Neighbours fight neighbours in this week’s pod, as we watch Alex Garland’s new, maybe-too-close-to-real-life, dystopian thriller Civil War and compare it with Ken Loach’s 1995 Spanish Civil War picture Land and Freedom. Both of these films are certainly thought-provoking, with action, bloodshed, tragedy and tension. But which one makes the best use of a rucksack? Which takes the most humane view of its characters? Which features a cameo from a well-known screenwriter? And which makes us think of Billy Bragg?

Plus a revisit to a dour and dull desert epic, a doc about a 60s TV icon, an ad from Netflix about their follow up to Three Body Problem, a suggestion for what Alex Garland should call his next book, a whole crowd of people in a room talking about politics, and one of us steps in ‘do’ while the other one forgets what they’re doing. (The joy of live radio!)

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Or come to our website, where we’ll be writing about the movies we cover in the show and a few more things besides: https://tworeelcinemaclub.com

You’re welcome to join us at the Popcorn Counter this episode, but speak up because we’ve got our noise cancelling headphones on. (You know, the ones for dogs, remember?) We’ve been listening to a few rival pods while we wait for the popcorn machine to warm up, but which would we sincerely recommend? What are the podcasts that make it into our subscriptions, and when do we find time to listen to them? And do we ever think about anything else besides movies? Featuring guest appearances from blazers, Malcolm Gladwell, the first half of the 1980s, soccer tournaments, heavyweights, dead people, John Lanchester and video games. Now THAT sounds like quite a party.

If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media:

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Or come to our website, where we’ll be writing about the movies we cover in the show and a few more things besides: https://tworeelcinemaclub.com

Is it term time already? It must be, because we’re heading back to school again, this time comparing the new, Oscar-nominated German drama The Teachers’ Lounge with 1967’s scholastic classic, To Sir With Love. There are so many elements in common here that you have to ask if someone’s been copying their homework: outsider teachers, rebellious pupils, racism in the classroom, and scarily self confident teenagers. But which film has an actual ending? Which film offers some medical truths? And which film has the most thirty-year-old looking sixteen-year-olds?

Plus a transatlantic haunting from the BBC, a controversial solution to the problem of reading menus in dark restaurants from our sponsor, a musical guest from Manchester, and some stone cold, legitimate, real medical advice.

If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media:

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Contact us at [email protected]

Or come to our website, where we’ll be writing about the movies we cover in the show and a few more things besides: https://tworeelcinemaclub.com

Please be seated, the Court of the Popcorn Counter is now in session. We’re hosting a constitutional controversy of our own this episode, as we accuse Legal Dramas of the crime of being a bit boring and fundamentally uncinematic. And in true legal tradition, we flipped a coin beforehand to decide which one of us was going to prosecute and which defend. (Like so many movie lawyers, you can tell we’re only in it for the money.) Which film did we fall asleep in twice? Which film sees Julia Roberts settle before she makes it to the courtroom? And have we been to Peyton Place recently?

If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media:

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Or come to our website, where we’ll be writing about the movies we cover in the show and a few more things besides: https://tworeelcinemaclub.com

It’s double anatomy at the Two Reel Cinema Club this episode, as we catch up on the last of the Oscar nominees with Anatomy of a Fall, the French courtroom drama that ended up with the Best Screenplay Academy Award this year. It’s a bloody and nuanced multilingual piece with a couple of dynamite performances, but is it possible that not quite enough happens? We’re comparing it to the 1959 Otto Preminger picture Anatomy of a Murder, starring the ever charming James Stewart and a young Lee Remick, and accompanied by a rollicking soundtrack from Duke Ellington. But which of these films features a barrister dressed as Santa Claus? Which film stars a dog that won an award at Cannes? And which film is based on a book that Stephen King would have been furious with?

Plus we watch a Marvel film that isn’t very good, though probably not for the reasons you may have heard, we argue over the pronunciation of ‘lieutenant’, we learn something about Senator McCarthy, we discover what makes modern business tick thanks to our sponsor, and during the break we clean up some vomit. (Screenwriting is a dirty job, but somebody’s got to do it….)

