The Film Board

"Sometimes, you just have to take the first step.”

The Film Board convenes in the land of Kumandra to discuss Disney’s new animated feature Raya and the Last Dragon. The voice cast is amazing – Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina, Gemma Chan, Daniel Dae Kim, Sandra Oh, Benedict Wong, and more – but how well does the story work? How much more impressive is the animation? And has Disney hit a point yet where any of their directors really gets to let their style shine through?Andy Nelson, Rob Kubasko, and Kyle Olson meet in the board room to talk about the film and what they thought of it. Tune in!
Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel!
Film Sundries

• Watch this film: Apple
• Original theatrical trailer
• Flickchart
• Letterboxd

Support The Next Reel Family of Film Podcasts:

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• Join our Discord community of movie lovers

The Next Reel Family of Film Podcasts:

• Cinema Scope: Bridging Genres, Subgenres, and Movements
• The Film Board
• Movies We Like
• The Next Reel Film Podcast
• Sitting in the Dark

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• Main Site: Web
• Movie Platforms: Letterboxd | Flickchart
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• Your Hosts: Pete | JJ | Steve | Tommy | Andy | Ocean 

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The Film Board is on the road with Frances McDormand in Chloé Zhao’s new film Nomadland. Do McDormand and Zhao deliver the goods and is the film worth all the awards it’s already raking in? Short answer: they definitely do and it definitely is. Andy Nelson, Steve Sarmento, and Tommy Metz III meet in the board room to talk about the film, now streaming on Hulu, and what they thought of it. Tune in!
Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel!
Film Sundries

• Support The Next Reel Film Podcast by becoming a member of our community!
• Apple
• Original screenplay
• Original theatrical trailer
• Original Material
• Flickchart
• Letterboxd

Support The Next Reel Family of Film Podcasts:

• Become a member for just $5/month or $55/year
• Join our Discord community of movie lovers

The Next Reel Family of Film Podcasts:

• Cinema Scope: Bridging Genres, Subgenres, and Movements
• The Film Board
• Movies We Like
• The Next Reel Film Podcast
• Sitting in the Dark

Connect With Us:

• Main Site: Web
• Movie Platforms: Letterboxd | Flickchart
• Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | Threads | Bluesky | YouTube | Pinterest
• Your Hosts: Pete | JJ | Steve | Tommy | Andy | Ocean 

Shop & Stream:

• Merch Store: Apparel, stickers, mugs & more
• Watch Page: Buy/rent films we've discussed
• Originals: Source material from our episodes
• Special offers: Letterboxd Pro/Patron discount | Audible

Shaka King delivers a strong second film with Judas and the Black Messiah, his new film that follows FBI informant Bill O'Neal as he infiltrates Chicago’s Black Panther party to get close to Chairman Fred Hampton. Is this the political biopic we need right now? How brilliant are Lakeith Stanfield and Daniel Kaluuya in the lead roles? And does the film hold up as more than just a history lesson? The Film Board convenes to talk through the film and give you their verdict!
Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel!
Film Sundries

• Apple
• Original theatrical trailer
• Flickchart
• Letterboxd

Support The Next Reel Family of Film Podcasts:

• Become a member for just $5/month or $55/year
• Join our Discord community of movie lovers

The Next Reel Family of Film Podcasts:

• Cinema Scope: Bridging Genres, Subgenres, and Movements
• The Film Board
• Movies We Like
• The Next Reel Film Podcast
• Sitting in the Dark

Connect With Us:

• Main Site: Web
• Movie Platforms: Letterboxd | Flickchart
• Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | Threads | Bluesky | YouTube | Pinterest
• Your Hosts: Pete | JJ | Steve | Tommy | Andy | Ocean 

Shop & Stream:

• Merch Store: Apparel, stickers, mugs & more
• Watch Page: Buy/rent films we've discussed
• Originals: Source material from our episodes
• Special offers: Letterboxd Pro/Patron discount | Audible

The Film Board convenes to discuss Fisher Stevens’ new film Palmer starring Justin Timberlake, Juno Temple, Alisha Wainwright, and Ryder Allen. Does it deliver the emotional punch it sets out to deliver, or does it end up feeling more like a well-made Lifetime movie? And does the film do its job in delivering something the family can use to talk about gender nonconformity? Andy Nelson, Mandy Kaplan, and Tommy Metz III meet in the board room to talk about the film, now streaming on Apple TV Plus, and what they thought of it. Tune in!Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel!
Film Sundries

• Apple
• Original theatrical trailer
• Letterboxd

Support The Next Reel Family of Film Podcasts:

• Become a member for just $5/month or $55/year
• Join our Discord community of movie lovers

The Next Reel Family of Film Podcasts:

• Cinema Scope: Bridging Genres, Subgenres, and Movements
• The Film Board
• Movies We Like
• The Next Reel Film Podcast
• Sitting in the Dark

Connect With Us:

