The Next Reel Film Podcast

Back in 2007, David Fincher created what many consider his best film, Zodiac. Hailed by dozens of critics as one of the best films of the year, it unfortunately never found its audience and ended up a financial failure. This week, movie lovers, join us as we delve into this meticulously crafted, haunting and sometimes scary film that details the obsession one man had in solving the Zodiac killings in the San Francisco area in the late 60s. From a script by James Vanderbilt based on Robert Graysmith's doggedly detailed books "Zodiac" and "Zodiac Unmasked", Fincher's pursuit to create as accurate a portrayal of the truth as possible give us a beautifully restrained look at how the police and newspaper reporters worked hard to try to find an answer to the killings yet never did so. We talk about how this potentially is the reason the film didn't fare well at the box office. We also discuss the film's impeccable cast (let's all give a hand to John Carroll Lynch's unforgettably creepy portrayal of Arthur Leigh Allen!); chat about the amazing (and invisible) visual effects used to recreate the San Francisco area from 1968 to 1991 that truly take us back in time; and cover how this film was the first film to shoot with the then new digital camera, the Viper, and what that allowed Harry Savides, the cinematographer, to do. It's a drastically underwatched film, in our opinion, and we think you ALL need to go rent it right now then listen in!

Hey there, movie fans! Oscar nominations came out this past week and as movie lovers, we thought we'd offer up our first special podcast episode weighing in with our thoughts on what was nominated, what wasn't, what should have been, what shouldn't have been, and what we want to see win. Join us for a special Oscar nomination episode on "Movies We Like!"

Our third stop on the Fincher Fest train brings us to David Fincher's 2008 drama, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." Fincher outdid himself on this film, combining all elements available to him from tried and true practical elements through state-of-the-art digital effects -- not to mention countless top-notch performances -- to create an astounding period film about an astounding person who is born old and ages backward. We discuss the journey this F. Scott Fitzgerald story took to get to the silver screen -- a long one that at one point had Frank Oz slated to direct it and Martin Short to star as Benjamin! We chat about watching Benjamin Button, played by Brad Pitt in one of his best performances, age backward and the unreal makeup work done to pull it off, not just for him but for all the characters in the film. We talk about the themes this story is hitting upon and why it works so well, and we discuss the immense amount of money put into getting this film made and how Fincher managed to pull it all off and still turn it into a profitable film. The film won 3 Academy Awards and was nominated for an amazing 13 Academy Awards (though it should have been 14 as Cate Blanchett, who didn't get a nomination as Best Actress, has never been better!). Join us as we dig into this gorgeous film!

Greetings and salutations, movie aficionados! Welcome to the second episode of our Benjamin Button-style David Fincher-fest! Tonight, we discuss arguably his greatest film—certainly his most critically acclaimed. It's "The Social Network," from Aaron Sorkin's script that is simply on fire. Joining us tonight as a special guest is Chadd Stoops: actor, longtime friend of Pete and Andy, and HUGE fan of this film. In this episode, we discuss the realities of the movie's reality—was it fair for the filmmakers in telling this story to change the truths in order to make a more compelling film? We talk about the spot-on performances all around as well as the amazing magic Fincher worked to double Armie Hammer as the Winklevoss twins. We look at what this film is really saying about social networking and the people behind Facebook, and we discuss how "Fincher" this film really is. We also chime in on our opinions as to why it didn't win Best Picture at the Oscars. It's a spirited conversation about an incredibly relevant and hugely important piece of modern history. Listen in! Oh, and since we're talking about a movie about Facebook, make sure you go to the Rash Pixel page on Facebook and Like us! That way you can be a part of OUR social network! Happy listening!

It's the start of the Benjamin Button-style Fincher-Fest, movie lovers! And what better way to kick it off than to take a look at David Fincher's current film, "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," based on Stieg Larsson's first book in his internationally best-selling "Millenium" trilogy. It's already racking up end-of-the-year accolades and incredible buzz about Rooney Mara's knock-your-socks-off performance of Lisbeth Salander (all well-earned), even though some contingents of fans of the original Swedish films (great films in their own right that only came out last year) question why Hollywood felt it so necessary to adapt the books again so quickly after the others were made. The Swedish films certainly put Noomi Rapace and Michael Nyqvist -- who play Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist, respectively -- on the map in international casting circles (Rapace has since appeared in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and just wrapped in Ridley Scott's Prometheus while Nyqvist appeared in John Singleton's Abduction earlier this year and currently can be seen in Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol.) In this episode, we talk about the various iterations of this first of Larsson's stories -- did the Americans need to make their own version, what works in each version and what doesn't, what did Fincher and his team bring to the table, etc. We work to put in context what the Swedish film is to Swedish audiences by comparing similar statistics with American films. We discuss the performances -- Rooney Mara's brilliant work as well as the amazing Daniel Craig who we both feel isn't just playing James Bond in Sweden. We discuss the change in the end of the story and how we feel about it as well as all of the sequences that come after the climax. We chat about the team behind this -- Steven Zaillian who is having a great year with this and Moneyball, Jeff Cronenweth, Ren Klyce, Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross -- and that's just some of the crew! Robin Wright, Stellan Skarsgard, Julian Sands and the always amazing Christopher Plummer all give brilliant performances. One actor we don't mention in this episode but who is worth mentioning here is Yorick van Wageningen, the poor actor stuck with playing the brutal role of Nils Bjurman. He was so traumatized after filming his pivotal rape scene with Mara that he locked himself in his hotel room for a day and cried. Obviously his choice to take the role, but it's always good to be reminded that an actor is not the character they portray. So if you haven't had a chance to read the book or watch either film version, go do so before listening in because we have some spoilers, then tune in and join us as we take on this fascinating murder mystery with one of film's most intriguing characters in years.

