Mary Versus the Movies

A young man loses his father and home, is forced to work for a land baron, falls in love with his boss's daughter, and captures a rogue horse in this drama based on an Australian ballad. It's corny as a paperback romance, and has more horses than a twelve-year-old girl's notebook. We also have my sister Anne on to talk a bit about horses. Starring Tom Burlinson, Kirk Douglas, Sigrid Thornton, Jack...

A bland office drone has an affair with his married coworker and becomes obsessed with her, while juggling his suicidal mother and unemployed best friend; did we mention it's a comedy? Starring John Heard, Mary Beth Hurt, Peter Riegert, Kenneth McMillan, and Gloria Grahame. Written and directed by Joan Micklin Silver

A silent film of an opera sounds like a joke, but no, it's quite real--and honestly pretty disjointed and dull, playing more like highlights of Wagner's opera about the Holy Grail than a film in its own right. We also discuss Catholic theology, transubstantiation, incels, and Happy Days . Starring Vitale Di Stefano, Mario Bonnard, Mary Cleo Tarlarini, and Maria Caserini. Directed by Mario Caserini...

An American journalist goes missing during the 1973 Chilean coup, and his family naively expects the U.S. government to help recover him, not realizing that they're behind the coup. Based on a true story. Starring Jack Lemmon, Sissy Spacek, John Shea, Melanie Mayron, and David Clennon. Written by Costa-Gavras and Donald E. Stewart. Directed by Costa-Gavras.

An Acid Western about a 19th century American mercenary overthrowing the government of Nicaragua is one of the angriest farces ever committed to film, reflecting on not only the historical attrocities, but also the then on-going attrocities tied to the U.S. Iran-Contra scandals. It's the film that killed director Alex Cox's chances at a mainstream career, but what a way to go. Starring Ed Harris,...

We finally welcome our special guest Josh Seybert to talk about a Czech comedy based on a gothic Jules Verne novel about a singing count, his missing girlfriend, and a strange castle in Transylvania. We discuss language, world cinema, slapstick comedy, and why subtitles aren't a big deal. Josh is the host of several podcast projects, including Empathy at the Apocalypse with Andy Mascola, and the u...

Kicking off 2026 with an episode about Martin Scorsese's attempt at a big MGM-style movie: a dark post-war musical about a married pair of jazz performers from the team that wrote Cabaret and starring Liza Minnelli. Sounds like a dream come true for film lovers, right? The result is a flawed film that we ended up liking anyway. Starring Robert De Niro and Liza Minnelli. Written by Earl Mac Rauch a...

Once again we visit the a film based on the 14th century, Middle English, Christmas-set poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight , and walk away somewhat disappointed. Is Mary expecting too much? Why is she so obsessed with this poem? Will there ever be a version that satisfies her? Starring Murray Head, Ciaran Madden, Nigel Green, Anthony Sharp, Robert Hardy, Tony Steedman, and Ronald Lacy. Written b...

A young Brooklyn artist juggles her multiple relationships in this romantic comedy, Spike Lee's first feature film, giving sex the  Rashomon treatment.  CW: rape/sexual assault is discussed Starring Tracy Camilla Johns, Tommy Redmond Hicks, John Canada Terrell, Spike Lee, Raye Dowell. Written and directed by Spike Lee

A woman framed for murder, a yuppie lawyer with a socialite fiance, and a mountain lion loose in Manhattan cause havoc in a screwball comedy that maybe needed a couple of rewrites, but ultimately is some pretty mindless fun. Starring Madonn and Griffin Dunne. Written by Andrew Smith and Ken Finkleman. Directed by James Foley.

Let's celebrate Thanksgiving 1970s-style, by watching Martin Scorsese's concert documentary of the last performance by The Band (or at least the Band with Robbie Robertson still part of it). It's not just a concert, of course--it's a meditation on the end of the 1960s counterculture, bookending Scorsese's earlier work in Woodstock . We also have an interview with Mary's mother about cinematography...

It's 1960s Tulsa, Oklahoma, it's Greasers versus Soc's, it's poor versus rich, it's murder and poetry, and it's a ton of future stars.  We welcome back my sister Anne Jones to talk about her favorite movie. Starring C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Diane Lane, Emilio Estevez, Tom Cruise, and Leif Garrett. Written by Kathleen Rowell from S.E. Hinton's novel. D...

We revisit the BBC fantasy show Merlin , hoping to enjoy it more than the pilot--and while the dynamic between Merlin and Arthur is certainly better than before, the rest of the show leaves us frustrated, not just with ignoring wide swathes of Arthurian elements, but for indulging in one of the worst sins of 21st century storytelling: the hidden emotional trauma of the nerd and his absentee father...

