Reel Film Chronicles – A journey in film

Reel Spooky Films 2026

Are you ready for a month of spooky horror films? We’re ready and sharing our journey with you in this horror-centric special episode where we outline our love of the horror film genre, and how we typically approach our spooky movie marathons. Finally, we settle into revealing our approach to this year’s list of movies, then present the chosen films. Feel free to use the chapters to skip ahead….if you dare! This year we both focus on our physical movie collections, a fitting theme considering all the discourse over digital “ownership” and streaming services. And with that, follow along with us as we post photos of our movie collection over on Instagram, where we’re trying (we’re human, after all) to post a daily image of our movie from our collections. And why not…we’re going to try and write a brief review of each, so be sure to check us out on Letterboxd to find those. And what’s this, it’s our 100th episode?! What better way to celebrate than with such a fun episode. It’s been a journey befitting the cinema…

The Odyssey

You’ve experienced the movie event of the year, so now it’s time for the podcast event of the year! We cover Nolan’s latest masterpiece and tell our own journey with the film, including a fun rundown of Nolan’s filmography near the end of the episode. We have chapters for easy navigation! Definitely easier than the route Odysseus took on his twenty year journey, and not nearly as long. The Odyssey (2026)directed by: Christopher Nolanstarring: Matt Damon – Tom Holland – Anne Hathaway – Robert Pattinson – Himesh Patelgenres: adventure – action – fantasyruntime: 173 minutes Chapters0:00: Introduction1:32: The Theatre Experience7:32: The Odyssey17:19: Feature Film Discussion1:14:08: Ratings Guessing Game1:15:57: Reel Film Ratings1:17:23: Christopher Nolan Filmography1:23:05: Final Thoughts and Conclusion

Speed Racer

GO! Reel Film Chronicles fans rejoice! We’re taking a spin around the circuit today with the often misunderstood classic SPEED RACER, directed by the incredibly talented Wachowskis. Once we got our paws on the newly released 4K UHD, we knew it was a movie that belonged in the pantheon of the Chronicles. And it shows: we have an absolute blast recording this and I think our enthusiasm really shines through. Speed Racer (2008)directed by: Lana Wachowski – Lilly Wachowskistarring: Emile Hirsch – Christina Ricci – John Goodman – Susan Sarandon – Matthew Foxgenres: action – family – adventure – comedyruntime: 135 minutes Chapters0:00: Introduction and Overview13:36: Feature Discussion (with spoilers)49:17: Ratings Game/Guesses52:30: Our Ratings57:06: Closing Thoughts

Flight Risk

Y’all need a pilot? We’re a bit behind but better late than never, right? Do you remember seeing Flight Risk last year? Now for the skill testing question: did you actually see the movie or did you just watch the trailer that gave everything away? We sat down, watched the entire film and ran from the wreckage directly to our mics to try and dissect what what wrong, but mostly just lament about all the bad things about this movie. We have fun doing so, and think you’ll enjoy this episode too! FLIGHT RISK (2025)directed by: Mel Gibsonstarring: Mark Wahlberg – Michelle Dockery – Topher Gracegenres: action – thrillerruntime: 91 minutes

Shelby Oaks

Although SHELBY OAKS may have a 2024 tag, the crowd-sourced indie film truly received a wide release in 2025. We may have missed the theatrical run for Chris Stuckmann’s directorial debut, but we caught the film on streaming and had plenty to say about the effort, as well as the story of how this film came together. It’s that kind of movie-making magic that we tend to forget about sometimes as we are inundated with big budget films throughout the year. I wanted to say thank you again for listening, and more apologies for an inconsistent release schedule. It’s been a tough year: although we’ve recorded plenty of times, we stepped back from the mics and the editing process to focus on our sanity. Seeing folks come back and listen is really amazing, and we’re fortunate to be able to put this podcast together. We have a handful of recorded episodes that will hit the editing bay soon. If you have any recommendations for films for us to cover, please let us know! SHELBY OAKS (2024)directed by: Chris Stuckmannstarring: Camille…

