Scott Wampler had his 13-year-old brain entirely re-arranged by a movie he saw in 1994, so he joins us to talk about how that happened, and what else he saw that year that stuck with him. This terrific film writer and podcaster co-hosts the “Kingcast,” a deep dive into the work and adaptations of Stephen King, so you won’t be surprised to learn that his list includes a King movie, and a movie kinda sorta about a King-like figure. Enjoy!

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Ty Burr was the film critic for the Boston Globe for two decades, before departing that post to start up the must-read Substack newsletter “Ty Burr’s Watchlist.” He was also a senior writer for “Entertainment Weekly” from 1990 to 2002 —aka that publication’s glory years—but before THAT, he worked as a film selector and advisor for HBO and Cinemax (particularly the latter’s, ahem, late night programming). He was working that gig in 1986, a killer year for mainstream movies and the blossoming indie movie scene.

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This week, we’re joined by Sarah Bea Milner, our first writer/editor/folk musician! She is currently the editor at Kidscreen, and she has bylines at Polygon, /Film, Screen Rant and more, and her area of expertise is classic horror - so she picked 1932, a year of mummies and freaks and old, dark houses.

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This week, we’re pleased to welcome director, writer, and comedian Sammi Cohen to talk about the movies of 1995 - many of which were big inspirations for their first feature, the queer high school love triangle rom-com “Crush” (on Hulu) and their new adaptation of the hit young adult novel “You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitvah,” produced by Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions and hitting Netflix this Friday. 

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Sheila O’Malley is a classic film buff who joins the esteemed ranks of our “the 1950s were AWESOME, actually” guests, looking back at the equally compelling domestic and foreign cinema of the wild, eventful year of 1953. Ruined women! International sideboob! Juvenile delinquents! What’s not to love? Sponsored by the New York Film Festival.

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Justin Chang is one of the genuine greats of contemporary film criticism - chief critic for the "Los Angeles Times" and NPR’s “Fresh Air,” a title he previously held at "Variety." He joins us to talk about the films of 1944, and to explain how he became so enamored of crime fiction, hard-boiled movies, and film noir at such an impressionable age. (Sponsored by the New York Film Festival.)

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Craig D. Lindsey was a working critic in 1997, so he has a LOT of pleasant moviegoing (and reviewing) memories from that year; he also made a top ten list at the time, so he took particular pleasure out of revisiting and revising those favorites. And there were many: a new Tarantino, a new Lynch, breakthroughs for Paul Thomas Anderson and Matt and Ben, and a big blockbuster about a big-ass boat.

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Character actor, cartoon doctor, and general bon vivant James Urbaniak joins us to walk through the cinema de 1957 - a year of foreign triumphs and domestic groundbreakers, of media satires and existential examinations. You won’t be surprised that a Hal Hartley regular is a knowledgeable and eloquent cinephile, but you WILL be delighted! 

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Jessica Pickens is a film blogger and historian specializing in World War II-era cinema, movie musicals, and, luckily for us, the films of 1939. She started a side project of watching every damn movie from that greatest of movie years clear back in 2011, so she decided to leave aside the greatest hits of the year (your Wizards of Oz, your Gones with the Wind, etc.) to bring us some of the lesser-known gems she’s discovered in the process. 

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Daniela Taplin Lundberg was born into film production - her father Jonathan produced the first major movie for a promising young filmmaker named Martin Scorsese - and her producing credits include “The Kids Are All Right,” “Honey Boy,” “Harriet,” and “Together Together.” Now she hosts the essential podcast “Hollywood Gold,” where she welcomes other producers to tell their war stories about iconic movies, and joins us to talk about her favorite films of 1988—including one with a very personal connection. (Sponsored by MUBI.)

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