• Main Site: Web
• Movie Platforms: Letterboxd | Flickchart
• Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | Threads | Bluesky | YouTube | Pinterest
• Your Hosts: Pete | JJ | Steve | Tommy | Andy | Ocean 

Shop & Stream:

• Merch Store: Apparel, stickers, mugs & more
• Watch Page: Buy/rent films we've discussed
• Originals: Source material from our episodes
• Special offers: Letterboxd Pro/Patron discount | Audible

The Film Board convenes to talk about Ramin Bahrani’s new Netflix film The White Tiger as our first film discussion of 2021. What does the film have to say about India’s caste system and does it relate universally to the haves and have nots? The performances are great, particularly from Adarsh Gourav as the lead, but the structure is a bit of a stumbling block for us. But is it enough of a stumble to keep us from enjoying it? Andy Nelson, Ocean Murff, and Kyle Olson meet in the board room to talk about the film and what they thought of it. Tune in!
Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel!
Film Sundries

• Original theatrical trailer
• The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
• Flickchart
• Letterboxd

Support The Next Reel Family of Film Podcasts:

• Become a member for just $5/month or $55/year
• Join our Discord community of movie lovers

The Next Reel Family of Film Podcasts:

• Cinema Scope: Bridging Genres, Subgenres, and Movements
• The Film Board
• Movies We Like
• The Next Reel Film Podcast
• Sitting in the Dark

Connect With Us:

• Main Site: Web
• Movie Platforms: Letterboxd | Flickchart
• Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | Threads | Bluesky | YouTube | Pinterest
• Your Hosts: Pete | JJ | Steve | Tommy | Andy | Ocean 

Shop & Stream:

• Merch Store: Apparel, stickers, mugs & more
• Watch Page: Buy/rent films we've discussed
• Originals: Source material from our episodes
• Special offers: Letterboxd Pro/Patron discount | Audible

Believe it or not, we’re hitting 100! That’s right, our 100th episode today discusses the 100th film we’ve discussed on The Film Board. Wonder Woman 1984 broke the seal on Warner's year of day-and-date releases, giving us the return of Gal Gadot in full armor, and Mando out of his.So how has WW84 set the stage? Is it fine watching it at home or did we miss the big screen feel? Did it hold up to the quality the first film surprisingly delivered? Or does it feel like so many other films in the DCEU — clunky and ineptly handled?Andy Nelson hosts, joined by Ray Delancey, Mandy Kaplan, and Ocean Murff who share their thoughts on this movie so we can share them with all of you.
Film Sundries

• Watch this film: Apple
• Original theatrical trailer
• Flickchart
• Letterboxd

Support The Next Reel Family of Film Podcasts:

• Become a member for just $5/month or $55/year
• Join our Discord community of movie lovers

The Next Reel Family of Film Podcasts:

• Cinema Scope: Bridging Genres, Subgenres, and Movements
• The Film Board
• Movies We Like
• The Next Reel Film Podcast
• Sitting in the Dark

Connect With Us:

• Main Site: Web
• Movie Platforms: Letterboxd | Flickchart
• Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | Threads | Bluesky | YouTube | Pinterest
• Your Hosts: Pete | JJ | Steve | Tommy | Andy | Ocean 

Shop & Stream:

• Merch Store: Apparel, stickers, mugs & more
• Watch Page: Buy/rent films we've discussed
• Originals: Source material from our episodes
• Special offers: Letterboxd Pro/Patron discount | Audible

We’re finally in the last month of 2020 and the entertainment industry is mulling through new layers of execution and release. In this first week of December, Netflix released Mank by David Fincher, keying our imagination towards remembering old Hollywood. It’s a bit of a legacy labor of love for Fincher in that the screenplay was written by his father and was originally intended to be made years before Jack Fincher’s death in 2003. It focuses on the politics of filmmaking in the 1930s, how those dynamics mixed into the world, and were reflected in Citizen Kane by screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz.It’s The Film Board’s first black and white subject and Tommy Metz III, Steve Sarmento, and Justin "JJ" Jaeger will attempt to travel in time to talk through the relevance and references in this stylized take on one of the most celebrated stories in Hollywood’s history. The period was a confusing and difficult time as the world suffered out of The Great Depression in the run-up to World War II. We’ll get at how this movie characterized the massive entertainment machine of the time and how Mank’s story may have effected change in all of it. Everything old is new again this month on The Film Board.
Film Sundries

• Watch this film: Apple
• Original theatrical trailer
• Flickchart
• Letterboxd

Support The Next Reel Family of Film Podcasts:

• Become a member for just $5/month or $55/year
• Join our Discord community of movie lovers

The Next Reel Family of Film Podcasts:

• Cinema Scope: Bridging Genres, Subgenres, and Movements
• The Film Board
• Movies We Like
• The Next Reel Film Podcast
• Sitting in the Dark

Connect With Us:

• Main Site: Web
• Movie Platforms: Letterboxd | Flickchart
• Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | Threads | Bluesky | YouTube | Pinterest
• Your Hosts: Pete | JJ | Steve | Tommy | Andy | Ocean 

