ReelBlend #95 - Talking Jumanji: The Next Level With Director Jake Kasdan

Karen Gillan in Jumanji: The Next Level

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With each passing week, we are inching closer to our AwardsBlend days, as the Oscar contenders start to hit theaters, and critics’ groups recognize their choices for the best movies of the year. We’re going to try and cover as many of them as we can on ReelBlend, and it begins with The Gotham Awards, which are analyzed on this week’s episode.

Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story swept the ceremony in New York City the night before we recorded, leading us to discuss whether it’s the current frontrunner in the Oscar race. Naturally, it only took one day for another movie – Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman – to take the top prize from another group: The New York Film Critics Circle.

The race is ever shifting.

Our big interview on this week’s show has nothing to do with awards, and more to do with popcorn entertainment. Jake Kasdan is back in the director’s chair for Jumanji: The Next Level, and while in Cabo San Lucas for a press event, the filmmaker sat down with Sean and Kevin to go over his process, the franchise, opening alongside Star Wars, and much more. Give it a listen!

The guys also kicked off the show this week discussing the first official trailer for Marvel’s prequel film Black Widow. Have you seen it yet? We’re including it below.

As far as reactions, Jake and Kevin were able to see Little Women this week, and they give their thoughts. Also, they guys play RomComBlend, and their picks are destined to surprise you.

ReelBlend is a weekly podcast that we do on CinemaBlend. You can download the latest episode (and all of our past episodes) for FREE on our iTunes page! Visit. Subscribe. Like and comment. Review! Apple loves when you have star ratings and reviews, so if you listened, and you liked it (or even if you didn't), let us know. We also are on Spotify. And Google Play. And basically everywhere that you download podcasts. So download us.

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Sean O'Connell
Managing Editor

Sean O’Connell is a journalist and CinemaBlend’s Managing Editor. Having been with the site since 2011, Sean interviewed myriad directors, actors and producers, and created ReelBlend, which he proudly cohosts with Jake Hamilton and Kevin McCarthy. And he's the author of RELEASE THE SNYDER CUT, the Spider-Man history book WITH GREAT POWER, and an upcoming book about Bruce Willis.