Episodi
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Itâs that time again, a new season is here. Lend us your shitty little ears for the premiere of Season 8: Mario Van Melvin. This exploration of Mario and Melvin Van Peebles will once again find your hosts discussing a range of genres and exploring the myriad sins and shortcomings of Hollywood gatekeeping.
Episode 1 focuses on the lone co-directorial effort from one of cinemaâs few father-son directing pairs: Gang in Blue. Itâs an ultra-timely story of police brutality and systemic racism, featuring white supremacist antics that look all too familiar in 2020. The boys welcome Danny Benson of the Not So Macho Fans podcast who offers an overview of the elder Van Peeblesâ career as well as his thoughts on this intermittently thrilling made-for-tv drama.
Reel Rap Recommends
A.) a film from the same year as the film discussed on mic
B.) a film featuring one of the same actors as the film discussed on mic
C.) a film thatâs connected to the film discussed on mic in some other way
A.) Scream (1996, dir. Wes Craven)
It might be my favorite horror movie. You donât like it? Well I guess you donât like thrills, spills, and chills. All of the sequels are good too.
B.) Nixon (1995, dir. Oliver Stone) ft. J.T. Walsh
Folks, itâs a goddamned shame that weâre being subjected to Adam McKayâs bullshit while Oliver Stone is still with us. Nixon is one of those three-hour-plus movies that I could watch every day.
C.) The Wolf of Wall Street (2013, dir. Martin Scorsese) ft. a reference to Grenada
One of the lawyers prosecuting Jordan Belfort refers to him as âa Grenada.â He means that Belfort doesnât stand a chance in court. The same actor shows up in The Irishman and The Trial of the Chicago 7. Besides maybe the guy from Burn Notice, I donât think thereâs ever been someone with a more insufferable face. In WoWS, itâs nearly (but not quite) enough to make you root for Belfort.
Annotations and Apologies
* Eternal apologies to Danny for getting the name of his podcast wrong.
* Bennett used the term âneck-beardedâ to describe the roving bands of white trash who âdefendedâ Fishtown back in June. This was not only inaccurate, but completely insulting to all of the fine neck-bearded people in Philadelphia and across this country.
Meanwhile . . .
On the latest Patreon-exclusive episode, the boys discuss Kelly Reichardtâs 2013 masterpiece Night Moves.
Give the Gift of Reel Rap
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Become a Reelhead
What are you waiting for?
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A Brief History of Reel Rap
Shane and Bennett started Reel Rap in the summer of 2017. Bennett became a professional podcaster and a âChicken Guyâ at the local supermarket on the same day. In Boston, Shane was growing mushrooms in his apartment and was oft mistaken for a mentally ill escapee of the local hospital, moonlighting as a barback at an upscale hotel bar.
Reel Rap has its origins in the middlebrow fare that most filmgoers have forgotten. Bennett and Shane have shared formative film experiences, but they havenât centered on blockbusters and big hits. On the big screen (the Silver), the boys have paid to see slop like The Descendants and nodded politely side by side. On the small screen (the silver), theyâve idly yipped and hollered through all manner of would-be Oscar bait and mid-budget action movies.
The first season found the boys working in familiar middlebrow territory. A fascination with How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) led to their snout-to-tail look at the career of Ron Howard and stretched over more than a year. After focusing on Hollywoodâs nicest guy, they pivoted with a season on one of its absolute worst. Mel Gibson provided the perfect opportunity to settle on a theme. After all, he represents the actor-turned-director at their most grandiose.
Actors-turned-directors (more on them below) have provided Reel Rap with opportunities to discuss some of Hollywoodâs biggest Ls as well as their own personal shortcomings. Theyâve also discussed some of the great works of American independent cinema, some foreign gems, and even the rare transcendent Hollywood effort.
To recap, hereâs where the boys have tracked their mud-soaked galoshes:
* Season 1: Screwball Right Down the Middle of the Plate: The Films of Ron Howard
* Season 2: Godâs Angry, Racist Man: Mel Gibson the Director
* Season 3: Cassavetes v. Cassavetes
* Season 4: A Chip on His Shoulder and a Song in His Heart: Jon Favreauâs Hollywood
* Season 5: A Rich Diet: Sofia Coppolaâs Substantive Style
* Season 6: Nichols & May & Reel & Rap
* Season 7: Pardon My French! Itâs the Complete Works of Jacques Tati!
