The Desert of the Reel: A Movie Podcast

Desert of the Reel is a movie podcast where we attempt to look at big blockbuster franchises and attempt to analyze them with philosophy and ethics. However, James Bond's Spectre from 2015 really put us in a stupor.

Out of all the movies we have watched, this movie has been one of the hardest to attempt to pull something deep out of. We spend a good while enjoying talking about all the reasons we did NOT like this film, but we really struggle to pull anything worthwhile.

We bring up franchise theory, surveillance theory, and even haunted house theory. We address how chaos or order defines history, whether bad guys fail because they want to tip the world too far one way, and the scales of safety versus freedom.

This has GOTTA be one of the worst James Bond movies, right? What is the worst Bond?

What are your thoughts?

Did we miss any big ideas?

Did we misinterpret Spectre?

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Skyfall (2012) is the second in the Daniel Craig James Bond film series that Jason actually likes!

Is this the perfect Bond movie?

In this episode, we discuss what makes Skyfall a truly good film: the nostalgia, Javier Bardem, the lack of idiotic crap happening, Roger Deakins, the rat story, and many other things.

We get deeper into real-life philosophy in this episode, as we discuss improving your life by 1% each day; discarding things that are cluttering your life; if you're going through something very difficult, keep going; and being open to weighing evidence counter to your worldview and making necessary adjustments without giving up being who you truly are.

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In this episode we dive into Quantum of Solace, the direct sequel to Casino Royale, and one of the most emotionally raw films in the James Bond franchise.

Jason has some hot takes, namely, he likes the theme song and... that's it.

Bond is driven almost entirely by revenge and unresolved grief. We explore how the film only truly works when viewed as a continuation of Casino Royale—Bond is not thinking clearly, but reacting out of rage and pain.

Using postmodernist and neo-Marxist lenses, we also examine the murky moral world of the film. Governments, intelligence agencies, and corporations blur together, suggesting that the so-called “good guys” are often willing to collaborate with villains when power or resources are at stake.

We also unpack the surprising connection between the film and Tosca, and how themes of betrayal, revenge, and power echo throughout both works.

From there the discussion turns philosophical:

• Why do people seek power?

• Is power inseparable from money and control?

• Does holding onto revenge make us stronger—or trap us?

We debate the morality of Bond himself. Is he truly a moral hero, or just less immoral than the villains he fights? And if ordinary people refuse to do the things Bond does—kill, manipulate, and seduce for a mission—does that make them morally stronger than him?

This episode explores power, forgiveness, revenge, and the complicated ethics of heroism in one of the franchise’s most divisive films.

Email us your thoughts at [email protected]

Reel, Desert of the Reel.

We are diving fist-first into the Daniel Craig James Bond movies. Jason famously hates action movies and especially hates James Bond movies!

But maybe there is something deep and philosophical here in 2006's Casino Royale.

We look at the history of 007, go over our pros and cons, and explore the ideas of ego, feminism, and genre studies.

What do you think about James Bond, and action movies in general?

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“Maybe the question isn’t who is insane. Maybe the question is who gets to decide.”

This week we are looking at the 2014 film, Stonehearst Asylum. A film based on an Edgar Allen Poe story where a new doctor enters a 1899 insane asylum, where things might not be what they appear at first. So much symbolism!

We ask many questions: What is more important, Freedom or Justice?

What is worse, A corrupt system or a poorly run system with good intentions? 

Do people need to be broken?

Is it ok to let someone live in their own version of reality if they are happy?

And is everyone crazy?

Jason loves this movie. This film is really good at planting seeds with satisfying payoffs. We look at what we like, important quotes, and analyze this well-done mystery.

Ultimately, we talk about how we can be the cure or the disease for other people.

What are your thoughts? email us at [email protected]

As the final episode connected to Harry Potter, Jason and Ryan didn't find a whole lot to say about Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016), although there are some gems in here, such as Ryan's absurdist analysis of Jacob and Newt, the animal right philosopher Peter Singer making his first (and likely only) appearance on the pod, Ryan's feminist analysis of Newt's character, some additional insights into Othering, and the introduction of our next franchise!

Jason's choice for next week is Stonehearst Asylum (2014)!

We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed making it!

The final Harry Potter movie! (Before we make Jason watch Fantastic Beasts). Guess what? He actually liked this one!

We talked about a number of our personal pros and cons (mainly the ending), but found a lot of deep ideas to discuss. Ryan uses Trauma Theory to analyze the film, but we also ask:

What is worth sacrificing for?

We look at karma

Our minds are important and determine our reality. The world could improve.

We need people in our lives when devastation happens, and Trust is a powerful tool.

Do you agree that this is a good wrap-up for a franchise?

Let us know your thoughts! [email protected]

Next week is Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them (2016)

We argue extensively about whether or not this is a good film. Ryan appreciates how different it is from the other films; Jason thinks it is a series of random events happening randomly and wandering around aimlessly without any clues. About halfway through the podcast, Jason has a revelation that reframes why he doesn't like the movie, changing the tenor of the rest of the episode.

We explore Brechtian distancing, the philosophy of sacrifice, whether it is better to die or lose your memory, and many other elements of the film.

Let us know what you think about this episode at [email protected]

The sixth Harry Potter movie confuses us. Here we are for Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts, but this time, Draco is up to no good. Well, to be honest, he spends most of his time crying. There is a lot of drama over all this angst and teen romance. And despite all this, there is somehow nothing really happening. The structure is very curious. We review the different pros and cons, and Ryan cannot help but bring up various comparisons between the book and the movie versions.

We address this film's structure, talk about various ethical choices the characters make, the concept of murder splitting a soul, evil buried within us, and how confidence and fear come from our minds!

What are your thoughts on Half-Blood Prince? Is it the worst Harry Potter movie?

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After years of requests, demands, cajoling, and pleading from Jason's students, this week's film is Christopher Nolan's Interstellar (2014). While the duo disagree on whether or not the first hour could have been 15 minutes and whether or not the ending robs the film of its thematic power, both agree that this is a beautiful, powerful, deeply philosophical film.

We discuss love, death, sacrifice, good, evil, free will, lying, time, gravity, othering and de-othering, Dylan Thomas, the nature of knowledge, auteur theory, and a bunch of other stuff in one of our longest episodes ever!

Please let us know your thoughts on anything we discuss! We'd especially like your opinion on our Solaris v. The Cloverfield Paradox disagreement!

Send us anything and everything at [email protected]