Shop & Stream:

• Merch Store: Apparel, stickers, mugs & more
• Watch Page: Buy/rent films we've discussed
• Originals: Source material from our episodes
• Special offers: Letterboxd Pro/Patron discount | Audible

2020 is slowly but surely coming to a close and most people are feeling like that shift can’t come fast enough at this point. This last week we Americans all did our best to celebrate our Thanksgiving in ceremonies modified by the COVID-19 Pandemic. Netflix released Hillbilly Elegy on the Tuesday before the holiday and some may see the Appalachian memoir as a bit non-festive. Critics have been pretty hard on this one directed by Ron Howard and starring Glenn Close and Amy Adams. The Film Board will take its own turn here, reviewing the film adaptation of J.D. Vance’s story of personal geography, growth and change.Tommy Metz III, Ray Delancey, Pete Wright, and Justin "JJ" Jaeger will head for the hills to reconnect with these voices of Vance’s past. We’ll talk about family drama on film both real and imagined and try to discover the good and bad within any type of story that comes across as tough, but real. The autobiographical nature of the story is important in this one too. What’s the purpose behind telling a story like this now and what does it tell us about the people and their characters in it? We’ll work to compare the remembered drama in the stories of a person’s life to fictional family dramas created in Hollywood’s recent past. It’s interesting to find what hits you harder and what you find more effective on screen. Let’s go back and try to sort it all out on The Film Board.Film Sundries

• Watch this film: Apple
• Script Transcript
• Original theatrical trailer
• Original Material
• Flickchart
• Letterboxd

Support The Next Reel Family of Film Podcasts:

• Become a member for just $5/month or $55/year
• Join our Discord community of movie lovers

The Next Reel Family of Film Podcasts:

• Cinema Scope: Bridging Genres, Subgenres, and Movements
• The Film Board
• Movies We Like
• The Next Reel Film Podcast
• Sitting in the Dark

Connect With Us:

• Main Site: Web
• Movie Platforms: Letterboxd | Flickchart
• Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | Threads | Bluesky | YouTube | Pinterest
• Your Hosts: Pete | JJ | Steve | Tommy | Andy | Ocean 

Shop & Stream:

• Merch Store: Apparel, stickers, mugs & more
• Watch Page: Buy/rent films we've discussed
• Originals: Source material from our episodes
• Special offers: Letterboxd Pro/Patron discount | Audible

This last week we Americans all did our best to celebrate our Thanksgiving in ceremonies modified by the COVID 19 Pandemic. Netflix released “Hillbilly Elegy” on the Tuesday before the holiday and some may see the Appalachian memoir as a bit non-festive, but the autobiographical nature of the story is important. What’s the purpose behind telling a story like this now and what does it tell us about the people and their characters in it? The Film Board will take its own turn here, reviewing the film adaptation of J.D. Vance’s story of personal geography, growth and change.

It’s less than three weeks until the American presidential election and each passing day in this country seems to stack fraught anxieties atop one another. Timing our existential stress perfectly, this week Netflix released The Trial of the Chicago 7, a political courtroom drama written and directed by Aaron Sorkin. The film examines Vietnam War protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention and the trial to prosecute leaders of the different organizations that protested. The film conveys many stark statements of injustice about law enforcement and the harmful political posturing of other people in power. This content is in Sorkin’s wheelhouse so The Film Board can’t wait to view and discuss it at such a pivotal time.Tommy Metz III, Ray Delancey, Kyle Olson, and Justin "JJ" Jaeger will be assembling peacefully to make their voices heard about this movie that stars some heavy hitters like Sascha Baron Cohen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Eddie Redmayne, and Michael Keaton. To some degree, we’ll be talking directly about the politics of what’s happening in the film as far as we understand it. It’s been more than 50 years, but it highlights much of the systemic frustrations that continue to plague the country today. Sorkin’s work has always been a creative mix of information and entertainment so we’ll try to bake it into an appropriate journalistic show cake for all of you. Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, I present to you The Film Board.
Film Sundries

• Watch this film: Netflix • Apple
• Script
• Original theatrical trailer
• Original Material
• Flickchart
• Letterboxd

Support The Next Reel Family of Film Podcasts:

• Become a member for just $5/month or $55/year
• Join our Discord community of movie lovers

The Next Reel Family of Film Podcasts:

• Cinema Scope: Bridging Genres, Subgenres, and Movements
• The Film Board
• Movies We Like
• The Next Reel Film Podcast
• Sitting in the Dark

Connect With Us:

• Main Site: Web
• Movie Platforms: Letterboxd | Flickchart
• Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | Threads | Bluesky | YouTube | Pinterest
• Your Hosts: Pete | JJ | Steve | Tommy | Andy | Ocean 

Shop & Stream:

• Merch Store: Apparel, stickers, mugs & more
• Watch Page: Buy/rent films we've discussed
• Originals: Source material from our episodes
• Special offers: Letterboxd Pro/Patron discount | Audible