The Kick

With theaters closed indefinitely, today we fully acknowledge streaming as the overlord of the moment. Alex Garland ("Ex Machina," "Annihilation") has a new FX/Hulu show called "Devs," which unravels the mind-bending and violent workings of a quantum computer company. Wanna watch along with us? Episode discussion time stamps below:

0:00 - Show Overview

16:50 - Episode 1 Spoilers

26:00 - Episode 2

38:40 - Episode 3

52:10 - Episode 4

BE REEL is brought to you by California College of the Arts’ Writing MFA Program. Learn more about their wonderful work at cca.edu/writingmfa.

When it comes to contemporary sci-fi, Alex Garland sits at the highest level of Hollywood writers/directors/creators. Whether penning original ideas about humanity’s undoing (“Ex Machina,” “28 Days Later,” “Sunshine”) or adapting bestselling books (“Annihilation,” “Never Let Me Go”) to his own specifications, Garland has had a hand in several of the most intriguing sci-fi and horror films of the past 20 years. This week, Be Reel studies most things Garland, with an emphasis on his screenwriting, leading to our forthcoming recap of his new Hulu/FX show "Devs.” Keep your eyes peeled for that shortly.

BE REEL is brought to you by California College of the Arts’ Writing MFA Program. Learn more about their wonderful work at cca.edu/writingmfa.

Before the entire world shut down, there was an extremely good Kelly Reichardt movie ("First Cow") halfway into theaters. Now it's shelved, but our career-spanning look at the American independent stalwart continues. Known for their lived-in detail, complex female leads and incisive social commentary, Reichardt titles like "Wendy and Lucy" (2008), "Meek's Cutoff" (2010) and "Night Moves" (2013) examine the age-old cracks in the Pacific Northwest's rebellious mythology. Of course, the guys also discuss what they've been watching under quarantine and Chance shares a telling bit from his recent interview with Reichardt.

BE REEL is brought to you by California College of the Arts' Writing MFA Program. Learn more about their wonderful work at cca.edu/writingmfa.

Who do you become when no one can see you? Well, today’s Be Reel category doesn’t take a rosy view of how already powerful dudes would use this new superpower. In light of the new "Invisible Man" film starring Elisabeth Moss, we rope in an additional trio of invisible pictures, including "The Invisible Man" (1933), "Memoirs of an Invisible Man" (1992) and "Hollow Man" (2000).

BE REEL is brought to you by California College of the Arts‘ Writing MFA program. Learn more about their incredible work at cca.edu/writingmfa.

With the restoration and re-release of Elem Klimov's underappreciated war epic "Come and See," we steel ourselves to revisit the film's famously immersive, brutal, even dangerous portrayal of the WWII Eastern Front. (A child actor's hair literally turned white.) Listen as we dive back into the Russian film’s production history, myth, canonization, and assess the lines between majesty and gratuitousness.

BE REEL is brought to you by California College of the Arts' Writing MFA program. Learn more about their incredible work at cca.edu/writingmfa.

We lost a great one this month with the passing of Hollywood icon Kirk Douglas at the age of 103. But what made him such an era-defining star in classics like "Spartacus"? That indomitable chin? That triangle torso? No, there’s something deeper and cannier to how the heartthrob-turned-super-producer cemented his own role as a prophet in the mid-century American movie religion. This week, Be Reel looks back at five movies that defined Douglas' career: “Ace in the Hole” (1951), “The Bad and the Beautiful” (1952), “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” (1954), “Paths of Glory” (1957) and “Spartacus” (1960).

BE REEL is brought to you by California College of the Arts' Writing MFA program. Start your journey with them at cca.edu/writingmfa.

Whether their torment is played for laughs, cold shivers, or #MeToo rage, assistants get a raw deal on screen. This week, as Kitty Green’s incisive new drama “The Assistant” rolls out around the country, Chance and Noah look at the role of assistants in cinema, also revisiting “The Devil Wears Prada” (2006) and “Secretary” (2002). They're joined by Daily Beast writer Cassie Da Costa to discuss her writing on "The Assistant" and recount her own experiences with a troubling film industry internship.

After years of cratering in Noah's office Oscar pool, we've dispensed with the official bubbling and brought in a third voice to make sense of Hollywood's biggest (and obtusest) night. "Sweet & Low" author Nick White returns to the program to predict and critique the 2020 favorites. Highlights include Noah's surprise anointing of "The Irishman" for Oscars glory, Chance's historical theories re: "1917," and Nick's fury over the J-Lo / “Hustlers” win that will never be.

Be Reel is brought to you by California College of the Arts' Writing MFA program. Learn more about their wonderful program at CCA.edu/writingmfa.

"Bad Boys, bad boys / whatcha gonna do / whatcha gonna do when we rate and review?" It’s 2020, and Columbia Pictures has dug deep into its intellectual property vault for a 17-year dormant Will Smith franchise with no meaningful reason to continue. Sounds like a job for Noah and Chance.

Be Reel is brought to you by California College of the Arts' Writing MFA Program. Learn more at CCA.edu/writingmfa.

For our first episode of 2020, we're visiting the March family in their seventh turn on the big screen. With a new structure and perhaps all-time best cast, Greta Gerwig's "Little Women" feels revisionist and faithful toward the 1868 story all at once. Then, in search of more context, we review the “Little Women” of 1994 and 1949. From these films, we discuss the Jo March of Winona Ryder and the Amy of Elizabeth Taylor while observing these adaptations sort out their own versions of what Gerwig tried to do in 2019.

Be Reel is brought to you by California College of the Arts' Writing MFA program. Learn more at CCA.edu/writingmfa.