Two Reel Cinema Club

Avatar The Way of Water vs The Abyss: James Cameron Deep Dive

Avatar The Way of Water is dominating screens all over the world, closing in on two billion dollars at the box office as we record. But it’s not the first time James Cameron has been on a diving holiday - and we’re not talking about Titanic, either. 1989 sci-fi swimathon The Abyss was the superstar director’s first foray into the water (Piranha II doesn't count), and although it flopped at the time, it has a great deal in common with his new, all conquering CGI epic. We submerge ourselves in the two films, and return to the surface with questions. Which film features 1960s dad? Which film relishes the darkness? And which of the two could really do with a few more jokes? Plus we play a new movie game and watch half of Glass Onion. Only half, mind you.
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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: tworeelcinemaclub.com

Film of the Year 2022

We’ve been doing this podcast for a whole year now, and we’ve seen some astonishing and remarkable movies. We’ve seen some dreadful clunkers, too. So join us for our inaugural award ceremony, celebrating the best of the best in six categories, while not forgetting the awful films, which get an award all of their own.
If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media:
Twitter: @tworeelcineclub
Instagram: @tworeelcinemaclub
Or come to our website, where we’ll be writing about the movies we cover in the show and a few more things besides: tworeelcinemaclub.com

Popcorn Counter: Bah Humbug

There’s a whole channel of Christmas movies now, a whole channel! Why? This episode at the popcorn counter we ask how come there seems to be such a wealth of Christmas movies, but not nearly so many Easter movies or Thanksgiving movies or Harvest Festival movies. And seeing as there is such a glut, we single out some of our favourites to give you a bit of a guide to the best of Yuletide watching.
If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media:
Twitter: @tworeelcineclub
Instagram: @tworeelcinemaclub
Or come to our website, where we’ll be writing about the movies we cover in the show and a few more things besides: tworeelcinemaclub.com

Your Christmas or Mine vs It’s a Wonderful Life: Festive Face-Off

It’s that time of year again, when Christmas movies come to our screens thick and fast. But do either of those adjectives describe the new Amazon original, UK-based, rom-com feature Your Christmas or Mine? And how does it compare to the eternal yuletide classic It’s a Wonderful Life? We examine both films in depth, including a look at the writing process and the challenges of creating a good ‘bottle episode’. Which film features Elon Musk in disguise? Which film has the Cliche Squad working overtime? And does the differing way these films discuss race and class suggest any social change in the last eighty years?
If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media:
Twitter: @tworeelcineclub
Instagram: @tworeelcinemaclub
Or come to our website, where we’ll be writing about the movies we cover in the show and a few more things besides: tworeelcinemaclub.com

Popcorn Counter: Hot For Teacher

We’ve got it bad, got it bad, got it bad at the popcorn counter this episode. Teachers appear in so many films, but how often do they get it right? What does Matthew Broderick do to convince us he knows what real teaching is like? And has anyone in the US ever heard of Grange Hill?
If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media:
Twitter: @tworeelcineclub
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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: tworeelcinemaclub.com

My Old School vs Kes: Clipped Wings

We’re travelling through time this episode, back to the podcast we missed last summer, and back to school. Acclaimed Scottish 90s teenager doc My Old School has arrived on streaming platforms, meaning we can at last watch it and draw parallels with Ken Loach’s 1969 classic Kes. Two films about struggling youths, one doing everything he can to escape his oppressive life, the other doing everything he can to turn back the clock and live it all again. But how differently do the two films portray education? And which of the two contains the finest football scene in all of cinema?
If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media:
Twitter: @tworeelcineclub
Instagram: @tworeelcinemaclub
Or come to our website, where we’ll be writing about the movies we cover in the show and a few more things besides: tworeelcinemaclub.com

Popcorn Counter: Sequels

Haven’t we been here before? We bump into screenwriter Inês Braga at the popcorn counter this episode, where we talk about that rarest of beasts, the sequel that’s not equal: second films that are better than the first film. Yes, they exist! We nominate some of our favourites, mention a few sequels that went totally off the rails, and invent a new word, before finally getting some insight into Inês’ current hit television show 'Santiago' and her thoughts about her own sequel.
If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media:
Twitter: @tworeelcineclub
Instagram: @tworeelcinemaclub
Or come to our website, where we’ll be writing about the movies we cover in the show and a few more things besides: tworeelcinemaclub.com

Wakanda Forever vs Quilombo: Clash of Utopias

Screenwriter Inês Braga is our guest on the show this week, and she schools us on our Portuguese pronunciation as we compare the monolithic new MCU picture Wakanda Forever with 1984’s Brazilian take on very similar themes, Quilombo. We find epic battles, extravagant costumes, warehouses rammed with gear, and awkward diving suits full of melons. But do these two versions of utopia have more in common than super-powered spears and elaborate headgear? And what is the idea that Wakanda Forever leaves hanging but that Quilombo completes?
If you enjoyed the show, find us on social media:
Twitter: @tworeelcineclub
Instagram: @tworeelcinemaclub
Or come to our website, where we’ll be writing about the movies we cover in the show and a few more things besides: tworeelcinemaclub.com