Welcome back to Wheel of Film! This week, we’re stepping into the cage with Warrior (2011), Gavin O’Connor’s gritty sports drama that blends heart, family, and hard-hitting MMA action. The film follows estranged brothers—played by Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton—who find themselves on a collision course at a high-stakes mixed martial arts tournament, all while grappling with their fractured past and complicated relationship with their recovering alcoholic father, portrayed by Nick Nolte. Written by O’Connor and Anthony Tambakis, Warrior wasn’t a massive box office hit—earning about $23 million against a $25 million budget—but it’s become a cult favorite, praised for its emotional depth and authentic fight sequences. The film earned Nick Nolte an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, cementing its place as one of the most powerful underdog stories of the last decade.

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Welcome back to Wheel of Film, where we spin through cinema’s most iconic, overlooked, or downright wild titles—and today, we’re diving deep into the animated darkness of Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker. Released in 2000, this direct-to-video DC film bridges the brooding legacy of Bruce Wayne with the cyberpunk future of Terry McGinnis. When the Joker mysteriously resurfaces decades after his supposed death, Terry must unravel a decades-old conspiracy and confront the deepest trauma of Gotham’s original Dark Knight.

Directed by Curt Geda and written by Paul Dini, Glenn Murakami, and Bruce Timm—three titans behind DC's animated renaissance—the film features standout voice work by Kevin Conroy as Bruce Wayne, Will Friedle as Terry McGinnis, and a chilling return from Mark Hamill as the Joker. With a budget of around $3 million, Return of the Joker garnered critical acclaim for its mature themes, sleek animation, and surprisingly dark turns for a “kids” movie.

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Welcome back to Wheel of Film, the podcast where we spin through cinema one reel at a time. This week, we’re diving headfirst into the eerie shimmer of Annihilation, the 2018 sci-fi thriller directed and written by Alex Garland, adapted from the novel by Jeff VanderMeer.

Annihilation follows Lena, a biologist and former soldier played by Natalie Portman, who joins a team of scientists on a dangerous expedition into “The Shimmer”—a mysterious, mutating zone of alien origin where the laws of nature unravel. As they venture deeper, the team grapples with shifting environments, fractured psyches, and a haunting revelation about change and self-destruction.

The cast also features Oscar Isaac, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson, and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Produced on a budget of around $40–55 million, the film grossed $43 million worldwide, though it found a wider audience through its streaming release internationally.

Grab your gear and leave your sense of reality at the border—let’s get into Annihilation.

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