A Reel Pain

A haunted house, some surprisingly adult jokes, and one basement scene that divides the room. This Halloween, A Reel Pain revisits Monster House (2006), a Gen Z childhood favorite that Millennial host John Choate is watching for the first time. Matthew Pursell remembers finally getting to see the movie his mom thought was too scary—but how does it land with a dad watching alongside his own kid?

John, Matthew, and Tabi dig into Chowder’s best lines, the creepy animation, and the surprisingly cinematic moments hiding inside this Halloween adventure. From a stacked voice cast to the debate over how dark a kids’ movie should get, there’s plenty to unpack—including whether Monster House deserves a live-action remake.

Did Monster House scare you as a kid, or was it the perfect introduction to horror? Let us know in the comments, subscribe for more Millennial vs. Gen Z movie discussions, and join us next week as John introduces Matthew to Predator!

In space, no one can hear you argue about movies.

This week on A Reel Pain, John brings Matthew aboard the Event Horizon (1997), the cult-classic sci-fi horror film starring Sam Neill and Laurence Fishburne. What starts as a rescue mission quickly turns into a nightmare, and the real question is whether this terrifying piece of '90s cinema still holds up nearly 30 years later.

John revisits a movie that absolutely horrified him as a teenager, while Matthew experiences its disturbing imagery, incredible practical effects, and questionable '90s decisions through a Gen Z lens. The guys break down the incredible spaceship sets, unforgettable performances, terrifying imagery, unintentionally hilarious sound effects, and the legendary lost footage that might have made this movie even more disturbing. Plus, is the director's cut the greatest horror movie we'll never get to see?

Does Event Horizon deserve its cult-classic status, or should this ship have stayed lost in space? Find out as John and Matthew reveal their final ratings!

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Matthew’s pick sends A Reel Pain back to 1999 with Y2K (2024), where the computers turn deadly and Fred Durst might be humanity’s best hope. Matthew thinks this horror comedy is a future cult classic, but he might have accidentally picked the perfect movie for John. Between the dial-up nostalgia, ridiculous robot kills, and Kyle Mooney’s sense of humor, this Millennial has a lot to love.

John and Matthew break down their favorite scenes, debate whether one awkward rap scene is cringe or comedy gold, and explain why this movie needed even more mayhem. Plus, Matthew’s Fred Durst obsession gets its moment, John revisits the real Y2K panic, and the final ratings reveal who loved the movie more. Is this a future cult classic hiding in plain sight?

Subscribe for more movie reviews from a Millennial and Gen Z perspective, and tell us: does Y2K deserve a bigger following?

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John heads back to 1994 for his Millennial pick with Street Fighter, the video game adaptation starring Jean-Claude Van Damme as Guile and Raul Julia as M. Bison. John remembers this one being a childhood banger, but revisiting it decades later raises a much tougher question: was Street Fighter ever actually good, or was nostalgia doing most of the work?

Matthew gets his first-ever Jean-Claude Van Damme movie, while John slowly realizes he may have chosen one of the worst possible introductions. The crew breaks down the movie’s bizarre tone, overloaded cast of characters, underwhelming fight scenes, questionable performances, Blanka getting absolutely done dirty, and the one thing they can all agree on: Raul Julia understood exactly what kind of movie he was in and gave M. Bison everything he had.

Can the ridiculous one-liners, Bison Dollars, nostalgia, and sheer fun of talking about this movie save Street Fighter from a knockout? John, Matthew, and Tabi put the 1994 cult oddity through the A Reel Pain test and find out whether this Millennial favorite still deserves a place on the character select screen.

Matthew thinks Fantastic Mr. Fox is nearly flawless. John likes it—but getting this Millennial to call it a masterpiece might take more than great animation and a bottle of hard cider. This week on A Reel Pain, Matthew brings one of his favorite movies to the table as John watches Wes Anderson’s stop-motion adventure for the first time.

From George Clooney’s effortlessly charming voice work to the dry humor, autumn colors, and surprisingly emotional father-son moments, we break down what makes this movie special. Along the way, John finds himself sympathizing with the farmers, Matthew makes the case that animation is for everyone, and Tabi brings behind-the-scenes facts that could move the scores. But does appreciating every detail mean you have to love a movie just as much?

