British filmmaker Steve McQueen had a major 2020. Jared, Michael, and Joe finally review his film Lovers Rock and discuss the Small Axe miniseries more broadly.

The guys review Pixar’s latest, Soul, and discuss other cinematic representations of the after life. Jared and Joe champion two new streaming releases. Michael finally starts watching The Sopranos. Jared, Michael, and Joe briefly reflect on the Capitol Riot and Insurrection. 

The guys finally review the biggest film of 2020, Christopher Nolan’s Tenet. Joe recommends two Hollywood classics he recently revisited. Jared recommends a Canadian oddity. 

The film adaptation of August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, a certain Oscar player later this year, is the topic of this episode, and it leads to a reflection on Chadwick Boseman’s body of work. To open the discussion, the guys briefly discuss Christmas movies.

The guys dig into the ramifications of the recent WarnerMedia / HBO Max deal to release the former’s 2021 film slate on the latter’s streaming platform. Jared recommends two films on Apple TV+, Joe champions a Showtime miniseries.

The guys review David Fincher’s Mank in this episode, but not before weighing in on Netflix’s other big fall film, Hillbilly Elegy.

The guys review Sofia Coppola’s On the Rocks in this episode. Joe and Jared each recommend one of their favorite TV miniseries of the year, but one pick sparks disagreement.

The guys review Aaron Sorkin’s latest, The Trial of the Chicago 7. Jared highlights a pair of family dramas. Joe digs into a backlog of recommendations. Michael enjoys the return of a science series. Jared and Joe identify some of their least favorite Oscar-nominated performances and share a few Oscar predictions.

In celebration of eight years recording the Reel Fanatics podcast, the guys do something a little different: a movie draft! Michael, Jared, and Joe each select a 10-category roster of films released in the year 2012. It’s an episode full of selection reactions, category challenges, random anecdotes, and movie reflections. But who picks the best “team” of movies? Listeners decide! Vote for the draft winner through our Twitter post or comment on our website!

The topic of this episode is Joe’s latest retro pick, the 1981 neo-noir Cutter’s Way. Jared and Joe recommend a few new films on streaming services and in theaters. (Note: possible spoiler for Dick Johnson Is Dead in the Recommendations section.)