Thatâs not including one-offs, holiday specials, and other miscellaneous episodes.
Today, Shane rarely watches movies and Bennett only watches movies. Itâs a match made in hog heaven. Theyâve covered good movies (Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One, A Star is Born, the works of John Cassavetes and Sofia Coppola), theyâve covered bad movies (The Grinch, The Dilemma, the works of Nick Cassavetes), but mostly theyâve covered anonymous movies. Some of the best episodes of Reel Rap episodes focus on movies that no one has thought about â let alone discussed at length â in years or decades. Subscribing to Reel Rap is an opportunity to hear the definitive conversations on films like Ransom, Charlie Wilsonâs War, and The Man Without a Face.
Hit the button above to hear the latest episode of Reel Rap. This time around, the boys provide a quick overview of their shared history and reflect on the showâs past, present, and future.
A Poem for Reel Heads
By Shane
Grand theft and the heatâs on, mayors
And Everyone showing their ass
Tom Cruise too. Washed up before heâs in the wash tub
No weeping for Willow, and Gung Ho to those
Who narrowly adored Howardâs ransom, over our hearts
There is no evidence of survivors, drafts of backdraft hopelessly hopefully
Burned. His studio imagines and breathes moneyed breaths in its chrysalis
Parenthood is anything but easy, splashes of mermaidâs wake on our Cocoon.
EDtv, woah, who me? Im not a cinderella man, Iâm a cinderella, man.
brave old heart, fuck you. I have no mind not beautiful unwise.
Mel Gibson freedom, The missing. Missing out and strike anywhere matches on the lip
Of poor Glenn Close's Paper.
No code but Da Vinciâs for the man without a face
Who steals his passion from Christ. We never knew what happened on hack ridge
Probably where they make mince meat out of a guy who looks like Jesus.
Angels and Aliens re-addressed their longstanding beef with cowboys and demons.
Whoâs frankenstein? OUR FRANKENSTEIN! Call me Ishtarâs monster,
Five cent mike with none of the early sense that made him a primary color
Whoâs afraid of a woman under the influence? Tom hanks, if I hazard a guess.
Yellow does not run in this parade. Willow still weeps thought the water diviner creeps
Somewhere Iâm sure. A missing ransom that got lost in translation in a Chinese bookieâs car factory, here lies a far and away dream of licking a star.
You were supposed to die at the bookieâs house, but you didnât. You are amazing. Zathuraâs birdcage shakes. Its your big day. And shadows of my uncle as he curled threats like husbands at our faces.
Playtime, he called it. We knew he would be on holiday, and maybe for good.
Weâd commit to a sisterly suicide for our little christ and this pitiful alter serves less as a notebook and more as an Apollo, built with twigs and bound to guidance by brotherly voices.
You are my man of iron, twice. On new leaves this elf found never
Found that nostalgic green in the heart of the sea, or in another woman. Queen Marie
Would be without her beguiled chef who, wolflike, careened through a hospital lobby, looking for a new heart to break in traffic. Past interviews, beyond the satellite of blood beverages and apologies. The vampire doctor will see you now. Rescheduled for sinai. The test audience hates it, and here it is in two stoned tablets the Irish warrior finally shouted along with the country:
Symbolic psychos like Mr. Sophistication rode the last taxi out into plasmatic sanguine sunset
And just before the credits became shadows and special thanks and all curtains,
A skywriter in debt on borrowed time cashed in amidst the cosmos to sing one last time to no one in particular
âThatâs a Reel Rap!â
Whatâs a Reel Head?
For the Reel Head, cinema is a buffet (pronounced boo-fay) that can only give you diarrhea of the mouth. Reel heads gorge themselves at this buffet like a pig at the trough. Itâs all slops, in a good way. If you miss getting pretzel nuggets before a 10:00AM matinee, you might be a Reel Head. If youâve got Criterion discs behind lock and key, you might be a Reel Head. If your neckbeard has a neckbeard, you might be a Reel Head.
