ReelBlend

Marvel’s Thor: Love & Thunder (starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, and Tessa Thompson) hits theaters this weekend! Taika Waititi returns to the MCU with the next installment in Thor’s long-running saga, and we give our full spoiler-free and spoiler-filled reviews. 

Netflix’s Stranger Things fourth season finally came to its epic conclusion with the release of Vol. 2. It might be the best season yet, and so we had to take some time to dive into spoilers. Did the villain live up to the hype? Are we excited for a fifth and final season? Did season 4 drag on too long? We get into all of this and more. 

The box office continued its surge over the holiday weekend with Minions: The Rise of Gru winning big. We take a look at the landscape of releases moving forward to predict how this reassuring return to theatrical wins might play out throughout the year. 

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Be sure to subscribe to ReelBlend on YouTube (YouTube.com/ReelBlendPodcast) for full episodes of the show in video form. 

• ReelBlend - @ReelBlend
• Sean - @Sean_OConnell 
• Jake - @JakesTakes
• Kevin - @KevinMcCarthyTV
• Gabe - @gabeKovacs

00:04:06 - Box Office Reactions 

00:22:26 - Stranger Things 4 Review (Spoiler Free)

00:26:53 - (Spoilers) Stranger Things 4 Review

00:47:38 - Thor: Love and Thunder Review (Spoiler Free)

01:09:27 - (Spoilers) Thor: Love and Thunder Review

01:40:21 - Outro

We’re kicking off our director-themed Tier Lists with the one and only Quentin Tarantino. As usual, we run through his prolific filmography giving each entry a letter grade, but there’s a twist. Rather than an S tier, we’ve challenged ourselves to elect a single film as his Masterpiece. How did we do? Reach out and let us know what your list looks like. 

Also this week, we continue to revel in the recent resurgence at the global box office. Top Gun: Maverick continued Tom Cruise’s historic run, Elvis made a respectable debut, and Jurassic World: Dominion creeps ever closer to a potential billion-dollar run. 

Check out our completed tier list here.

Sign up for an extra episode a week, a bi-weekly newsletter from Sean, and ad-free episodes at RedCircle .

Be sure to subscribe to ReelBlend on YouTube (YouTube.com/ReelBlendPodcast) for full episodes of the show in video form. 

• ReelBlend - @ReelBlend
• Sean - @Sean_OConnell 
• Jake - @JakesTakes
• Kevin - @KevinMcCarthyTV
• Gabe - @gabeKovacs

00:06:41 - Box Office Round-Up 

00:23:34 - Quentin Tarantino Tier List

00:55:44 - This Week In Movies

00:57:12 - Our Favorite Summer Blockbuster Movies

01:09:45 - Outro

Horror legend and icon Robert Englund joins us to talk about his role in Stranger Things Season 4, Freddy Krueger, his favorite movie villains, and more. He takes us down the path of Freddy Krueger diving into Hannibal Lecter’s dreams, Stranger Things’ brilliance in blending classic ‘80s film, shooting a scene largely covered in narration, and whether or not Victor Creel will return in Stranger Things Season 4 Part II. 

Sign up for an extra episode a week, a bi-weekly newsletter from Sean, and ad-free episodes at RedCircle .

Be sure to subscribe to ReelBlend on YouTube (YouTube.com/ReelBlendPodcast) for full episodes of the show in video form. 

• ReelBlend - @ReelBlend
• Sean - @Sean_OConnell 
• Jake - @JakesTakes
• Kevin - @KevinMcCarthyTV
• Gabe - @gabeKovacs

Tom Hanks is here. You read that correctly. Tom Hanks himself joins ReelBlend to promote his new film Elvis (also starring Austin Butler). Mr. Tom Hanks was generous enough with his time to share stories from across his career, including breaking down some of the moments and cast reactions to filming Saving Private Ryan’s famous opening. He also gives some fantastic advice for young actors and shares an incredible moment from working with Paul Newman on Road to Perdition which informs how he approaches his fellow actors even to this day. The wonderful stories don’t end there, so strap in and enjoy. 

Following our interview, we give our reviews for Elvis and even discuss our favorite Tom Hanks movies of all time. 

Sign up for an extra episode a week, a bi-weekly newsletter from Sean, and ad-free episodes at RedCircle .

Be sure to subscribe to ReelBlend on YouTube (YouTube.com/ReelBlendPodcast) for full episodes of the show in video form. 

• ReelBlend - @ReelBlend
• Sean - @Sean_OConnell 
• Jake - @JakesTakes
• Kevin - @KevinMcCarthyTV
• Gabe - @gabeKovacs

00:08:19 - Tom Hanks Interview

00:55:22 - Box Office Reactions

01:09:57 - This Week In Movies

01:13:59 - Elvis Review

01:28:36 - Our Favorite Tom Hanks Movies

01:48:11 - Outro

The filmmakers behind Brian and Charles join the show to discuss the making of their charming new comedy; from its inception on the stage, to the short film and now the big screen. Director Jim Archer, writer David Earl (Brian) and writer Chris Hayward (Charles) also share their reactions to the film getting accepted into Sundance, audience reception and more.

Sign up for an extra episode a week, a bi-weekly newsletter from Sean, and ad-free episodes at RedCircle .

Be sure to subscribe to ReelBlend on YouTube (YouTube.com/ReelBlendPodcast) for full episodes of the show in video form. 

