Reading Between the Reels: Finding Meaning in the Movies You Love

RBR #33: “The Mandalorian Chapter 14 - The Tragedy”

“The Tragedy,” another of our favorite episodes of The Mandalorian, formally reintroduced Boba Fett into the Star Wars canon and literally gave new life to the fan-favorite character. With his own show, The Book of Boba Fett, now in full swing, we take a look back at The Mandalorian Chapter 14: “The Tragedy” and deconstruct its cinematic elements.

RBR #32: “The Mandalorian Chapter 8 - Redemption”

Since its debut in November of 2019, The Mandalorian has received nearly universal acclaim from Star Wars fans and has been praised for its performances, visuals, and powerful storytelling. With the show on an extended hiatus as it makes way for its spinoff The Book of Boba Fett, we take a closer look at one of our favorite episodes of The Mandalorian, Chapter 8: “Redemption.”

RBR #31 “The Matrix”

The Matrix is a brilliant blend of cyberpunk, anime, martial arts, and mythology that questions not only the nature of reality but also what is possible for filmmakers. With The Matrix Resurrections hitting theatres next week, we take the red pill and re-enter The Matrix to uncover the hidden meanings in the original film.

RBR #30: “The Amazing Spider-Man Duology”

The Amazing Spider-Man duology starring Andrew Garfield was a pair of films that rebooted the Spider-Man film franchise only 5 years after the previous series ended. Though the series was cut short when the character was rebooted again as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: No Way Home promises to bring resolution to some of its lingering plot threads. In anticipation, we deconstruct TASM and its much-derided sequel. 

RBR #29: “Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man Trilogy”

The Spider-Man trilogy by director Sam Raimi is a groundbreaking series of films that set the modern standard for comic book adaptations. Fifteen years after its conclusion, elements of the series are being revisited in Spider-Man: No Way Home. With the new film out in a matter of weeks, we take a look back at Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, and Spider-Man 3.

RBR #28: “Ghostbusters”

Ghostbusters is the quintessential horror-comedy that jump-started a multimedia franchise and inspired several imitators over the nearly four decades since its release. With Ghostbusters: Afterlife premiering in the next few weeks, we break down the original classic. But before we do that, we take a few minutes at the top of the show to share our thoughts on Denis Villeneuve’s Dune.

RBR #27: “Dune”

Dune is one of the most highly regarded science-fiction novels of all time. On the other hand, David Lynch’s film adaptation was almost universally panned upon its release. Now with Denis Villeneuve’s version on the horizon, we re-examine the 1984 movie to discuss what worked and what didn’t. Finally, it’s our 1-year anniversary of doing the show, so we end the episode with our reflections on that and some special thanks to our listeners.

RBR #26: “Casino Royale”

Casino Royale is the 21st official “James Bond” film, but the reboot also serves as the first of a five-part saga that will conclude with No Time to Die. With the finale releasing this week, we take a look back at Daniel Craig’s first Bond film and discuss how deviating from the tried-and-true formula reinvigorated the franchise.