The Reel World

Ben & Matt’s Marvellous Journey – Episode 43: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (aka The End)

Hey wait a minute, Guardians 3 wasn’t the first MCU project of 2023, and it’s not 2024 yet! Why is there a new episode of Marvellous Journey?

Well imaginary listener who is unrealistically invested on our sporadic podcast, the answer is we’re kiiiind of bringing the show to an end and decided to go out on a high note. We did still discuss the rest of the 2023 films and shows but in a lightning-round fashion.

So for probably the last time lets discuss the villains, the ending and who the final entries on the All-Marvel List are as our beloved space-faring scumbags wave farewell and James Gunn heads over to DC.

Pantheon Plus: The Iron Claw

It’s the series finale of Pantheon Plus. Jerome and Brian decide to go back to the well and discuss what brought them together in the first place: pro wrestling.

They discuss a brand new release, a movie that purports to cover the tragedy of the Von Erich family. They also reveal their future plans as they exit The Reel World and venture out on their own.

Ranking the Richard Kelly Films

To grow up in the early-to-mid 2000s and to care at all about watching movies meant to be very aware of Donnie Darko. It was a film that had such a hold on so many budding cinephiles much in the way that Quentin Tarantino and Kevin Smith had on so, so many of us. I was too cool for Donnie Darko though and felt as though “I saw through it.”

And so I ignored Richard Kelly films for almost two decades. I was vaguely aware of Southland Tales‘ troubled released. Something about the Cannes debut going badly, it eventually being reclaimed, etc. It is a story we have heard so much before that my teenaged indifference to Donnie Darko caused me to not care too much about the specifics of Southland Tales opinions, and I never even heard of The Box until recently.

The opportunity in 2023 to see Richard Kelly speak (at a screening of The Box) though seemed like an occasion to finally give Kelly’s films an honest appraisal as an adult.

I am delighted to report back that I have such a deep fondness for them. The key to Kelly’s films are their sincerity. You watch these films, and their high concepts are never approached at a safe distance. Kelly goes all in and asks the audience to trust him that it will be worth it. There is no ironic detachment. You get the sense watching these films that total emotional investment will be rewarded. It is a feeling that has been all-to-missing in too many big films in recent years.

Continue reading Ranking the Richard Kelly Films

Untitled BoJack Horseman Project: Episode 7

BoJack’s turned his life around and has finally found happiness and we’re sure that won’t immediately implode causing him to lose everything and everyone near and dear to him. No way!

We debate if ‘The View from Halfway Down’ deserves its litany of plaudits, discuss how well they ‘landed the plane’ and wonder what the show might have looked like if they’d gotten two full seasons as originally planned.

Plus a whole portion on the Community movie, obviously!

Pantheon Plus: Ranking the Star Wars Movies

So it’s come to this. Jerome and Brian discuss the entire Star Wars franchise. They agree about some movies and passionately disagree about others.

It’s the penultimate episode of Pantheon Plus with next week being the grand finale on the Reel World podcasting network.

Ranking the Jonathan Glazer Films

Jonathan Glazer has only made a handful of films (so far), which proves the world is not a just place. Glazer has many strengths and one of them is his ability to examine how one’s past can feel like a ghost coming to kill you. It is an idea I found interesting in each of his films.

Continue reading Ranking the Jonathan Glazer Films

Ranking the Charlie Kaufman Films

After establishing himself as one of the most interesting writers in Hollywood, Charlie Kaufman finally started to step behind the camera fifteen years ago and is now one of the best writer/directors. Here is how I rank his directed efforts so far. Continue reading Ranking the Charlie Kaufman Films

Untitled BoJack Horseman Project: Episode 6

They released it in two parts, so we’re talkin’ about it in two parts. Deal with it!

BoJack is in rehab, Diane is in Chicago, Mr Peanutbutter is in hot water of his own making and Princess Carolyn is really not doing so well juggling work and her new child. Plus Todd’s complicated family dynamic is at least revealed.

Is the part one/part two thing ever called for? Would this have been better as two longer seasons or one truncated one? Was it even time to end the show at all? Let’s find out!

The Superhero Pantheon Series Finale

Five years is a long time, but in many ways it’s felt like a blip.

Jerome and Brian reflect on the podcast, superhero movies, and even the ending lines that come at the end of each podcast. It’s end of a long journey but also the start of a new one.

Jerome & Kevin Present – Cancelled Too Soon: GLOW (Season 3)

Cancelled Too Soon concludes with a show that was renewed for a final season that never was. What ended up being the last season of the show saw the GLOW television show transformed into the GLOW Vegas residency show.

Jerome and Kevin talk about the continued balancing act of a large cast, the uneven nature of the season, parallel age gapped relationship stories, what they believe is the best episode of the entire series, and once again give the cast their well-earned flowers. They then discuss the show’s untimely cancellation, what was to come in Season 4, and some postmortem comments from the cast and crew.