Wrong Reel

This week we review the latest sci-fi extravaganza from the imagination of the Wachowskis. Sadly the experience fell short of our expectations. Thankfully we rebound with the animated cult classic "Heavy Metal" (1981) and wallow in all of its juvenile glory.

Winner of the Special Jury Prize at Cannes, Xavier Dolan's "Mommy" is a groundbreaking new film employing a rare 1:1 aspect ratio. After our review we look back at the classic "Leave Her to Heaven" (1945), a movie often described as a film noir in color starring Gene Tierney in the role of a lifetime.

We enter strange new territory in the world of S&M as depicted in Peter Strickland's new film "The Duke of Burgundy" now available in limited release in the US and on VOD. We close the episode with a look at the dark, often misunderstood, films of Todd Solondz and his masterpiece "Happiness".

In an episode that will go down in infamy as the one that nearly killed the podcast, we celebrate the centennial of Orson Welles and discuss the incredible retrospective of his work at the New York Film Forum.

We sit down with the brilliant animator Signe Baumane and her voiceover director/co-producer Sturgis Warner to discuss her new feature film "Rocks in My Pockets". Available for pre-order at rocksinmypocketsmovie.com

If you have a weak heart, turn back. This episode is not for you. For our first audio commentary track, we settled on Pier Paolo Pasolini's controversial film "Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom" (1975), a movie that shocks and polarizes audiences to this day. There was no shortage of screams as we plunged into the abyss of Pasolini's notorious statement on the horrors of Fascism. (fast forward to 01:13:25 and 01:21:00 to enjoy our shock and awe)

Grab yourself an espresso and get ready for our epic discussion about the best films of 2014. Some call movies like "Lawrence of Arabia" and "The Godfather" epics. They pale in comparison to the marathon we ran in producing this episode of our top ten movies of the year. It has been a great year for cinema.

2014 was an amazing year for movies and there are no two examples that are better than Andrey Zvyagintsev's "Leviathan" and J.C. Chandor's "A Most Violent Year". Mikhail Karadimov discusses how he was moved on a personal level by the new film from Russia while James Hancock and Parker Dixon enjoy a friendly debate over Chandor's best film to date.

With the Film Society of Lincoln Center exhibiting their remarkable John Huston retrospective Let There Be Light until January 11th, we decided to go deep into the career of one of the greatest filmmakers in history. A larger than life individual whose personal life almost overshadows his amazing filmography, we go over several of his career highlights before taking the proper time to relish one of his greatest movies, "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre".

With "The Interview" finally reaching audiences on VOD platforms and in Independent Theaters, we decided to weigh in on cyberterrorism and freedom of speech as well as review the movie itself. Then we look back at Martin Scorsese's controversial "The Last Temptation of Christ" (1988) and the violent protests directed at the film at the time of its release.

It is our special holiday episode and the hosts of Wrong Reel discuss everything we love and hate about movies that take place during Christmas with special attention going to John McTiernan's Die Hard (1988), Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life (1946) and Terry Gilliam's Brazil (1985).

After soaking in the news about Sony's plans not to release "The Interview" due to threats by terrorists, we show a rare display of unity as we take turns angrily expressing our disappointment in Peter Jackson's new movie "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies". Along the way we discuss everything we love about J.R.R. Tolkien's literature and why Jackson's original "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy was such a dramatically superior moviegoing experience.

With the limited theatrical release of "Inherent Vice" we decided to look back at the career of one of our greatest filmmakers, writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson. Following on the heels of what are popularly considered to be his two greatest movies, "There Will Be Blood" and "The Master", we debate to what extent "Inherent Vice" is a worthy addition to his filmography.

In honor of the Museum of Modern Art's comprehensive retrospective on the amazing career of Robert Altman (1925-2006), we decided to discuss his entire filmography as well as review his masterpiece "Nashville" (1975). The retrospective continues until Jan. 17th, 2015.

Jennifer Kent's debut feature "The Babadook" successfully scared the hell out of all of us and after a lengthy discussion of the film we dig into David Cronenberg's horror classic "The Brood" (1979).

In Part II of a special 2-part episode, we look back at one of the finest documentaries about film history ever made, "A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies" (1995). 

We get in touch with our inner 12-year-old girl with our review for "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1". 

Our review of one of the most ruthless and thought-provoking dramas of the year, Bennett Miller's "Foxcatcher", starring Steve Carell, Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo. We continue the discussion of madness and wealth run amuck with a look back at the 2012 documentary "The Queen of Versailles".

In Part I of a special 2-part episode, we wish Martin Scorsese a very happy 72nd birthday with a look back at one of the finest documentaries about film history ever made, "A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies" (1995). 

We gave Parker Dixon carte blanche with this episode and he used the opportunity to take us on a guided tour of the guilty pleasures he and his older brother Lawrence adored during their misspent youth. We bring the episode to a close with a look back at Charlie Sheen in "The Wraith" (1986).