PFR Weekly

Don't look now, but Devin and Teddy are about to pass your on your left as they dash into this episode of MCU in Review. That's right, after the abyss of Thor: The Dark World, our fearless hosts have risen from the depths of disappointment to achieve the heights of triumph through the majesty of Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014). A movie high in contention for the top of both Devin and Teddy's "Best of the MCU Lists," Captain America: The Winter Soldier injects Phase II with all manner of kinetic and creative energy. In one of their longest "Gems" sections to date, Teddy and Devin dissect why the cinematic lineage of conspiracy thrillers, characters new and old, full-throttle action, and a major dose of Sebastian Stan lead this film to, as the kids say, slap. Even when the "PFR Edit" divulges a handful of notable flaws, the sum total of this episode is a celebration of a true MCU achievement. If you like what you hear, make sure to follow Portland Film Review on all the socials. You can find us on Instagram at @portland_film_review, Twitter at @portland_film, and Facebook at Portland Film Review, or just head over to our website, portlandfilmreview.com, and subscribe! Also, make sure to hop on over to wherever you get your podcasts to follow and give us a rating. Most importantly, come back for the whole "MCU in Review" experience!

Fire up the bi-frost and lean into the suck because Devin and Teddy are back in the saddle to talk about arguably the worst movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor: The Dark World (2013). Before diving into this terrible movie though, Devin and Teddy take a salacious tangent inspired by a wider comics-verse tidbit of news this past week; that Warner Bros. nixed an oral sex scene between Batman and Catwoman in the HBO Max show Harley Quinn. Branching from there, the two debate who in the MCU might in fact provide the best oral sex, and only after that lovely detour do they settle into the task of discussing The Dark World. Gems are sparse, but the PFR Edit is loaded for this episode, and at least you can rely on Teddy being #hornyforhatred and expounding on her love for the one and only God of Mischief, Loki. If you like what you hear, make sure to follow Portland Film Review on all the socials. You can find us on Instagram at @portland_film_review, Twitter at @portland_film, and Facebook at Portland Film Review, or just head over to our website, portlandfilmreview.com, and subscribe! Also, make sure to hop on over to wherever you get your podcasts to follow and give us a rating. Most importantly, come back for the whole "MCU in Review" experience!

It turns out that Devin and Teddy have at least one thing in common with Tony Stark: they're still not over how wild the Battle for New York in The Avengers (2012) was. Nonetheless, the show must go on, and so this episode we bring you their dive into the first entry of Phase 2 of the MCU, the nearly sublime Iron Man 3 (2013). While it has remained a lighting rod of debate in the more toxic corners of the Marvel fandom, Issue No. 6 of "MCU in Review" is an unabashedly pro Iron Man 3 podcast, and Devin and Teddy waste no time staking their claim for a too-often-overlooked standout of a film. A fascinating concoction of trauma exploration, genre subversion, and one of the higher quips-per-minute counts in the first two phases of the MCU, this Shane Black overseen film also gives Devin and Teddy some prime space for their on-brand terrible voice work. Buckle up, and make sure you remember your badge so Happy doesn't come for you. If you like what you hear, make sure to follow Portland Film Review on all the socials. You can find us on Instagram at @portland_film_review, Twitter at @portland_film, and Facebook at Portland Film Review, or just head over to our website, portlandfilmreview.com, and subscribe! Also, make sure to hop on over to wherever you get your podcasts to follow and give us a rating. Most importantly, come back for the whole "MCU in Review" experience!

Devin and Teddy got their duo together to celebrate the premiere Marvel team uniting on screen for the first time. That's right, MCU in Review closes out the MCU Phase 1 by digging into the pop culture behemoth The Avengers (2012). After four hit-and-miss entries defined by origin stories, Marvel's first team-up movie brings Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Black Widow, The Hulk, Hawkeye, Nick Fury, and Maria Hill together for the first time. In order to do the project justice, Devin and Teddy dispel with the usual categories in favor of ranking the Avengers entrances, and then parsing through the rest in something akin to a lightly controlled series of rolling tangents. So plug in those headphones and get comfortable for a little Loki, a smidge of spandex, and a whole lot of Hulk-smashing. If you like what you hear, make sure to follow Portland Film Review on all the socials. You can find us on Instagram at @portland_film_review, Twitter at @portland_film, and Facebook at Portland Film Review, or just head over to our website, portlandfilmreview.com, and subscribe! Also, make sure to hop on over to wherever you get your podcasts to follow and give us a rating. Most importantly, come back for the whole "MCU in Review" experience!

