The Reel Cut

After the utter horror of 2020, both for the accessibility of cinema and the box office in general, 2021 saw the second coming of the theatre experience, back with a bang and sorely missed. From the new phase of superhero blockbusters to more independent and thought-provoking pieces, there was plenty to sink our teeth into. You know the drill, 3 chaps, 3 choices for favourite films of the year.

The Reel Cut Season 2: Electric Bugaloo. Never has there been a more hyped return since Stone Cold Steve Austin delivered a stunner to every member of the WCW roster in 2001. Scott was too busy prioritising being a new father to turn up for the premier episode of season 2 so that meant it was up to the gargantuan shoulders of Mark and Nick to carry us through a retrospective of 2021 TV highlights. It was all following the same formula till Nick turns us into an episode of Lore half way through as we delve into the insane background of the set to ITVs hit mini-series Time. 

One became two in this last few weeks as The Reel Cut welcomed another father to its ranks. Scott won't be with us on this episode as he welcomes a new life into the world of his own creation, the paternity pay from The Reel Cut is quite frankly a breach of international human rights so he won't be gone long as he can't afford to be. In his absence, Mark and Nick (already a wizened and battle hardened dad) discuss who the best movie papas are in tribute to the new arrival. We also break down a few of our favourite horror movie cliches with All Hallows Eve right around the corner and offer up more than a few suggestions of spooky cinematic treats to feast upon this ghoulish season.

As a man with a certain taste in films that left no room for the broad shoulders and wide chests of Yankee superheroes, Nick has long shunned the allure and come-to-bed eyes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Having recently sat down to watch all films from Phase 1 to 3, Nick was finally ready to tackle this pop culture abomination and breakdown our favourite and least enjoyable parts of the series. 

It's confessional time at TRC HQ. We all have these dark, twisted secrets that lay beneath the patio slabs in our minds. To narrow it down from the countless media related skeletons in our closets, we must choose one guilty pleasure TV show, one movie and one actor. Prepare for some controversial and down right incorrect opinions.

After our summer holidays, TRC is back with Mark and Scott as Nick takes yet another week off - the greedy, greedy pig. The discussion is on childhood movies that shaped us and and our personalities. David Lynch may be the reason Scott is such an emotionless android having stolen his innocence at a tender age with a certain Willem Dafoe inspired motion picture. Whereas Paul Reubens performance as a pale man-baby gave Mark the tools he needed to be the man he is today. Join us on the chez lounge as we delve deep into our cinematic psyche.

What is life without a good crime documentary series to watch on an evening? Netflix, of course, is the undisputed don of the streamers when it comes to these shows and rules over the others with an iron fist. That's not to say the other smaller factions of Amazon Prime and Sky Boxsets don't have their own hidden gems in this regard. We each break down our current favourite picks and hopefully introduce you to your new favourite binge watch.

Sports are something that you could quite easily separate from the movie industry, an entertainment format on its own that captures the passion and tribalism of human nature. Often times, events in sport can be stranger than that of a Hollywood plot line, the closing day of the 2012 Premier League season for instance was a day of unbelievable raw emotion. Do we need then to relive sporting moments, dramatised on film? The short answer is, sometimes. It has to be the right movie with the perfect tone. We break down our favourites, from Billy Beane to Ernie McCracken, and from Niki Lauda to every Kevin Costner character ever put before a camera.

Award season came to an abrupt and awkward end last month with the 93rd Oscars. Banished from the evening were controversies surrounding the lack of diversity amongst the acting/directing nominees, and in the gaping void they left behind came criticism around the reshuffling of the ceremony itself. In a year filled with opportunities for smaller, independent pictures to succeed and bathe in the warm glow of Hollywood's spotlight, the awards suffered their worst year on viewership of all time. Was that deserved and was that indicative of the gongs themselves being given to unworthy pieces of work? Absolutely not. Let's break down why.

Shorter than a TV series, longer than a movie. The middle bowl of porridge. Just right. The limited series should in fact be named the 'unlimited series' because the potential in story telling within 8-10 episodes of a self contained story is vast, and has been proven on many occasions to be the perfect blend of character development and plot. Like an RBMK reactor in a Ukraine power plant, there has been an explosion of great choices within the last decade or so, we break down our favourites and wax lyrical like a beautifully delivered philosophical sonnet from Rustin Cohle.