• ReelBlend - @ReelBlend
• Sean - @Sean_OConnell 
• Jake - @JakesTakes
• Kevin - @KevinMcCarthyTV
• Gabe - @gabeKovacs

Pixar is back in theaters with the release of Lightyear, the film Toy Story’s Andy fell in love with before buying a Buzz Lightyear action figure. We review the film (starring Chris Evans, Keke Palmer, Take Waititi), as well as Brian and Charles, Netlfix’s Spiderhead, and more. 

This week is packed with new releases, but first, we have to take a moment to recognize the huge opening weekend for Jurassic World: Dominion, another sign that the theatrical business is coming back strong. Also, with another weekend breaking $50 million for Top Gun: Maverick, it takes over the top spot for this year’s domestic box office. 

Sean was able to catch up with the new Jurassic film, so we take a moment to add it to our official tier list. Check out our finalized list here. 

Sign up for an extra episode a week, a bi-weekly newsletter from Sean, and ad-free episodes at http://bit.ly/reelblendpremium .

Be sure to subscribe to ReelBlend on YouTube (YouTube.com/ReelBlendPodcast) for full episodes of the show in video form. 

• ReelBlend - @ReelBlend
• Sean - @Sean_OConnell 
• Jake - @JakesTakes
• Kevin - @KevinMcCarthyTV
• Gabe - @gabeKovacs

00:09:05 - Box Office Reactions

00:19:12 - Jurassic World: Dominion Tier List Ranking

00:31:26 - This Week In Movies

00:46:00 - Spiderhead Review

00:51:13 - Lightyear Review

00:58:14 - Our Favorite Gus Van Sant Movies

01:14:20 - Outro

Writer, director, and executive producer Colin Trevorrow joins us to dig into spoiler territory for his new film Jurassic World: Dominion. He describes the process of setting out a 3-film arc early on with the World half of the franchise, splitting up his films and collaborating with a different director for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, reacting to the legacy characters (Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, and Sam Neill) back on screen together and more. 

You won’t want to miss this fascinating chat. Just be warned…spoilers!

Sign up for an extra episode a week, a bi-weekly newsletter from Sean, and ad-free episodes at RedCircle .

Be sure to subscribe to ReelBlend on YouTube (YouTube.com/ReelBlendPodcast) for full episodes of the show in video form. 

• ReelBlend - @ReelBlend
• Sean - @Sean_OConnell 
• Jake - @JakesTakes
• Kevin - @KevinMcCarthyTV
• Gabe - @gabeKovacs

The Jurassic Park franchise returns this week with Colin Trevorrow's Jurassic World: Dominion hitting theaters. Stick around for our spoiler-free thoughts on the new film, but first, we break down our thoughts on the entire franchise with our Jurassic Park Tier List. As usual, sound off in the comments or write in to let us know what your list looks like. 

Ms. Marvel made its own debut on Disney+ this week. We were able to screen episodes 1 and 2, and give our spoiler-free thoughts on what is shaping up to be our new favorite Marvel series. We also review Adam Sandler’s new Netflix film Hustle and react to Dan Trachtenberg’s Predator prequel Prey. 

Sign up for an extra episode a week, a bi-weekly newsletter from Sean, and ad-free episodes at http://bit.ly/reelblendpremium .

Be sure to subscribe to ReelBlend on YouTube (YouTube.com/ReelBlendPodcast) for full episodes of the show in video form. 

• ReelBlend - @ReelBlend
• Sean - @Sean_OConnell 
• Jake - @JakesTakes
• Kevin - @KevinMcCarthyTV
• Gabe - @gabeKovacs

00:05:47 - Prey Trailer Reaction

00:13:29 - Jurassic Park Tier List

00:56:27 - Jurassic World: Dominion Review

01:03:31 - Hustle Review

01:10:51 - Ms. Marvel Review

01:23:10 - Our Favorite Jennifer Connolly Movies

01:32:17 - Outro

Director Jeremiah Zagar joins the show to talk about his new film hitting Netflix this week, Hustle starring Adam Sandler. He walks us through their meticulous testing process for shooting the film's game sequences, being inspired by Raging Bull, professional basketball players turned actors, and more.

Sign up for an extra episode a week, a bi-weekly newsletter from Sean, and ad-free episodes at bit.ly/reelblendpremium.

Be sure to subscribe to ReelBlend on YouTube (YouTube.com/ReelBlendPodcast) for full episodes of the show in video form. 

• ReelBlend - @ReelBlend
• Sean - @Sean_OConnell 
• Jake - @JakesTakes
• Kevin - @KevinMcCarthyTV
• Gabe - @gabeKovacs

The time has come. We sit down to hammer out our Tier List ranking of Star Wars films and TV. Did we rank A New Hope too low? Who was right about The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker? What does your list look like in comparison? Send in your feedback on Twitter or head over to the YouTube comments section and let us know how we did. 

Stick around through the tier list for Jake’s thoughts on David Cronenberg’s new film, Crimes of the Future, and we celebrate the work of Ray Liotta after the news of his passing. 

Sign up for an extra episode a week, a bi-weekly newsletter from Sean, and ad-free episodes at RedCircle .

Be sure to subscribe to ReelBlend on YouTube (YouTube.com/ReelBlendPodcast) for full episodes of the show in video form. 

• ReelBlend - @ReelBlend
• Sean - @Sean_OConnell 
• Jake - @JakesTakes
• Kevin - @KevinMcCarthyTV
• Gabe - @gabeKovacs

00:05:20 - Top Gun: Maverick Box Office

00:14:45 - Star Wars Tier List

01:28:17 - This Week In Movies

01:29:31 - Crimes of the Future Review

01:34:24 - Our Favorite Ray Liotta Movies

01:46:21 - Outro