The RE-View Podcast: Recent Episodes
Bentley and Samuel
After spending over 20 years discussing pop culture in all its forms around the dinner table, Bentley Boyd and his son, Samuel, have created a podcast where the discuss movies, the Canon, and what current pop culture will someday become enshrined.
Join Bentley and Samuel as they wander into the the dusty frontier town setting of High Noon for a showdown with one of the most revered relics of the film canon! Will Bentley and Samuel make a stand for it to remain in that canon, or will they gun it down like a dog? Tune in and find out!
Samuel and Bentley ring in the new year with a 70's heist film straight out of Saturday afternoon television! Force 10 From Navarrone boats an all-star cast, a storied director, and a predecessor that defined action movies for decades. Can this movie carry the legacy of the Gregory Peck classic? Or will Samuel and Bentley just spend the whole thing talking about the brilliance of Chicken Run? Find out by listening!
Bentley and Samuel journey back to 2007 for Tom Hank's biographical turn as Congressman Charlie Wilson! In light of current events in Ukraine, does the film still have a message that applies to our present? Or has history left it behind? Tune in and find out!
Join Bentley and Samuel on their latest caper: an analysis of the now 20-year-old Ocean's 11! Has the film aged as gracefully as a jazz standard, or is it now a gaudy parody like so many Las Vegas attractions? Listen in and find out!
Samuel and Bentley return in top fashion with a review of a still-new film: The Matrix Resurrections! Jack in and listen as Bentley and Samuel dive back into the world of the Watchowskis and ask what, if anything, the Matrix can still teach us in 2021?
Also, both of them still know kung-fu, which works out well in terms of brand synergy.
Samuel and Bentley return from their time in the wilderness... Or should we say, the swamp? With Shrek turning 20 years old, our hosts decided they would revisit this pivotal moment in Western animation. Does it remain a vital piece of our culture? Or have the memes propped it up for two decades? Listen in and find out!
A few weeks ago, Truman proposed a brilliant idea: the three of us would take turns drafting our favorite artists (living or dead) into the lineup of a music festival! With a total of 10 picks each, what follows is a 45 minute exploration of our individual music tastes and how we view our favorite artists through history.
Samuel and Bentley return to the kung-fu kickin' days of 2000! With the recent reboot of Charlie's Angels being DOA, both Bentley and Samuel decided that the 2000 reboot of the franchise deserved another look! Did the Angels complete their assignment in 2000 or does their mission remain on record as a failure? Tune in and find out!
Bentley and Samuel charge up the stairs and into the waiting arms of The Apartment! The 1960 Academy Awards' winner for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay brings a hefty reputation to the table... But does it deserve it? Join Bentley and Samuel in examining the ways this movies holds up under modern sensibilities... and the ways it does not!
Bentley and Samuel venture back to 1989, the fall of the Wall, the end of an era, and the end of a history of violence... Or so we all thought! Atomic Blonde released in 2017, but it radiates this time period and for that reason, Samuel and Bentley target it for the RE-View Podcast! But are they hunting Atomic Blonde? Or is Atomic Blonde... hunting them? Tune in and listen to find out!
The third movie for Spike Lee and the first date for the Obamas, Do The Right Thing still remains in the cultural conversation. But does it hold up as a film? Can a still-developing Spike Lee pull all the disparate elements and ideas he has into a cohesive whole? Or does the movie collapse under the message? Tune in and find out what Samuel and Bentley have to say after three decades of hot, sweltering summer days.
Bentley and Samuel return to the roots of the podcast with The Wild Bunch! Often cited as a groundbreaking Western that forever changed the genre, The Wild Bunch directly inspired so many of the movies Samuel and Bentley love... But does it actually still hold up? Tune in and find out!
It's the summer of 1994. It's hot. You're driving a Saturn. The cassette player occasionally skips, but your copy of INXS' Kick still blasts alright. Your friends have just told you that they're going to the movies tonight to see some brand new film that everyone is talking about... called Pulp Fiction.
Now, twenty years later, we're all still talking about it. Does it deserve the reverence? Has our collective memory made the film better than the reality? Or does Tarantino's sophomore effort still rightfully tower over pop culture? Tune in. Find out.
