Writer/director Alexander Payne joins the show to discuss his new movie “The Holdovers,” starring Paul Giamatti. He dives into some early moments of his career, reuniting with Giamatti nearly 20 years after “Sideways,” and more. 

Stick around after the interview for our review of the film, and we finally catch up on some movies and TV we’ve missed throughout the year. 

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Timestamps (approx. only)

• 00:00 - Intro 
• 11:41 - Interview | Alexander Payne
• 40:33 - Review | ‘The Holdovers’
• 51:44 - Review | David Fincher’s ‘The Killer’
• 1:06:25 - Outro

We are honored to welcome Joaquin Phoenix back to the show! His new film "Napoleon" (directed by Ridley Scott) is in theaters now and sat down with us at the junket in Paris to dive into his preparation and creative decisions that went into playing the historical figure. He shares some wonderful stories of working with Ridley Scott on “Gladiator,” why he thinks it took so long to get the call to work with Ridley again, and how Napoleon’s hat was like his best friend. 

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Timestamps (approx. only)

• 00:00 - Intro 
• 6:25 - Joaquin Phoenix Interview
• 25:54 - Behind the Scenes of the ‘Napoleon’ Junket
• 31:47 - Outro

The legendary director Ridley Scott returns to the show to discuss reuniting with Joaquin Phoenix for their latest film, Napoleon. We get into his approach to directing, and shooting battle scenes at a massive scale, his interactions with Stanley Kubrick during Alien and Blade Runner, and more. We also get his reaction to Christopher Nolan’s praise of the director during our Oppenheimer interview earlier this year.

Stick around after the interview for Jake’s own review of the film, which he recommends you go see in a theater if you can.

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Timestamps (approx. only)

• 00:00 - Intro
• 8:27 - Ridley Scott Interview
• 34:43 - ‘Napoleon’ Review
• 45:17 - Outro

Director Eli Roth joins to discuss his new slasher flick Thanksgiving, based on the incredible trailer from all the way back in Grindhouse. He talks about returning to direct horror for the first time in a decade, how they show the original trailer during Hostel 2’s production, and what it’s been like working with Quentin Tarantino over the years.

Also this week, we have our review of Thanksgiving, as well as The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes!

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Timestamps (approx. only)

• 00:00 - Intro 
• 09:16 - Eli Roth Interview | ‘Thanksgiving’
• 41:44 - Review | ‘Thanksgiving’
• 56:05 - Review | ‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes’
• 1:07:33 - Outro

Director Francis Lawrence joins the show to discuss his new film The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (starring Rachel Zegler, Tom Blyth, and Viola Davis). We chat about returning to the Hunger Games franchise following his tenure with Jennifer Lawrence, the key to working around the MPA’s rating guidelines, and more. 

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Gabe - @gabeKovacs

With its films rarely hitting theaters, and the ones that do rarely debuting with much fanfare, is Netflix hurting its films with its more ephemeral release model? That’s a big topic on this week’s show. We discuss how both films and series on Netflix seem to come and go through the cultural zeitgeist, whether or not that is sustainable, and whether we think it should change. 

Also this week, director David Yates joins us to discuss his new film “Pain Husters,” his time working in the Wizarding World, and the upcoming documentary “David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived” which tells the story of Daniel Radcliffe and his Harry Potter stunt double David Holmes who endured a life-changing accident on set.  

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Timestamps (approx. only)

• 00:00 - Intro 
• 11:58 - David Yates Talks ‘Harry Potter’ & ‘Pain Hustlers’
• 34:31 - Netflix’s Bad Release Model & ‘Pain Hustlers’ Review
• 41:42 - ‘Five Nights At Freddy’s’ Surprises Us With A Huge Box Office Win
• 56:37 - Sophia Coppola’s ‘Priscilla’ Review
• 1:12:49 - ‘Now and Then - The Last Beatles Song’
• 1:27:30 - Outro

Cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema joins us to discuss his many collaborations with Christopher Nolan over the years, how they’ve continued to innovate the IMAX format, and how it’s all led to their latest masterpiece “Oppenheimer.” The prolific cinematographer sat down with us at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival where he received Variety’s Creative Impact in Cinematography award. We were honored to discuss many points throughout his career from his work on “Let The Right One In” to “Nope.” 

