Reeled In: “Wild Wild West”

Noah and Chance briefly considered the genre of sci-fi cowboy films before realizing our ill-fated manifest destiny: watching Wild Wild West on HBO and reconciling that decision as best we could. This mini-episode raises all sorts of questions. How do you pronounce “Kenneth Branagh”? How do you pronounce Kenneth Branagh pronouncing the nonsense words he says in this […]

Sharks That Aren’t Jaws

Live from Noah’s bed in Brooklyn, we cozy up and discuss the genre that houses our favorite film. But not that film; what is there to say about “Jaws” anyway? So we watched three lesser shark movies: Blake Lively battling a great white in “The Shallows,” the deranged shark science of “Deep Blue Sea” and […]

DadPod

The moms took their turn; yesterday the dads were on deck. Noah and Chance called “Big Rod” and “Digdoug” to discuss a pair of movies about early 20th century sporting. (It’s worth noting that the dads chose movies independent of each other.) First, Chance called his father to discuss 2005’s Cinderella Man, listening to classic fights on […]

Mock The Vote: Electoral Satires

With the presidential election cycle eating itself (and many of our souls), this week’s episode takes on three recent electoral satires: 1999’s Election, 2012’s The Campaign and 2003’s Head of State. In them, races for student council president, a rural Congressional seat and the highest office in the land are wrought with the betrayal, the puppeteering and the […]

Shane Black Buddy Banter

We may not always see eye to eye, but dammit, we’re partners. This week, Noah and Chance take on three examples of Shane Black’s buddy cop(-ish) movies, 1987’s Lethal Weapon, 2005’s Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and the new Gosling/Crowe team-up, The Nice Guys. Noah is away from New York this week recording from a Summersville, West Virginia radio station with […]

Superstore Servitude

Pop on your vest or polo and try not to lose your mind as we head inside the fluorescent maze of movies set in big box stores. This week, Chance and Noah are joined by an old colleague to discuss the experience of working in a haven of “sad commerce.” Former Walmart baker and current […]

MomPod

In the spirit of this past weekend, Noah and Chance called their moms to discuss a favorite film from each. We begin from a dining room in Lawrenceville, New Jersey with a discussion of 1985’s “Out of Africa,” a sweeping romance about a Danish baroness (Meryl Streep) making her life in Kenya. At 27:50, they […]

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Movie Reviews & Reappraisals

Be Reel was a movie reviewing & reappraising podcast hosted by Chance Solem-Pfeifer and Noah Ballard.

We cherished our 8-year run, talking to filmmakers like Gus Van Sant, insulting each other’s taste, and laughing to high heaven.

Chance’s new movie podcast, The Kickcontinues to explore curated sub-genres and movie geekery. Noah is a frequent and beloved guest.

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Supernatural Children: Saviors Or Head Cases?