Just in time for the live-action remake of Aladdin, Bentley and Samuel dive into the seedy underworld of Guy Richie's Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels! Knuckles will get bruised, heads will roll, and Samuel and Bentley will grapple with the legacy of this late-Nineties caper.
No blue Will Smith in this one, sadly.
With a new Hellboy movie fast approaching, Samuel and Bentley thought they should take a look at Guillermo del Toro's original adaptation of Mike Mignola's occult hero! Does the film remain a great example of del Toro's craft or has time robbed it of its original impact? Listen in to find out!
Just in time for a Saturday matinee, Samuel and Bentley return with a review of Into the Spider-Verse! Come and listen to why both Bentley and Samuel believe this movie to already be a rip-roaring entry into the cinematic canon. Don't miss this one!
Samuel and Bentley take time out from reviewing classic movies to celebrate the character actors who elevate every film! From James Hong to Clancy Brown to Rosemary Harris, this is a podcast about the smaller roles. We hope you enjoy listening to this one as much as we enjoyed recording it!
Bentley and Samuel make their return with a rollicking look back at Green Day's American Idiot! What did it mean then and more importantly, what does it mean now? Tune in and turn up!
"The representative from Ohio now has the floor!"
With a lineup change worthy of the Cubs, Truman and Bentley star in this week's installment of the podcast! Covering the now-classic Ferris Bueller's Day Off, the two embark on their own quest to determine the worthiness and staying power of John Hughes' film. Is it a film worth skipping school for? Listen in and find out!
Ohm... Chicka-chicka...
Bentley and Samuel venture into the overgrown jungle of the Jurassic Park series in search of its very best entry! Can they emerge with a better understanding of this franchise's ups and downs, or will they find themselves eaten by a wild Jeff Goldblum? Take a listen!
Who lives in pineapple under the sea? And why does he have such a strong hold on our culture nearly 20 years later? Join Samuel and Bentley as they rediscover the magic of Stephen Hillenburg and crew's masterpiece of a show and argue that only was Spongebob good, it was great!
Space... a realm so vast and powerful, it may yet defeat our attempts to explore it. It will define our very future as a species. Can we escape Mother Earth and reach into the limitless cosmos? Or are we forever limited by our human perceptions? OR DO WE JUST NOT CARE? Can Stanley Kubrick's sci-fi epic hold up all these years later? The answers lie within?
"I'm sorry Dave. I cannot allow you to do that..."
While Arnold Schwarzenegger turned out some real classics in his Eighties heyday, not all of them hold up. Case in point: The Running Man! Adapted from Stephen King and starring one of the biggest box office draws in his prime, this movie had everything it needed to a smash. So why did it fail then and why does it fail now? Take a listen!
"And I ran/I ran so far away..."
One gang of criminals, one family in crisis, and one home for the both of them to share... It's The Desperate Hours! Starring Humphrey Bogart in one of his final roles, this film subtlety and intelligently takes aim at some of America's Post-War conceptions about itself... But nobody seems to remember this film! Why? Listen in as Bentley and Samuel sing the praises of a forgotten classic!
It goes from book to stage to film. Just like it should be!
Emerging from the ashen wastes of 2002, Reign of Fire will burn down your house, your crops, and your mental image of Matthew McConaughey. While (probably) not a part of the canon, Reign of Fire is a true gem that Bentley and Samuel love earnestly. Hopefully, we can convince you to love it too.
Otherwise, why come to this little... soirée?
The Coen Brothers are film luminaries, modern masters who have reshaped their industry for decades. But does every movie they make possess the same level of brilliance? And can a movie every become so uncomfortable that you cease watching it? These are the questions we ask to you and ourselves as we delve into the tundra of Fargo!
Two years have passed since the passing of Prince, so what better way to pay tribute to him on this podcast but to examine the film that helped propel him to superstar status? Purple Rain is a mixed bag, but does its importance outweigh its more pedestrian elements? Come listen!
Our funk is multi-layered.
Look out! Here comes a Spider-Man... RE-View! Join Samuel and Bentley as the travel back to one of the most important building blocks of the current superhero movie craze. By 2004, superhero movies had worked for Hollywood, sequels had always worked for Hollywood... But a superhero sequel? Spider-Man 2 proved that these films had legs (eight of them, in fact), but does it hold up as a film?
