The Kick

In our Halloween episode, we read the tea leaves of three movies about crews of witches supporting each other, fighting demonic men, and (in one case) sucking the lifeblood from small children. And while "Practical Magic," "Hocus Pocus" and "The Witches of Eastwick" might appear to cry out for a #CovenGoals celebration of witchy power, these movies are a pretty wild broom-ride of giant performances, confounding gender politics, and having no idea what magic is. This week, we're thrilled to be joined by Syfy Wire writer Heather Mason to discuss Sandra Bullock's rom-com plot stuck in the middle of “Practical Magic” and whether “Hocus Pocus” is suitable for kids.

Read Heather's piece on "Practical Magic" here:

http://www.syfy.com/syfywire/33-thoughts-i-had-while-watching-practical-magic

Once Batman, now Birdman, Michael Keaton either became world famous by accident, and then went missing on purpose, or the other way around. The 68-year-old actor’s circuitous career is marked by distinct eras — from zany ‘80s comedies, to block-busting New Hollywood fare, to 15 pretty lean years, to a comeback in 2014.

On this week’s show, we watched three films where Keaton plays his favorite concerto — losing his mind on camera. It’s “Birdman” (2014), “Beetlejuice” (1988) and “Mr. Mom” (1983). Joining in to make us smarter are two guests: Keaton fanatic and The Kickback frontman Billy Yost and film historian Alison Macor, who just released a biography of the screenwriter of both “Beetlejuice” and “Batman.”

For your hosts' part, an argument ensues. Is Michael Keaton’s weirdness a net positive for his movies?

The air is chilling, the leaves are changing, and, boy, do these back-to-school films love to show us just that. On this week’s podcast, we discuss three films shaped around a new year at boarding school. Whether at Hogwarts in 2004 or Ivy League feeder academies in 1959, these boarding school movies all hinge on how an outsider fits into an environment steeped in WASP-ness, wealth, and tradition. English teacher and returning friend-of-the-pod Brent Rivers sits in with us to discuss how “Dead Poets Society,” “School Ties,” and “Harry Potter And The Prisoner of Azkaban” all propagate certain myths about inspiring teachers.

Visit bereelpodcast.com for all past episodes and some additional writing.

In this week's mini-episode, Noah and Chance review and rate the new, smash-hit adaptation of Stephen King's "It." While Noah is almost finished with King's dictionary-sized 1986 novel, Chance came completely cold to this story about an evil force terrorizing small-town kids in the form of a killer clown. 

While Noah fills Chance in on the issues director Andrés Muschietti's adaptation doesn't touch from the original novel, your hosts also grapple with how to judge horror movies with their rating system. Is it pleasurable to watch Pennywise the Dancing Clown torment the adolescent outcasts who call themselves The Losers' Club? Let's dive on in; you'll float too.

On a new Be Reel, we enter the Matrix trilogy, which is streaming in its entirety on Netflix. The franchise, of course, begins with one of the most iconic action films of modern times, and we bring in IGN's Sean Finnegan to discuss how and why "The Matrix" is still relevant and surprising 18 years after its release.

Then, it's on to the nearly five hours of sequels: "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolutions." The words "stupid" and "nearly ruins" are tossed about. And in its own, unintentional way, this franchise has caused us to rethink our choices as human beings. Would we have taken the blue pill on this whole Be Reel category?

In 1995, "Toy Story" set the gold ... well, polyurethane standard for toys springing to life in film. But it's not an uncommon concept. From "Ted" to "Annabelle," it's not hard to see what's cute, creepy, or ironically crass about playthings suddenly speaking in adult voices.

On this week's show, we watch and review three Toy Tales (they're off-brand toy stories), including "Child's Play" (1988), "Small Soldiers" (1998), and "The Indian In The Cupboard" (1995). At the 22-minute mark, Noah swings by the Play Kids toy store in his Brooklyn neighborhood to ask owner Shelley Kramer about the undying fantasy of toys coming alive and whether she thinks that's ever happened in her store.

Follow us on Twitter @bereelpod.

Given "Mad Max: Fury Road," the Fast franchise, and now "Atomic Blonde," Charlize Theron seems dead set on spending her forties as an action star. But the South African actor has been working across genres for two decades, stealing scenes, elevating co-stars, and portraying complicated, sharp-edged characters with tumultuous internal lives. On today's show, we discuss three of Theron's boldest anti-heroine roles: "Atomic Blonde" (2017), "Young Adult" (2011), and "Monster" (2003). With help from film critic and Theron devotee Oktay Ege Kozak, we dig into the career of one of the most interesting movie stars of our time.

Read Kozak's list of Theron's best performances here:

http://bit.ly/therontop10

With the film world abuzz about "Dunkirk" this week, we paired the new war epic from Christopher Nolan with two other military rescue films: "Behind Enemy Lines" and "Black Hawk Down." After Noah shares the story of his transcendental evening with Phish, we dig into "Dunkirk" and argue over whether Nolan's manipulation of time is a gag or a successful bit of orchestration. At 25 minutes, we're joined by Nolan superfan and friend of the pod Joe Kozal, who lays down a "Proposal" about where the auteur is at in his prestigious career.

We parachute "Behind Enemy Lines" at 37 minutes, wondering if Owen Wilson sprinting a whole bunch qualifies as a dramatic performance. Plus, an old friend of Chance's sends in a great Owen impression. We wrap up around 50 minutes with "Black Hawk Down," discussing the Ridley Scott film's confusing international politics and two dozen recognizable actors.

Find Chance's written review of "Dunkirk" and all other episodes of the show at bereelpodcast.com.

A lot's happened since they've been out: families befriended, families hoodwinked, families pressing murder charges. This week, we watch over the eerie, difficult-to-pull-off genre of coma movies, including The Big Sick (2017), While You Were Sleeping (1995), and Reversal Of Fortune (1990). 

We begin with the new autobiographical comedy from Kumail Nanjiani and Emily Gordon, The Big Sick. Noah and author/client Nick White saw the movie together in New York last month, so Nick digs into The Big Sick on our air, discussing the film's take on conservative families, guilt, confronting who you are, and how it all resonates alongside his new novel. Then, your hosts rate The Big Sick and work through Noah's skepticism. 

At 38 minutes, they move onto While You Were Sleeping, an early Sandra Bullock rom-com that everyone seems to have seen just once. There could be a reason for that: memorable premise, haphazard movie.

Then, at the 53-minute mark, we send this episode to bed with a discussion of the little-remembered, ripped-from-the-headlines drama Reversal Of Fortune. In this film, the person in the coma gets a voice, and the things vegetative heiress Sunny Von Bülow says about her husband convicted of attempted murder are quite scandalous. 

It's an hour of bedside manner that's all over the damn place. Find us at @bereelpod on Twitter.

They may be aces behind wheels, sharks in pressed uniforms, and imps tiptoeing up to jewelry boxes, but are they even old enough to vote? This week, Noah and Chance try not to be taken for fools by prodigious teenage crook movies. They begin a bit divided on the surprise summer hit BABY DRIVER, about an iPod-toting getaway driver (Ansel Elgort) trying to survive a few final heists. A bit after the 20-minute mark, they discuss Sofia Coppola for the second straight week, but this time it's THE BLING RING, a docu-realist portrait of spoiled Hollywood youth. What on earth is this movie trying to tell us? And at 40 minutes, we suit up with Steven Spielberg's CATCH ME IF YOU CAN. A favorite of both your hosts, this movie arguably marks the end of effortless-era Spielberg. We also unpack the symbiotic obsession of '60s conman Frank Abignale Jr. and his FBI pursuer. These some are some cute kids; watch your wallets.