Two Reel Cinema Club

Popcorn Counter: Recording Robert Altman

We’re in conversation with probably the world’s number one sound recordist this week, friend of the pod Mike Primmer, who was the man holding the boom in last week’s film A Prairie Home Companion. Join us for not only the best recorded Popcorn Counter ever, but also for some incredible insights into the making of this 2006 classic. How many takes does Robert Altman like to shoot? What’s Woody Harrelson’s guitar playing like? How pregnant was Maya Rudolf? And how was Paul Thomas Anderson involved? Plus some fresh news on the current state of the film industry in California and beyond, and some reflections on the tenth anniversary rerelease of Interstellar.
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Or come to our website, where we’ll be writing about the movies we cover in the show and a few more things besides: https://tworeelcinemaclub.com

Saturday Night vs A Prairie Home Companion: Saturday Night Companion

Stop singing that Whigfield hit from 1994 and instead join us for a look at Saturday Night, the brand new feature film comedy from Jason Reitman about the first broadcast of US television institution Saturday Night Live. With its fairly soft plot, character based comedy, constantly moving camera and huge ensemble cast it looks a lot like a Robert Altman movie - which is a lucky coincidence, because we’re comparing it to Altman’s final picture, 2006’s A Prairie Home Companion, a gentle drama about life backstage at a long running radio show. It’s one of those weeks where the two films have so much in common that if feels like we’ve watched the same movie twice. But which film stars a character with a face for radio? Which film has more than one connection to I Used To Be Funny? Which film has some of the best sound we’ve heard in a long time? And which film obeys one of the great rules of screenwriting?
Plus a judging position on a Sri Lankan popstar lookalike contest, a look back at running a real comedy club, a brief requiem for John Belushi, a nod to BBC Radio Four’s Loose Ends, a visit to a midwestern lake of dinosaur poo, and a new real estate opportunity out at sea from our sponsor. It must be Saturday Night!
If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media:
Instagram: @tworeelcinemaclub
Contact us at tworeelcinemaclub@gmail.com
Or come to our website, where we’ll be writing about the movies we cover in the show and a few more things besides: https://tworeelcinemaclub.com

Popcorn Counter Quiz Night: Watching the Detectives

It’s quiz night once again at the Popcorn Counter this week, in what we’re going to call ‘Pop Quiz’ from now on. This time: detective movies. Can you name forty detective movies given our cryptic, random and rambling clues? Score over 28 to earn our undying respect. In between the questions, we wonder about Orson Welles’ shooting style, recall some outstandingly well recorded dialogue, and summarise capitalism in a single word.
If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media:
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Contact us at tworeelcinemaclub@gmail.com
Or come to our website, where we’ll be writing about the movies we cover in the show and a few more things besides: https://tworeelcinemaclub.com

Woman of the Hour vs Dirty Harry: Murder of the Hour

Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut Woman of the Hour is our new film at the Two Reel Cinema Club this week, a true life serial killer thriller that mixes perky humour and dreadful violence to powerful effect. We’re comparing it to one of the granddaddies of serial killer movies, 1971’s Dirty Harry. Which film is stacked to the rafters with Christian imagery? Which film takes no interest in the victims of crime whatsoever? Which film feels like four different films squished together? And which film is like a Rosetta Stone that can explain modern American politics?
Plus we have a Portland Maine special edition, with two local horror films, two locally born stars and one local real estate deal, as well as a cameo from Churchill, a surprisingly helpful doctor, a naked blues band, a sauce that goes with everything, a real life baddie from the seventeenth century, a complaint from the cliché squad about the colour orange, and a surprise guest appearance by Donald Trump’s ear.
If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media:
Instagram: @tworeelcinemaclub
Contact us at tworeelcinemaclub@gmail.com
Or come to our website, where we’ll be writing about the movies we cover in the show and a few more things besides: https://tworeelcinemaclub.com

Popcorn Counter: Musical Elevators

It’s not an episode for those with claustrophobia this week, as we get stuck in the elevator on the way to the Popcorn Counter for the second time. At least we have our microphones, so we take the opportunity to practice our best elevator pitches. With Joker: Folie à Deux fresh in our minds, are there any other well known properties that would benefit from a musical redo? Which three films from recent podcasts would we love to see in song? Which three outliers from cinematic history deserve a fresh lease of life with the benefit of a few show tunes? And will we finish our pitches before the fire service arrives to perform a daring rescue?  (Spoiler: yes).
If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media:
Instagram: @tworeelcinemaclub
Contact us at tworeelcinemaclub@gmail.com
Or come to our website, where we’ll be writing about the movies we cover in the show and a few more things besides: https://tworeelcinemaclub.com

Joker: Folie à Deux vs Umbrellas of Cherbourg: Joker's Umbrella

When Joker made nearly $1.1bn at the box office, a sequel was more or less assured. But who expected a musical? Join us this week as we watch Joaquim Phoenix and Lady Gaga in Joker: Folie à Deux and ask: is it possible to turn a comic book movie into anything? What does the film say about the state of the world? Is society a civilising force or a tissue-thin cover for anarchy? And how does this new film compare to the movie to which it pays a twisted homage, 1964’s sweet and colourful The Umbrellas of Cherbourg? 
Plus we enjoy a new Pixar home run, we watch a documentary about surfing, we wonder what it would be like to read the Bible at 40, we tell a true life story about being arrested, we flick through DSM 5, we try on a new brand of underwear, and we question the significance of cults centred around criminal television personalities.
If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media:
Instagram: @tworeelcinemaclub
Contact us at tworeelcinemaclub@gmail.com
Or come to our website, where we’ll be writing about the movies we cover in the show and a few more things besides: https://tworeelcinemaclub.com

Popcorn Counter: Death of an Industry

Join us at the Popcorn Counter this episode, where we ask: where now for the film industry? You, like us, may have read recently about the current contraction of Hollywood and the collapse of streaming. Is cinema’s obituary mere alarmism or an uncomfortable truth? What will happen to the small and mid sized movies? Where are the opportunities for new and established writers going to come from? Will there be any end to superhero sequels and IP movies? And most importantly, who’s going to make the popcorn?!
Articles referenced: 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj6er83ene6o
https://harpers.org/archive/2024/05/the-life-and-death-of-hollywood-daniel-bessner/
If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media:
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Contact us at tworeelcinemaclub@gmail.com
Or come to our website, where we’ll be writing about the movies we cover in the show and a few more things besides: https://tworeelcinemaclub.com

The Substance vs Face/Off: Substance Misuse

We’re not entirely sure which of us is which this episode, as we stagger out of the new queasy feminist body-swap horror epic The Substance, and into John Woo’s classic body-swap action adventure Face/Off. These two have plenty in common, with actors chewing the scenery and flesh and blood everywhere. But which film is the most joyful? Which film has the most convincing medical procedures? Which film has perfect casting? And which film is 15% gyrating butts?
Plus a look at Coralie Fergeat’s previous films Revenge and Reality+, a trip to a puppet theatre, a surprise appearance by John Lennon, a colourful burst of Fellini, a new, delicious and educational sponsor that one of us can barely pronounce, and Christian Slater retrieves a nuclear bomb.
If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media:
Instagram: @tworeelcinemaclub
Contact us at tworeelcinemaclub@gmail.com
Or come to our website, where we’ll be writing about the movies we cover in the show and a few more things besides: https://tworeelcinemaclub.com