adaptation of an Agatha Christie novel that the author actually liked, Murder on the Orient Express.  The cast is full of A-list stars including Ingred Bergman, who won  an Oscar for her performance in this film.  After the movie, audience members joined us for a discussion of the film.

Our next episode will introduce Jena to Bette Davis as we watch All About Eve!

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For our latest episode, we watch a modern take on classic noir as we watch L.A. Confidential. A not yet all star cast including Kevin Spacy, Kim Basinger, Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce headline this film that is recognized among film buffs but mostly forgotten by others.  We hope you take the time to check out this movie if you aren’t already a fan.

Our next episode will be recorded live at the Trylon theater on Sunday, February 22nd.  We’ll be watching Murder on the Orient Express!

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On our latest episode, we explore the world of the Biblical epic via Cecil B DeMille’s Ten Commandments!  Charlton Heston is our guide as we explore a time of plagues, lust and burning bushes!  We are once again reminded of the awesomeness of Vincent Price and, finally, get to introduce Jena to Anne Baxter.  We also spend a little time talking about Exodus: Gods and Kings. Join us for this rollicking trip through the old testament complete with water turning to blood!

At the end of the episode, we claim our next episode will be Murder on the Orient Express.  That’s totally wrong.  It will be L.A. Confidential.

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Having recently watched Mystery of the Wax Museum, we needed to take the time to watch the more famous remake, House of Wax.  Once again we enjoy the screen presence of the great Vincent Price while we experience the birth of 3D!  We also run into Reel Education favorite Charles Bronson.

Our next episode will take a closer look at the biblical epic The Ten Commandments!

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For our holiday episode, we returned to the fabulous Trylon Microcinema to watch and discuss Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence.  We not only discussed the film but we found ourselves pulled into a conversation about the Hayes code and about 80’s synth tracks!  Jena was saddened that this film featured a lot of David Bowie but not a lot of his package.  Well, you can’t win them all.

Happy New Year!

Our next episode, we’ll be watching House of Wax!

And we’ll be returning to the Trylon in February for Murder on the Orient Express!

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This episode focuses on a rather obscure film that is a favorite of Tim and Melissa.  Mystery of the Wax Museum has lots of things working for it.  It has Fay Wray (of King Kong fame) and is directed by Michael Curtiz (who also directed Casablanca).  The film would later be remade into House of Wax, starring Vincent Price.  It may take a little while to find this film but the search will be worth it.  Enjoy!

Our next episode will be with a live audience from the Trylon Microcinema where we watched Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence.

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We were glad to return to the Trylon Microcinema for a live recording this episode!  We enjoyed Steve Martin and John Candy in the dramedy Planes, Trains and Automobiles.  Tim got to share his own story of travel hell although he was quick to point out that his car never caught on fire. The first part of the episode was recorded in a coffee shop so enjoy the background noise!

Our next episode will be about Mystery of the Wax Museum.

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