Maltin on Movies

John Landis is never dull, as anyone who has heard him speak can verify. Leonard and Jessie enjoy a wide-ranging conversation with the versatile filmmaker behind National Lampoon's Animal House, Trading Places, Thriller, and An American Werewolf in London, to name just a few. Subjects range from the current Oscar fare to working with music legends like Cab Calloway (in The Blues Brothers). Fasten...

Allan Arkush directed the enduring cult favorite "Rock 'n' Roll High School," but that's just the tip of the iceberg. He studied with Martin Scorsese at NYU, earned his professional stripes working for Roger Corman, and directed great TV series like "St. Elsewhere" and "Moonlighting" long before cable came along. He's still going strong and has wonderful stories to share with Leonard and Jessie.

When Michael Feinstein moved from the Midwest to Los Angeles he landed a job with the legendary Ira Gershwin. Nice work if you can get it! Since then he's become an ambassador of American popular song—as a singer, pianist, conductor, archivist, and mentor to young talent. He discusses his exceptional career and pinpoints some favorite movie musicals in this week's conversation.

With five Oscar nominations under her belt and two terrific new movies ( Arrival  and  Nocturnal Animals ) Amy Adams could be forgiven for having an outsized ego…but that's not the case. She's charming and down-to-earth, as you'll hear when Leonard and Jessie discuss her exceptional career. Want to hear about working opposite Meryl Streep—or playing a slut in her debut movie  Drop Dead Gorgeous ?...

Meet Drew Friedman: cartoonist, caricaturist, illustrator and pop culture connoisseur. Jessie tries to referee as Drew and Leonard trade stories about oddball movies and actors they admire (from the cast of Ed Wood movies to George Jessel) in this lively conversation. If you're already a Friedman fan you may want to contribute to a Kickstarter campaign to fund a documentary about him at www.vermee...

He'll always be Aragorn to some loyalists, but Viggo Mortensen is a versatile actor who won well-deserved praise for this year's sleeper  Captain Fantastic . He's also an artist, musician, publisher and moviegoer, as Jessie and Leonard learn in a wide-ranging and amusing conversation.

Joel Edgerton is one of the most versatile actors of his generation. Currently costarring in  Loving , he's amassed a formidable list of credits in a short span of time, from  The Great Gatsby  to  Exodus: Gods and Kings . He's also proven himself as a writer and director. Leonard and Jessie discuss his wide-ranging career, the actors he admires most, and exchange movie recommendations.

Laura Dern grew up in show business, the daughter of Diane Ladd and Bruce Dern. She has long since carved a niche all her own, with two Oscar nominations under her belt and a lifetime of colorful experiences. From indie films to  Jurassic Park , she has great stories to tell and shares them with Leonard and Jessie.

Can it be sixty years since little Patty McCormack starred in  The Bad Seed  and earned an Oscar nomination? You won't believe it, either, when you listen to Leonard and Jessie chat with this delightful woman who has spent her life in show business. She even starred in an indie movie called  Mommy  as a psychopath whose daughter discovers she is a "bad seed" grown up!  

Odds are you've been singing and humming Richard Sherman's songs for most of your life. He and his brother won two Academy Awards for  Mary Poppins  and spent ten years writing songs for a variety of Walt Disney endeavors—including "It's a Small World." But Richard doesn't live in the past: he's as busy as ever, as you'll hear in this lively conversation with Leonard and Jessie. He also discusses...

Bryan Cranston stops by for an engaging and enlightening conversation about his latest movies, the unexpected momentum of his career in recent years, and his modus operandi for keeping his feet on the ground. Leonard found him funny, thoughtful, and candid—and so will you.  

It's been years since Bruce Campbell made his reputation in Sam Raimi's  Evil Dead  movies, but now he'a back in  Ash vs Evil Dead  and having a blast! Leonard and Jessie caught up with him at Fantastic Fest in Austin, TX before an enthusiastic audience!  

