Reelblend

Michael Shannon Guests, New Dune Images & Possible Movie Theater OpeningsOne of our favorite contemporary actors, Michael Shannon, joins us to talk about his new film The Quarry which his headed to VOD. He also gets into the ending of Man of Steel, the prolific directors he's been able to work with, why he skipped the Oscars when The Shape of Water won Best Picture and more. Also on this week's show, we discuss those new, gorgeous photos from Dune, Cinemark's plans to start opening in July, what might happen to the Cannes film festival and other major film events throughout the rest of the year, and we take a look at what's hitting VOD. For this week's BlendGame, we take a look at the filmography of Tony Scott! You can play along next wee by sending in your FAVORITE best picture winner of all time with #BestPictureBlend on Twitter. This Week In Movies (er...Streaming)Underwater (VOD 4/14)Fantasy Island (VOD 4/14)The Rhythm Section (VOD 4/14)Wendy (VOD 4/17)Endings, Beginnings (VOD 4/17

Mark Wahlberg Nearly Cast In Men In Black & More with Director Barry SonnenfeldIn a very special bonus episode, we are joined by Barry Sonnenfeld, the director behind the Men in Black series, Get Shorty and The Series of Unfortunate Events. We discuss his early career starting out in the adult film industry, his work as the cinematographer for the Coens for many years and more. He so many great stories to tell from nearly casting Mark Wahlberg as young Tommy Lee Jones in Men In Black 3 to working with Tom Hanks on Big and Forest Gump to nearly dying in a plane crash. Follow The Show HereReelBlend -  @ReelBlendSean - @Sean_OConnell Jake - @JakesTakesKevin - @KevinMcCarthyTVGabe - @gabeKovacs  Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/reelblend/exclusive-contentAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

More Films Skip Theatrical Release, Quibi & Our Interview with Kris ReyKris Rey is a writer, director and actor who joined us to discuss her next directorial venture, I Used to Go Here (starring Gillian Jacobs, Kate Micuuci, Jemaine Clement), which  was set to debut at the SXSW festival in Austin, TX earlier this year. Following the festival's cancellation, Kris talks about what a major festival like SXSW means for an independent feature's success, what her release and promotion of the film looks like now, and the incredible cast she worked with. The news this week includes more delays, most notably a shift in the entire slate for the MCU. The guys discuss the new landscape for Marvel as they try to kickstart a new era in their cinematic storyline. Artemis Fowl is no longer set to be released in theaters and will instead debut on Disney+ in May, and we may see more shift like this for Disney pretty soon. Quibi, the "quick bite" streaming service, made it's debut this week. Sean struggl

Ben Schwartz On Sonic's Redesign, Voicing BB-8 & More The incredibly awesome and hilarious Ben Schwartz joins us for a special extended interview! Things get bonkers, we play movie trivia games, he changes his laundry, and we learn a lot about his work as an improvisor. We cover much of his career from Parks and Rec to his many voice-acting projects like Sonic The Hedgehog to his upcoming Netflix special with Thomas Middleditch, Middleditch & Schwartz. We had an absolute blast hanging out with Ben, and we think you'll really enjoy listening along. Be sure to grab a copy of Sonic The Hedgehog available at home this week, and check out his long-form improv special on Netflix April 21st. Follow The Show HereReelBlend -  @ReelBlendSean - @Sean_OConnell Jake - @JakesTakesKevin - @KevinMcCarthyTVGabe - @gabeKovacs  Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/reelblend/exclusive-contentAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Talking Star Wars, John WIlliams And More With The Skywalker Legacy Director Debs PatersonStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is headed home this week on Blu-ray, and with it comes a feature-length documentary on making the film and honoring the legacy of the Skywalker Saga. Debs Paterson, the filmmaker behind the documentary joins us this week to talk about what they set out to capture while shooting behind the scenes of the epic, decades-spanning saga, the 350+ hours of archival footage they had access to from Lucasfilm, and so much more. She was an absolute delight to talk to, and a true Star Wars fan so we think you'll really enjoy this discussion. The Golden Globes have announced changes to their eligibility rules in light of current events. We discuss how this will effect the awards landscape moving forward, and, with the continued delay of films reaching into July, what that slate of awards contenders might even look like. For this week's BlendGame, we dive into our FAVORITE needle drops in film h

