The Film Board – Details, episodes & analysis

Is Amazon's $250 million Christmas blockbuster Red One a fresh take on holiday magic, or a cynical cash grab? Join Pete and guest Matthew Fox as they unwrap this action-packed holiday film starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Chris Evans. From buff Santas to beach-fighting snowmen, this episode explores how Hollywood's attempt to "Marvelize" Christmas might have missed the spirit of the season.

Did Red One forget what makes Christmas special? We dive deep into how the movie's attempt to universalize Santa Claus across all cultures reveals a concerning lack of cultural awareness. The hosts explore why forcing Christmas onto everyone – including those who don't celebrate it – feels particularly tone-deaf in our current social climate.

What happens when you mix Marvel-style action with holiday mythology? We examine how J.K. Simmons' surprisingly buff Santa and the movie's fresh take on Krampus reshape traditional Christmas lore. The discussion weighs whether these creative choices enhance or diminish the heart of Christmas storytelling.

This episode brought to you by:

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Follow the other podcasts in The Next Reel’s family of film podcasts:

• Cinema Scope: Bridging Genres, Subgenres, and Movements
• Movies We Like
• The Next Reel Film Podcast
• Sitting in the Dark

Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world in our Discord community!

Here’s where you can find us around the internet:

• The Web
• Letterboxd
• Flickchart
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• Pete
• JJ
• Ocean
• Steve
• Tommy
• Andy

What are some other ways you can support us and show your love? Glad you asked!

• You can buy our movie-related apparel, stickers, mugs and more from our MERCH PAGE.
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• Or buy books, plays, etc. that was the source for movies we’ve discussed on the show from our ORIGINALS PAGE.
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• Or sign up for AUDIBLE.

Welcome to The Film Board! If you’re anything like us, the year 2000 wasn't just a date on the calendar. It was a marker for boomer low-key existential dread. We’re talking, of course, about the Y2K bug, the fear that our computers, and therefore the entire world, were going to crash and burn at the stroke of midnight, thus confirming the prediction that we'd all be returned to our cave-people ancestry. So, we stocked up on canned goods, debated whether to unplug our toasters, and generally prepared for a digital apocalypse that ultimately birthed this month's film.

What if the world had turned to digital mush? That's the question at the heart of the latest film from our friends at A24, "Y2K," a movie that takes that very real anxiety and renders it on screen in the form of Toaster Voltron. Director Kyle Mooney, a fav from SNL, makes his directorial debut with a film that’s part teen comedy, part disaster flick, and part straight-up survival horror, all set against the backdrop of that fateful New Year's Eve in 1999.

Film Sundries

• Watch this on Apple or Amazon, or find other places at JustWatch
• Theatrical trailer
• Original Material
• Letterboxd

Learn how to support our show and The Next Reel’s family of film podcasts by becoming a member. It's just $5 monthly or $55 annually. Learn more here.

Follow the other podcasts in The Next Reel’s family of film podcasts:

• Cinema Scope: Bridging Genres, Subgenres, and Movements
• Movies We Like
• The Next Reel Film Podcast
• Sitting in the Dark

Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world in our Discord community!

Here’s where you can find us around the internet:

• The Web
• Letterboxd
• Flickchart
• Check out poster artwork for movies we’ve discussed on our Pinterest page
• Pete
• JJ
• Ocean
• Steve
• Tommy
• Andy

What are some other ways you can support us and show your love? Glad you asked!

• You can buy our movie-related apparel, stickers, mugs and more from our MERCH PAGE.
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• Or buy books, plays, etc. that was the source for movies we’ve discussed on the show from our ORIGINALS PAGE.
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The Film Board gathers! This month, host Justin Jaeger is joined by Steve Sarmento and Tommy Metz III to litigate Alex Garland's provocative new film "Civil War." The movie depicts a dystopian near-future America fractured by a second civil war, following a group of journalists on a perilous trek to interview the authoritarian president.

We dive into the film's central themes—what it means to bear witness to war, how allegiances break down in times of chaos, and whether the movie serves more as a warning or simply a brutal glimpse of "what if." We debate Garland's motivations in making the film now, at a time when a shocking 40% of Americans believe a civil war could happen in the next decade.

