The Desert of the Reel: A Movie Podcast

In this episode we dive into Quantum of Solace, the direct sequel to Casino Royale, and one of the most emotionally raw films in the James Bond franchise.Jason has some hot takes, namely, he likes the theme song and... that's it. Bond is driven almost entirely by revenge and unresolved grief. We explore how the film only truly works when viewed as a continuation of Casino Royale—Bond is not thinking clearly, but reacting out of rage and pain.Using postmodernist and neo-Marxist lenses, we also examine the murky moral world of th...

Reel, Desert of the Reel. We are diving fist-first into the Daniel Craig James Bond movies. Jason famously hates action movies and especially hates James Bond movies! But maybe there is something deep and philosophical here in 2006's Casino Royale. We look at the history of 007, go over our pros and cons, and explore the ideas of ego, feminism, and genre studies. What do you think about James Bond, and action movies in general? Email us at desertofthereelpod@gmail.com

“Maybe the question isn’t who is insane. Maybe the question is who gets to decide.”This week we are looking at the 2014 film, Stonehearst Asylum. A film based on an Edgar Allen Poe story where a new doctor enters a 1899 insane asylum, where things might not be what they appear at first. So much symbolism!We ask many questions: What is more important, Freedom or Justice? What is worse, A corrupt system or a poorly run system with good intentions? Do people need to be broken? Is it ok to l...

As the final episode connected to Harry Potter, Jason and Ryan didn't find a whole lot to say about Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016), although there are some gems in here, such as Ryan's absurdist analysis of Jacob and Newt, the animal right philosopher Peter Singer making his first (and likely only) appearance on the pod, Ryan's feminist analysis of Newt's character, some additional insights into Othering, and the introduction of our next franchise!Jason's choice for next week is Stonehearst Asylum (2014)!We hope you enjoy this...

The final Harry Potter movie! (Before we make Jason watch Fantastic Beasts). Guess what? He actually liked this one!We talked about a number of our personal pros and cons (mainly the ending), but found a lot of deep ideas to discuss. Ryan uses Trauma Theory to analyze the film, but we also ask:What is worth sacrificing for? We look at karmaOur minds are important and determine our reality. The world could improve.We need people in our lives when devastation happens, and Trust...

We argue extensively about whether or not this is a good film. Ryan appreciates how different it is from the other films; Jason thinks it is a series of random events happening randomly and wandering around aimlessly without any clues. About halfway through the podcast, Jason has a revelation that reframes why he doesn't like the movie, changing the tenor of the rest of the episode.We explore Brechtian distancing, the philosophy of sacrifice, whether it is better to die or lose your memory, and many other elements of the film.Let us know what...

The sixth Harry Potter movie confuses us. Here we are for Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts, but this time, Draco is up to no good. Well, to be honest, he spends most of his time crying. There is a lot of drama over all this angst and teen romance. And despite all this, there is somehow nothing really happening. The structure is very curious. We review the different pros and cons, and Ryan cannot help but bring up various comparisons between the book and the movie versions. We address this film's structure, talk about various ethical choices...

After years of requests, demands, cajoling, and pleading from Jason's students, this week's film is Christopher Nolan's Interstellar (2014). While the duo disagree on whether or not the first hour could have been 15 minutes and whether or not the ending robs the film of its thematic power, both agree that this is a beautiful, powerful, deeply philosophical film. We discuss love, death, sacrifice, good, evil, free will, lying, time, gravity, othering and de-othering, Dylan Thomas, the nature of knowledge, auteur theory, and a bunch of other stuff in one of our longest episodes ever!<...

In the fifth Harry Potter movie, Harry is placed into a teacher role, and Voldemort is on the rise. Jason, who refuses to see big-blockbuster movies, is pleasantly surprised. He actually likes this one. He hated the fourth movie, but thinks this might be the pinnacle of what Harry Potter movies have to offer. Does this movie have bigger ideas than the other HP films? Is Professor Umbridge the worst villain in the franchise? Does it have the most real-world connections? We discuss: The importance of asking "Why?" We go over the tools of critical...

In this episode about Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), both Jason and Ryan recognize that this probably isn't the best of the Harry Potter movies. Aside from the logical flaws that Jason is obsessed with, the plot-heavy, character-light approach the film takes leaves us without a deepening attachment to most of the characters. Interestingly, it also leaves out a lot of the plot of the novel, which also weakens the film. We discuss rule-bound ethics, rebellion against unjust or illogical laws, death studies, and the need for us to be aware of our strengths and...