Honestly, this podcast was just an excuse to do more J.K. Simmons imitations.
Journey south of the border as Bentley and Samuel experience Orson Welles' last great film: Touch of Evil! From the seedy shadows of the criminal underworld to the poor makeup job on Charlton Heston's face, your two intrepid RE-View hosts cover one of the great noir pictures of all time!
*Note: Samuel does not, in fact, like drinking wine. That remark was for comedic effect.
Time to cover more animated classics! Samuel and Bentley journey back 20 years to the genesis of so much of Millennial culture... Mulan! Beautifully animated, wonderfully written, and with a role for James Hong, this feature earns a place not just in Canon, but in our hearts as well.
Let's get down to business.
Black Panther has burst onto the superhero movie scene and brought with it decades of history, both in our real world and in pop culture. Samuel and Bentley examine the forces behind this monumental film and discuss just how long it took us to get to this milestone.
A special shout-out to the dearly departed Dwayne McDuffie. He would have loved this movie.
Everyone reveres U2's The Joshua Tree... but what about its sister album, Rattle and Hum? Recording with a mix of live and studio track, this strange stepchild of U2's worldwide dominance in the late Eighties has long existed just outside the absolute musical canon. But now Samuel and Bentley will take another look and see if it belongs right beside its storied predecessor!
Also, we have sing-alongs in this episode. Get excited!
Bentley and Samuel travel back, back, back to the 1980s in pursuit of one of comics' most successful stories: WATCHMEN! But despite its critical acclaim from comic professionals and the wider public, does this narrative actually work? And what can comic creators learn from it today?
A bit of a Rorschach test, wouldn't you say? (I'll see myself out.)
Bentley and Samuel return to one of the core questions of the podcast: what is in the film Canon now that we could actually make do without? Does the French Connection remain evergreen or has the film that kickstarted Gene Hackman's career run out of gas? Join us as we discuss this classic of American Noir cinema!
And never, ever pick your feet in Poughkeepsie.
Justice League isn't entering the canon now or anytime, but why don't people like it as much as Avengers? Samuel and Bentley dive into the differences between Marvel and DC's approach to their superhero myths and how they view the living myths of superhero storytelling.
They also talk about how much they love Ben Affleck's Batman, but that's a given at this point.
No movie this time, just abject madness! Taken from the archives, this podcast sees Bentley and Samuel in the midst of a multi-state road trip. What follows are road stories, Batman discussions, Star Wars slobbering, and signs the apocalypse. We hope you SURVIVE the experience!
Just in time for Halloween... Our most controversial episode yet! Bentley and Samuel exhume the corpse of 2016's attempted reboot of the Ghostbusters franchise and find only terror. Why does this resurrection fail where so many others have succeeded? And what lessons can this film teach us about criticism in general?
Seriously, an all-female Ghostbusters sounds like a genuinely awesome idea. How did they mess this up so bad???
Amidst the smoke and rubble of our pop culture, one name stands above... GODZILLA! The towering titan of cinema makes his way onto the RE-View podcast with a stomp like thunder and roar like sheering metal! Join Bentley and Samuel as the dodge the debris of this venerable franchise!
Yes, we know it's Gojira. But we're both Americans, so we say Godzilla.
They're out there... that's no question. The question has always been: where will WE be? Steven Spielberg's classic film about first contact comes before the RE-View podcast. Will it fade from our gaze like a shooting star? Or has it formed a constellation in our pop culture sky? Tune in! Find out!
And always watch the sky...
Deep in the bowels of 2019 Los Angeles, one man searches for the most dangerous androids alive and the answers to his own identity. But... do we still care? Samuel and Bentley hash out their feelings over a movie so critically acclaimed it practically dares anyone to speak against it. But we'll take that challenge...
As a society, we should probably put a hard limit on how many different cuts a film gets. Blade Runner now has what, four or five versions? Just stop at that point! Just stop!
