Director Ari Aster Talks Midsommar & Hereditary

Pacific Rim Uprising, Avengers Box Office & Scorsese's Best: Pacific Rim Uprising is making its way to theaters. So Sean O'Connell, Jake Hamilton and Kevin McCarthy are diving into Steven S. DeKnight's robot-on-monster blockbuster, which Kevin liked, and Sean says is a coming out party for John Boyega as a franchise-carrying leading man. That discussion triggered a debate about the best sequels that came from directors who DIDN'T launch the franchise. How often does a series change hands, and then improve? The guys discuss. by ReelBlend

80 min listen

Special Guest Zak Penn ('Ready Player One' & 'The Avengers' Screenwriter): If you've listened to ReelBlend the past few weeks -- and if you haven't, what's wrong with you? -- then you know that we have been strong advocates for Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One. The blockbuster legend was an ideal choice to adapt Ernie Cline's best-selling page-turner, itself a story that's drenched in nostalgia for a pop-culture era that Spielberg helped to create and shape. So when we were given the opportunity to have Ready Player One screenwriter Zak Penn on the show, we jumped... and it led to one of the best movie-geek conversations in ReelBlend history. by ReelBlend

70 min listen

Black Panther Review & Breaking Down "Best Actor/Actress" Nominees: This week, we're down a co-host, as Fox 32 Chicago's Jake Hamilton has to deal with a tooth problem. (The way he tells it, he chipped his tooth saving a bevy of adorable puppies, but we're guessing that's an embellishment.) So, AwardsBlend co-hosts Sean O'Connell and Fox 5 DC's Kevin McCarthy hold down the fort, and they kick off their discussion with a spoiler-free review of Ryan Coogler's new Black Panther. by ReelBlend

64 min listen

Critics' Choice Awards & Oscar Predictions: This is AwardsBlend, a regular podcast on the CinemaBlend podcast network that is hosted by Managing Director Sean O'Connell, Fox 5 Washington D.C. Entertainment Reporter Kevin McCarthy, and Fox 32 Chicago Entertainment Reporter Jake Hamilton. Sean and Kevin start off by talking about the Critics' Choice Awards, an event they were both able to attend (Jake was missed). From there, the show dives into the controversy swirling around a few current awards contenders, from James Franco of The Disaster Artist to the entirety of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Do bad headlines affect a movie or actor's awards chances? The boys discuss. Oh, then they play a really fun game where they take an actual Best Picture winner from the past 10 years and strip away its win, handing the Oscar to the movie that really SHOULD have won in that year. Things get heated! by ReelBlend

71 min listen

Welcome to the Show!: CinemaBlend Managing Editor Sean O'Connell, Fox 5 Washington D.C. Entertainment Reporter Kevin McCarthy and Fox 32 News Chicago Entertainment Reporter Jake Hamilton are seasoned veterans of the film and entertainment beat. All three are members of the Broadcast Film Critics Association. And they are long-time friends who spend way too of their own free time discussing movies -- usually on a text-message chain that keeps them busy for days. Well, they are taking their texts to the Podcast Airwaves at CinemaBlend, and this is their debut episode. Awards Blend will be a LIVE Podcast that goes straight to YouTube. But it also will be available on various streaming services. And it will lead right up to the Oscars... and beyond. by ReelBlend

72 min listen

Golden Globe Reactions & Most Anticipated Movies of 2018: AwardsBlend #3 finally has the guys talking about an actual Awards telecast, as the Golden Globes handed out trophies to Lady Bird and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, as well as wins for the likes of Saoirse Ronan, James Franco, Frances McDormand and Gary Oldman. What does this mean for the Oscar race? And what surprising wins might we see out of the Critics' Choice Movie Awards, which are handed out on Thursday, January 11, on The CW. Sean, Kevin and Jake dissect the Globes, predict the Critics' Choice, and then each pick ONE movie that is their top Must See in 2018. Enjoy! by ReelBlend

