Reel Film Nerds

  Hey check it out a new podcast!  Sorry we have been gone for so long but Matt did drop a few hints that the pod might be a bit on a hiatus.  Mysterious Mike and Maniacal Mags welcomed their first offspring into the world in late February, congrats you two!   This week the guys made it to the theater before they were shut down to watch a controversial film that was pushed back, The Hunt.  Apocalypse based topics today include the Coronavirus, In N Out Burger, and is this the end of movie theaters as we know it? Is The Hunt worth you spending your hard earned money on when it releases later today on streaming, short answer nope.  It is not a bad movie, it is actually a pretty fun movie but there is so much better content out there to watch. Our recommendation is to wait until this one is streaming on a service you already pay for.  Is the controversy warranted, maybe but remember it is a satire. This film attacks both major parties in the US equally. The acting is good but nothing special. The action and f

Hi everybody and welcome to the writing for an introduction to the latest Reel Film Nerds podcast!  Was that confusing? I know I am confused, anyways today your hosts Mike and Matt review a film that you definitely should not waste your time watching.  The Netflix Original starring the guys from Workaholics, Game Over, Man!  Off topics more entertaining than this film include emoji, stoner movies, and your hosts are old. Seriously, do not watch this movie.  It is not a great way to spend your time at all.  It does have its moments with a handful of great bits but there are just too few to help rescue it’s awful and confusing story.  The acting is fine, the sets are nothing special, and the story once again in trash. The guys had such a hard time talking about this one that they mostly were off topic for the entire podcast.  They are fun off topics and maybe too extreme but we are sure someone might be entertained at least for a little bit. Matt always being the nice guy that he is (Matt you really need to wo

Welcome faithful listeners to a super duper extra special double sized Reel Film Nerds podcast!  Today your host’s Mike Talent and Matt Hinshaw review a revenge film that is currently streaming on Netflix titled Avengement. The second half of our pod the guys finally get around to the 2nd Annual Poindexter Awards!  Of course there are bonus topics today like Cobra Kai, how many weeks old, and beer. Avengement is a gritty, dark, and action packed film.  It is definitely not for everyone. The acting was great, the story was interesting, and the fight scenes were excellent.  This is the perfect film to put on if you are browsing through Netflix and want to watch a unique way to tell a revenge story.  Mike loved the film because you know he is obsessed with revenge films. He awards Avengement 4 out of 5 Reels.  Matt enjoy the British action flick but not nearly as much as Mr. Revenge Film.  He gives the movie 3 out of 5 Reels. The second half of our pod we discuss our 2nd Annual Poindexter Awards!  Yes we are a

Welcome to our anniversary week!  This Friday Reel Film Nerds podcast turns 2 years old, wow!  Don’t fret we are doing our annual Poindexter Awards but not until next week.  Today we discuss DC’s latest film Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn or as it’s been renamed this week Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey.  Bonus topics today include Ewan McGregor, Mudshark, and a whole lot of Oscars talk. Birds of Prey is an ok film.  The story has been done time and time again.  It is one of the biggest faults with this movie and you know how much the story means to your two hosts.  The color palette, acting especially by Margot Robbie, and cinematography are great.  The action really took Matt by surprise.  The fight scenes were shot wide allowing the actors to show off their moves.  It was very reminiscent of the John Wick series of films.  Is this a must see movie in the theaters, nope.  Is it worth a watch down the road, sure. It is an entertaining film that does have several redeeming qu

Welcome everyone to our little pod about movies!  In today’s episode your two hosts discuss Guy Ritchie’s latest british gangster film The Gentlemen.  Extracurricular topics include MCU burnout, when you need to be in your seat, and the 2nd Annual Poindexter Awards. The Gentlemen was a real shock to Mike and Matt.  Neither of them were super anxious to see this film.  It did not look like a bad movie from the trailers but Ritchie has had a few missteps recently.  This picture was a really nice return to form for the writer and director of such great films as Snatch and Sherlock Holmes.  The cast is amazing, the sets are great, and the story is full of fun twists and turns like a lot of Guy Ritchie’s older fantastic films.  The acting was incredible especially from Hugh Grant and Colin Farrell.  Is this a must watch film in the theaters, no it is not but it is worth a watch.  Matt and Mike both agree, wait until this one is streaming or at RedBox to catch it.  Mike really enjoyed The Gentlemen awarding it 3 o