It's a new year, movie lovers, and in this episode, we take on an incredible film with crisp, spot-on, endlessly quotable dialogue, a cast that is absolutely perfect, and not one but two fantastic New Year's Eve scenes. That's right, we're talking about Rob Reiner's 1989 romantic comedy classic When Harry Met Sally.... We talk about how the film sprang from the real lives of Rob Reiner, his producing partner Andrew Scheinman and the Oscar-nominated writer Nora Ephron. We discuss the nature of the filmmaking process for this film and how smart it was to let the storytelling stand out front even though they could have easily brought out an arsenal of cinematic tools to use. Restraint can be a good thing! We laugh about the neverending lines from the film that are still quoted to this day. And we report on the truth of those cute old couples who pop up throughout the film to recount their own tales of falling in love. It's a magical, heartwarming tale of love, friendship, and the constant struggle between men and women to try to understand each other. Tune in and join us to start 2012 off right!

Greetings and salutations, movie lovers! In tonight's episode, we'll wrap up 2011 and our Charlie Kaufman trilogy with 2004's Eternal Sunshine for the Spotless Mind, directed by Michel Gondry. Kaufman won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for this film, along with Gondry and Pierre Bismuth with whom he shares story credit, and they certainly deserved this award along with every other accolade they received for this incredible film. We discuss how this story about relationships fits in Kaufman's canon. We talk about all of the amazing tools of filmmaking, both digital and practical, that Gondry and his team employ to create this disintegrating world within our protagonist's head as his memories of his girlfriend are erased. We cover Gondry and what he's bringing to the table. We also discuss the actors and how much they all bring to the table, whether its Kate Winslet in her Oscar-nominated performance as Clementine, Jim Carrey in one of his greatest serious performances ever, or Elijah Wood in maybe the creepiest role he's played. It's an incredible film about love, loss, destiny, memory and identity. Listen in as we end the year with a bang!

Merry Christmas and happy holidays, movie nerds! Tonight, in the spirit of the season, we talk about Michael Curtiz's curious gem of a Christmas comedy from 1955, "We're No Angels." We look at the film's story—which certainly has charmed both of us—and how it fits in the holiday film genre, despite being a tale of criminals on the lam. We talk about the history of the studio system and how this comes during its decline. We discuss Michael Curtiz, his place within that system, and what he brought to the history of film. We also chat about the fantastic actors, and give our two cents on adding this to the annual list of Christmas movies worth watching. So put on your ugliest Santa sweater, sit back by the fire (where you're roasting chestnuts, no doubt) and join us with a hot peppermint latte as we delve into this wonderful, and to some extent forgotten, Christmas treat!

Andy & Pete talk about "Adaptation"

Andy & Pete talk about "Being John Malkovich"

Andy & Pete talk about The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Andy & Pete talk about "The Last Crusade"

Andy & Pete talk about Temple of Doom.

"Throw me the idol, I throw you the whip!" Everything about Steven Spielberg's 1981 adventure film, "Raiders of the Lost Ark," is iconic. From the unforgettable lines that are so easy to quote, to the brilliant characters saying them and the pitch-perfect actors playing them, to the countless scenes full of adventure and danger, to John Williams' score, to Jones' hat and whip. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — on this week's episode of Rash Pixel's "Movies We Like" as we start our Indiana Jones series and talk about the influence this film had on our childhoods and how it still plays an important role in our moviegoing sensibilities. We talk about the origins of the story with George Lucas and Philip Kaufman, how it transitioned to Lawrence Kasdan, and how Spielberg joined in. We discuss the script and how well it works, particularly because of the great characters that all feel fully fleshed out, as well as how some of those characters unfortunately get a short shrift in the sequels. We discuss the special effects and how well they work, even if the techniques are a bit dated for today's audiences. And we chat about the interesting nature of the protagonist and antagonist, and how similar they, in fact, are in this film. It's one of the greatest adventure films out there, one we've seen innumerable times, and certainly a movie we like. Listen in!