Reel First Time

Despite Emma's deep love of musicals, she had not yet seen The Greatest Showman. We sit down to discuss Zac Efron's abs, Hamilton, and how to correctly pronounce the word "bag".

Episode Disclaimer: We do not support the circus, unless we are talking about Britney Spears' comeback album. 

Joining us is Chris Bartlett, one of Emma's former coworkers and an all-around delight. Mentioned at the end of the episode, please consider donating to his triathlon charity to help raise funds for pediatric cancer research!

Link to Donate: https://donate.teambrightside.com/fundraiser/1929473

Summer is here, and so are sand bags!

Despite Emma's love of Steve Carell, she had never seen 40 Year Old Virgin.. until now. Follow our journey through Steve's breakthrough film role, particularly through his brass instrument breakdown. 

Joining us is Amit Joshi! Originally from Nashville TN, Amit has done shows in various places all over Nashville and Chicago, including Judy's Beat Lounge Second City, Playground Theater, Juicebox Theater, Under the Gun Theater, and many more.  Most recently, he was voted as part of the "Elite 8" in the DAS Funny "Funniest in Chicago" March Madness Bracket Contest.

Just in time for the NBA Playoffs, we've got a JAM of an episode... Space Jam! We take a deep dive into Michael Jordan, bad first dates, spring training, and whether or not the sequel should be made.

With us today is Maria Konopken! Maria’s roots started in the beautiful city of Phoenix, but after moving to Chicago, her heart belongs in this frozen tundra. Maria is a graduate of the training programs at iO Chicago, Torch Theatre, and Annoyance. When she isn’t experiencing extreme weather changes, Maria can be found with her notebook, running shoes, performing around Chicago with Matt Damon Improv, dancing with Burlesque Is More, or telling stories and poetry. She also loves the movie Space Jam, and has mix feelings if they should make another one. You can follow her pictures of tacos, wine, and running on Instagram @mariakonopken

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Earn this.

Oooh BABY did we choose a doozy of a film. From the first 27 minutes of Saving Private Ryan to the reveal at the end, we pick and choose what parts of the plot to discuss. Was it robbed at the 71st Academy Awards? Exactly how hot was a young Ed Burns? Does the movie pass the Bechdel test? (Hint: Yes/Very/No)

Joining us is Cass Maher, a straight up hottie from Iowa who performs and coaches musical improv throughout Chicago! 

Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get. 

In this episode of Reel First Time, we discuss the Academy Award winning film, Forrest Gump! Discussions on Forrest Gump taking credit for discovering the Watergate Scandal to what year Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone came out occur, and many "Roll Tides" are said.

Our guest is the incomparable Sarah Baumann, whose favorite movie is Forrest Gump and favorite food is shrimp. Listen to her podcast, Death and All Her Friends, wherever you listen to podcasts!

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A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away... there lived someone who had never seen Star Wars. We rectify that with a viewing of the first-ever Star Wars film, A New Hope! Join David & Emma as we discuss Harrison Ford, the drinking age in Wisconsin, Donald Glover, and more. 

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With our next episode, we answer the tough questions. Questions like: Can we get Snoop Dogg to narrate Jurassic Park? Was Jurassic Park too long? Why does Emma's hometown have no movie theaters? 

That's right, our next movie focuses on dinosaurs and Jeff Goldblum aka Jurassic Park.

Joining Reel First Time is Nick Rowley! He is originally from Omaha, Nebraska, where he was a co-owner of the Backline Improv Theater. He is a member of the sketch and variety show Studio Eleven at the iO Theater. He also writes and performs with the sketch group Windy Batch, whom he loves dearly and are all the best of friends. You can see him performing improv around the city, including alongside podcast cohost Emma! He hesitantly shares that you can follow him at @nrowley before he turns it into a repository for dog photos.

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It's the second episode of Reel First Time, and we're going back in time! That's right, our next endeavor is Back to the Future! From the friendship of Marty McFly and Doc Brown to Biff to Crispin Glover on David Letterman, we cover it all. 

Joining us on the podcast is Sean Leahy! He is a soon-to-be MBA graduate living and working in Chicago. When he isn’t training for the Chicago Marathon, you can find him checking out a new brewery, cheering the Cubs or Blackhawks on, or searching for the best taco in the city. His favorite part of Back to the Future is Doc Brown’s 88-mile-an-hour quote, and he’s excited to be the first guest of the podcast!

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For our inaugural episode, we picked the movie that is every pubescent boys' favorite film. No, not Fight Club... Pulp Fiction. Opinions are strong, Travolta's shorts are high, and Amanda Plummer gets multiple shout-outs. Tune into our debut episode, where we explore Tarantino's pulp classic.

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