Reel Film Chronicles – A journey in film

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 –…

Cuckoo

Cuckoo | dir. Tilman Singer | 103 min Cuckoo is the kind of bonkers bizarre-concept movie that could only have been willed into being in the world of low-budget films. The land of big budget blockbusters is a hostile environment for this particular breed, and it’s exactly the kind of movie that needs time to properly gestate and thrive in a more welcoming habitat. Perhaps the only well-known production company consistently birthing low-budget horror films these days is Blumhouse, but even their seeming embrace of low-budget blood and gore is built on a model of success by dominating the lottery; you put out enough movies, eventually at least a couple are going to find an audience. This is also known in circles as the Netflix Gambit, though as part of their official creed, they boil everything down to the lowest common denominator of content as opposed to art or storytelling. And Cuckoo has a story to tell. At its heart, Cuckoo is a story about family, and no matter how weird the reveals get–and they do get pretty weird–this core…

2024 Top 10

You are, perhaps, never more acutely aware of the apparent injustice woven into the fabric of the universe than when you love a movie everyone else hates or hate a movie everybody else loves. Welcome back once again for the Reel Film Chronicles yearly tradition of reviewing our top 10 movies of the previous calendar year. In this case, your intrepid hosts each run down their top 10 movies of 2024. The suspense is palpable and the stakes couldn’t be higher as they try to unravel the ultimate mystery: Do they agree on their favourite movies of 2024? And perhaps even more mysterious: Do YOU agree on their picks? So follow along fellow movie fans, borth hardcore and casual, as we explore some of the finest works of cinema to grace our screens, both large and small, in 2024. Perhaps you’ll discover a new hidden gem, or perhaps you can just rage listen and revel in our wrongness. Either way, you’re in for a good time. So tune in and embark with the Reel Film Chronicles on the next step…

2024 Top 10

I do look forward to the yearly top ten (and bottom five), it’s one of the opportunities we get to release a “list” episode that can include a bunch of films. I’m always looking to be surprised by my co-host as well, and this year was notably delightful. There wasn’t much in the way of overlap between our top ten lists, which I’m hoping is passed on to you the reader/listener as a chance to take note of any films that may strike your fancy and encourage you to check them out. Lofty goals, I know. The format did change up a bit: we’ll count down to number two, then before revealing our top picks, we’ll discuss honourable mentions. Bonus: this episode has chapters for every entry, so hopefully your podcast player of choice supports them and you can zip around the audio as you please. We don’t get into spoilers for the movies, but honestly the definition is a bit blurry and if you’re looking to watch a film and not take any chances (cause we are definitely not…