We have to ask, of all the things Steve Rogers says he could do all day, do we think that he could go toe-to-toe with our Marvel podcasters-in-residence at the mic? We may never know for sure, but we do know this; Devin and Teddy are back at it for Issue No. 4 of MCU in Review, turning their attention towards Captain America: The First Avenger (2011). Spoiler alert, they both LOVE it. Why you ask? Well it turns out that a superhero blockbuster working to re-tool the confines of heroic masculinity that features a banging performance from Chris Evans is exactly the center of the fandom Venn diagram for Devin and Teddy. Coming off a ~tough~ two-movie run our hosts are refreshed to spend time celebrating a film that, with the exception of one iceberg sized plothole, holds up all these years later. Oh, and if you stick around to "The Horney Corner," you might just learn something rather surprising about Teddy's fictional character inclinations... If you like what you hear, make sure to follow Portland Film Review on all the socials. You can find us on Instagram at @portland_film_review, Twitter at @portland_film, and Facebook at Portland Film Review, or just head over to our website, portlandfilmreview.com, and subscribe! Also, make sure to hop on over to wherever you get your podcasts to follow and give us a rating. Most importantly, come back for the whole "MCU in Review" experience!

Whosoever listens to this podcast, if they be worthy, shall possess the power of the MCU in Review! That's right folks, Devin and Teddy are ripping and roaring through the bi-frost for episode three of the limited series to dig into Thor (2011) in all it's (mostly flawed) glory. Settle in, pour some coffee before you smash it, and get ready for Issue No. 3 of MCU in Review. In this episode, Devin and Teddy sing the praises of Thor stars Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Kat Dennings, and others, while also posing the ultimate question; why on earth did director Kenneth Branagh think that the best way to tell a story about a Demi-god with a giant hammer was to try and turn comics into King Lear? Plus, Teddy finally properly inaugurates the horny corner with some true pheromone-inducing observations about one particular Norse god. If you like what you hear, make sure to follow Portland Film Review on all the socials. You can find us on Instagram at @portland_film_review, Twitter at @portland_film, and Facebook at Portland Film Review, or just head over to our website, portlandfilmreview.com, and subscribe! Also, make sure to hop on over to wherever you get your podcasts to follow and give us a rating. Most importantly, come back for the whole "MCU in Review" experience!

Just when you were starting to miss them, Devin and Teddy are back again with episode two of "MCU in Review," digging into the hot but somewhat beautiful mess that is "Iron Man 2" (2010). The first sequel of the MCU, "Iron Man 2" provides our hosts with much to laugh about, bits to celebrate, and a whole lot of failure to unpack. So drop your socks, pick up your crocs, and get ready to get wet on this ride. If you like what you hear, make sure to follow Portland Film Review on all the socials. You can find us on Instagram at @portland_film_review, Twitter at @portland_film, and Facebook at Portland Film Review, or just head over to our website, portlandfilmreview.com, and subscribe! Also, make sure to hop on over to wherever you get your podcasts to follow and give us a rating. Most importantly, come back for the whole "MCU in Review" experience!

Welcome back to PFR Weekly! We've been on a production hiatus for much longer than we anticipate, but we are SO EXCITED to be back on mic. We are also excited that we get to introduce something new for PFR Weekly: a limited series. This comes in the form of "MCU in Review," a stretch of episodes where we discuss each of the Marvel Cinematic Universe entries in release order as we build up to Black Widow (2021) debuting in theaters this July. To do this, Devin is joined by his dear friend and fellow Marvel nerd, Teddy. A new face on PFR, Teddy and Devin already spend hours talking about various Marvel theories and nerdiness, so they decided it was time to do it for #content. The "MCU in Review" journey begins today with their dive into Iron Man (2008), the movie that started the whole MCU project. Through a combination of free-wheeling conversation and a few categories, Devin and Teddy navigate through the complicated but fun legacy of Iron Man. If you like what you hear, make sure to follow Portland Film Review on all the socials. You can find us on Instagram at @portland_film_review, Twitter at @portland_film, and Facebook at Portland Film Review, or just head over to our website, portlandfilmreview.com, and subscribe! Also, make sure to hop on over to wherever you get your podcasts to follow and give us a rating. Most importantly, come back for the whole "MCU in Review" experience!

Chadwick Boseman died on Friday August 28th of colon cancer at the young age of 43, and in his wake he leaves an unassailable legacy of television roles, film performances, and social justice work. Jane, Nathan, and Devin spend this episode discussing the impact that Boseman made on the world in just 7 short years of being a bona fide movie star from his first leading role in 42 (2013) through his upcoming final performance in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020). The gang unpacks their own feelings about his death within this, but the majority of the conversation is about how Boseman became an icon in his own right on par with the larger-than-life characters he tended to portray. If you have a suggestion for a film or topic for the show, get in touch! Follow and message us on Instagram at @portland_film_review or FaceBook at Portland Film Review, or send us an email at pfrweekly@gmail.com. Plus, if you like what you hear, make sure to follow and review us wherever you get your podcasts.