In this episode about War for the Planet of the Apes (2017), Jason complains about the logical flaws in the sewer system. Ryan completely changes Jason's mind about the arc of Caesar and the main meaning of the film. We discuss the essential nature of both logos and pathos components in our quest to de-other, and we examine the ethics of the Colonel's choice to kill his son. What are your thoughts on this movie? share us your review or anything else at all at desertofthereelpod@gmail.com

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) should swap names with Rise. But this is seriously one of the best sequels of all time. This movie is the follow-up to Caesar and all the escaped apes, 10 years after the events of the first film. The apes are met with humans, and both groups are just trying to survive and do what is best for their groups. The result? ETHICAL PROBLEMS!Perfect for this podcast. Some of the questions we ask about this movie are: Is hate more powerful than love? What happens when hate e...

Jason's rebellion against the tyranny of Harry Potter has been successful! Welcome to the DOTR Planet of the Apes episodes. In this episode, we discuss possible reasons why this trilogy doesn't show up in the discussion of the best trilogies of all time. Ryan introduces the critical animal studies lens and we explore how it help us more effectively interact with the concept of the Other. Jason explores what various ethical schools of thought might say about animal testing. They also explore the idea of rage as a vehicle for change.<...

A very special thank you and shout-out to Toon My Heart Podcast for their lovely gift!Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 2004) is the third Potter film where we find dementors, Sirius Black, and patronus spells! Is Jason says that this movie doesn't bring anything new from the previous Harry Potter films. Is he right? Ryan jumps right in and talks about Alfonso Cuaron's directing style and use of cinematography. Jason has a list of pros and cons and discusses the themes of fear and its role in our lives. We look...

Back to Hogwarts, and this time into the Chamber of Secrets. For the second Harry Potter film, we are welcomed back with another mystery. However, Jason argues that this is just a retread of the first film, and Ryan argues that the lore and story is expanding and deepening. What do you think?We go over pros and cons. According to Jason, some of this film's major flaws are several logical flaws (most of which surround the basilisk) and Ron's "whiny voice." But there is still a lot to love!And we explore the deeper...

Despite Jason not wanting to watch the Harry Potter movies because "they are all the same," he can't deny that there is something special about this movie. Harry Potter is clearly a huge and successful franchise, and we attempt to understand why it is so.We go over our positives and favorite lines, talk about negatives, and find a lot of deep ideas to talk about. We go over the themes of fate, love, character archetypes, personality types, and explore character motivation and what philosophies they align with from Machiavelli to Sartre.Have...

Thank you for listening to us for 100 episodes!For our 100th episode special, we watch and analyze three episodes of the children's show Bluey: "Flat Pack," "Bin Night," and "Sleepytime." We explore what these episodes (and the show as a whole) are doing in their short 7-minute segments. From encouraging imagination to teaching parents how the creators feel parents should be, Bluey definitely isn't a socially-neutral show. Is that bad? Is that good? Are there socially-neutral shows? Is it possible to think critically about children's television? Come with us as we look for...

Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)! We have one of our most heated debates about this movie. Ryan and Jason have not argued like this since the days of Tony Stark. We spend a little bit of time talking about the technical aspects of this film, but we spend a very long time arguing back and forth if this is a good movie, or a remake and awful movie. Who do you agree with? Is this an example of a great film and an excellent sequel? Or is it a classic example of a sequel not doing anything...

This week, DOTR gives you a film that both Ryan and Jason love: Avatar (2009). In addition to exploring the sheer technological ingenuity of this film, we take a look at the various film lenses this offers us, the history and background of the film itself, the several tropes that surface and how Avatar pushes against them, and various philosophical musings. In fact, Avatar is one of Jason's favorite philosophical playground films. We spend a good chunk of this episode exploring the careful way Cameron created the culture of the Na'vi.What did you think of Avatar (2009)? Let...

Nefarious (2023) Dietz wanted us to explore the big philosophical ideas in this little-known movie. The summary is:"On the day of his scheduled execution, a convicted serial killer tells a psychiatrist that he's a demon who can possess his body. As the evaluation ends, he also tells the doctor that he will soon commit three murders of his own."There are a lot of big ideas found in this movie. We need to use our knowledge to help and uplift others, we are actively choosing to step away from enobeling things, we need to be...