The Kick

God loves a terrier and probably the directorial work of Christopher Guest, too. On the latest Be Reel, we watched “Waiting for Guffman” (1996), “Best in Show” (for its 20th anniversary), “A Mighty Wind” (2003), and “For Your Consideration” (2006)—all currently on Hulu. Let’s dive in to ask what these movies tell us about today’s documentary crazes and whether there’s anything funnier than Parker Posey freaking and Fred Willard yapping.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of “Almost Famous” (2000), Be Reel looks back at an era-jumping bunch of music movies about fictional bands. This week, it’s “That Thing You Do!” (1996), “Dreamgirls” (2006), “Rock Star” (2001) and, of course, Cameron Crowe’s aforementioned neo-classic about 15-year-old Rolling Stone writer William Miller coming of age in a tour bus. So hop on, and let's zoom to the top of those completely fabricated charts!

As we enter the most fraught back-to-school season in recent memory, Be Reel looks back at Hollywood’s conception of underserved students and the inspirational educators who rescue their learning. This week, it’s “Stand and Deliver” (1988), “Lean On Me” (1989), “Dangerous Minds” (1995), and “Precious” (2009). Joining us are Dr. Micia Mosely and Kia Walton from Black Teacher Project to discuss 2020 classrooms, ideas for improved and updated teacher movies, and their organization’s mission to develop and sustain more Black teachers (36:55).

Learn more and donate at BlackTeacherProject.org.

Only in a career as pioneering and storied as Gordon Parks' could an achievement like "first Black Hollywood director" fall into the second paragraph. Yet Parks' significance as a photographer and renaissance man does often overshadow a film career that saw him direct "The Learning Tree" (1969), "Shaft" (1971), and "Leadbelly" (1976). This week, we revisit these too-forgotten cinematic portraits of Black life, joined by director/producer Craig Laurence Rice to discuss the years he spent with Parks making the Emmy-nominated documentary "Half Past Autumn" (2000).

It's slobs vs. snobs, divas vs. duffers, and Be Reel vs. the bygone bubble of American golf comedies. "Caddyshack" turns 40 this week, which gives us a great excuse to talk about this frozen-in-time genre: when class conflict could allegedly be solved with a 400-foot slapshot ("Happy Gilmore") and any old folkloric f*ckup could tear through the US Open ("Tin Cup"). These sports comedies are long on charm, low on logic, and were all clearly made in a time before Tiger Woods. Let's tee off.

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To continue supporting the causes of justice and equality for our Black colleagues, friends, neighbors and fellow citizens, please consider donating to:

-The AAR Diversity Internship Initiative-- aaronline.org/page-1795315

-Don't Shoot PDX -- www.dontshootpdx.org/tag/donate/

-The Family of James Scurlock -- www.gofundme.com/f/for-james-scurlocks-family

When it comes to being an on-screen mariner, Tom Hanks takes his orders from no one. To celebrate his recent birthday and the release of the new WWII submarine movie "Greyhound" (2020), Chance and Noah dive into the boat-bound roles of Hanks’ storied career. That means “Splash” (1984), “Sleepless In Seattle” (1993), “Cast Away” (2000), “Captain Phillips” (2013), and then “Greyhound.” Can the guys craft a coherent thesis as to why Hanks keeps choosing the water as his co-star? Permission to come aboard.

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To support the causes of justice and equality for our Black colleagues, friends, neighbors and fellow citizens, please consider donating to:

-The AAR Diversity Internship Initiative-- aaronline.org/page-1795315

-Don't Shoot PDX -- www.dontshootpdx.org/tag/donate/

-The Family of James Scurlock -- www.gofundme.com/f/for-james-scurlocks-family

"Cane River" (1982), a recently unearthed debut from writer/director Horace Jenkins, is now, after a year of remastering, available for streaming. Part love story, part critique of colorism in Louisana, "Cane River" is a moving examination of how cinematic romances can't escape history. Critic and writer Tiana Reid guests this week (16:00) to unpack the concept of the "Black outdoors" and review some of Peter Metoyer's poetry.

Read Tiana's tremendous review of "Cane River" here:

https://www.nybooks.com/daily/2020/06/20/searching-for-freedom-in-cane-river-and-the-black-outdoors/

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To support the causes of justice and equality for our Black colleagues, friends, neighbors and fellow citizens, please consider donating to:

-The AAR Diversity Internship Initiative-- aaronline.org/page-1795315

-Don't Shoot PDX -- www.dontshootpdx.org/tag/donate/

-The Family of James Scurlock -- www.gofundme.com/f/for-james-scurlocks-family

This week, "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" co-creator and star Rob McElhenney talks with Chance about 14 seasons of changing yet not changing Mac, answering constant questions about his physique, and the new quarantine episode of his Apple TV+ comedy "Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet." If that's not enough, there's George RR Martin talk and McElhenney's general advice for staying sharp and responsible as an artist.

To support the causes of justice and equality for Black Americans in these times, please consider donating to:

-The AAR Diversity Internship Initiative-- aaronline.org/page-1795315

-Don't Shoot PDX -- www.dontshootpdx.org/tag/donate/

-The Family of James Scurlock -- www.gofundme.com/f/for-james-scurlocks-family

"Chicken Run" (2000) turns 20 this week, and to celebrate, Chance and Noah are looking back at the filmography of Nick Park, the chief creative voice of Aardman Animation through its heyday. To understand the origins of Park's droll but heartfelt world, we rewind to the original, Academy Award-winning "Wallace & Gromit" shorts and discuss all the hallmarks of tactility—exploding fruit, precocious critters and nightmarish “steam folk” machines—that made Aardman movies so singular. After a full-scale celebration of “Chicken Run,” we also review “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit” (2005) and “Early Man” (2018).

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To support the causes of justice and equality for Black Americans in these times, please consider donating to:

-The AAR Diversity Internship Initiative-- aaronline.org/page-1795315

-Don't Shoot PDX -- www.dontshootpdx.org/tag/donate/

-The Family of James Scurlock -- www.gofundme.com/f/for-james-scurlocks-family

Spike Lee is back and streaming with his latest, “Da 5 Bloods,” an homage to Black Vietnam War vets by way of “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.” Delroy Lindo gives the performance of his career as one of four vets who return to Vietnam to retrieve their fallen friend’s body and also the pile of gold they hid on their final tour. Chance and Noah break down the unexplored legacy of Black GIs and their diverging politics, now 50 years later, in the Trump era, as well as the hallmarks of a topflight auteur teaming with Netflix.

To support the causes of justice and equality for Black Americans in these times, please consider donating to:

-The AAR Diversity Internship Initiative-- http://aaronline.org/page-1795315

-Don't Shoot PDX -- https://www.dontshootpdx.org/tag/donate/

-The Family of James Scurlock -- https://www.gofundme.com/f/for-james-scurlocks-family