The one and only Tim Burton joins Leonard and Jessie in a live conversation from Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, following the premiere of his new movie  Miss Peregrine's School for Peculiar Children.  Tim remembers the pride of seeing his prize-winning monster-movie posters on the garbage trucks of Burbank, California, shares some parenting experiences, and discusses some of his more memorable m...

Ed Begley, Jr. is one of the most familiar faces in television and movies—and has great stories to match his incredible career, from  Best in Show  to  Ghostbusters  and beyond. He tells Leonard and Jessie how he came to be directed by Jack Nicholson, and reveals how Christopher Guest steers his actors through their improvised comedy scenes.

This week, Leonard and Jessie meet another comedy legend: Carl Reiner, creator of  The Dick Van Dyke Show , partner of Mel Brooks's 2,000 Year Old Man, director of such hit movies as  The Jerk , and a true television pioneer alongside the great Sid Caesar. Carl is still active (and funny) at age 94 as an author and performer. He even graces us with some of his hilarious Shakespearean giberish!

Hard to believe, but after 100 years there are still discoveries to be made involving two of movie's most towering figures. Leonard and Jessie exchange observations about Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, with suggestions of where you can go to find rare footage and valuable information.

Currently starring with Robert De Niro in Hands of Stone , Edgar Ramirez is steadily building an international reputation as an actor of great strength and versatility. It turns out he is as charming and articulate as he is talented. Leonard and Jessie fall under his spell and talk about his many roles, ranging from Jennifer Lawrence's husband to the notorious Carlos the Jackal.

John Huston launched his film career; Quentin Tarantino rescued it with  Jackie Brown , which earned him an Oscar nomination. Robert Forster has spent years in front of the camera working alongside Marlon Brando and other greats. What's even more impressive is his work ethic, which he explains in eloquent terms. Leonard and Jessie also get his reaction to some of their favorite "unsung" Forster fi...

Leonard and Jessie spend quality time with the one and only Mel Brooks, who's as spry as ever and bursting with great stories. He reveals the name of the funniest comedy he ever saw, talks about  Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles,  and  The Producers , and explains how he and his pal Carl Reiner screen movies together almost every night. You don't want to miss this one.  

As cofounder of Firesign Theater, Phil Proctor influenced several generations of comedy fans. (One of them was Steve Jobs.) Younger people may know him better as the voice of Howard Seville on  The Rugrats . He's still going strong, providing voices for video games, animated movies like  Toy Story  and  Monsters Inc ., and costarring in the YouTube comedy series, "Boomers on a Bench." There's noth...

Our guest is Charles Phoenix, the Ambassador of Americana: part stand-up comic, part pop culture curator, and full-time purveyor of fun. His lectures, videos, and weekly e-mail blasts celebrate the joys of life in the 50s and 60s, including moviegoing (with drive-ins a specialty). Jessie and I are great fans and had a great time talking to this effervescent fellow. Check out his site at  http://ww...

Leonard and Jessie welcome Doug Benson in a live-audience podcast from the San Diego Comic-Con. Doug and Leonard share notes on some of their favorite films from the current crop, with some timely suggestions on what to see. Then Jessie serves as quizmaster when the two big-league film nerds play Doug's own creation, The Leonard Maltin Game.

This week Leonard and Jessie welcome fan favorite Clare Kramer, best known for her roles in Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Bring It On. She's used that notoriety to become an entrepreneur as the cofounder of Geek Nation. She shares stories about her career and recommends some films you may have missed.

Leonard Maltin and his daughter Jessie welcome the always-outspoken Roseanne Barr and Eric Weinrib, director of the new documentary Roseanne for President! The conversation ranges from the comedienne's presidential run in 2012 to her favorite performers when she was growing up. Eric, whose past adventures with Ken Kesey and Hunter S. Thompson prepared him for almost anything, explains how his long...

The one and only Kevin Pollak is a wonderful character actor who has recently experienced what it's like behind the camera as a director. Kevin joins Leonard to talk about all the lessons he learned directing his first indie comedy The Late Bloomer. He also tells us why his roles in Deterrence, The Usual Suspects, and Avalon are important to him. Plus, Christopher Walken makes an appearance.