The Desert of the Reel: A Movie Podcast

Welcome to the Desert of the Reel, a movie podcast where host Ryan Hudson forces co-host Jason Dietz to watch the big blockbuster movies he’s refused to watch because he didn’t think they were worth his time. As two passionate high school English/film/philosophy/creativity teachers with graduate degrees, we're dedicated to using our academic training to argue about and dig deeply into movies. We explore the creativity and philosophy in our films and push our listeners to think critically about their entertainment.

The Desert of the Reel: A Movie Podcast is a tv podcast hosted by Desert of the Reel, with 139 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Desert of the Reel hosts The Desert of the Reel: A Movie Podcast, a tv show with 139 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #131

  Sherlock Holmes (2009) - Are We Ruled By Fear? - DOTR #131

  Aug 14, 20261h 17mS1

  This week, we watched Guy Ritchie's 2009 Sherlock Holmes ! Surprisingly enough, even though the film stars Robert Downey, Jr., Dietz really liked it! There's a lot to love here, with the excellent directing, casting, set design, and writing. We talk about the adaptation of Sherlock Holmes to a modern audience, the role of intertextuality in this (and all) story, as well as recognizing Holmes as the poster child for critical thinking and examining the role fear plays in shaping who we are and what we allow to happen to usl We'd love to hear your thoughts about this episode, film, or DOTR generally. Reach out to us at desertofthereelpod@gmail.com.

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  The Desert of the Reel: A Movie Podcast

  Tron: Ares (2025) - Is AI our doom? - DOTR #130

  Aug 2, 20261h 15m

  Both Ryan and Jason agree that Tron: Ares (2025) doesn't really work as a sequel. It's fine as a movie, but especially when watched closely after the previous two films in the series, it doesn't really hold up. Specifically, it might be because Jared Leto's "acting" is not up to par with our previous main characters. In this episode, we discuss a lot about what it means to be human, and specifically, about what AI's role should be in the future of humanity. We also return to our discussion of the Other and of thinking critically (aka avoid being programmed).

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  Episode #129

  Tron Legacy (2010) - The Grid, the Self, and Enlightenment - Desert of the Reel #129

  Jul 25, 20261h 15mS1

  Tron: Legacy (2010) 28 years after the original movie, we see Flynn and his adult son, Sam, return to the grid. There, they must play Clu's games and try to escape. Is this basically the first Legacy sequel? We talk about the history of Disney from the 80s that led us to this movie. We also have a lot of things we liked about this movie! Especially the music. We also uncover a lot of philosophical ideas. From Buddhism and Hinduism to the Bhagavad Gita, we examine the film's obsession with the self, perfection, creation, and responsibility. Is Clu simply Flynn's greatest mistake—or the inevitable result of every creator trying to build something perfect? What happens when individuality clashes with the collective? And to what extent are we responsible for the things we create? Join us this week! Next week Ares! What are your thoughts? Email us at desertofthereelpod@gmail.com

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  The Desert of the Reel: A Movie Podcast

  Tron (1982) - Are we a part of what we create? - DOTR #128

  Jul 19, 20261h 18m

  This week, Ryan and Jason go all the way back to Jason's childhood with 1982's Tron ! This is one of the rare episodes where Jason reminisces about his childhood experiences with movies. While (a little) dated, they argue that there's actually a lot to love about this old Disney film. The duo discuss Tron's role in the advent of CGI in film, the philosophical ideas of a digital self, intelligence at many levels of existence, the dangers of allowing computers to think for us, what putting minimal effort into a project reveals about us, and whether or not we leave parts of ourselves behind in our creations. What are your thoughts about this ancestor of CGI? We'd love to know! E-mail us at desertofthereelpod@gmail.com!

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  The Desert of the Reel: A Movie Podcast

  Jurassic World: Rebirth (2025) - Does science belong to everybody? - DOTR #127

  Jul 3, 20261h 25m

  This week, we endured Jurassic World: Rebirth (2025). There's not much great happening in the film, so we didn't spend a ton of time talking about what was great. We spent a little more time talking about what wasn't great, but most of this episode is about the ethics of medicine and scientific discoveries generally, as well as the film studies reason why this movie doesn't connect with us visually and interpersonally. At least, this is the last episode of the Jurassic series. Jason believes, pound for pound, this is the biggest waste of his time of all the series we've watched for the podcast. What do you think? Let us know at desertofthereelpod@gmail.com!

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