Reel Head Viewing List
What are a Reel Headâs favorite flicks? Buddy, Iâm glad you asked. Excluding the films theyâve covered on-mic, here are just a few that the boys would recommend to any would-be Reel Head:
* Archipelago (Joanna Hogg, 2010)
* Certain Women (Kelly Reichardt, 2016)
* Miami Vice (Michael Mann, 2006)
* Monterey Pop (D.A. Pennebaker, 1968)
* Ordet (Carl Theodore Dreyer, 1955)
* Safe (Todd Haynes, 1995)
* Shermanâs March (Ross McElwee, 1985)
* Sink or Swim (Su Friedrich, 1990)
* Toni Erdmann (Maren Ade, 2016)
* Maidstone (Norman Mailer, 1970)
Why Actors-Turned-Directors?
No character in Hollywood is more interesting than the actor who decides to direct. For some, the career change comes when roles dry up. For many others, however, itâs not a retreat but a bold, even hubristic, step in a new direction.
If youâll forgive me, I think Reel Rapâs own co-host Bennett said it best:
The beret and jodhpurs confer entry into a new, higher sphere, the Pantheon of Keaton and Chaplin. The role of director validates the actorâs every pretension and, for many, provides an opportunity to affirm (or, more often, reaffirm) for the entire world just how hot and multi-talented they are.
Did Bradley Cooper have to lower his voice, learn an instrument, and write his own songs to make A Star is Born? Of course he did, for the same reason he had to open a scene with a shot of his own bare ass. Heâs an actor-turned-director and thatâs what they do.
3 Reasons to Subscribe to Reel Rap
* The hosts have a genuine rapport: Bennett and Shane met in a high school gym class. Their relationship was incubated in a world of towel slinging and ass slaps. It began in earnest years later, feeding on new insecurities and giving birth to bit after bit. Listening to Reel Rap is like watching a blind-drunk Jackson Pollock at work, or like living inside the moment where Rip Torn swung a hammer at Norman Mailer for an hour or so every week.
* Shane and Bennett meld the high and low: Reel Rap Season 3 juxtaposed the transcendent films of John Cassavetes with the work of his beefy son Nick. Johnâs work practically invented American independent cinema as we know it, Nickâs is a strange blend of the maudlin and the hyper-masculine. The episodes covering both directors provide a picture of Reel Rap in microcosm, itâs a mix of high and low, a show with its nose pointed toward the trough and its eyes pointed toward the stars. Reel Rapâs hosts are a lot like Shrek. They wear crappy little vests and theyâve got layers.
* Youâll get into heaven: Shane promised indulgences duringReel Rapâs episode on The Da Vinci Code. That wasnât some empty cash grab. Subscribing to Reel Rapâs Patreon at the $10/month level will earn you an indulgence and a spot behind those Pearly-ass Gates.
Meet the Hosts
Shane is an actor and writer living in Austin, Texas. He does 99.9% of Reel Rapâs behind-the-scenes work. At 12, he chopped his toe off with an axe while splitting wood barefoot at his home in Yardley, Pennsylvania. His first book of poetry Sliding into First is slated for release in January 2022. His influences include Norman Mailer, Francis Scott Key and Marianne Moore.
Bennett coined the phrase âmy manâ and is an authority, perhaps the preeminent one, on âshitboy cinema.â He once swallowed over a pound of sunflower seed shells in one sitting. It required two surgeries over four days to remove them and, even still, he had to pass a bunch of shells the old-fashioned way for several days afterward. His favorite directors include Terence Davies, Joanna Hogg, and Tobe Hooper.
How to Become a Reel Head
Want to realize your lifelong dreams of becoming a reel head? Youâre in luck, itâs easy!
1. Subscribe to the Reel Rap
Hit subscribe and youâll get each of our free episodes delivered directly to your mailbox. Youâll also get essays, lists, poems, one-liners, and other such crap from the internetâs preeminent prize pigs.