Happy Wednesday fellow nerds!  Matt and Mike are back with another great podcast for you.  Today the guys review a film that slid under the radar this past November but is currently in the theaters and on Blu-ray thanks to its many Academy Award nominations, the South Korean film Parasite.  Bonus topics today include Aerosmith, subtitles, and Morse code. Parasite is a very good film that caught both of your hosts by surprise.  It is 100% subtitled so if you are not ok with reading for an entire film you might want to skip this one.  You will really be missing out on a great movie though. The acting, sets, and the cinematography are fantastic in Parasite but where this film really shines is its story.  It is very hard to discuss this film without spoiling it so we won’t here.  It is a genre bending film that raises lots of questions about societal class status.  You will be thinking and discussing Parasite long after you leave the movie theater.  Mike really enjoyed this film giving it 4 out of 5 Reels.  Matt

Welcome kiddos to another movie review podcast!!  Ours is special though because we said so. First off we screwed up a little bit.  This week’s review Bad Boys for Life was not directed by Michael Bay but by Belgian directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah.  We apologize for getting your hopes up with #BayBang.  We are still keeping the hashtag though. Here is your warning the guys are in really rare form on today’s pod.  They tried to stay on topic but failed miserably. It’s still a fun podcast to listen to, we swear. Some of our copious off topics include The Villages in Florida, the FAA and drone regulations, and lastly Best Picture nominees. Bad Boys for Life is a breath of fresh air for a typically stale month of movie releases.  Is it going to win any awards next year, heck no but it is a ton of fun! Will Smith and Martin Lawrence retain their incredible chemistry together even after 17 years apart.  The action was good but a bit over the top and even silly at times. It is not quite at the level of Mic

Wednesday is upon us again, the week is halfway over and boy do we have an incredible film to review for you!  Today Matt and Mike discuss the latest World War I epic 1917 directed by Sam Mendes.  Not war related topics include friends, History versus Hollywood, and #BayBang.      1917 is a truly incredible film that is a must see in the theater.  It is getting a ton of awards season buzz and it is warranted. The cinematography is absolutely stunning, the acting is very good, the sets and soundtrack are stunning and accurate to a T.  If this film does not win several awards this year it would be a shock to both Mike and Matt. This is truly one of the best if not THE best film of 2019. Mike awards 1917 a perfect rating with 5 out of 5 Reels!!!  Matt really loved 1917 as well but really would have liked it more if the story was historical.  He still gives it a very high rating with 4.5 out of 5 Reels. Honestly you must see this cinematic achievement in the theaters you will thank us.         Next week the boy

Welcome fellow film geeks!  Today Mike Talent and Matt discuss the most Michael Bay film Michael Bay has ever Michael Bayed in history, the Netflix original 6 Underground starring Ryan Reynolds.  Not Michael Bay related topics include not so smart assistants, Kirby Chambliss, and selfies. 6 Underground is a really fun movie with tons of incredible over the top action.  This is one of the few straight to Netflix films that definitely would be better to watch in a theater.  The biggest issue this movie has is the story and that is a very big deal to both of your hosts. The acting is great for the most part.  Ryan Reynolds comes off as just collecting a paycheck though. He is not terrible in 6 Underground but he also does nothing that’s worth talking about either.  Mike Talent enjoyed the film but was very disappointed by the story and acting giving the film 2 out of 5 Reels.  Matt also thought this movie could have been better except for the action and stunts, he loved them. He gives 6 Underground a score of 3

Welcome to 2020 everyone!  Nope we are not going to make the same stupid joke everyone else keeps making on the socials about finally having 2020 vision but we are going to review a movie for you!  Today your hosts talk about the Safdie brother’s newest film Uncut Gems starring Adam Sandler.  Bonus topics today include going to concerts, great TV shows, and advancing film making with smaller budget films. Uncut Gems is a dark disturbing and well made film.  It is gritty to it’s core from the sets to the audio tracks to the chaotic cinematography.  Adam Sandler is absolutely incredible as main protagonist Howard Ratner.  Easily the best performance of his life. If Sandler is not at least nominated for an Academy Award for this film Matt might start a one man riot.  Kevin Garnett yes that Kevin Garnett does a surprisingly great job as himself as an obsessed NBA basketball player looking for anything to give him an edge.  Uncut Gems is a great film but it is not a must see in the theaters unless you have seen S