77 min listen

Arguing Over Christopher Nolan's Best Film & 'Best Director' Breakdown: What is Christopher Nolan's best film? Is it the twisty dream-infiltrating thriller Inception? Or the galaxy-hopping Interstellar? Maybe you'd choose one of his Batman films, or something else entirely? It's a question that the AwardsBlend hosts -- Sean O'Connell, Jake Hamilton and Kevin McCarthy -- tackle in this week's episode of the AwardsBlend podcast by ReelBlend

85 min listen

Why Solo Underperformed, Reviewing Kubrick's 2001 in 70mm, & #StarWarsBlend: Can we use the "D" word -- disappointment -- when it comes to Solo: A Star Wars Story's box office? This becomes the first major topic of conversation on ReelBlend Episode 23, where co-hosts Sean O'Connell, Kevin McCarthy and Jake Hamilton do a Monday Morning Quarterback analysis of Ron Howard's Star Wars adventure. The movie did fine at the box office, earning an estimated $103 million over the Memorial Day four-day window. But in comparison to other Star Wars movies, and other Summer Blockbuster Tentpoles, it underperformed. The guys discuss why. by ReelBlend

82 min listen

2018 Academy Awards Recap & BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: Welcome to Episode 11 of AwardsBlend! The Oscars have finally come, and guys are here to discuss. From THE SHAPE OF WATER's big win, to the shows record-low ratings, we have you covered. Enjoy! by ReelBlend

42 min listen

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Reviews & Top 5 Movies of the Year: In AwardsBlend #2, Sean, Kevin and Jake talked about Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and its awards chances (they are slim). They discussed their disappointment in the film, and the backlash being thrown at Rian Johnson by Star Wars fans. From there, the trio offered up their individual Top 5 films of the year. And if you know Kevin McCarthy, then you know that Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk received a lot of love. Enjoy! by ReelBlend

88 min listen

Who Could Win "Best Picture" & Black Panther Box-Office Reactions: Raise your hand if you haven't yet seen Black Panther? No one? Good, then you all can listen to the latest episode of AwardsBlend, where co-hosts Sean O'Connell, Kevin McCarthy and Jake Hamilton kick off their weekly film-geek discussion with a breakdown of Ryan Coogler's Marvel masterwork, then lay out their personal Top 5 Marvel movies to see if Black Panther makes the cut.Raise your hand if you haven't yet seen Black Panther? No one? Good, then you all can listen to the latest episode of AwardsBlend, where co-hosts Sean O'Connell, Kevin McCarthy and Jake Hamilton kick off their weekly film-geek discussion with a breakdown of Ryan Coogler's Marvel masterwork, then lay out their personal Top 5 Marvel movies to see if Black Panther makes the cut. by ReelBlend

66 min listen

Avengers: Infinity War Set Visit & A Wrinkle In Time Reactions: It's a brand new day! The AwardsBlend podcast has undergone a change, and what once focused mainly on the Oscar race has expanded its scope. Welcome to ReelBlend! As Kevin McCarthy puts it on social media, "New show name. New logo. Same nerds." Those nerds are McCarthy, Jake Hamilton, and Sean O'Connell. And in this week's podcast, the trio starts off with a run through the top news stories of the day. Sean is finally able to start talking about his visit to the Avengers: Infinity War set, so Jake and Kevin pepper him with questions. But because most set visits are protected by press embargoes, there are still a few things he CAN'T talk about. So, what was he able to share? by ReelBlend

66 min listen

Oscar Nominations Revealed & SAG Awards Reactions: AwardsBlend co-hosts Sean O'Connell, Kevin McCarthy and Jake Hamilton hop behind their microphones this week to talk about the various Oscar nominations, where Guillermo del Toro's sci-fi creature romance The Shape of Water led all contenders with 13 noms, but Jordan Peele's Get Out followed right behind. Peele and his colleague, Greta Gerwig, also made headway as first-time filmmakers who broke into the coveted Best Director race. And we made connections to the Screen Actors Guild Awards winners, who all got Oscar nominations -- so we wonder if that makes them frontrunners in their respective categories. by ReelBlend