• Christopher Nolan & John David Washington: https://youtu.be/jQU8qs_eN_A
• Christopher Nolan Talks “Oppenheimer”: https://youtu.be/68LzVr9LvL0
• James Gray Interview: https://youtu.be/rdm7e78EYGc
• Peter Sohn Interview: https://youtu.be/myrRFWv9-JM

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• ReelBlend - @ReelBlend
• Sean - @Sean_OConnell
• Jake - @JakesTakes
• Kevin - @KevinMcCarthyTV
• Gabe - @gabeKovacs

Timestamps (approx. only)

• 00:00 - Intro 
• 8:12 - Hoyte Van Hoytema Talks ‘Oppenheimer’ & Working With Christopher Nolan
• 49:21 - Sean Had A Blast At The SCAD Savannah Film Festival 
• 1:08:26:07 - If you could only put on ONE film during the spooky season, what’s your pick?
• 1:21:55:14 - Outro 

Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” (starring Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone) hits theaters this weekend. The film is filled with incredible performance after incredible performance from both its lead and supporting cast. Its tragic true story deserves the extended runtime Scorsese presents us, and we are sure to continue discussing “Killers of the Flower Moon” throughout the awards season. 

Join us this week for our full, spoiler-free reviews of one of this year’s best, and stick around once you’ve seen the film for our more in-depth thoughts in the spoiler section. 

Jake’s Full Martin Scorsese Interview: https://youtu.be/ADwbyCzOgww?si=W3dtv8DJ8RvXNuMG

Martin Scorsese Edit: https://www.instagram.com/p/CylMjtILRbT/

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ReelBlend - @ReelBlend

Sean - @Sean_OConnell

Jake - @JakesTakes

Kevin - @KevinMcCarthyTV

Gabe - @gabeKovacs

Timestamps (approx. only)

• 00:00 - Intro 
• 6:09 - ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Review (Spoiler-Free)
• 34:50 - SPOILERS!
• 1:03:41 - Jake Interviewed Martin Scorsese!
• 1:07:33 - Outro

Director Gareth Edwards joins the show for a spoiler-filled chat on his film “The Creator” (starring John David Washington, and Gemma Chan), one of our favorite movies of the year. He gets candid about the film’s disappointing performance at the box office, hopes for it to find a wider audience over time, its narrative ties to “Terminator 2” and more. 

Also this week, “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” is taking over theaters. We discuss its projections, and what its success might mean for the industry moving forward. It was revealed this week that Marvel is taking a step back from their Daredevil series to adjust their TV strategy, and Sean, of course, has some strong thoughts. 

Mike Flanagan Talks “Doctor Sleep”: https://youtu.be/HMNEjgD-yzY

Mike Flanagan & Trevor Macy Talk “Midnight Mass”: https://youtu.be/XlZUFfZvsEE

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ReelBlend - @ReelBlend

Sean - @Sean_OConnell

Jake - @JakesTakes

Kevin - @KevinMcCarthyTV

Gabe - @gabeKovacs

Timestamps (approx. only)

• 00:00 - Intro 
• 5:36 - Gareth Edwards Interview: ‘The Creator’ (Spoilers) 
• 41:05 - ‘Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour’ Talking Over Cinemas
• 1:07:34 - Marvel Shakes Up Its TV Strategy
• 1:16:26 - New Mike Flanagan Drops This Week! 
• 1:24:54 - Outro

"Totally Killer," starring Kiernan Shipka and Julie Bowen, blew us away with its refreshing and fun take on the slasher genre. Director Nahnatchka Khan joins us to talk about the many 80s horror inspirations, balancing comedy and horror, and more from behind the scenes of Prime Video's new time travel slasher. 

After the interview, we give our full review of the film. Sean also gives us his preview of "Loki" Season 2 which has finally arrived on Disney+. Kevin reviews "The Exorcist: Believer" and shares the incredible story of his interview with Blink 182's Tom DeLonge. 

• Brian Duffield Interview: https://youtu.be/3ceTF2u_j6E?si=tXK8YoyLHXBYfnVD
• Russo Brothers Spoiler Interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFuuTKd-fUg
• Kevin’s Tom Delonge Interview: https://youtu.be/zN3Z-9x6q8k?si=FRxnWmvWRM6mSANe

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Follow The Show

ReelBlend - @ReelBlend

Sean - @Sean_OConnell

Jake - @JakesTakes

Kevin - @KevinMcCarthyTV

Gabe - @gabeKovacs

Timestamps (approx. only)

• 00:00 - Intro 
• 7:41 - Nahnatchka Khan Talks “Totally Killer”
• 30:26 - “Totally Killer” Review
• 37:22 - “Loki” Season 2 Preview
• 49:58 - “The Exorcist: Believer” Review
• 58:25 - Kevin Interviewed Tom DeLonge For His New Alien Movie! 
• 1:07:52 - Outro