A bit of context: We recorded this episode before the tragic news of Chadwick Boseman's passing, and so the episode does not deal with his death at all. We debated re-recording with this new information, but decided to preserve this conversation as is to complete the Ryan Coogler series. Instead of re-recording, we will record a separate episode to release later this week that will focus exclusively on Boseman's life, filmography, and broader impact on the world. Now to this week's episode. Here we are, somehow at the end of PFR Weekly's three-part dive into the directorial filmography of Ryan Coogler. This week Jane, Nathan, and Devin travel to Wakanda to bask in the unparalleled cultural and filmmaking accomplishment that is Black Panther (2018). Black Panther is that rare film that gives you just as much to talk about within the frame as outside of it. Marvel's first movie with a top-billed Black superhero, Black Panther was released under an intense amount of scrutiny and still somehow managed to blow away expectations. The film showcases Coogler as a director who never ceases to reinvent his style, while still carrying over a number of calling cards that made the first two films in this series, Fruitvale Station and Creed, so remarkable. The gang also traces the continued presence of themes that Coogler seems to hold dear, and how he works those blisteringly real-life issues and concepts into a movie that takes place mostly in a fictional country. Plus, because it wouldn't be an episode in this arc without it, the gang spends a lot of time considering Michael B. Jordan's performance before wrapping up this arc with a number of final thoughts on Coogler and where he might go next. If you have a suggestion for a film or topic for the show, get in touch! Follow and message us on Instagram at @portland_film_review or FaceBook at Portland Film Review, or send us an email at pfrweekly@gmail.com. Plus, if you like what you hear, make sure to follow and review us wherever you get your podcasts.

*takes deep breath*LET'S GET READY TO RUMMMMMMBBBBBBBBLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEE! The gang is back with Part II of our arc on director Ryan Coogler to go the full twelve rounds talking about Creed (2015). Coogler made a jump in terms of budget and scope when he took on the 2015 entry in the long-running Rocky (1976) franchise, but that transition did nothing to dim the considerable filmmaking talents and aptitude for social commentary that we first saw in Fruitvale Station (2013). In taking the Rocky story and re-framing it to be a sports-movie-by-way-of-family-drama with a newfound focus on the Black American experience, Coogler turns Creed into a masterpiece of contemporary American film. Creed takes on the American mythos surrounding masculinity, capitalism, race, and boxing and inverts much of what we have come to expect from the genre. Jane, Nathan, and Devin commit time to Coogler's filmmaking, the incredible cast, and what this modern classic represents in terms of a changing cinematic landscape. If you have a suggestion for a film or topic for the show, get in touch! Follow and message us on Instagram at @portland_film_review or FaceBook at Portland Film Review, or send us an email at pfrweekly@gmail.com. Plus, if you like what you hear, make sure to follow and review us wherever you get your podcasts.

The gang decided it was time to mix up the PFR Weekly template a touch, and to do so they are embarking on a three-part series dissecting and discussing the films of director Ryan Coogler. Coogler has directed three feature films, and so this episode and the next two will each focus on one of those directorial efforts to allow a deep dive on one of the most exciting directors working today. This episode starts the arc with a look at Coogler's devastatingly beautiful directorial debut, Fruitvale Station (2013). Fruitvale Station focuses on Oscar Grant III's (Michael B. Jordan) last day alive before his murder at the hands of BART Police Officers on New Year's Day 2009. In depicting this real life tragedy, Coogler pulls no punches in displaying the monstrous actions of those officers, but he also spends the majority of the film outlining Grant's humanity and what he meant to the people around him. Jane, Nathan, and Devin start by considering how Coogler's early life and education led him to this project, and then analyze the fully-formed directorial style on display in Fruitvale, and the many heartbreaking parallels between Grant's story and the stories of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and the countless other Black Americans killed by police. If you have a suggestion for a film or topic for the show, get in touch! Follow and message us on Instagram at @portland_film_review or FaceBook at Portland Film Review, or send us an email at pfrweekly@gmail.com. Plus, if you like what you hear, make sure to follow and review us wherever you get your podcasts.