Let's celebrate Thanksgiving 1970s-style, by watching Martin Scorsese's concert documentary of the last performance by The Band (or at least the Band with Robbie Robertson still part of it). It's not just a concert, of course--it's a meditation on the end of the 1960s counterculture, bookending Scorsese's earlier work in Woodstock . We also have an interview with Mary's mother about cinematography...

It's 1960s Tulsa, Oklahoma, it's Greasers versus Soches, it's poor versus rich, it's murder and poetry, and it's a ton of future stars.  We welcome back my sister Anne Jones to talk about her favorite movie. Starring C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Diane Lane, Emilio Estevez, Tom Cruise, and Leif Garrett. Written by Kathleen Rowell from S.E. Hinton's novel....

Students at a prestigious military academy hold an insurrection when told the school will close. Gotta be honest, I never loved my high school that much. Starring Timothy Hutton, Sean Penn, Tom Cruise, Giancarlo Esposito, and George C. Scott. Written by Darryl Ponicsan and Robert Mark Kamen. Directed by Harold Becker.

Florida seniors discover the fountain of youth--an abandoned pool full of alien cocoons from Atlantis. Naturally, they drain the aliens of their life force in order to save money on Viagra. Hey, sometimes humans are the real monsters. Starring Don Ameche, Wilford Brimley, Hume Cronyn, Brian Dennehy, Jack Gilford, Steve Guttenberg, Maureen Stapleton, Jessica Tandy, Gwen Verdon, Herta Ware, and Tahn...

At first glance, the sequel to the zombie movie 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later is not an obvious pick for a podcast about Arthurian movies. However, after watching a few minutes, it's fairly evident that the movie isn't just a commentary on post-Brexit Britain, the weaponization of nostalgia, and the dangers of Little Englanders, it's playing with all of British history, from the end of its plac...

Mary and Dennis are tied up with their dayjobs this week, so as a Halloween treat, friend and fellow podcaster Josh Seybert asked his Uncle Morty to step into the breach with a review of Cecelia Condit's horror musical short  Possibly In Michigan . Starring Jill Sands, Bill Blume, and Karen Skladany. Written and directed by Cecelia Condit. Check out Josh's many projects at https://screamingatcloud...

A carnival blows into a sleepy town, promising to fulfill everyone's desires--but wishes always come with a catch. Can young Will and Jack resist temptation? Can Will's father save them before it's too late? And will the town be free of Mr. Dark and his carnival before the storms come and wipe everything away? Ray Bradbury's dark fantasy of Americana is a little let down in the directing, but Roba...

An immortal Lancelot, living in 1986, is attacked by a gang of punks, kidnapped by Morgan Le Fay, and forced by a mad Merlin to battle a magic suit of armor in a desperate attempt to bring back Camelot--something Old Man Lancelot really doesn't want. We visit the 1980s incarnation of The Twilight Zone with this adaptation of a Roger Zelazny short story, which originally aired April 11, 1986. Starr...

What if Arthur was a bloke? You know, a regular street tough, a geezer, a guy up from the harsh streets of Londinium, who defeats an evil wizard-king with his merry band of criminals? Then you'd have Guy Ritchie's version of the Arthurian story. And honestly? It's not that bad. Don't get me wrong, it's not great –the story is silly, the CGI looks terrible, and there are parts that drag quite a lot...

The only survivor of a suicide cult wakes up in a mental institution after fifteen years in a coma, only to be haunted by the ghost of her former leader, urging her to finish the deed. Is this real? Or is she being manipulated by the hospital? Writer and relationships expert Alana Phelan is back with us to talk about a movie she was terrified by as a kid. Is it as scary as she remembers? Or is it...

A group of girls head to an elderly aunt's haunted house for the summer and are quickly consummed by the past. This cult classic is one of the strangest films we've covered in the show, full of wild video effects and a guy who turns into a pile of bananas. It rocks. Starring Kimiko Ikegami, Miki Jinbo, Ai Matubara, Kumiko Oba, Mieko Sato, Eriko Tanaka, Masayo Miyako, and Yōko Minamida. Written by...

The new next door neighbor is a vampire who wants your girlfriend. Naturally, the first thing you do is enlist a local tv host to fight him. It's a very meta comedy, a Scream before there was Scream. Starring Chris Sarandon, Roddy McDowell, William Ragsdale, Amanda Bearse, Stephen Geoffreys, and Jonathan Stark. Written and directed by Tom Holland.