The Next Reel

Rod Serling discovered the strength of writing science fiction as a way to disguise commentary on society of the day which led to The Twilight Zone. His contributions to Franklin J. Schaffner’s science fiction film Planet of the Apes allowed him to do the same on a cinematic scale. With political, religious and social commentary, as well as commentary on nuclear war, Serling gave the series a definite point of view and contributed to the film becoming an incredible success. Join us as we kick off our 50th-anniversary celebration of the Planet of the Apes series, starting with Schaffner’s 1968 film Planet of the Apes. 

Does this film stand up to Kubrick’s original? Is this where Roy Scheider started his career decline? Do the effects hold up? Tune in to this week’s show to get these answers and more!

Is 2001 really one of the greatest films ever made or could Kubrick have used a better editor? Does the monolith really represent the movie screen? Is HAL one of the cinema’s great villains? Tune in this week to get these answers and more!

Steven Soderbergh never wanted to return to the helm for the Ocean’s franchise, but he was more than happy to get behind any future films, so when Warner Bros. said they wanted to return to the franchise with an all-woman cast in a spin-off, he signed on board as producer. Gary Ross and Olivia Milch were hired to write the script and Ross to direct, and with that, Ocean’s Eight was born. But will Ross and Milch be able to capture the fun and unbelievable heists that Soderbergh did in his original trilogy? Join us as we aim to find out as we wrap up the Ocean’s series with Ross’ 2018 film Ocean’s Eight. 

Even though Ocean’s Twelve was financially successful, it was largely disliked by audiences who saw it as a misfire. When the studio decided to make a follow-up, they returned the story to Vegas where the first film took place and made a film that largely feels like a return to form. But that doesn’t mean the film isn’t without its problems. Join us as we continue our Ocean’s series with Steven Soderbergh’s 2007 film Ocean’s Thirteen.