JayJay, with his background in TV journalism, scrutinizes the portrayal of war photographers and the language they use. Steve sees Apocalypse Now in the journey into the heart of darkness. And Tommy ponders if the film depicts how quickly social order and humanity could unravel in a new American civil war.

The discussion touches on the graphic war violence that eventually numbs the viewer, mirroring the journalists' experience. We question if the movie succeeds more in its fictionalized character studies than its social commentary over the ambiguous world-building around the politics of the fractured states.

We grapple with the unsettling implications of Civil War. Is it a sensationalized dystopian vision, an urgent cautionary tale, or a mix of both? The differing perspectives make for a solid conversation about one of the year's polarizing films.

Film Sundries

• Watch this on Apple or find other places at JustWatch
• Theatrical trailer
• Letterboxd

The Next Reel’s Family of Film Podcasts

• Cinema Scope
• The Film Board
• Freely Adapted (coming soon!)
• Movies We Like
• The Next Reel
• The Next Reel Shorts (retired)
• One Minute for Old Men (coming soon!)
• The Saturday Matinée (retired)
• Silver Linings (retired)
• Sitting in the Dark
• Three of a Kind (retired)
• Trailer Rewind (retired)

Learn how to support our show and The Next Reel’s family of film podcasts by becoming a member. It's just $5 monthly or $55 annually. Learn more here.

Follow the other podcasts in The Next Reel’s family of film podcasts:

• Cinema Scope: Bridging Genres, Subgenres, and Movements
• Movies We Like
• The Next Reel Film Podcast
• Sitting in the Dark

Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world in our Discord community!

Here’s where you can find us around the internet:

• The Web
• Letterboxd
• Flickchart
• Check out poster artwork for movies we’ve discussed on our Pinterest page
• Pete
• JJ
• Ocean
• Steve
• Tommy
• Andy

What are some other ways you can support us and show your love? Glad you asked!

• You can buy our movie-related apparel, stickers, mugs and more from our MERCH PAGE.
• Or buy or rent movies we’ve discussed on the show from our WATCH PAGE.
• Or buy books, plays, etc. that was the source for movies we’ve discussed on the show from our ORIGINALS PAGE.
• Or renew or sign up for a Letterboxd Pro or Patron account with our LETTERBOXD MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNT.
• Or sign up for AUDIBLE.

"Knowing is good, but knowing everything is better."

The Film Board gathers and we’re pulling everyone much much too close into The Circle. The book was released in 2013 from Dave Eggers and the movie adaptation opened this week in theaters. Our Thugs will completely spoil it for you in this show as we explore our respective crushes on Tom Hanks, Emma Watson, John Boyega, and so many others. We’re going to question everything in this movie, because depending on your preferred mode of listening, it may make you question everything about your technology choices.

Our special sphere for this show includes Tommy Metz III, Andy Nelson, Steve Sarmento, Justin 'JJ' Jaeger, and new special guest host Jaime Smith as we run around the spinning thrills of The Circle.

Film Sundries

• Support The Next Reel and The Film Board with a Membership
• Script: Bailey-Mae scene
• Original theatrical trailer
• Original poster artwork
• Original Material
• Flickchart
• Letterboxd
• Jamie Smith at Unspoiled!
• Support Unspoiled on Patreon!

Learn how to support our show and The Next Reel’s family of film podcasts by becoming a member. It's just $5 monthly or $55 annually. Learn more here.

Follow the other podcasts in The Next Reel’s family of film podcasts:

• Cinema Scope: Bridging Genres, Subgenres, and Movements
• Movies We Like
• The Next Reel Film Podcast
• Sitting in the Dark

Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world in our Discord community!

Here’s where you can find us around the internet:

• The Web
• Letterboxd
• Flickchart
• Check out poster artwork for movies we’ve discussed on our Pinterest page
• Pete
• JJ
• Ocean
• Steve
• Tommy
• Andy

What are some other ways you can support us and show your love? Glad you asked!

• You can buy our movie-related apparel, stickers, mugs and more from our MERCH PAGE.
• Or buy or rent movies we’ve discussed on the show from our WATCH PAGE.
• Or buy books, plays, etc. that was the source for movies we’ve discussed on the show from our ORIGINALS PAGE.
• Or renew or sign up for a Letterboxd Pro or Patron account with our LETTERBOXD MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNT.
• Or sign up for AUDIBLE.