Is Fantastic Mr. Fox a near-perfect fall favorite, or can you understand the hype without sharing it? Let us know your rating in the comments, and subscribe for more Millennial vs. Gen Z movie debates!

John takes Matthew back to 1994 with Little Giants, the Rick Moranis and Ed O’Neill football comedy packed with underdogs, ridiculous trash talk, go-karts, fart jokes, and of course, John Madden.

John’s nostalgia is working overtime as he argues that Little Giants still holds up as one of the best kids movies of his generation, while Matthew has to decide whether the movie’s charm, comedy, and surprisingly heartfelt story are enough to overcome some unfinished character arcs and very ’90s moments.

Can a Gen Z first-time viewer understand why this movie means so much to millennials, or is John letting the nostalgia—and his dad hat—do most of the reviewing? It’s Millennial vs Gen Z on this week’s A Reel Pain.

#LittleGiants #MovieReview #90sMovies #MillennialVsGenZ #AReelPain #RickMoranis #EdONeill

Matthew remembers childhood heartbreak. John had no idea what he was walking into. This week on A Reel Pain, we revisit Bridge to Terabithia (2007) as a Millennial watches this Gen Z childhood staple for the first time. Does it hold up beyond the emotional damage?

From imaginary battles and surprisingly relatable childhood memories to a teacher subplot that raises some serious questions, John and Matthew unpack the movie’s biggest strengths and strangest choices. Along the way, they debate its approach to grief, a complicated father-son relationship, and whether a great movie has to be one you’d ever want to watch again.

Expect spoilers, questionable jokes, and an emotional roller coaster as we reveal our final ratings. Did Bridge to Terabithia wreck you as a kid—and does it hit harder as an adult? Tell us in the comments, and subscribe for more Millennial vs Gen Z movie debates!

John remembered 2002’s Resident Evil as a ridiculously cool mix of zombies, action, hard rock, and one unforgettable roundhouse kick to a zombie dog. Matthew came in with almost no attachment to the franchise. Somehow, they ended up in almost exactly the same place: wondering what the hell happened.

This week on A Reel Pain, the guys revisit Milla Jovovich’s first trip into the Hive and try to figure out whether there’s actually a good movie buried underneath the questionable CGI, underdeveloped characters, confusing story decisions, and peak early-2000s action-movie energy. There are a few things worth celebrating — the laser hallway, some great practical effects, and that glorious zombie-dog kick — but the longer they talk about the movie, the worse their scores get.

Can nostalgia save John’s Millennial pick, or should Resident Evil have stayed buried underneath Raccoon City?

Matthew grew up with The Game Plan. John grew up knowing Dwayne Johnson as THE ROCK. Somehow, those two realities collide this week on A Reel Pain.

For Matthew, the 2007 Disney comedy is a childhood classic — and somehow his introduction to Dwayne Johnson’s acting career. For John, that fact alone is almost impossible to comprehend. But after revisiting Joe Kingman, Peyton, ballet lessons, football montages, cinnamon allergies, questionable championship turf, and a surprisingly emotional father-daughter story… John starts coming around.

Is The Game Plan just another formulaic family movie, or is there something genuinely special about this era of The Rock? And can Matthew’s Gen Z nostalgia actually convince John to raise his score?

Watch to the end for their final ratings, and let us know in the comments: Does The Game Plan still hold up?

Subscribe to A Reel Pain for more Millennial vs. Gen Z movie debates, first-time watches, nostalgia, and questionable movie opinions.

A bus. A bomb. And one very important rule: don’t drop below 50 mph.

This week on A Reel Pain, it’s John’s Millennial pick as he introduces Matthew to the 1994 action classic Speed, starring Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, Dennis Hopper and Jeff Daniels. John grew up with this one—but can a Gen Z first-time viewer get past the ridiculous physics, impossible bus jumps and peak ’90s action-movie logic?

Turns out, Matthew might be a lot more on board than John expected. From Keanu’s one-liners and Sandra Bullock’s performance to the practical effects, the subway finale and one of the greatest uses of “shoot the hostage” ever put on screen, we’re breaking down everything that makes Speed such a ridiculously fun ride.

Does Speed still deserve to be called an action classic more than 30 years later? And more importantly… did the Millennial finally pick a movie Gen Z couldn’t tear apart?

Subscribe to A Reel Pain for new episodes every week as a Millennial and Gen Z trade movies from their generations and decide which ones actually deserve to be called classics.