2. Become a Patron
Want more Reel Rap content? Become a Patreon subscriber for extra posts and musings from the greasiest, sweatiest hosts you know.
3. Read Shane and Bennett on the World Wide Web
In addition to the occasional Reel Rap special, Split Tooth Media continues to share essays from both Reel Rap hosts. Stay tuned for Bennettâs upcoming piece on the âwife guyâ in Eric Rohmerâs Moral Tales. Reel Rap subscribers may even get an early look at upcoming essays and interviews.
4. Follow the Boys on Letterboxd and Twitter
Reel Rap
Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/reelrap/
Twitter: @ReelRapPodcast
Shane
Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/slake4/
Twitter: @Ovasenyase
Bennett
Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/B_Glace/
Twitter: @FilmPilled
5. Tell Your Friends
If Reel Rap is about anything, itâs about sharing. In that spirit, why not share Reel Rap with friends who like good films, bad vibes, Hollywood gossip, and indie charm?
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Episodi mancanti?
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Described as a "meta-soap opera," PERSONAL PROBLEMS(1980) conceived by Ishmael Reed and directed by Bill Gunn is a singular viewing and listening experience. Shot by world renowned Italian photographer Robert Polidori, scored by the excellent Carman Moore, with music by the inimitable Sam Waymon, this movie is a recently restored treat to behold. Bill Gunn is a stage actor turned director and his skill and ingenuity is undeniable. The fact that he got all of these artists in one place for the duration of the shoot is a testament to his skill as a human and artist. Check out the film on the Criterion Channel or at Kino Lorber.
Buy the soundtrack for the movie here: https://readinggroupcompany.bandcamp.com/album/personal-problems
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Reel Rap is back in the business of making sense of the film landscape. We might not mention a single movie in this episode, which is a big relief to some of you, I know. The voicemail line is always open and we are standing by!
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Telling the truth can be dangerous business? You're telling me!
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Stay Tuned! Find all new episodes on splittoothmedia.com!!!!
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Shane and Bennett discuss Elaine Mayâs masterpiece
John Cassavetes and Peter Falk star in Mayâs 1976 film that reflects the chaotic nature of life and teaches about film in a way that no class or textbook could ever convey. Bennett and Shane declare Mikey and Nicky one of the best films ever made and May an unrivaled genius â a far cry from previous Reel Rap films and directors. They also discuss smoking on trains, belt hygiene and drinking out of tiny glasses.
"TV sucks. Movies mostly suck. Write from the heart and donât take a writing class" â Shane
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Elaine Mayâs second film is another relationship comedy that fires on all cylinders
Charles Grodin, Jeannie Berlin and Cybill Shepherd star in Elaine Mayâs second film â an all-time-great comedy â The Heartbreak Kid. In this episode Bennett also reveals the official Reel Rap opinion of Alec Baldwin and they debate the prospect of swallowing chewing gum.
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Elaine Mayâs time in the hot seat begins with her impeccable directorial debut
Reel Rap pivots to Elaine Mayâs filmography in this weekâs episode. May stars in her 1971 directorial debut, A New Leaf, alongside Walter Matthau in the high-society comedy about a rich man who goes broke and decides the quickest way to rebuild his fortune is marry a rich woman (May) and kill her. Shane and Bennett marvel at Mayâs near-perfect comedic timing on script and screen, the filmâs ability to bounce between beats and how quickly May and Nichols both became technically advanced directors.
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Reel Rap revisits the film that provided Nichols his only Oscar win for Best Director
Everyoneâs favorite sophomoric philosophers tackle Mike Nicholsâ best-known, Oscar winning effort with 1967âs The Graduate. Along with special guest Ryan McClosky, Shane and Bennett discuss how their appreciation for the film has shifted through the years and how the leads âDustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft and Katharine Ross â and various side characters read differently more than 50 years later.