85 min listen

Huge Changes at the Oscars, "The Meg" Reactions, and Our Favorite Endings: In addition to attempting to make its annual Oscars telecast shorter (three hours now), and to move the date of the show earlier (February 9 by 2020), the Academy announced a new category honoring Achievement in Popular Film. Wow. How will they define "Popular"? What exactly does "Achievement" mean? And doesn't this decision water down the eventual Best Picture winner? The guys discuss this as well as 'The Meg', our favorite movie endings, and more in this week's show. by ReelBlend

65 min listen

Lady Gaga in A Star is Born, First Man Reactions & More From TIFF 2018: For our 37th episode, Sean O'Connell, Jake Hamilton and Kevin McCarthy are finally together in the same room bringing you a MEGA 2-hour show from the Toronto International Film Festival. They discuss several films at the festival including A STAR IS BORN, BEAUTIFUL BOY, FIRST MAN, THE PREDATOR and more. by ReelBlend

122 min listen

Final Oscar Predictions & Spielberg's Best Film EVER: Welcome to another episode of AwardsBlend! This is our final episode be fore the BIG show, and we couldn't be more excited. Sean O'Connell, Jake Hamilton, and Kevin McCarthy go through their picks for who will take home an Academy Award this year, and debate which of Steven Spielberg's films is his definitive best. Enjoy! by ReelBlend

82 min listen

Hereditary Reactions (Spoiler-Free), Joker News, & Hitchcock's Best Film: This week we unfortunately are missing one from our lovely trio of hosts, Jake Hamilton. But as he goes on assignment, and is sure to bring back some lovely stories to share with us next week, Sean and Kevin managed to hold down the fort. Tune in for their spoiler-free reactions to Hereditary (Starring Toni Collette, Alex Wolf, and Milly Shapiro) , breakdowns on this week's crazy amount of trailers, and of course debated Alfred Hitchcock's best work with #HitchcockBlend. Enjoy! by ReelBlend

66 min listen

Bohemian Rhapsody Talk & A London Meet-Up With Fans: Cheers from London! OK, by the time you are listening to this week's ReelBlend podcast, the boys will have left the U.K., but if you have followed them on social media at all, you know that they were all together for the Bohemian Rhapsody junket in London, which included a fan meet-and-greet and the recording of this extra-special, longer-than-usual episode. by ReelBlend

88 min listen

Avengers: Infinity War Spoiler Discussion w/ Guest Erik Davis (Fandango): To help us settle a few of these key issues with Infinity War, we called in some help. Erik Davis is the Managing Editor over at Fandango, and a long-time friend of the guys. He knows his stuff when it comes to movies, and especially the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So we asked him on ReelBlend, and he was an awesome guest. Listen to what he has to say. by ReelBlend

87 min listen

Celebrity Encounters & Best Supporting Actress & Actor Breakdown: AwardsBlend is your weekly catch-up on all things Oscars as we inch closer and closer to the Academy Awards, which will be held on March 4 this year. Why in March? How come we haven't had this ceremony already? For real, these movies have been in theaters for weeks... even months. It seems like we easily could have had the Oscar ceremony already. The guys -- CinemaBlend Managing Director Sean O'Connell; Fox 5 DC Entertainment Reporter Kevin McCarthy, and; Fox 32 Chicago Entertainment Reporter Jake Hamilton -- weigh in on the current state of the race, and then some. by ReelBlend