"Don’t be what they make you to be."

Back-to-back Film Board weeks! We couldn’t let this one go by - Marvel comics movies are continuing to find their graphic stride this month with Logan and our thugs need to get in the fight and mix it up about the value of a hard “R” comic representation in the cinematic universe. It’s not spoilery to talk about the completely appropriate rating this movie drew, but in addition to that, we will spoil the story and theorize what it means for the Marvel mutants' present and future.

We continue to keep our own lineup fresh on this show with Steve Sarmento, Pete Wright, Justin 'JJ' Jaeger, and another awesome appearance from special guest host Darnell Smith. Listening to this episode will help you decide whether you should get over your comic book movie apathy, embrace de-sensitization to knife (claw) gore, and/or slice your way to this movie before the Ides of March. If you don’t want to be thoroughly spoiled, come back and listen after you see it once your healing factor kicks in. When the movie ends, our conversation begins!

Film Sundries

• Polygon: "Wolverine 3 officially called Logan, early script teases new character details"
• Original theatrical trailer
• Original poster artwork
• Original Material
• Flickchart
• Letterboxd
• ComicBook.com Composite Rankings (Comic Book Movies)

Learn how to support our show and The Next Reel’s family of film podcasts by becoming a member. It's just $5 monthly or $55 annually. Learn more here.

Follow the other podcasts in The Next Reel’s family of film podcasts:

• Cinema Scope: Bridging Genres, Subgenres, and Movements
• Movies We Like
• The Next Reel Film Podcast
• Sitting in the Dark

Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world in our Discord community!

Here’s where you can find us around the internet:

• The Web
• Letterboxd
• Flickchart
• Check out poster artwork for movies we’ve discussed on our Pinterest page
• Pete
• JJ
• Ocean
• Steve
• Tommy
• Andy

What are some other ways you can support us and show your love? Glad you asked!

• You can buy our movie-related apparel, stickers, mugs and more from our MERCH PAGE.
• Or buy or rent movies we’ve discussed on the show from our WATCH PAGE.
• Or buy books, plays, etc. that was the source for movies we’ve discussed on the show from our ORIGINALS PAGE.
• Or renew or sign up for a Letterboxd Pro or Patron account with our LETTERBOXD MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNT.
• Or sign up for AUDIBLE.

“Here it is: My boy Chris has been missing for two days.”

The Film Board gathers! This month, in a departure from the heady intensity of the Oscars line-up, our Gang of Thugs takes on a thriller written and directed by comedy all-star Jordan Peele. Get Out is thoroughly spoiled through our chat and we talk about its balance of satire and terror and the genre similarities of horror and comedy and how a filmmaker’s skills in one discipline can be transferable to the other.

We’re continuing to try to scare the pants off ourselves this year and on this show you’ll hear Pete Wright, Andy Nelson, Tommy Metz III, and our new guest host Darnell Smith. Let us spoil Get Out for you if you want to take the edge off the suspense or listen to the show after you see it and let us know how it hits you. When the movie ends, our conversation begins!

Film Sundries

• Original theatrical trailer
• Original poster artwork
• Flickchart
• Letterboxd
• GQ: "Jordan Peele on a Real Horror Story: Being Black in America"

Learn how to support our show and The Next Reel’s family of film podcasts by becoming a member. It's just $5 monthly or $55 annually. Learn more here.

Follow the other podcasts in The Next Reel’s family of film podcasts:

• Cinema Scope: Bridging Genres, Subgenres, and Movements
• Movies We Like
• The Next Reel Film Podcast
• Sitting in the Dark

Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world in our Discord community!

Here’s where you can find us around the internet:

• The Web
• Letterboxd
• Flickchart
• Check out poster artwork for movies we’ve discussed on our Pinterest page
• Pete
• JJ
• Ocean
• Steve
• Tommy
• Andy

What are some other ways you can support us and show your love? Glad you asked!