Settle in and get ready to hear Jane, Nathan, and Devin discuss Cheryl Dunye's masterwork of cultural commentary and humor, The Watermelon Woman (1996). This weeks episode marks the first time that the crew has turned back the clock to consider a film made decades ago as opposed to the first four episodes where each featured movie was released in the last two years. Why now? The Watermelon Woman was a forgotten classic until its re-release a few years ago, and has since re-emerged as one of the most influential films of the 1990s. Dunye is credited as being the first openly lesbian Black woman to direct a feature film, and her perspective results in a piece that pushes against all manner of filmmaking norms and challenges the viewers very understanding of film history. As a result, this episode has everything and more that we know you've come to expect from the crew. Plus, they make it through without one mention of Parasite, so growth right? If you have a suggestion for a film or topic for the show, get in touch! Follow and message us on Instagram at @portland_film_review or FaceBook at Portland Film Review, or send us an email at pfrweekly@gmail.com. Plus, if you like what you hear, make sure to follow and review us wherever you get your podcasts.

Get comfortable, and plug in to listen to Jane, Nathan, and Devin discuss and debate Dee Rees' Oscar-nominated family epic, Mudbound (2017). Mudbound is the first pure period piece that the crew has focused on, and that brings with it all sorts of complicating factors around how audiences now see history. Plus, Mudbound deals directly with themes and circumstances that land especially hard in the context of renewed conversations about white supremacy and violence against Black bodies. This idea of context and how that influences how you receive a movie propels much of the trios conversation, whether they are touching on Rees' directorial choices, the screenplay adapted from Hillary Jordan's novel, or the stunningly talented cast of the film. If you have a suggestion for a film or topic for the show, get in touch! Follow and message us on Instagram at @portland_film_review or FaceBook at Portland Film Review, or send us an email at pfrweekly@gmail.com. Plus, if you like what you hear, make sure to follow and review us wherever you get your podcasts.

The gang is back with another discussion about a film from a Black director. This week they focus in on Spike Lee's newest release, "Da 5 Bloods" (2020). As any Spike Lee movie is bound to do, "Da 5 Bloods" guides Jane, Nathan, and Devin through a kaleidoscope of historical, artistic, and cultural angles to consider filmmaking and storytelling. After placing the film in a broader context of works about the Vietnam War, particularly how it distinguishes itself from "Apocalypse Now," the gang kicks the conversation into mach speed to work through the incredible performances at the center of the movie, and how Lee's directorial tendencies ensure that "Da 5 Bloods" is an informative thrill ride. Plus, your hosts spend a chunk of time unpacking why Lee, easily one of the most talented and exciting directors of his or any generation, seems so undervalued as an artist when others of his age group are elevated for lesser filmmaking. Settle in for an episode of hot takes galore. If you have a suggestion for a film or topic for the show, get in touch! Follow and message us on Instagram at @portland_film_review or FaceBook at Portland Film Review, or send us an email at pfrweekly@gmail.com. Plus, if you like what you hear, make sure to follow and review us wherever you get your podcasts.

Welcome to PFR Weekly's first proper film conversation! On today's episode, Jane, Nathan, and Devin dig into Boots Riley's 2018 fever dream of a film, Sorry to Bother You. During their conversation, they cover Riley's directorial style, the performances in the film, and the many historical influences that Riley seems to be drawing on from Stanley Kubrick to Karl Marx (if Marx is your thing, there's pleeeeeeenty of him in this episode so get excited for that). Plus, Nathan rattles the cage and gets Jane and Devin to debate him about whether or not Sorry to Bother You is *gasp* a better version of Parasite (2019). Come for the Boots Riley obsession, stay for the old-married-couple-style-bickering. If you have a suggestion for a film or topic for the show, get in touch! Follow and message us on Instagram at @portland_film_review or FaceBook at Portland Film Review, or send us an email at pfrweekly@gmail.com. Plus, if you like what you hear, make sure to follow and review us wherever you get your podcasts.

We here at Portland Film Review have decided that it's high time we dove in and made our own podcast, and that comes in the form of PFR Weekly. As the name suggests, each week, editors Jane, Nathan, and Devin will sit down to talk about film, television, and the entertainment industry writ large. However, we are launching the show with a particular theme to connect with our push to do a better job covering works from creators of color. Therefore our first season will be focused exclusively on the hosts deep-diving into a different film from a Black director each week. This first episode is all about introducing Jane, Nathan, and Devin, and then following the three as they discuss why they feel it's so important to do this project right now. If you have a suggestion for a film or topic for the show, get in touch! Follow and message us on Instagram at @portland_film_review or FaceBook at Portland Film Review, or send us an email at pfrweekly@gmail.com. Plus, if you like what you hear, make sure to follow and review us wherever you get your podcasts.