It’s time for one of Gen Z’s sacred childhood movies. Matthew makes John watch Diary of a Wimpy Kid for the first time, a movie Matthew remembers being so convincing as a kid that it genuinely made him nervous about going to middle school. Now, more than 15 years later, does the movie still hold up without the nostalgia?

John and Matthew revisit the Cheese Touch, Rowley’s undeniable greatness, Rodrick and Löded Diper, the surprisingly massive number of memes this movie created, and one very important question: Are we actually supposed to be rooting for Greg Heffley? Matthew also makes the absolutely outrageous comparison between Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules and Terminator 2… which goes over about as well as you’d expect.

Two generations. One movie. Very different childhoods. Watch until the end to see where John and Matthew’s ratings land—and stick around for John’s next Millennial pick: Speed with Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock.

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Some movies survive purely on nostalgia. School of Rock might actually be better than we remembered.

This week on A Reel Pain, John introduces Matthew to the 2003 Jack Black classic School of Rock — a movie that somehow slipped completely past a music-loving Gen Z kid. From Dewey Finn’s questionable substitute-teaching methods and the ridiculously talented kids to Joan Cusack, “sticking it to the man,” and one of the most fun endings ever put on film, there’s a lot here that still absolutely rocks.

But does a movie built around landlines, CDs, rock bands, and casually sneaking children out of school still work more than 20 years later? Matthew expected to find plenty to criticize. Instead, he walked away wishing School of Rock had been part of his childhood — and John might have somehow talked himself into liking the movie even more.

Watch the full episode to see where School of Rock lands in the final ratings, and let us know in the comments: Does this movie still rock, or is nostalgia doing some heavy lifting?

Subscribe for more Millennial vs. Gen Z movie debates every week.

#SchoolOfRock #JackBlack #MoviePodcast #MovieReview #AReelPain #2000sMovies

Matthew brings one of his ultimate childhood movies to the podcast: TMNT, the edgy 2007 animated adventure filled with mutant monsters, Linkin Park energy and enough early-2000s attitude to fuel an entire generation. John is watching it for the first time, but Matthew may have first seen it on a highly questionable bootleg DVD.

The guys revisit the film’s aging animation, relentless one-liners, surprisingly stacked voice cast and the incredible rain-soaked showdown between Leonardo and Raphael. Is that fight still one of the best sequences in the entire Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise, or is nostalgia doing some serious heavy lifting?By the final ratings, the real surprise is not whether TMNT still holds up, it is which generation ends up defending it the most. Watch the full episode, share your rating and subscribe for more generational movie debates from A Reel Pain.

The first rule of A Reel Pain is apparently to immediately talk about Fight Club. This week, John revisits David Fincher’s 1999 cult classic while Matthew watches it with the movie’s biggest twist somehow still intact. What starts as a review quickly becomes a debate about Tyler Durden, consumerism, masculinity, cult behavior and whether this is one of the most creatively edited movies of its era.

John explains why Fight Club hit so hard when he was a high school freshman—including the real-life “fight club” at his school—while Matthew reacts to the unforgettable reveal, Brad Pitt’s crop tops, Jared Leto’s surprise appearance and an ending that leaves him conflicted. They also break down their favorite scenes, hidden clues, filmmaking details and the movie’s surprisingly relevant message.

Did Fight Club earn its status as a modern classic, or is it the kind of movie you only need to experience once? Watch the full episode and share your rating in the comments.

Warning: This episode immediately breaks the first two rules and contains major spoilers.

What happens when a group of terminally online Gen Z friends lose power, lose cell service, and immediately begin accusing each other of murder? This week on A Reel Pain, Matthew brings the 2022 slasher-comedy Bodies Bodies Bodies for John to watch for the first time.

John and Matthew break down the movie’s chaotic characters, surprisingly smart satire, phone-powered cinematography, atmospheric sound design, Pete Davidson’s performance, and an ending that completely changes how the entire story should be viewed. Is it just another slasher about rich young people making terrible decisions—or is it one of the sharpest critiques of internet culture and performative friendships?

Both hosts entered the discussion with strong ratings, but the deeper they dig into the movie’s hidden details, unreliable characters, and clever use of lighting, the more their scores begin to climb. Watch to see whether Bodies Bodies Bodies deserves to be considered a modern slasher classic.