Captain America: Brave New World

Listen, over here at the Reel Film Chronicles, we adore a good super hero movie. We’re instinctively drawn to them – every theatrical release, each direct to streaming movie – but we’re getting a bit worn out. Superhero fatigue, Disney+ MCU series, etc. We’ve got a lot to say about the industry, what’s grinding our gears, but also what we really enjoy. With a focus on the newest Captain America movie, we find light within the dark, and I say this simply because I really haven’t seen any positive discussions about the movie. Well, in this podcast episode we nearly get there. Regardless, this was a fun one to do, and we hope you forgive us for the long hiatus. I promise we have more episodes in progress and a loose plan to record some more soon. Thanks for listening and supporting us! CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD (2025)directed by: Julius Onahstarring: Anthony Mackie – Harrison Ford – Danny Ramirez – Shira Haas – Tim Blake Nelsongenres: science fiction – action – thrillerruntime: 119 minutes

Gladiator II

Because we exist now in a purgatory between reality and unreality and all original thought has been expunged, filtered out through a cosmic sieve that we can neither perceive nor define, we are now subject to a never-ending cavalcade of remakes, reboots, reimaginings, and sequels. Gladiator II is not just a legacy sequel to an Oscar-winning film that has become revered among fans and critics alike; it is yet another herald of the New Age, in which our collective consciousness is only capable of telling stories that have already been told and consuming those same stories again, and again, and again in an endless cycle until the heat death of this universe and our reabsorption into the next link in the Great Chain of Being. Fortunately for us, some of those stories are told by Ridley Scott and are still spectacles worthy of the big screen. Gladiator II is a direct sequel to Gladiator, catching us up on the state of the Roman Empire since the heroic General Maximus gave his life to bring down a corrupt leader and provide a glimmer of…

Things will be Different

Will they be, though? Will they? We confirm that things WILL be different, as your intrepid hosts delve into a time-twisty lo-fi sci-fi thriller that focuses on two siblings hiding from the law in a house that seems to exist outside our regular time. Yeah, it’s a great concept and honestly, a pretty great film, especially if you’re into these kind of indie concept films. With some great performances and intriguing story that’s rife with meaning, Things Will be Different is a film that’s worthy of your time. So check it out, then swing back to our discussion on the movie, which, I guess, is no different than our other episodes in terms of the format we follow, but still, the conversation is good, and we appreciate your company. THINGS WIL LBE DIFFERENT (2024)directed by: Michael Felkerstarring: Adam David Thompson – Riley Dandygenres: science-fiction – thriller – horrorruntime: 102 minutes

Joker: Folie à Deux

The lights dim. The curtains rise. A murmur passes through the room, the residual sound of a thousand voices going silent. The stage is set. A street from another century. A lamppost that would make Gene Kelly feel right at home. A series of storefronts with nothing behind them but a skeleton of two-by-fours. Then there he is, appearing as though by magic. Joaquin Phoenix. In his full Joker makeup. As he starts into a passionate musical number, bellowing his emotions to the back of the room and beginning a highly choreographed dance number, two thoughts cross your mind: 1) Joaquin Phoenix truly is one of the greatest performers of our generation and 2) What the hell is he doing in your kid’s school play? Mr. Phoenix is definitely not out of place in Joker: Folie à Deux, Todd Phillips’ follow up to his smash hit Joker, which took the box office by storm back in 2019, earning nearly $1 billion for Warner Bros. Joker 2? Let’s say its contributions to Warner Bros.’ portfolio were more… aspirational than financial. In a genre-bending twist, Phillips…

Cuckoo

Never before would one have considered the inoffensive little cuckoo as a symbol of death, destruction, and parasitic infection. But thanks to writer-director Tilman Singer, now that’s all you’ll ever associate with them every time you think about those cute little birds, which I have to assume is at least once an hour. You know, like most normal people. Cuckoo is a movie that explores what it means to be part of a family as well as the potential consequences of what it might mean if another species of human beings evolved alongside our own. Two totally normal thoughts that most people grapple with at least once in the normal course of their lives. While historically, most people go cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs, in this episode your intrepid hosts go cuckoo for horror stuff, as the Reel Film Chronicles explores the meaning of life, the universe, and brood parasitism in our typically analytical and well-researched review of 2024’s Cuckoo. Cuckoo (2024)directed by: Tilman Singerstarring: Hunter Schafer | Jan Bluthardt | Marton Csokas | Jessica Henwick | Dan Stevensgenres: horror –…