Thank the Maker!!!  It’s here our review of Matt’s reason to live, Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker!!!  If you can’t tell we are just a tad excited to chat with you about the last installment in the Skywalker saga.  Additional topics include Christmas, blue glowies, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is incredible!  Star Wars: Episode IX is a great film and answer to Rian Johnson’s disaster that is The Last Jedi.  We are not going to spoil this film here but we do follow our new structure and spoil it after our Marvel Cinematic Universe tie-in.  Hopefully you have watched Episode IX at least once by now.  The acting is great, the script can be a real mess, and the action is nonstop!  If you are even a casual movie goer or Star Wars fan this is a must see film in the theaters.  Thank you J.J. Abrams for saving this beloved franchise with Star Wars Episode IX.  Don’t listen to the critics on this one they are wrong, really wrong.  Matt and Mike clearly are not critics because they loved this movie. Mike

Welcome everyone to a super special bonus podcast from your Reel Film Nerds!  Today Matt is quizzed by Mike Talent about his predictions, desires, and outcome for the latest film of a franchise that is more important to Matt than sleep Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker!!  Sorry to disappoint but there are not any off topics, what are you drinking, or MCU tie ins just all Wars talk!  Those will all wait for our review of the film next week. If you want to hear Matt’s first impressions and brief thoughts on the latest epic space opera tune in Friday December 20, 2019 between 8:45AM - 9:15AM Arizona time to Leza Live and Local on Magic 99.1.  You can also click this LINK right HERE to listen live online anywhere in the world! Next week it’s the big one, the final one, Matt’s reason to live, Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker review!!  How many times are you going to watch it in the theater?  Thanks for hanging out with us we do appreciate it. Have an incredible Christmas!! If you have a

We did it!  The boys finally watched and reviewed a film in the theaters after a two week hiatus thanks to Matt not knowing how to read.  This week Mike and Matt sit down with a supercalifragilistic guest and animal expert to finally review Jumanji: The Next Level.  Off topic topics include harsh reality of social media, animals: fact versus fiction, and a bun in the oven, wait what?!?!  Buckle up you are in for a fun double sized RFN pod! Jumanji: The Next Level is a film most of us were expecting if you watched Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.  It is just more of the same but bigger and badder like most sequels in the world.  More characters, more action sequences, and bigger sets all help bolster the film. The story is nothing special even bad at times and the impressions could be improved well most of the impressions.  It was great to see the return of all the characters and actors from the previous movie but this sequel in the end feels like a cash grab. Should you go out and watch Jumanji: The Next Leve

Sorry everyone but Matt messed up bad last week.  He claimed we were reviewing Jumanji: The Next Level but regretfully it’s not out yet.  He was honestly looking at the wrong week on the release calendar.  Don’t hate him more than usual. Instead there was an exciting new Netflix release last week of a film made in Prescott, Wish Man.  Not Wish Man related topics today include Die Hard, Blanton’s Bourbon, and the incredible beauty of northern Arizona. Wish Man is an extremely well acted and written film based on the life of Prescott hero Frank Shankwitz founder of Make a Wish.  Frank’s story is very emotional on many levels both good and bad.  The sets are beautiful and perfect for the time period. If you live or have experienced much of Prescott, Ariz. you will recognize most if not all of the locations they used.  There are a handful of minor missteps in the film. A couple of the flashbacks were not presented well and came off confusing. The child actors did well but could have been better.  They are kids a

Welcome to December everyone!  You can now safely decorate for Christmas, thank you to everyone who waited.  This week the guys stayed home and watched the biggest film release of the long holiday weekend Martin Scorsese’s latest gangster film The Irishman.  Extra special topics today include de-aging, Mike and Matt throw shade at each other, and structure? The Irishman is an incredible film with a great story saturated with history.  It is classic Scorsese at his best!  Yes it is a long film, very long but worth it.  Do yourself a favor and try to watch it in one sitting.  It will be difficult, especially with the ease of streaming shows and movies today but it is honestly the best way to watch The Irishman.  Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci do we really need to say more?  They were just incredible along with the excellent and vast supporting cast.  The de-aging effects were well done for the most part. There are a few times when the effect doesn’t look quite right but overall it is remarkable what