How can a movie starring Humphrey Bogart, based on an acclaimed novel, and nominated for seven Academy Awards NOT end up in The Canon? Well friends, join Samuel and Bentley as the exhume the text of The Caine Mutiny and discuss just how far pedigree can take you.
"Mother, please! I don't need your doting, I'm in the Navy now!"
Crack a whip and listen in as Bentley and Samuel unearth the past of Indiana Jones so that they might better understand his future! We talk about why the character has endured for so long and whether or not he can continue on in the canon for future generations without Harrison Ford.
We also make fun of Temple of Doom. A lot.
Finally, a non-geek podcast from the guys! Witness as Samuel and Bentley travel down the emotional highway of John Cusack's Lloyd Dobler character, from his beginnings in Say Anything to The Sure Thing to Grosse Point Blank. Honorary parts of this thematically-unified series of films are High Fidelity and Serendipity, which we also cover!
Honestly, all of these films would have been better with Alan Arkin's therapist from Grosse Point Blank. "See, that wasn't a nice thing to say! That wasn't designed to make me feel good!"
Remember that silly animated movie about surfing penguins? That's right folks, we think it deserves to be in The Canon, no ifs, ands, or buts. Take a listen as we connect art, storytelling, fathers, songs, carpentry, and WWE in our take on this underrated gem of a film.
And remember, WITH the grain. WITH the grain.
Kong: Skull Island has made it onto home video and now, so has our review! Come stop around with us as we try and determine with installments of the Kong franchise are required viewing and which are just too weird!
Imagine the smell of Skull Island, gentle listener. Like a zoo times 100.
Long rumored, never seen... the CONAN THE BARBARIAN PODCAST HAS ARRIVED! Join us as we sing stories of bravery, legacy, cheese, and awesome soundtracks. This podcast, and your ears, will never be the same.
(Editor's note: I think I've listened to this one all the way though about six times. Just for fun!)
We go to work for Mel Brooks! In honor of Father's Day, Bentley and Samuel tackle one of the greatest comedies of all time: Blazing Saddles! A brilliant work of art, Blazing Saddles absolutely has a place in our modern culture and even more vitally, it tells us something about the current state of our race relations in America.
God bless Mel Brooks. "I didn't hear a harrumph out of you!"
In honor of E3 taking place this week, Truman and Bentley carve up the latest installment of the Battlefield serious with surgical precision! Truman takes lead here as he knows first-person shooters like an old friend while Bentley provides valuable context to those who might be a bit less "plugged-in."
And if you like this one, just wait until Samuel and Truman do a podcast together.
Though we try and stay away from just covering the latest releases, Wonder Woman merits a full podcast. We spoil nothing though! Honest! Put your bracelets on and take a listen!
In an extra-sized 45-minute episode, Bentley and Samuel dive into the Alien series, from Ridley Scott's original claustrophobic thriller to the nonsense of Prometheus. What installments of the series belong in The Canon, which are merely good, and which should get nuked from orbit? Only one thing is for sure: "We're on the express elevator to Hell, goin' down!"
And no, Aliens Vs Predator is not discussed.
We try and keep things fairly positive on this podcast and we also hoped we could avoid doing reviews of the very latest superhero blockbusters, but when you break one rule, you may as well break some more. This week, we let our Hater flags fly for the first Guardians of the Galaxy before redeeming ourselves in the eyes of the people with our praise for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2.
Come and get your love, Brandy.
We take a look at Samuel's "soul movie," Titan A.E., and discuss what qualifies something as part of the Canon. Can Don Bluth's animated masterpiece make it across the finish line with the greats or should it simply remain "recommended viewing" before watching other, more established, parts of the Canon?
Also, go and download the soundtrack from iTunes. It's the safest way you can spend your money in this uncertain world.
Bentley and Samuel dive into one of their favorite programs, Mystery Science Theater 3000! From the original series, to the spin-offs, to the modern reboot, how does MST3K hold up? And what place does it occupy in our culture?
Hot on the heels of Star Wars Celebration, Samuel and Bentley dive straight into the questions that matter by discussing in what order you should actually watch the Star Wars films. Plus an introduction to the idea of a film "Canon" and how it affects our culture, society, and interpersonal relationships.
Also, X-Wings. Oh man, X-Wings are the best.