Theater Owners on The Future of Movie TheatersWith the box office hitting zero for the first time, and major releases leaving the schedule as far ahead as June (as of this episode), we're all painfully curious as to what this means for the theatergoing experience of the future. Phil Contrino, the Director of Media and Research at NATO (The National Association of Theater Owners) joins us to discuss what is happening to businesses in the industry, big and small, what these delays and VOD release mean for the future of theaters, and what patrons can do right now to help support their local theaters. After this fascinating discussion, we move on to discuss how this could potentially affect the Oscar race, and we look at what's hitting VOD and streaming this week. This week's BlendGame is in honor of the great Jessica Chastain! The guys take a look at her awesome filmography, and must choose which of her works is their favorite. Next week, you can play along using #NeedleDropBlend on Twitter to let us

New Releases Hit VOD Early & COVID-19's Continued Effect on The IndustryTo hopefully restore a little consistency to our crazy world at the moment, we are back this week with our 110th episode! COVID-19 has had many dire effects on our economy as a whole, and so we take a narrowed look at how it is effecting the film industry that we love so much. Theaters are closing to aid in social distancing measures, films are being delayed indefinitely, and many are heading home on VOD much earlier than expected. After we get through the news though, we have plenty of fun discussing what we've been streaming. We also take a look at some new films that are hitting streaming services this week with a restructured This Week In Movies segment; including a few recommendations from the guys themselves on what and where to watch some of their favorite films and TV. It wouldn't be ReelBlend with a BlendGame, and this week's topic is of course out continued look through ages of underrated movies we adore. #Un

Bloodshot Director Talks Vin Diesel & Competing with Marvel & DCDave Wilson, the first-time director behind Bloodshot, joins the show to discuss working with Vin Diesel and the big-movie-franchise experience he brought to set, how Valiant Comics and their heroes differ from Marvel and DC and more. Later on in the show, Sean also gives his spoiler-free review of the film hitting theaters this week. The effects of COVID-19 have continued worldwide, and the film and entertainment industries are seeing some major changes. Following No Time To Die's push to the fall, we saw SXSW, a major festival for indie filmmakers, get cancelled entirely, and the status of each upcoming release seems to be in question as matters develop. We dive into what we've seen happen so far, and how the industry and consumers may continue to react with the ever-evolving situation. In lighter news, we finally have a better understanding of what Disney's latest theme park ride turned movie is all about. In the most recen

The Way Back Director On Ben Affleck's Return & The Most Emotional Days On SetDirector Gavin O'Connor has a staggering filmography that includes Miracle, Warrior and The Account, and on this week's show he joined us to discuss his latest project The Way Back (starring Ben Affleck). We touch on some awesome behind-the-scenes moments from Miracle during the 40th anniversary of the Miracle on Ice, his approach to this project as a drama first and a sports movie second, working with Ben on the film while he was in rehab, their concerns with filming some of the scenes so closely to leaving rehab, and more. Also on this week's show, we honor James Lipton's life and career following his recent passing. He remains a major influence on Jake, Sean and Kevin as lovers of film, and film journalists. Given the recent developments regarding COVID-19, we look at how the spread of, and concern regarding the virus may continue to effect the film industry. DISCLAIMER: We recorded this episode before No

The Invisible Man Director on Making Small-Budget Horror & The Saw FranchiseCo-creator of the Saw franchise, and breakout director in his own right, Leigh Whannell joins the show this week to talk about The Invisible Man, his followup to 2018's Upgrade. He talks about stepping away from the Saw franchise because he was just out of ideas to kill people, tells a great story about running into Chris Rock long before he was attached to the upcoming Saw spinoff, Spiral: From the Book of Saw, and he even reacts, in real time, to the Battinson Bat suit. We also get into some behind-the-scenes details on how they pulled off The Invisible Man for just a $7 million, and more. Breaking just as we started recording this week, we finally have a title for the next Jurassic World movie, Jurassic World: Dominion. The guys discuss. Continuing the trend of breaking news, Bob Iger stepped down as CEO of Disney during our recording. The guys react, but mostly just go on a tirade of terrible puns. And of course, we review