Happy Thanksgiving Eve everyone!  Are you ready to get your grub on?  Some families have a tradition of seeing movies on Thanksgiving.  Mike and Matt are here to help you decide if you should see the new Tom Hanks film inspired by one of the most loved Americans to walk the face of the earth, Fred Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.  Additional topics today include Apple products, The Mandalorian (yes again), and Tom Hanks’ comedic roles. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is a great film it was just not the film we were promised in the trailers.  The story is really good but it is not a story about Fred Rogers.  It involves Mr. Rogers in a big way but he is not the focus of the film.  It is loosely based on Esquire magazine journalist Tom Junod’s article and friendship with Fred.  The film is very emotional especially if you grew up watching Mr. Rogers Neighborhood.  It pulls all the right strings especially the main character Lloyd Vodel’s relationship with his family or lack thereof.  Mike and

Welcome to Wednesday everyone!  The week is halfway over and your host’s Mike and Matt are here to help by chatting about an incredible film!  Today the guys review James Mangold’s Ford v Ferrari starring Christian Bale and Matt Damon.  Bonus topics today include Gallup New Mexico, The Mandalorian, and Adam Carolla’s The 24 Hour War. Ford V Ferrari is truly an amazing film.  This true story is exciting and intricate, the acting is incredible especially Bale and Damon’s chemistry, and the cinematography is down right gorgeous. This film is not only for car lovers it is for everyone.  Yes cars are the focus of the film but honestly it’s about relationships, working hard, and family. Matt and Mike both agree this is a must see in the theater.  The visuals paired with the incredible sound mixing really deserves to be experienced in the best way possible. Matt really liked Ford v Ferrari, he gives it 4 out of 5 Reels.  Mike also really enjoyed the movie but as expected he is a bit harsher than Matt awarding the f

Congratulations you made it to a new Reel Film Nerds podcast!  Today your host’s Mike and Matt discuss the sequel to a film that is almost 40 years old Doctor Sleep.  Bonus topics include The Shining mini review, Talented IPA, and RFN Podcast #144 audience reactions. Doctor Sleep is a great film.  It is not a horror film, it is a thriller with many horror elements.  The story is fantastic and unexpected. A grown Danny Torrance has been tortured throughout his life dealing with the trauma that happened at the Overlook Hotel in The Shining.  We are introduced to Dan after living in a bottle for a long time, following in the footsteps of his father Jack.  Ewan McGregor is incredible as Dan Torrance.  Rebecca Ferguson finally gets to spread her wings from the Mission Impossible franchise as Rose The Hat, our villain, but the real shocker was Kyliegh Curran as Abra Stone.  This young actress did an incredible job and we cannot wait to see what she brings to the silver screen in the future.  Matt and Mike both agr

Wednesday is here again and we are back to our one pod a week schedule.  Mike and Matt hope you enjoyed our Second Annual Harvest Horror Fest and look forward to next year’s.  Today your hosts jump head first into a robot Sci-Fi sequel Terminator: Dark Fate.  Not robots from the future topics include McDonald’s fries, what is woke, and CGI. This is probably the most divided Matt and Mike have been on a film in a very long time.  Mike loved the latest installment of the Terminator franchise and well Matt did not to put it mildly.  They both agree the action was great, the acting was fantastic, and most of the CGI was very good.  The film flowed well but the issue at least for Matt was the plot. He claims it is the exact same plot as The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgement Day smashed together and updated for today’s generation.  Sound familiar Star Wars fans?  Mike Talent enjoyed this film and did not disparage Matt for having a different opinion than him.  Matt did the exact opposite but Mike kept to his

Happy Halloween everyone!!!  Today is a happy and sad day.  First off it’s Halloween, one of the most fun days of the year.  Second, it is the final Harvest Horror Fest review of the season.  Today Mike Talent and No Talent Matt review John Carpenter’s classic horror film The Thing (1982).  Not thing related topics include Tool destroys at Gila River Arena, RC plane flying, and Netflix VS. movie theaters. The Thing (1982) is an incredible Sci-Fi horror film that Matt should have watched long before 2019 but he is a giant slacker, literally giant.  The story is amazing especially the paranoia that slowly ramps us throughout the movie. It rivals the incredible monster and creature design.  Speaking of creatures, wow, just wow! They are truly out of this world, especially when you realize this film was made over 35 years ago! Kurt Russell does a particularly excellent job as a helicopter pilot, especially his decision to rock that incredible prospector hat.  Our Second Annual Harvest Horror fest has been one fo