Subscribe to A Reel Pain for more generational movie debates, first-time reactions, reviews, and arguments over which movies truly deserve classic status.

#BodiesBodiesBodies #PeteDavidson #AmandlaStenberg #RachelSennott #MovieReview #AReelPain

Arnold Schwarzenegger has battled Terminators, Predators, and heavily armed criminals—but none of them compare to a classroom full of kindergarteners. This week, John introduces Matthew to the 1990 action-comedy classic Kindergarten Cop to see whether Arnold’s most unexpected role still holds up.

The guys discuss the movie’s surprisingly dark opening, Arnold’s endlessly quotable one-liners, the jokes that have not aged particularly well, and the emotional moments that somehow made John cry three separate times. Plus, they revisit “It’s not a tumor,” debate whether John Kimble should have stayed a teacher, and discover that this movie may contain Arnold Schwarzenegger’s greatest character transformation.

Did Kindergarten Cop deserve their matching scores, or is nostalgia doing most of the work? Watch the episode, leave your rating in the comments, and subscribe for more generational movie debates every week.

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This week on A Reel Pain, Matthew brings John into the hidden world of The Spiderwick Chronicles, the 2008 fantasy adventure movie starring Freddie Highmore that made a whole generation wonder if goblins, fairies, ogres, and secret creatures were hiding just beyond the backyard.

Matthew remembers The Spiderwick Chronicles as a creepy, magical Gen Z childhood favorite, while John watches it for the very first time as a millennial with zero nostalgia attached. The guys debate whether the CGI still holds up, how intense this Nickelodeon movie gets, why Jared is such a chaotic main character, and whether Hogsqueal is secretly the best part of the whole thing.

Is The Spiderwick Chronicles an underrated fantasy movie, or is it only a classic if you grew up with it? Let the generational movie debate begin.

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Happy 4th of July from A Reel Pain, where John brings Matthew into the wonderfully over-the-top world of Independence Day. This week, the crew breaks down the 1996 alien invasion classic starring Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, and Randy Quaid — a movie packed with exploding landmarks, inspirational president speeches, chaotic character introductions, and one very questionable dolphin engagement ring.

Matthew goes in expecting something closer to White House Down and instead gets crop dusters, Area 51, alien exo-suits, and Jeff Goldblum walking with elite-level cigar swagger. The crew talks about what still works, what feels aggressively 90s, whether the wedding scene should have happened while Earth was actively being saved, and why Bill Pullman’s speech still makes everyone feel just a little more patriotic.

Is Independence Day a true disaster movie classic, or did nostalgia do some heavy lifting? Either way, this episode is full of alien chaos, generational disagreement, and the kind of patriotic nonsense only A Reel Pain can properly appreciate.

Matthew’s Gen Z pick takes A Reel Pain straight into the unsettling world of Backrooms, and John may never look at an empty mall hallway the same way again. Fresh from the theater, the guys break down why this eerie, internet-born horror story feels so effective, from the found-footage sequences and sound design to the strange, liminal fear that makes the whole movie feel wrong in the best way.

They also get into the movie’s creepy creature design, the furniture store commercials, the backrooms lore, Kane Parsons’ jump from YouTube to the big screen, and whether this kind of Gen Z horror still works for a millennial who grew up on camcorder scares and classic horror franchises.

Spoilers ahead as Matthew and John give their final ratings, debate what worked best, and preview next week’s very patriotic sci-fi pick: Independence Day.

This week on A Reel Pain, John brings one of his millennial-era comfort movies to the table: Tango & Cash. Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell team up as two “best cops in L.A.” who get framed, sent to prison, tortured, break out, clear their names, and somehow end the movie holding hands after a high five.Matthew experiences the full 80s fever dream for the first time, from the cartoony villain with pet rats to the random courtroom drama, the prison escape, the Cleopatra Club detour, and the movie’s very aggressive need to include explosions, one-liners, and questionable choices. The guys debate whether the chemistry between Tango and Cash saves the movie, why the actual plot feels stitched together, and whether there’s a better cut of this film hiding somewhere in the chaos.Was Tango & Cash a misunderstood buddy cop classic, or just half of a good movie trapped inside a very loud one? John and Matthew rate it, argue through it, and try to decide if Stallone in glasses was enough to make the whole thing work.