Wendy Director Benh Zeitlin Talks Adapting The Peter Pan Mythos & MoreFollowing his Oscar nominated debut, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Benh Zeitlin has spent the last 8 years crafting a very original adaptation of the Peter Pan story we all know and love. He stopped by the podcast to talk about working with young, non-professional actors, building his Neverland in the real world as opposed to a set, why they shifted the story's focus from Peter Pan to Wendy and so much more. Also in this week's show, the guys finally get to discuss the reveal of Robert Pattinson's Batsuit. We touch on where we think the tone of Matt Reeves' new Batman is headed, and the rad idea that his suit's Bat symbol could be made from the proverbial gun that killed his parents. Unfortunately, both Kevin and Sean lost the friendly Oscars wager, granting Jake the power to force them to watch any movie he desired. So this week, they return with painful stories of sitting through the infamous Human Centipede III: Fi

Parasite Wins Big, The Broadcast Falls Flat & More 2020 Oscars Reactions The awards race has officially come to a close, and in the spirit of our original name, AwardsBlend, we are here with our reactions to the very long telecast. Bong Joon Ho and Parasite won big. While only Producer Gabe was in love with the film, we are all very excited to see it win, and give our reactions to what this could mean for the future of the Academy. After last week's show, news broke that Sam Raimi is in talks to take over Doctor Strange 2. Our resident comic book movie expert, Sean O'Connell, has a lot thoughts about what this means for that project, and the MCU/Spider-verse at large. Birds of Prey didn't quite take the box office by storm as many expected in its opening weekend. We give our thoughts on why that might be, and where the marketing for the film maybe went wrong.This Week In MoviesEnter the Fat Dragon (limited release; starring Donnie Yen)Ordinary Love (limited release; starring Liam Neeson, Lesle

Birds of Prey Director Cathy Yan Talks Margot Robbie, Ewan McGregor & Directing ActionOn this week's show, we are joined by director Cathy Yan to discuss her latest film, Birds of Prey, starring Margot Robbie, Ewan McGregor and Mary Elizabeth Winstead. She talks about working with Margot and her input on the Harley Quinn character, what it took to pull of some of the huge action set pieces, why the film doesn't need Jared Leto's Joker and so much more. Stick around for later in the show when Jake and Sean also give their spoiler-free reviews of Birds of Prey. (Spoiler: It's really fun!)Also this week, we have our final Oscars predictions! The guys have set a friendly wager on who can guess the most Oscar categories correctly, and the losers will have to watch an unbearable movie of the winner's choice. We also want to hear your predictions so write them down, and let us know how you do on Oscar night.This Week In MoviesAnd Then We Danced (Limited Release)Waiting For Anya (Limited Relea

Director Reed Morano Talks Blake Lively & The Rhythm SectionWe were so happy to sit down with Reed Morano to talk about her new film, The Rhythm Section, a spy, action, revenge flick starring Blake Lively and Jude Law. She discusses her career as a long-time cinematographer, and how that influenced her work as a director and with cinematographer Sean Bobbitt. She also dives into some of the creative decisions behind much of the film's action, and Blake's character overall. Be sure to stick around until later in the show for Sean's spoiler-free review! The Academy Awards are nearly here, and with the DGA Awards in the rearview, we have to touch on where the race stands, and our predictions. We look ahead at Super Bowl weekend, and some trailers we are hoping to drop during the game. Jake and Kevin had the sat down with Jim Carrey, and have some sweet stories to tell. And finally, we debate our favorite last line in movie history with #FinalLineBlend. Play along next week when we'll be discu

Bad Boys For Life Directors Talk Michael Bay & Beverly Hills Cop 4Following their staggeringly successful opening weekend, directors Bilall Fallah and Adil El Arbi sat down with ReelBlend to discuss the early box office results, working with Michael Bay for the cameo and the advice he gave about handling his "baby." They also dive into their approach to filming the movie's action, working with Eddie Murphy and Netflix on Beverly Hills Cop 4 and more.Outside of our awesome conversation with these filmmakers, the guys react to the official announcement of Martin Scorsese's next film to co-star Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio. This past weekend, the Screen Actors Guild held their annual awards show, and we dive into what the winners and losers say about the race to the Oscars. Parasite took home the major prize, and with a possible win at the DGA looming, Bong Joon Ho's piercing deconstruction of classism appears to be a new favorite to take home Best Director or even Best Picture.Gu

