Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have partnered with Alexander Woo to bring the famed science fiction novel "The Three-Body Problem" to Netflix. The showrunners sat down at this year's SXSW festival to discuss the making of the series, how one scene caused the show's delay, spoiling Game of Thrones while traveling, and more. ReelBlend Premium Sign up for a bi-weekly newsletter from Sean, and ad-free episodes at bit.ly/reelblendpremium . ReelBlend on YouTube Be sure to subscr...
Mar 20, 2024•27 min
Legendary composer Hans Zimmer returns to ReelBlend to discuss his immaculate work on Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part Two. We dive all the way back to the early days of his career, working at Dreamworks alongside John Williams and Steven Spielberg, his 20-year-long collaboration with Christopher Nolan, and more. If you haven't listened to our interview with Mr. Zimmer for Dune: Part One, and you enjoy this chat, be sure to give it a listen . ReelBlend Premium Sign up for a bi-weekly newsletter fro...
Mar 15, 2024•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 302
Rebecca Ferguson joins the show to discuss all things Dune: Part Two. We walk through her collaborations with Denis Villeneuve on bringing Jessica to screen, fine-tuning Jessica's relationship with her unborn prescient daughter, and even some of the silly NSFW names for objects in the Dune world. We also had to bring up the iconic "Facob Tremblay" story from behind the scenes of Doctor Sleep. After the interview, we give our final predictions before this year's Oscars! ReelBlend Premium Sign up ...
Mar 08, 2024•1 hr 38 min•Ep. 301
Oscar-winning filmmaker and comedy legend Peter Farrelly joins the show to discuss his new film Ricky Stanicky! Not only do we dive into the comedic prowess of John Cena in his new film, but we couldn’t have Peter Farrelly on the show without discussing his collaborations with Jim Carrey. We can’t wait for you to hear his behind-the-scenes gems on how Dumb & Dumber was finally made, casting both Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels and so much more. Later this week, our interview with Dune: Part Two ...
Mar 06, 2024•30 min
Filmmaker Denis Villeneuve returns! Kicking off episode 300 of our little show, the director joins us to discuss the making of Dune: Part Two, starring Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, and Josh Brolin. Dune: Part Two was this show’s most-anticipated movie of 2024, so it’s an incredible honor to welcome a legend like Denis Villeneuve back on the show for such a special occasion. Following our interview, we get into our reviews. Like many others, we came out of the theater absolutely glowing, and can’t...
Mar 01, 2024•1 hr 39 min•Ep. 300
Oscar-winning cinematographer Greig Fraser joins us for the release of Dune: Part Two! We are honored to welcome Greig on the show to not only discuss the making of Dune and its sequel, but the many incredible works from across his career. We go behind the scenes of the now iconic Darth Vader scene in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, he details using The Volume on Matt Reeve's The Batman and so much more. ReelBlend Premium Sign up for a bi-weekly newsletter from Sean, and ad-free episodes at bit.ly...
Feb 28, 2024•47 min
Oscar-nominated director Jonathan Glazer joins the show to discuss his new, harrowing film The Zone of Interest. We chat about the impact awards nominations and wins can have on a film, his unique approach to staging and filming scenes, the film’s incredible sound design and its importance to the narrative, and more. After our interview, Jake and Kevin dive into their reviews of the film. It’s an extremely powerful piece and one that seems to be getting the recognition it deserves throughout thi...
Feb 23, 2024•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 299
‘Madame Web’ director S.J. Clarkson joins the show to discuss Sony’s latest entry in their Spider-Man Universe, starring Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, and Isabela Merced. We discuss how the movie’s script changed through production and the editing process, special effects completion coming down to the wire, her unseen Game of Thrones spinoff pilot, and more. After the interview, we review ‘Madame Web’ and ‘Bob Marley: One Love.” And don’t miss our 2014 Oscars in Review! ReelBlend Premium Sign ...
Feb 16, 2024•1 hr 38 min•Ep. 298
Bob Marley: One Love director Reinaldo Marcus Green returns to the show! We discuss his process behind the scenes, working with Kingsley Ben-Adir, how Bob Marley’s family and close friends helped shape and guide the film, and so much more. If you missed it, check your feed for our interview with Kingsley that went up on last week’s episode, and stay tuned for our review in our full episode dropping on Friday. ReelBlend Premium Sign up for a bi-weekly newsletter from Sean, and ad-free episodes at...
Feb 14, 2024•27 min
Kingsley Ben-Adir tackles another icon of history in Bob Marley: One Love. The actor joined ReelBlend to discuss his process, working with the film’s choreographer Polly Bennett to find Bob Marley through his movement, learning to play guitar, how his favorite Marley songs have changed over time, and more. A brilliant performer and a fantastic interview. We really enjoyed this one, and hope to have him back soon. Until then, stay tuned for our interview with the film’s director coming next week ...