• You can buy our movie-related apparel, stickers, mugs and more from our MERCH PAGE.
• Or buy or rent movies we’ve discussed on the show from our WATCH PAGE.
• Or buy books, plays, etc. that was the source for movies we’ve discussed on the show from our ORIGINALS PAGE.
• Or renew or sign up for a Letterboxd Pro or Patron account with our LETTERBOXD MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNT.
• Or sign up for AUDIBLE.

"He’s on the move."

DON'T LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE OF THE FILM BOARD until you see Split! At The Next Reel and The Film Board, we always mention how WE SPOIL MOVIES and this month we’ve taken on twistmaster M. Night Shyamalan's newest film with a conversation that is completely impossible without SPOILING this movie for you. That being said, go see it and then come and join us because there is lots and lots to talk about from this psychological thriller put together in the classic Shyamalan style.

Suspense and terror is front and center for the first part of 2017 and gathering together this month, we’ve got Andy Nelson, Steve Sarmento, Tommy Metz III, and Justin 'JJ' Jaeger to start it up. If you’ve got strong feelings about MNS movies, you really should see Split and then check us out.

Film Sundries

• Watch this film: Amazon
• Original theatrical trailer
• Original poster artwork
• Flickchart
• Letterboxd
• Movieweb: "Split Scares Up $40.2M to Win the Weekend Box Office"

Learn how to support our show and The Next Reel’s family of film podcasts by becoming a member. It's just $5 monthly or $55 annually. Learn more here.

Follow the other podcasts in The Next Reel’s family of film podcasts:

• Cinema Scope: Bridging Genres, Subgenres, and Movements
• Movies We Like
• The Next Reel Film Podcast
• Sitting in the Dark

Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world in our Discord community!

Here’s where you can find us around the internet:

• The Web
• Letterboxd
• Flickchart
• Check out poster artwork for movies we’ve discussed on our Pinterest page
• Pete
• JJ
• Ocean
• Steve
• Tommy
• Andy

What are some other ways you can support us and show your love? Glad you asked!

• You can buy our movie-related apparel, stickers, mugs and more from our MERCH PAGE.
• Or buy or rent movies we’ve discussed on the show from our WATCH PAGE.
• Or buy books, plays, etc. that was the source for movies we’ve discussed on the show from our ORIGINALS PAGE.
• Or renew or sign up for a Letterboxd Pro or Patron account with our LETTERBOXD MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNT.
• Or sign up for AUDIBLE.

"I'm one with the Force. The Force is with me."

Look at this - The Film Board is back with a thuggish gathering of galactic implications. Last year doesn’t totally count as long ago nor far, far away for a new Star Wars movie, but the Disney franchise treatment this month goes all the way back into a sub-mid-prequel sort of thing with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. If you’re not sure where this movie belongs in the mix, we’ll spoil it for you along with the rest of the story and all of its clever bridges to the Trilogy we all grew up on.

We’ve decided to prompt some of the usual suspects on this one so take a listen to Tommy Metz III, Andy Nelson, Pete Wright, and Justin 'JJ' Jaeger as we open up a can of blaster sound effects and witty droid dialogue. You will have as much fun as we do – real people talking about fake things fighting other fake things!

Film Sundries

• Original theatrical trailer
• Original poster artwork
• Flickchart
• Letterboxd
• Star Wars Name Generator

Learn how to support our show and The Next Reel’s family of film podcasts by becoming a member. It's just $5 monthly or $55 annually. Learn more here.

Follow the other podcasts in The Next Reel’s family of film podcasts:

• Cinema Scope: Bridging Genres, Subgenres, and Movements
• Movies We Like
• The Next Reel Film Podcast
• Sitting in the Dark

Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world in our Discord community!

Here’s where you can find us around the internet:

• The Web
• Letterboxd
• Flickchart
• Check out poster artwork for movies we’ve discussed on our Pinterest page
• Pete
• JJ
• Ocean
• Steve
• Tommy
• Andy

What are some other ways you can support us and show your love? Glad you asked!

• You can buy our movie-related apparel, stickers, mugs and more from our MERCH PAGE.
• Or buy or rent movies we’ve discussed on the show from our WATCH PAGE.
• Or buy books, plays, etc. that was the source for movies we’ve discussed on the show from our ORIGINALS PAGE.
• Or renew or sign up for a Letterboxd Pro or Patron account with our LETTERBOXD MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNT.
• Or sign up for AUDIBLE.

