CODA is a film that doesn't take a lot chances, with it's familiar tropes it doesn't stray from the formula. It's a remake of a 2014 French film, it's a coming of age film about a teenage girl breaking away from her family. Audiences get a teen

Moxie (dir. Amy Poehler)

May 6th, 2021 58m 16s

Netflix's film Moxie brings riot grrrl punk feminism to a whole new generation: music, zines, and voices coming together to make the world a bit better. Is the world ready for riot grrrls to go mainstream?

Student Perspectives: Judas and the Black Messiah (dir. Shaka King)

Apr 16th, 2021 1h 6m

During our recent episode on Judas and the Black Messiah, Professor Bill Resh spoke about using the film as part of his course on citizenship. We thought it would be great to revisit the film and see how well this worked. So, today we're revisi

Judas and the Black Messiah (dir. Shaka King)

Feb 26th, 2021 1h 21m

Under the threat of prison, Bill O'Neal infiltrated the Black Panther Party in Chicago. Judas and the Black Messiah looks at the last three years of the Black Panther Party Chairman, Fred Hampton's life. While Hampton was falling in love , taki

Hillbilly Elegy & Between the World and Me

Feb 4th, 2021 1h 17m

Today we’ll be doing something a bit different. We’re looking at two memoirs made into films in 2020: Between the World and Me, from HBO, based on the book of the same name written by Ta’Nehasi Coates. The film is directed by Kamilah Forbes, an

The Queen's Gambit (Netflix, created by Scott Frank, and Allan Scott)

Dec 18th, 2020 1h 4m

Odds are that you know someone raving about the new Netflix coming of age limited series, The Queen's Gambit. Lifted from the novel of the same title, the series is a seven episode tale of a little orphan girl entering the competitive, very mas

On the Rocks (dir. Sophia Coppola)

Nov 24th, 2020 1h 14m

On the Rocks, the latest film from Sophia Coppola, like many of the director's films, relies on dialogue and character interaction. This time the central relationship is between father and daughter, played by Bill Murray and Rashida Jones. How

Lovecraft Country (HBO, Created by Misha Green)

Oct 30th, 2020 1h 15m

Episode one of Lovecraft Country lets viewers know for sure that the question of reality and truth is at the heart of the series. In reality, H. P. Lovecraft was an overt White Supremacist. The series turns this on its head and gives a new gene

Mulan (dir. Niki Caro)

Sep 25th, 2020 1h 11m

For our September film discussion, we decided on Disney's streaming release of the live-action remake, Mulan. It's a film that is surrounded by controversy both domestically and abroad. Yifei Liu, the actress who plays the titular character, sp

Starship Troopers (1997 - dir. Paul Verhoeven)

Aug 21st, 2020 1h 19m

The 2020 Presidential Election brings us to an important tipping point in the American experiment. In July 2020, the New Yorker ran a piece called "How “Starship Troopers” Aligns with Our Moment of American Defeat," by David Roth. We thought t

I Am Not Your Negro (2017 - dir. Raoul Peck)

Jul 17th, 2020 1h 26m

"The story of the Negro in America is the story of America, and it is not a pretty story." - James Baldwin The year is 1979. James Baldwin writes a letter to his agent describing his next novel, "Remember this House." He describes a personal ac

Do the Right Thing (1989 - dir. Spike Lee)

Jun 24th, 2020 1h 36m

March 25, 2020 George Floyd is murdered by members of the Minneapolis Police department. Floyd's murder is the spark that reignites the continuing call for an end to extrajudicial murders perpetrated by the police. How do we talk about progress

The Platform (dir. Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia)

May 27th, 2020 1h 5m

Released on Netflix March 20, 2020 The Platform is one of the more interesting films to discuss amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The film, directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia, follows Goreng as he volunteers to spend six months in The Hole, a verti

The Hunt (dir. Craig Zobel)

Apr 16th, 2020 1h 20m

In this month's episode, we're covering a lot of dangerous ground with director Craig Zobel's latest satire, The Hunt. If you've seen the trailer, you likely already get the gist. Right wing conspiracy theories cost the livelihoods of some left

I'm Not Okay with This (created by Jonathan Entwistle, Christy Hall)

Mar 13th, 2020 1h 11m

In this month's episode, we're thinking about the latest adaptation of a graphic novel from Netflix originals: I'm Not Okay with This. Sydney seems like a normal, if awkward teenager. She has a best friend, feels like an outsider, hates the sma

Birds of Prey (Dir. Cathy Yan)

Feb 27th, 2020 1h 13m

The latest to come out of the DC universe is the story of Harley Quinn. Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn ostensibly follows Quinn after her breakup from Puddin' (AKA The Joker) and her struggle to survive as t

Galentine's (Parks & Recreation created by Greg Daniels, Michael Schur)

Feb 13th, 2020 48m 49s

We’re deviating from our normal episode structure today ... we’ll be channeling our inner Leslie Knope to celebrate Parks & Recreation and Galentine's Day. We all re-watched season 2 episode 16 of Parks & Rec to prepare - but we’re public servi

Bombshell (dir. Jay Roach)

Dec 19th, 2019 1h 27m

The description of Jay Roach's Bombshell on IMDB says simply: "A group of women decide to take on Fox News head Roger Ailes and the toxic atmosphere he presided over at the network." What a stunning understatement. Bombshell dramatizes the stor

Watchmen (HBO Series)

Nov 12th, 2019 1h 12m

Host Erroll Southers is joined by Ange-Marie Hancock Alfaro, Alex Ago, and Aubrey Hicks to discuss the first episode of the new HBO series Watchmen. Starring Regina King, Tim Blake Nelson, and an enormously talented ensemble cast, the series pi

The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (dir. Terry Gilliam)

Sep 13th, 2019 55m 35s

"Just give that man money so he can make his films!" says an ardent fan of Terry Gilliam, director. We were intrigued at the idea of a retelling of the Cervantes classic Don Quixote, and from acclaimed filmmaker Terry Gilliam. With a film withi

Better Off Dead (1985 - dir. Savage Steve Holland)

Jul 30th, 2019 58m 50s

The film world is a completely different universe than it was when Better off Dead came out in August 1985. "Savage" Steve Holland's film about a jilted nerd, skiing, and the foreign exchange student who saves him, is perhaps the quintessential

The Godfather (1972 – dir. Francis Ford Coppola)

May 31st, 2019 1h 18m

Depending on who you talk to, The Godfather is either a story of an "aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son" or, the "greatest gangster film of all time." We discuss why th

Captain Marvel (dir. Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck)

Apr 5th, 2019 1h 5m

We've got a special "Warriors" episode of Reel Review for you today! We got together Lt. Col. Olivia Nelson and two female Air Force ROTC Cadets to discuss the first (!) Marvel movie to center a female superhero: Captain Marvel. Warning: Spoil

Us (dir. Jordan Peele)

Mar 27th, 2019 1h 19m

From the mind the brought us Get Out, is the new film scaring audiences across the states. In Jordan Peele's latest film, Us, doppelgängers menace a family trying to enjoy their summer vacation. But ... as in Get Out, everything isn't quite tha

Fighting with My Family (dir. Stephen Merchant)

Feb 22nd, 2019 1h 12m

Based on a true story, Fighting with My Family is a British comedy meets WWE. Paige is born into a wrestling family. When she and her brother get a chance to try out for WWE (and meet Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) they are thrilled. Of course, t