Feb 09, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 301
Director Ed Zwick joins the show to promote the release of his new memoir, “Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood.” His book is filled with incredible stories from across his career in the industry, and we dive right in. Check out his memoir: https://bookshop.org/p/books/hits-flops-and-other-illusions-my-fortysomething-years-in-hollywood-ed-zwick/20165529?ean=9781668046999 ReelBlend Premium Sign up for a bi-weekly newsletter from Sean, and ad-free episodes at bit...
Feb 07, 2024•35 min
Director Matthew Vaughn joins the show to discuss his new film “Argylle,” starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Henry Cavill, and John Cena. He gets into his competitive nature with Guy Ritchie, the potential of connecting his filmography under one cinematic universe, Henry Cavill for James Bond and so much more. An incredible guest who made for a fascinating conversation, so enjoy. Stick around following our interview for our full spoiler-free and spoiler-filled reviews of “Argylle” and t...
Feb 02, 2024•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 296
The Oscar Nominations celebrating the movies released in 2023 are finally here. The guys are in London for a junket (interview coming next week) and call in to discuss some of the major storylines following the announcement. Oppenheimer earned the most nominations, Poor Things, another film we’ve championed, surprised with the second most, and somehow both Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie were left off the ballot for their respective categories. All this chat raised an interesting question of whet...
Jan 26, 2024•59 min•Ep. 295
This week we are joined by Celine Song who made her feature directorial debut with Past Lives, a film that swept all of us away, and one that we are all championing through the awards season. In our illuminating chat, Celine details many of the lessons learned in her first feature film, and breaks down elements of her story and shot choices. She is an inspiring new talent, and we are so excited to see what she does next. In the meantime, if you haven’t seen Past Lives, be sure to catch up on it ...
Jan 19, 2024•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 294
Dan Levy joins ReelBlend! The actor went in front and behind the camera for his feature directorial debut Good Grief. We discuss his approach to humor in a very dramatic story, training himself out of his Schitt’s Creek character, insane stories from on-location in France, and more. ReelBlend Premium Sign up for a bi-weekly newsletter from Sean, and ad-free episodes at bit.ly/reelblendpremium . ReelBlend on YouTube Be sure to subscribe to ReelBlend on YouTube ( YouTube.com/ReelBlendPodcast ) for...
Jan 17, 2024•39 min
Jake Johnson is making feature directorial debut with his new movie “Self Reliance” hitting Hulu this week. He joins us for an extended chat on his process, what he wanted to accomplish with his first film knowing there’s no guarantee to make another, working with Anna Kendrick and his cast, and so much more. We are all huge fans of Jake Johnson’s work from New Girl to his role as Peter Parker in the Spider-Verse saga, and as such we are glad to report that his debut feature is an absolute blast...
Jan 12, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 293
2024 has arrived, and it’s time to look ahead at what’s on offer at theaters and on streamers in the coming months. Last year, "Dune Part 2" topped our list as our most anticipated movie of the year, and with its delay into March, it has a great shot of taking the cake yet again. What are your most anticipated movies of 2024? ReelBlend Premium Sign up for a bi-weekly newsletter from Sean, and ad-free episodes at bit.ly/reelblendpremium . ReelBlend on YouTube Be sure to subscribe to ReelBlend on ...
Jan 05, 2024•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 292
2023 is coming to a close which means it’s that time of year for us to look back at a truly incredible year for cinema, and pick out our ten favorites from the bunch. It’s an impossible task, and if you ask us again next week we’ll likely have an all-new order. That said, we’ve spent the last few weeks catching up on last-minute contenders, rewatching favorites from earlier in the year, and diligently deliberating each of our own Top 10 favorite movies of 2023. After we break down our individual...
Dec 22, 2023•1 hr 52 min•Ep. 291
We have a packed show for you this week. Timothée Chalamet stars as the titular Willy Wonka in the new prequel, “Wonka.” Overall, reviews have been positive, but for our hosts, the reception has been mixed. If you head out to the theater this weekend to catch Wonka, let us know which end of the spectrum you fall on. Also this week, the awards race officially kicked off with many regional nominations being announced as well as the nominees for next year’s Golden Globes. And we gear up for our Top...
Dec 15, 2023•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 290
This week, we are joined by Emma Stone and Yorgos Lanthimos to discuss their newest film, Poor Things! ReelBlend Premium Sign up for a bi-weekly newsletter from Sean, and ad-free episodes at bit.ly/reelblendpremium. ReelBlend on YouTube Be sure to subscribe to ReelBlend on YouTube (YouTube.com/ReelBlendPodcast) for full episodes of the show in video form. Follow The Show ReelBlend - @ReelBlend Sean - @Sean_OConnell Jake - @JakesTakes Kevin - @KevinMcCarthyTV Gabe - @gabeKovacs Timestamps (approx...
