The Kick

This week, Chance and Noah dive into the one-inch pool of movies based on fan fiction — writing that takes the characters of more popular sources and, apparently, has them do weird sex stuff. In addition to the new YA film "After" (2019), our case study includes the mega-franchise “Fifty Shades of Grey” (2015) and one-note joke of a movie “Pride & Prejudice & Zombies” (2016). Plus, Kathleen Newman-Bremang (of Refinery29)breaks down why this genre so defined by sex isn't particularly sexy.

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

Writer and director Madeleine Olnek first considered that Emily Dickinson might have been an actual human being with desires, muses, and ambitions when she read a 1998 New York Times investigation of the famed poet's original drafts. The result was the play "Wild Nights With Emily", now an inventive literary comedy starring Molly Shannon, Amy Seimetz and Brett Gelman. Press play for a discussion of Olnek's new movie, her meeting Molly Shannon in college, and battling the painted-over legacies of historical women.

All it takes is a carnival coin-trap, a packet of Party City fairy dust, or a wizard who needs you as his champion and — SHAZAM! — that pesky childhood is over in an instant. But is being thirty, flirty and thriving all it's cracked up to be? This week, "Big" (1988), "13 Going On 30" (2004), and "Shazam!" get the Be Reel treatment. There's Penny Marshall, a smoke monster, and six more smoke monsters!

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

On an interview edition of Be Reel, Chance talks with director Emma Tammi about her new horror film "The Wind" (out now from IFC Films). They discuss how Tammi made the transition from documentary filmmaking to genre mashups, how the wind haunted real-life pioneers, and why trauma is having its day in the horror genre.

Be Reel is brought to you by the California College of the Arts' Writing MFA.

With Noah and several thousand writers visiting Portland for AWP '19 last week, we cracked the spine live and in-person on a related podcast category: the writer as forger, as plagiarist, as literary Danny Ocean. This time out, Be Reel reviews “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” (2018), “The Hoax” (2007) and “Secret Window” (2004) for a three-movie slate of word crimes. Plus, we’re joined by two esteemed authors who’d never do any of this shady shit — Natalie Serber (“Shout Her Lovely Name”) and Nick White (“Sweet and Low”) — to discuss their favorite films about writers.

Be Reel is brought to you by California College of the Arts’ MFA in Writing program.

JC Chandor's "Triple Frontier" isn't the first movie to wonder what would happen if a few rogue soldiers tried to get rich while allegedly doing the right thing. On a new "Be Reel," Chance and Noah review Netflix's latest film and compare its themes and all-star casts to "Three Kings" (1999) and "Kelly's Heroes" (1970).

Be Reel is brought to you by California College of the Arts' Writing MFA program.

The rich are monsters, and Noah and Chance are watching three movies based on the scandalous French novel "Les Liaisons Dangereuses." Don't know it? That's fine. You might know "Cruel Intentions," the now-20-year-old teen movie it inspired, as well as the 1988 Oscar contender "Dangerous Liaisons," starring Glenn Close and John Malkovich. We watched a less-known third adaptation called "Valmont" too, and we're psyched to have film critic Abbey Bender back on the program to once again discuss "teens" behaving badly in erotic thrillers.

"Be Reel" is brought to you by the California College of the Arts' Writing MFA program.

Last year, we got absolutely crushed in Noah's Oscar pool. This year is different. Tune in for our 2019 Oscars guide, featuring some level-headed awards talk, Noah explaining his love for "The Wife", and a podcast interruption for the ages.

Be Reel is presented by the California College of the Arts' Writing MFA program.

This week, we try desperately not to do a sports podcast while discussing sports movies where the most important games are played in offices. Starting with the slick, provoking new Steven Soderbergh film "High Flying Bird" and its critique of the NBA, the pod then revisits the statistical revolutions of "Moneyball" and the racial profiteering of "The Great White Hype."

Be Reel is brought to you by the by California College of the Arts MFA in Writing Program and is proudly part of The Playlist Podcast Network.

Gene Hackman may be happily retired, but the same can't be said for your trusty hosts. We're still breaking down three movies a pop, and this week, we celebrate the all-time great actor's 89th birthday by looking at three of his iconic villain/antagonist roles: "Superman: The Movie" (1978), "Unforgiven" (1992) and "The Firm" (1993).