Cinephiles and dinosaur nerds rejoice! Film connoisseur David, and paleontologist Ben (both trained informal educators), join forces to explore the rich history of prehistoric animals in movies. Reel Beasts takes listeners from the badlands to the cutting room floor through insightful critiques, scientific rigor, and a pinch of comedy. With filmmaking experience and several dino digs under our belts, we’re here to pick bones about silver screen saurians both majestic and ridiculous.
A little collection of vignettes from Montana in July 2023
Holy Mosasaur! You knew we would get to this one someday. We take aim at one of the biggest blockbusters of the last decade with the help of friend of the podcast Tim!
Ben gets on his soapbox briefly to respond to some common critiques/misconceptions about paleontology.
ALL THE ARMOR for this amazing Ank tank of a dinosaur.
Adam Driver + dinosaurs, what could go wrong? Well, plenty as it turns out!
"We should have brought layers" - a dinosaur in this movie.
"The Lost World Effect" states that a movie you thought was perfect in childhood is actually not very good. This film is a prime example of such an effect. We still like it though...
Come on in, the water's fine! There is definitely not a Spinosaurus in there!
CW: cinematic violence / body horror, brief mention of self-harm Once the Shimmer takes a shine to you the shine don't stop.
CW: cinematic violence / body horror, brief mention of self-harm Ben is joined by astrophysicist Aaron to dissect Annihilation, a wonderful 2018 sci-fi slow burn. Come with us into the Shimmer!
We celebrate 1 year of Reel Beasts with a return to The Great Valley!
If there is one lesson to be taken from this movie, it is FEAR ALL EGGS!
The hottest takes on the new Jurassic World prologue trailer! We really enjoyed this one y'all.
A sophomore slump for the Jurassic Park series? We discuss Spielberg's second stab at insular dinosaur carnage!
Acid blood, pharyngeal jaws, and the Fermi Paradox. All this and more in a tangent-tastic but thoughtful episode of Unreel Beasts!
Trigger Warning: discussions of sexual violence, strong sexual themes. Welcome to Unreel Beasts, where we expand our programming to include fictional creatures. We kick things off with one of the most influential sci-fi/horror/thriller films of all time! (3:30) plot summary. (17:39) themes and cinematography. (34:21) sexual dynamics, imagery, and implications. (58:21) the alien's many forms.
Tangents and Tyrannosaurs rule the Earth! (00:00) - Intro to Tyrannosaurs, (5:50) - supercontinents and breathing strategies, (13:57) - A brief history of the tyrant dinosaurs, (40:32) - David's T-rex questions, (55:13) - Jurassic Park easter eggs and final thoughts.
A golf-playing T-rex voiced by John Goodman, what could go wrong?
Was this even a movie?? We lovingly lampoon this direct to video disaster!
It's raptors 101 baby! Welcome to class
We just couldn't leave you on that cliffhanger. We talk raptors and kitchens as we put a bow on our analysis of the greatest dinosaur movie of all time!
Phew! We call time on Jurassic Park (for now) with a lovely discussion about dinosaurian action and some neat forays into paleo hypotheses.
Well... We're back in the car again. But at least we're out of the tree!
Join us as we begin our deep dive into the greatest dinosaur movie ever made... And the reason why both hosts are who they are today!
We got our hands on some sweet original audio from the making of Jurassic Park!
A casual episode where we discuss the state of paleontology, and Ben makes a bizarre stand against isotopes??
The dinosaur may be good, but the movie is bad.
A mysterious island... A massive ape... And Jack Black? We discuss the 2005 Peter Jackson epic with our good friend Sonia!
Jason Statham... A giant shark... What more could you ask for?
Hop in your time machines and enjoy some old-timey adventure as we dissect this seminal silent picture!
Join us for our first prehistoric podcasting adventure as we discuss the animated classic, The Land Before Time!
© 2020-2025 Ivy Podcast Discovery LLC