82 min listen

Ready Player One (spoiler-free) Reviews & Netflix vs Theatrical Release (Special Guest: Juan Fernández-Paris): Regular listeners know the familiar voices of co-hosts Sean O'Connell, Kevin McCarthy and Jake Hamilton. But this week, for the first time in ReelBlend history, the trio breaks ground by inviting a guest! Juan Fernández-Paris is the film critic for Wapa America. He's a longtime veteran of the junket circuit, where he has passed hours, days and years geeking out about movies with Sean, Jake and Kevin in cities around the world. And as an ardent supporter of this week's biggest release -- Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One -- we invited him on to provide his insights into Spielberg's latest, and to play along with Coen Brothers Blend! by ReelBlend

67 min listen

Skyscraper Tanks, Comic-Con Preview, & Michelle Pfeiffer's Best Role: Sean, Jake, and Kevin are back at it this week reviewing The Equalizer 2, Mission: Impossible -- Fallout (without spoilers), preview what to expect from Comic-Con, and playing a wild new #Blend game that had enormous audience participation. by ReelBlend

73 min listen

James Gunn Update & Visiting The Last Operating Blockbuster Video Store: This week the guys discuss more of the news regarding James Gunn's firing at Disney/Marvel, the first Star Wars: Episode IX image from J.J. Abrams, the new trailer for Venom, reactions to Christopher Robin (starring Ewan McGregor), and more. Enjoy! by ReelBlend

74 min listen

Interviewing Robin Williams & Our Most Anticipated Films This Fall: This week Sean joins us from London to discuss CRAZY RICH ASIANS weekend box office, Jake reacts to PAPILLON (releases August 24), the guys give their most anticipated films coming this fall, and more! Don't miss this one. by ReelBlend

63 min listen

The Nun Terrifies, Toronto Planning, & Our Favorite Brad Pitt Movies: Jake Hamilton and Kevin McCarthy saw Searching, with John Cho and Debra Messing, and praised the film's unique premise and use of technology. The guys all weigh in on Ethan Hawke's strange dismissal of superhero movies -- choosing to zero in on the brilliant Logan, of all examples. And they try to make heads or tails of the latest Suspiria trailer. Good luck with that! by ReelBlend

66 min listen

Deadpool 2 Spoiler-free Reviews, Solo: A Star Wars Story Reactions & the Best Godfather Film: This week the guys give their SPOILER-FREE reviews of Deadpool 2 (Starring Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin and Zazie Beetz), discuss the news of a possible Lando and/or Obi-Wan Star Wars spinoff, their early impression of Solo: A Star Wars Story, debate which Godfather film is the best, and more. Enjoy! by ReelBlend

69 min listen

Academy Award Nominations Reaction: The Academy dropped a bombshell on the ReelBlend hosts this week with a set of nominations that left some of us stunned. Join us as we break down what's what in this year's Oscar race. by ReelBlend

95 min listen

Guest Rob Liefeld (Deadpool Creator/Artist), Deadpool 2 SPOILERS & David Fincher's Best Film: Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld joined the guys for a full hour. And if you like the Deadpool movies, Marvel Comics and the MCU, and basically superhero entertainment in general, this one is a CAN'T MISS! by ReelBlend

68 min listen

Interviewing Tom Cruise in Paris & Ant-Man and the Wasp Spoilers (Guest Host Chris Van Vliet!): Sean O'Connell and Jake Hamilton were without a key member of their ReelBlend family, as Kevin McCarthy was on a cruise -- but not a TOM Cruise -- this week. So our old friend and talented colleague Chris Van Vliet of Deco Drive in Miami filled in on the third chair, and was a fantastic contributor. The guys discussed the casting of Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker, the return of Billy Dee Williams to the Star Wars universe, Ant-Man and the Wasp Spoilers, and their interviews with Tom Cruise...in Paris! by ReelBlend

69 min listen

Special Guest Brad Peyton (Rampage & San Andreas Director) & Juicy Infinity War Rumors by ReelBlend

91 min listen

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Director Ari Aster Talks Midsommar & Hereditary

Director Ari Aster Talks Midsommar & Hereditary

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