Reel Fanatics

Michael, Jared, and Joe assess the nominations for the 90th Academy Awards and offer their predictions and alternative selections. The guys lay into The Post. Jared is annoyed with the Supporting Actress category. Joe crushes on Armie Hammer.

Jared, Joe, and Michael share their top ten films of 2017. Jared makes a change from his written list at #10. Joe calls attention to Armie Hammer’s handsomeness. Michael shocks his cohosts by doing a 180 on the year’s most divisive film and later reignites the film vs. TV debate with his #3 pick (and it’s not Twin Peaks!).

Michael, Jared, and Joe’s most anticipated film of 2017 finally gets the RF discussion it deserves! Joe and Jared disagree wildly in their mini-review of I, Tonya. Note: this episode was recorded before the Oscar nominations were announced.

A double-review episode: Michael, Jared, and Joe analyze Steven Spielberg’s The Post, and then Joe and Jared dig into Aaron Sorkin’s Molly’s Game. The guys criticize the Star Wars backlash. Joe calls out Jared for his low Letterboxd rating of a beloved movie.

Winter is here, so Michael, Jared, and Joe share their five favorite films that evoke the feeling of the season. Jared’s #2 and Michael’s #1 draw criticism from the other hosts. At the end, the guys regret omitting a big contender.

Joe, Michael, and Jared review Joe Wright’s Darkest Hour. Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk earns another discussion. Jared and Michael disagree on the Spielberg HBO documentary but find common ground on Munich, which almost gets a mini-review. Michael suggests Joe compile a good-bad movies list for an upcoming episode. Jared makes a case for Andy Serkis in light of the Oscar buzz for Gary Oldman’s Churchill. The guys dissect a listener’s Best Films of the 1990s list.

The hosts are joined by friend and filmmaker Alec Siegel to discuss the latest entry in the Star Wars franchise and speculate about Episode IX. Be warned: this podcast is full of spoilers!

Michael assesses the merits of James Franco’s The Disaster Artist and the cult of bad cinema, while Jared and Joe supply a mini-review of Pixar’s Coco. Jared stresses the continued necessity of the DVD arm of Netflix. Joe recommends an overlooked 1990s Wesley Snipes movie.

A packed episode! The main focus is Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water, but Jared and Joe also discuss Mudbound from Dee Rees. Some digressions: All the Money in the World reshoots, The Babadook as a gay icon, killing Nazis in video games, TV overload, and Ken Burns’ reaction to Kubrick’s work.

Greta Gerwig’s critically acclaimed Lady Bird is the primary topic of this episode, but Michael, Jared, and Joe also address Hollywood’s overdue reckoning with sexual harassment and assault and what it means for the future. The guys officially switch to a 5-star scale for RF ratings.