2020 Oscar Nominations ReactionThe nominees for the 2020 Academy Awards are out, and boy do we have some opinions. There are some heroes to root for, and plenty of snubs to detest so strap in for our reactions to the Oscars' ever-contentious list of nominations. Uncut Gems stayed true to the name, and couldn't make the cut for a single category, Lupita Nyong'o's jaw-dropping performance in Jordan Peele's Us appears to have been completely forgotten, and if you're Kevin, 1917 seems to be getting way too much credit.Also in this week's show, we dig in to our favorite scenes from all of film history, and we loved seeing the great responses from you at home using #SceneBlend. For our next show, you can play along using #MatthewMcConaugheyBlend as we'll be revisiting his filmography to determine our favorite performance from Matthew McConaughey.2:40 - Weekly Poll: Should We Do More Live Shows?4:47 - Oscar Nominations Reactions40:23 - This Week In Movies42:22 - #SceneBlendThis Week I

Our Most Anticipated Films of 2020 - LIVE!To celebrate our 100th episode, we invited a bunch of Blenders to meet us at the AMC Georgetown 14 in Washington D.C. for a special LIVE recording of the show! We get into the 5 films that we, as a show, are the most excited for in 2020, we give our FAVORITE films of the decade, and hear from many of the fans that made the trip to see us.For next week's BlendGame, we're looking out favorite scenes of all time. Play along on social using #SceneBlend, and you might hear your pick read on the show.This Week In Movies1917 (starring Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay, Colin Firth)Just Mercy (starring Michael B. Jordan, Jaime Foxx, Brie Larson)Like a Boss (starring Salma Hayek, Tiffany Haddish, Rose Byrne)Underwater (starring Kristen Stewart, T.J. Miller, John Gallagher Jr.)4:42 - Most Anticipated Films of 20205:14 - #5: Top Gun: Maverick12:14 - #4: Wonder Woman 198417:12 - #3: Mank20:27 - #2: Dune27:29 - #1: Tenet36:24 - This Week In Movies38:31 - #2010sBlendFollo

Creating A Quentin Tarantino Documentary with Director Tara Wood Welcome to another awesome bonus episode of ReelBlend, this time featuring documentary director Tara Wood. Tara dives deep into the career of Quentin Tarantino with interviews featuring some of his many collaborators from Samuel L. Jackson to Jennifer Jason Leigh to Kurt Russell and more. We discuss some her favorite aspects of Tarantino's work, what she learned and adapted to during the process of making the doc, and reacts to some of the controversies surrounding his work and career. We could not be more grateful to share some time with Tara Wood, and we hope you take the time to check out her work now on VOD. Follow The Show HereReelBlend - @ReelBlendSean - @Sean_OConnellJake - @JakesTakesKevin - @KevinMcCarthyTVGabe - @gabeKovacs Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/reelblend/exclusive-contentAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Our Favorite Movies of 2019It's the end of another amazing year in movies, and the guys are here to breakdown their 10 favorite films of 2019 for you all. Enjoy! Follow The Show HereReelBlend - @ReelBlendSean - @Sean_OConnellJake - @JakesTakesKevin - @KevinMcCarthyTVGabe - @gabeKovacs Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/reelblend/exclusive-contentAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

A Very Heated Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker ReviewIf there's one thing all Star Wars fans have in common, it's passion. That passion often brings us together in ways that only cinema and Star Wars can, but it can also drive us to opposite ends when it comes to debating what makes Star Wars good, and what doesn't. The "sequel trilogy" of Star Wars films that we've all come to enjoy (to varied degrees) over the past few years of been some of the most divisive additions to canon of all time.Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, as the conclusion to the epic saga spanning 9 films and numerous decades, may prove to be the most divisive yet, and we, as many groups of friends are, find ourselves split right down the middle. However, that makes for a really fun show! Some of you may love it. Some of you may hate it. Either way, in episode 98 of ReelBlend, you'll find something to relate to. Enjoy!This Week In MoviesSpies in Disguise (starring Will Smith, Tom Holland, Karen Gillan)Just Mercy