If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media:

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Or come to our website, where we’ll be writing about the movies we cover in the show and a few more things besides: https://tworeelcinemaclub.com

Join us at the Popcorn Counter this episode for some late-to-the-party Oscars chat. Which nominated film was hit with plagiarism claims? Which film was like getting struck by a steamroller? What exactly is Barbie ‘adapted’ from? When is sound crucial? What are short films actually for? And how much controversy can we generate over the pronunciation of the word ‘controversy’?

If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media:

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Contact us at [email protected]

Or come to our website, where we’ll be writing about the movies we cover in the show and a few more things besides: https://tworeelcinemaclub.com

Again? Seriously? Yes, welcome to our third podcast in a row to feature Nazis. These guys will just not go away. This episode we have watched the new Ava DuVernay docudrama Origin, and read the book it’s based on - Isabel Wilkerson’s non-fiction best seller Caste. We’re comparing it to what may be the first ever cinematic epic, 1915’s silent KKK movie Birth of a Nation. There’s a lot of highly emotional material here about the history of racism and prejudice, but we do have a few questions. Why are these films like looking down opposite ends of a telescope? What do they teach us about the scars racism leaves on society? Which film is so full of house-building metaphors that it feels like a property show? Which film do we nickname ‘American Fiction for stupid people’? And which film features a cameo from ‘Massive Jesus’?

Plus one of us fires a handgun, we both eat a lot of waffles, and then we drink a beer with White-Arm-Jack and Anvil-Man. Also we have a look at two films about artists that begin with the letter ‘A’, make a visit to a cult from a 2017 low budget sci-fi movie, and discover a new slant on PPP from our sponsors.

If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media:

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Contact us at [email protected]

Or come to our website, where we’ll be writing about the movies we cover in the show and a few more things besides: https://tworeelcinemaclub.com

Join us at the Popcorn Counter this week as we ask: why are Nazis such commonly used villains in movies? Films and shows discussed include Hogan’s Heroes, Indiana Jones, Schindler’s List, Star Wars, Starship Troopers, Saving Private Ryan, The Producers, Das Schreckliche Mädchen, Germany Year Zero, and They Saved Hitler’s Brain. Give yourself a bonus mark if you can guess which of those films has the lowest Rotten Tomatoes rating…

If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media:

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Contact us at [email protected]

Or come to our website, where we’ll be writing about the movies we cover in the show and a few more things besides: https://tworeelcinemaclub.com

Oh, dear, what have we gotten ourselves into this episode? Join us for a look at some of the most evil people in history as we watch the new Oscar nominated Auschwitz movie The Zone of Interest and compare it to the Nazis' own 1935 propaganda epic, Triumph of the Will. Light hearted fun is in short supply this time round, but we still manage to challenge evil with ridicule as we ask who exactly paid for all those jackboots? Which film features the most pathetic and ineffectual salute? Which film breaks the fourth wall? And which film best portrays the insidious creeping advance of fascism?

Plus, we ask why Donald Rumsfeld isn’t more popular among seven year olds, we check out some of the longest short films we’ve seen in ages, we enjoy a submarine drama with a twist on Apple TV, we debate exactly what to do with an umlaut, and we taste some unique new flavours of popcorn at our very own popcorn counter.

If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media:

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Contact us at [email protected]

Or come to our website, where we’ll be writing about the movies we cover in the show and a few more things besides: https://tworeelcinemaclub.com

Sometimes at the Popcorn Counter we just go off on one. We have no idea how it happens, we try to plan these things out, but there it is. So join us this week for a high speed tour that takes in intermittent fasting, mind reading, Woody Allen, feral cats, raccoon families, French cinema’s tribute to the animal kingdom, the financial performance of canine movies and a lengthy guest appearance from Kiki the dog. Plus Mishima, Adaptation, and Wonder Boys. Also, this podcast includes maybe the most restful, hypnotising moment we’ve recorded in over a hundred episodes, so if you find your eyes gently closing at the ten minute mark, don’t panic, it’s intentional…

If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media:

Instagram: @tworeelcinemaclub

Contact us at [email protected]

Or come to our website, where we’ll be writing about the movies we cover in the show and a few more things besides: https://tworeelcinemaclub.com