The Playlist Podcast Network

Striking an unlikely balance between gentrification treatise and Great American fantasy, “The Last Black Man In San Francisco” is among 2019’s most striking debut films. On a new Be Reel, hosts Chance Solem-Pfeifer and Noah Ballard unpack the new A24 drama and speak with its star, co-scribe, and inspiration Jimmie Fails.

On a new BE REEL, treading water on television is a good way not to be on television anymore, as we learn from this week's trio about TV institutions getting new life through new blood. In the new office comedy "Late Night," Mindy Kaling shakes up a white, apolitical late show, just as Rachel McAdams saves a GMA knock-off in "Morning Glory" and Christina Applegate rocks an absurdist boys club in "Anchorman." Change is good, these movies tell us, but do they apply the same lessons to themselves? Let's watch.

Indie Beat - Tyler Taormina by The Playlist

Similar to Sir Elton John and songwriting partner Bernie Taupin, whenever the minds of Matthew Vaughn, Taron Egerton, and Dexter Fletcher combine, the result is incredible art. But how does one foster such a successful creative partnership? “Trust and respect, I would say is the most important thing” stated “Rocketman” Producer Matthew Vaughn (Kingsman, X-Men: First Class, Kick-Ass), “and the unified ambition to make as good and entertaining movies as possible, and friendship. So, we all talk frankly to each other, and we all push each other’s boundaries, but at the same time, we’re there to help each other when we cross them. And not scared to make mistakes, but if they’re made, we clear up the mess together.” Following the ups and downs of Elton John, “Rocketman” is the fantastical musical biopic telling of John’s claim to fame, enduring musical partnership with Bernie Taupin, and his struggles with depression, substance abuse and sexual orientation. Perhaps more so than previous collaborations, you could sense the personal connection Vaughn, Fletcher, and Egerton had to the story of Elton John and his music with Vaughn himself drawing some comparisons between the famed musician, Egerton, and Fletcher. “I’ve watched Taron- meeting him as a guy who’s never done a movie before, walking into an audition, knocking it out of the park. Then going on this sort of unbelievable career of fame and fortune thrust upon him at a young age. And continuing to do great work, having ups and downs, but deep down, has a heart of gold. There’s a lot of similarities between him and Elton. They’re very warm, open people, but also incredibly sensitive, don’t like being knocked over but get knocked over, and then they get up” stated Vaughn. “With Dexter, there are similarities. He was like a prodigy little actor, at age four doing “Bugsy Malone,” or whatever he was when he played Babyface. He then became this big famous cool actor, doing “Caravaggio,” and “Revolution,” and then he did this thing called “Press Gang,” and then everything went wrong, and he got onto drugs and fucked it all up basically. And then came back in ‘Lock, Stock,’ and won Guy (Guy Ritchie) and I over in the audition process and all became friends. He’s gradually rebuilt his acting and then directing career where he’s going from strength to strength. So yeah, I suppose there are a lot of similarities between us—it’s why we all get on. And I think ‘Rocketman,’ for Dexter and Taron, really connected to the material on an emotional level, and I think that’s why people like the film because it feels authentic.” During my interview with Vaughn, we not only discussed his working relationship with Taron Egerton and Dexter Fletcher but where his love of Elton John originated from, if he ever considered directing the project himself, the future of ‘Kingsman’ and much more.

With college looming, there’s a certain class of high-school comedy that races the clock. This week, Chance and Noah watched “Booksmart” (2019) “Superbad” (2007) and “Can’t Hardly Wait” (1998) for a trio of movies about graduating seniors with one last chance to ace their social lives. Big questions include: -Does the women-led “Booksmart” strike the balance between broad comedy and teenage truth? -Does “Superbad’ ever fall victim to the general yuck of the 17-year-old boy? -Why in god’s name do the protagonists of “Can’t Hardly Wait” not know each other? -Will those jerks ever pay for turning Noah away from their party in 2006?

Griffin Schiller (@griffschiller), Kathia Woods (@kathia_woods), and Jenny Nulf (@jennyleighx33) break down and discuss the series finale of Game of Thrones in FULL SPOILERS. They also recap the final season as a whole and look onward to the spin-off series.

Indie Beat - Jessica Kingdon by The Playlist

“Your world creation is a visual. I want the audience from pretty much right off the bat to know you’re in a different reality, so you’re going to see some weird stuff. You’re going to see dogs and horses and gun-fu and karate and ninjas on motorcycles” says ‘John Wick’ Director Chad Stahelski as he discusses crafting the visual palate of the third installment in the Keanu Reeves-led action series “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.” The ‘John Wick’ series has introduced audiences to such a distinct world that only seems to expand with each entry. Stahelski and cinematographer Dan Lausten challenged themselves to perfect the look of ‘John Wick’ by leaning heavily into lighting techniques so audiences can lose themselves in the environment created. Stahelski states, “…we want you to almost reach into the screen and feel the colors and taste them and smell them and be very very involved with the look of the film, and I think that’s what kind of separates us just from - we’re not actually trying to be rough and tumble and super serious.” While his world building techniques - for which Stahelski attributes his success to working with the Wachowski’s and love of international cinema - and striking visuals continue to entrance audiences in, the ‘Wick’ Director and his stunt team know viewers want to see jaw-dropping action spectacle. ‘Parabellum’s’ most challenging set piece no only involves the series’ intricate choreography but features an incredible amount of moving parts that range from tracking shots to the use of dogs. “It took us nearly a year to bring that sequence to life. Finding the animals that had the physical and mental aptitude that we wanted, the personalities that we needed to bond the stunt team, the camera team, the rest of the crew, and our cast” stated Stahelski. He then went on to discuss specifically Halle Berry’s intense 5-month training with the dogs, whom she would spend 3 hours a day, 5-6 days a week with. In so doing, when we see Berry commanding the dogs on screen, it is, in fact, her giving the orders. That’s only a small taste of how Chad Stahelski broke down the magic of ‘John Wick 3’. During our conversation we discussed Stahelski’s inspiration for crafting unique action sequences, what the future holds for John moving forward with the series, the status of his upcoming “Highlander” reboot and Ed Brubaker’s “Kill or Be Killed” live-action adaptation, recent “Matrix 4” comments, and much more.

With the untimely passing of writer/director/producer John Singleton last month, Be Reel takes stock of his life, times and film career. From the seminal “Boyz N the Hood” to the endlessly meme-able “Poetic Justice” to the unsung epic “Rosewood,” Chance, Noah, and author Tochi Onyebuchi reflect on Singleton's role as a preeminent black filmmaker and all the beauty and ugliness wrapped up in his both timely and timeless portraits of America. Find more episodes of Be Reel on ThePlaylist.net.

Ryan Oliver and Griffin Schiller (The Playlist, Men vs. Movies) discuss the horrors of Sonic the Hedgehog's character design, Joe Carnahan's unwarranted Twitter meltdown, and conclude with a review of "Long Shot," the latest comedy from Jonathan Levine starring Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron. 0:00 - 5:29: Griffin's Latest Watches ("Barry," "John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum," "Pokémon Detective Pikachu") 5:30 - 17:56: Movie News ("Sonic the Hedgehog" VFX Overhaul, Joe Carnahan's Twitter Spat) 17:56 - End: "Long Shot" Review