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In the freshly reupholstered hot seat for Reel Rap Season 6: Elaine May and Mike Nichols
Legendary comedy-duo-turned-filmmakers Elaine May and Mike Nichols are the subject of the sixth season of Reel Rap. Shane and Bennett kick things off with Nicholâs directorial debut, Whoâs Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Adapted from Edward Albeeâs hit 1962 play, Nicholsâ sharp-tongued, star-studded 1966 film lets the booze flow and the insults fly between Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, George Segal and Sandy Dennis. Shane and Bennett also share their favorite insults in the film, discuss how cleaning products have evolved and relive the craziest tears theyâve gone on.
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Reel Rap concludes their journey through the filmography of Sofia Coppola
In the finale of Reel Rapâs season devoted to Sofia Coppola, Shane and Bennett discuss her 2017 remake of the Civil War drama âThe Beguiled.â The film tells the story of a wounded Union soldier (Colin Farrell) being taken in by a group of women (including Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst and Elle Fanning) in a boarding school. They also give their final rankings of Coppolaâs filmography.
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Reel Rap makes its triumphant return to the films of Sofia Coppola.
After taking a short break for Split Tooth Mediaâs 31 Days of October Horror series, Shane and Bennett resume their deep dive into Sofia Coppolaâs filmography. Episode 4 covers 2010âs Somewhere, her subdued follow-up to the critically maligned Marie Antoinette (2006). They also share stories about bad bar experiences and discuss the gossip surrounding Benicio del Toroâs elevator cameo.
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Ancient daggers, inexplicable dream logic and the scariest sound of all â Shaneâs impression of a burping crow. Reel Rap stands divided on this 1973 experimental blaxploitation vampire film and reflects on a letter from director Bill Gunn to white critics about how black art is received by mainstream media.
Links:
https://www.nytimes.com/1973/05/13/archives/to-be-a-black-artist-a-black-artist-.html
https://www.austinfilm.org/2018/07/bill-gunns-holy-grail-of-film-personal-problems-presented-in-2-parts/
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Happy New Year
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Shane and Bennett discuss the third most important event of 2001, Bill Paxtonâs directorial debut in Frailty
When similar murders to âThe Godâs Hand Killerâ begin again, Adam (Matthew McConaughey) recalls his childhood with his father (Bill Paxton) who claimed to be killing demons in order to prevent Judgement Day. But when Adamâs brother, Fenton (Levi Kreis), also begins seeing the demons, new questions arise. Reel Rap dives into this thriller that blends wholesomeness and religious extremism with a dash of humor. Shane also tells the story of how he cut off a toe as a teenager.
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Actor Charles Laughtonâs first and only directorial effort, The Night of the Hunter (1955), follows a mysterious preacher with âLOVEâ and âHATEâ knuckle tattoos on the hunt for $10,000 hidden in a little girlâs doll. Reel Rap puts on their best southern accents to dig into the strange Gothic fantasia and rate the Bible an 8 out of 10.
Also in this episode: smelling salts, reviews of weird and peculiar film reviews and an ice cream-serving family named the Spoons.
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In this episode they discuss the initial reception to the filmâs historical inaccuracies, how its style emphasizes the story and Rip Tornâs portrayal of a disgusting, decadent monarch.
Also in this weekâs episode, Bennett contemplates quitting his job, Shane talks like a pirate and they argue the value of fireworks.
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Posted on https://www.splittoothmedia.com/reel-rap-lost-in-translation/ on 9/20/19
Most best of the 2000s lists include Lost in Translation (2003), often near the top. The film garnered four Oscar nominations and Sofia Coppola took home the award for Best Original Screenplay. Coppolaâs definitive style is on full display in this film and Reel Rap examines the interplay between Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson and how their secondary relationships help define their characters.
In this episode Shane and Bennett also discuss superfluous self-care products, the repulsive act of drinking milk and how our relationships to film change over time.
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This episode is hosted by Split Tooth Media!
In the first episode of Reel Rap Season 5, Shane and Bennett discuss Sofia Coppolaâs directorial debut film, 1999âs The Virgin Suicides. They discuss how Coppolaâs signature style began to make itself known in everything from the costumes and casting, to the acting and its portrayal of youth.
Also in this episode, they discuss the perennially underrated Kirsten Dunst, taking pride in work and the how film both employs and deconstructs the male gaze.
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