The Next Reel Film Podcast

The Film Board convenes to talk about Ramin Bahrani’s new Netflix film The White Tiger as our first film discussion of 2021. What does the film have to say about India’s caste system and does it relate universally to the haves and have nots? The performances are great, particularly from Adarsh Gourav as the lead, but the structure is a bit of a stumbling block for us. But is it enough of a stumble to keep us from enjoying it? Andy, Ocean, and Kyle meet in the board room to talk about the film and what they thought of it. Tune in!

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Marielle Heller’s sister had gifted her the diaristic graphic novel “The Diary of a Teenage Girl: An Account in Words and Pictures” by Phoebe Gloeckner, and Heller instantly connected with it. She adapted it into a play and then, with Gloeckner’s blessing and film rights, into a script. With the help of The Sundance Institute, Heller built the cast and team of creatives that would help her bring her vision to life. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our Coming of Age Debuts series with Heller’s 2015 film The Diary of a Teenage Girl.

Does watching The Diary of a Teenage Girl feel like we’re reading a diary?

It’s funny how the diary in the film is an audio one, recorded by Minnie, our protagonist and titular teenage girl. Is it weird that she’s an artist always using her hands but recording an audio diary? A bit. That being said, it’s not a gripe of ours at all, just something we noticed.

We really connected with this story of Minnie coming into her own sexuality and figuring out what that means, even if it’s not always in the best ways. Still, what Heller and Gloeckner give us (along with the stellar lead performance by Bel Powley) is a complicated character taking her own complicated path to figuring herself out, at the end of which we’ve seen true growth.

It helps that Alexander Skarsgård plays opposite her, even if it is a bit... shall we say awkward?... that they connect given that he plays her mom’s boyfriend and definitely someone who consciously makes the choice to sleep with a minor.

But that allows for a conversation about finding your own sexuality, and how complicated that window of time is when you have your own sexual awakening, which almost always is before the official age of the adult label of 18. And certainly Minnie isn’t shying away from sleeping with boys her own age either.

We also love Kristen Wiig, Christopher Meloni, and the rest of the cast. The look captured by cinematographer Brandon Trost, production designer Jonah Markowitz, and costume designer Carmen Grande (not to mention hair and makeup) bring this world to life.

It’s a fantastic film, albeit a challenging one, but one worth watching and discussing. Check it out then tune in. The Next Reel – when the movie ends, our conversation begins!

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With an Oscar nomination under her belt for a short film and connections to many in Hollywood, Stacy Title was in a great position to make her first feature. She and screenwriter Dan Rosen made a black comedy that tackled liberals and conservatives along with bombastic one-way thinking with their collaboration The Last Supper. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our 90s Comedies series with Title’s 1995 film The Last Supper.

More Than Biblical References

The title clearly connects the film to Biblical stories, so does that make this film more of a parable? Crafting a black comedy can be very challenging as often, we’re left with few people to root for. That’s certainly the case here as everyone ends up fairly despicable, even if they find a form of salvation in the end. So with all of that, how well does Title bring this film to fruition?

And what about the actors? We have Cameron Diaz, Ron Eldard, Annabeth Gish, Courtney B. Vance, and Jonathan Penner as our five liberal grad students who set the story’s deadly dinners into motion. Their guests include Bill Paxton, Charles Durning, Mark Harmon, Jason Alexander, and Ron Perlman. The actors are all bringing their own thing to the parts, but are they given enough to work with? Or perhaps as a parable, the script is giving them – and by extension us – enough to work with so we can watch the story unfold and deliver its message.

To the point of the message, is it as effective as we’d like? Does the ‘if you could travel back in time, would you kill young Hitler before he could do anything’ question posed several times throughout the film deliver the point of the film? How about that last dinner with Ron Perlman’s Rush Limbaugh-esque character?

And what about the story thread with Nora Dunn’s sheriff as she tries to find a missing girl? What’s that doing for the story? Is it as effective as we want it to be? Could it have been used for better effect?

Stacy Title’s Battle with ALS

Unfortunately, Stacy Title was diagnosed with ALS in 2017, and it took her from this life in 2021. She never had as robust a film career as she likely deserved, though she still managed to make some interesting projects. We chat a bit about her and the struggles she had. We also touch on the commitment her husband Penner had in supporting her through this difficult time.

Wrapping up

All in all, it’s an interesting film that generates some interesting conversations. Did it work better in 1995 than it does today? Or perhaps does it feel more relevant today than it did then? Would it work as a play now if updated? Or would that fall as flat as the film does for some modern eyes? There’s a lot to talk about here and we have a great time digging into it. So check it out then tune in. The Next Reel – when the movie ends, our conversation begins!

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Film Sundries

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• Watch this on Apple or Amazon, or find other places at JustWatch
• Theatrical trailer
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• More About Stacy Title and Her Battle With ALS

We're taking an unexpected short break but we'll be back before you know it!

Ocean Murff and Krissy Lenz have been to infinity and beyond in Pixar’s latest in the Toy Story Cinematic Multiverse, “Lightyear.”

Chris Evans dons the dome as our titular space ranger. How well does his take on non-toy-Tim-Taylor fit as a parallel-prequel to the beloved Toy Story films? The film has hit the box office with mixed reception in spite of it’s pedigree and voice cast, including Keke Palmer, Peter Sohn, James Brolin, Bill Hader, and Taika Waititi.

Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel!

Film Sundries

Learn more about supporting The Film Board and Next Reel's other film podcasts through your own membership.

• Watch this film: JustWatch
• Theatrical trailer
• Poster artwork
• Original Material
• Flickchart
• Letterboxd