"Forget everything that you think you know."

The Film Board gathers! The Marvel Cinematic Universe has returned so we've brought together a merry band of thugs to spoil the next episode of the massive comic book soap opera for you - easter eggs and all. Origin story anyone? Join us as we talk about Doctor Strange, another special human that learns great and different powers to save the world/worlds in great and different ways.

Singing for their supper on this one is our own special motley mix of critics and fanboys, so join us to figure out where you are on our spectrum. Steve Sarmento, Tommy Metz III, Pete Wright, and Justin 'JJ' Jaeger will take you on a dive through a multiverse thrill ride and we'll all come out with shaking hands and a new perspective on reality.

Film Sundries

• Original theatrical trailer
• Original poster artwork
• Original Material
• Flickchart
• Letterboxd
• The Hollywood Reporter: "How Important Are Directors to Marvel Movies?"
• The Guardian: "Why Doctor Strange shares its psychedelic DNA with Pink Floyd"
• Daily Beast: "‘Doctor Strange’ Director Owns Up to Whitewashing Controversy"

Learn how to support our show and The Next Reel’s family of film podcasts by becoming a member. It's just $5 monthly or $55 annually. Learn more here.

Follow the other podcasts in The Next Reel’s family of film podcasts:

• Cinema Scope: Bridging Genres, Subgenres, and Movements
• Movies We Like
• The Next Reel Film Podcast
• Sitting in the Dark

Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world in our Discord community!

Here’s where you can find us around the internet:

• The Web
• Letterboxd
• Flickchart
• Check out poster artwork for movies we’ve discussed on our Pinterest page
• Pete
• JJ
• Ocean
• Steve
• Tommy
• Andy

What are some other ways you can support us and show your love? Glad you asked!

• You can buy our movie-related apparel, stickers, mugs and more from our MERCH PAGE.
• Or buy or rent movies we’ve discussed on the show from our WATCH PAGE.
• Or buy books, plays, etc. that was the source for movies we’ve discussed on the show from our ORIGINALS PAGE.
• Or renew or sign up for a Letterboxd Pro or Patron account with our LETTERBOXD MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNT.
• Or sign up for AUDIBLE.

"You’re right – the numbers don’t add up."

The Film Board is all out of breath! Our faithful thugs have been sprinting from house to car to theater to car to microphone to gather, AND SPOIL, FOR YOU - the new Tom Cruise production of Jack Reacher: Never Go Back. The first installment of the Lee Child adaptation was striking and clever. We’ll talk through whether doing a #2 bugs us at all.

Our house is a very very very full house with our five regulars returning to the show including Steve Sarmento, Tommy Metz III, Andy Nelson, Pete Wright, and Justin 'JJ' Jaeger. Have a listen because when the movie ends, our conversation begins and this one in particular will set you up with the right things to know before you go.

Film Sundries

• Original theatrical trailer
• Original poster artwork
• Original Material
• Flickchart
• Letterboxd
• Lee Child — Jack Reacher Series, Wikipedia

Learn how to support our show and The Next Reel’s family of film podcasts by becoming a member. It's just $5 monthly or $55 annually. Learn more here.

Follow the other podcasts in The Next Reel’s family of film podcasts:

• Cinema Scope: Bridging Genres, Subgenres, and Movements
• Movies We Like
• The Next Reel Film Podcast
• Sitting in the Dark

Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world in our Discord community!

Here’s where you can find us around the internet:

• The Web
• Letterboxd
• Flickchart
• Check out poster artwork for movies we’ve discussed on our Pinterest page
• Pete
• JJ
• Ocean
• Steve
• Tommy
• Andy

What are some other ways you can support us and show your love? Glad you asked!

• You can buy our movie-related apparel, stickers, mugs and more from our MERCH PAGE.
• Or buy or rent movies we’ve discussed on the show from our WATCH PAGE.
• Or buy books, plays, etc. that was the source for movies we’ve discussed on the show from our ORIGINALS PAGE.
• Or renew or sign up for a Letterboxd Pro or Patron account with our LETTERBOXD MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNT.
• Or sign up for AUDIBLE.