Dec 08, 2023•57 min•Ep. 289
Writer/director Sam Email joins the show to discuss his new Netflix film Leave the World Behind (starring Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, and Kevin Bacon). He details his relationship with Barack Obama and his role as a producer, how influences from the likes of Stanley Kubrick make it into his work, and more. On Friday, we’ll be back with another full episode, and an exciting interview featuring two first-time guests to the show. …If it happens. Wish us luck! ReelBlend Premium Sign ...
Dec 06, 2023•33 min
Writer/director Alexander Payne joins the show to discuss his new movie “The Holdovers,” starring Paul Giamatti. He dives into some early moments of his career, reuniting with Giamatti nearly 20 years after “Sideways,” and more. Stick around after the interview for our review of the film, and we finally catch up on some movies and TV we’ve missed throughout the year. ReelBlend Premium Sign up for a bi-weekly newsletter from Sean, and ad-free episodes at bit.ly/reelblendpremium . ReelBlend on You...
Dec 01, 2023•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 288
We are honored to welcome Joaquin Phoenix back to the show! His new film "Napoleon" (directed by Ridley Scott) is in theaters now and sat down with us at the junket in Paris to dive into his preparation and creative decisions that went into playing the historical figure. He shares some wonderful stories of working with Ridley Scott on “Gladiator,” why he thinks it took so long to get the call to work with Ridley again, and how Napoleon’s hat was like his best friend. ReelBlend Premium Sign up fo...
Nov 24, 2023•34 min
The legendary director Ridley Scott returns to the show to discuss reuniting with Joaquin Phoenix for their latest film, Napoleon. We get into his approach to directing, and shooting battle scenes at a massive scale, his interactions with Stanley Kubrick during Alien and Blade Runner, and more. We also get his reaction to Christopher Nolan’s praise of the director during our Oppenheimer interview earlier this year. Stick around after the interview for Jake’s own review of the film, which he reco...
Nov 22, 2023•48 min
Director Eli Roth joins to discuss his new slasher flick Thanksgiving, based on the incredible trailer from all the way back in Grindhouse. He talks about returning to direct horror for the first time in a decade, how they show the original trailer during Hostel 2’s production, and what it’s been like working with Quentin Tarantino over the years. Also this week, we have our review of Thanksgiving, as well as The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes! ReelBlend Premium Sign up for a b...
Nov 17, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 287
Director Francis Lawrence joins the show to discuss his new film The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (starring Rachel Zegler, Tom Blyth, and Viola Davis). We chat about returning to the Hunger Games franchise following his tenure with Jennifer Lawrence, the key to working around the MPA’s rating guidelines, and more. ReelBlend Premium Sign up for a bi-weekly newsletter from Sean, and ad-free episodes at bit.ly/reelblendpremium . ReelBlend on YouTube Be sure to subscribe to Ree...
Nov 15, 2023•23 min
With its films rarely hitting theaters, and the ones that do rarely debuting with much fanfare, is Netflix hurting its films with its more ephemeral release model? That’s a big topic on this week’s show. We discuss how both films and series on Netflix seem to come and go through the cultural zeitgeist, whether or not that is sustainable, and whether we think it should change. Also this week, director David Yates joins us to discuss his new film “Pain Husters,” his time working in the Wizarding W...
Nov 03, 2023•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 286
Cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema joins us to discuss his many collaborations with Christopher Nolan over the years, how they’ve continued to innovate the IMAX format, and how it’s all led to their latest masterpiece “Oppenheimer.” The prolific cinematographer sat down with us at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival where he received Variety’s Creative Impact in Cinematography award. We were honored to discuss many points throughout his career from his work on “Let The Right One In” to “Nope.” Christ...
Oct 27, 2023•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 285
Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” (starring Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone) hits theaters this weekend. The film is filled with incredible performance after incredible performance from both its lead and supporting cast. Its tragic true story deserves the extended runtime Scorsese presents us, and we are sure to continue discussing “Killers of the Flower Moon” throughout the awards season. Join us this week for our full, spoiler-free reviews of one of this year’s b...
Oct 20, 2023•1 hr 9 min
Director Gareth Edwards joins the show for a spoiler-filled chat on his film “The Creator” (starring John David Washington, and Gemma Chan), one of our favorite movies of the year. He gets candid about the film’s disappointing performance at the box office, hopes for it to find a wider audience over time, its narrative ties to “Terminator 2” and more. Also this week, “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” is taking over theaters. We discuss its projections, and what its success might mean for the industr...
Oct 13, 2023•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 283
