Mama Needs a Movie

Anne and Ryan discuss Sean Baker's Palme d'Or winner, ANORA starring Mikey Madison and Mark Eydelshteyn. When Brooklyn stripper Ani (Madison) meets and impulsively weds the mega-wealthy Ivan (Eydelshteyn), a madcap adventure ensues as Ivan's family desperately attempts to annul the marriage. ANORA finds Baker executing his gritty style at a larger and more accessible scale than before, resulting in a near-unanimously praised awards contender. But does Mama Needs a Movie ador-a ANORA, or do we think ANORA is a snore-a? Listen to our discussion of Baker's latest along with with diversions into Woman of the Hour, Milk Money, Last Night in Soho, Kenji Mizoguchi, the Safdie brothers, the Duplass brothers, the Coen brothers, and much, much more!

ANORA is currently in theaters.

Anne and Ryan discuss the new released comedy-drama, A REAL PAIN starring Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin. Written and directed by Eisenberg, A REAL PAIN follows two estranged cousins on a tour through Poland as they attempt to connect with the memory of their recently deceased grandmother, their cultural heritage, and each other. Featuring a standout performance from Culkin, A REAL PAIN is just the kind of dialogue-driven character study perfect to kick off MNAM's tour of this autumn's most intriguing releases. We hope you'll join us for this discussion that also includes a few detours into the 2024 election results, The Sixth Sense, The Odd Couple, Sunshine, Thomas Jefferson, Unstrung Heroes, Woody Allen and much, much more!

A REAL PAIN is currently in theaters.

Our political thriller series comes to an exciting Election Day conclusion with writer and actor Dan Chamberlain (Have I Got News for You) joining to discuss John Frankenheimer's THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE starring Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Angela Lansbury and Janet Leigh. Based on Richard Condon's novel, this 1962 classic concerns a Korean War veteran Raymond Shaw (Harvey), who is brainwashed by communists to become an unwilling killer in an international conspiracy. One of the defining films of the Kennedy-era Cold War, THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE has earned a reputation as the quintessential political thriller, but can its dark paranoid fantasy possibly outdo the tension of the current political moment? Find out on a special 2024 Election Day episode of Mama Needs a Movie that also takes diversions into The Ghost Writer, James Carville, libertarianism, Brian Wilson, the Nixon Library, Joycelyn Elders, Parade Magazine, Queer, Conclave, and much, much more!

THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE is currently streaming for free on Tubi, PlutoTV, Kanopy, Hoopla, and the Roku Channel.

Our political thriller series reaches a fever pitch as writer Jack Allison (author of Kill the Rich) joins to discuss Oliver Stone's JFK starring Kevin Costner, Tommy Lee Jones, Gary Oldman, Kevin Bacon, Sissy Spacek, Joe Pesci, and many, many more. This 1991 Oscar-nominated drama relitigates the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy through the probing lens of New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison (Costner). Overflowing with equal parts historical information and conjecture and expertly edited to achieve an anxiously breathless pace, JFK is the quintessential conspiracy film- but what does that mean in a culture where online political conspiracies currently dominate America's fringes? We'll try to solve the mystery of JFK along with some diversions into the current election, January 6th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, American Tabloid, The Irishman, and much, much more!

Order Jack Allison's novel KILL THE RICH from Clash Books:

https://www.amazon.com/Kill-Rich-Jack-Allison/dp/1955904855

As the 2024 election draws near, we can't get enough political thrillers, this week looking at Steven Spielberg's Cold War tale, BRIDGE OF SPIES starring Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance. Scripted by Matt Charman, Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, the film tells the true story of James B. Donovan (Hanks), a New York City lawyer called upon to defend a recently arrested spy for the Soviets, Rudolph Abel (Rylance). Donovan develops a surprising respect for his stoic client, eventually fueling his motivation to attempt an historic prisoner exchange in East Germany just as the Berlin Wall is going up. A rare espionage suspense story that's focused more on diplomacy than violence, BRIDGE OF SPIES has garnered a dubious reputation as the quintessential Speilberg/Hanks "Dad movie", but it's time for MAMA to cross this BRIDGE, stopping for a few diversions into Christopher Nolan, The Man Who Knew Too Much, nepo babies, Munich, Henry Fonda, The Great Gatsby, The Negotiator, The White Ribbon, nuclear war and much, much more!

Our season-long Political Thriller obsession continues with Sydney Pollack's THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR starring Robert Redford and Faye Dunaway. This 1975 suspense classic centers on a CIA researcher who returns from his lunch break to discover his co-workers are murdered and he's on the run for his life. Featuring an unconventional romance between Redford and Dunaway and a villainously scene-stealing turn by Max von Sydow, THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR typifies the post-Watergate paranoid thriller as we know it. Join our discussion as we take flight on CONDOR, with occasional diversions into Michael Mann, William Castle, August Wilson, The Conversation, Out of Sight, The Los Angeles Times, and much, much more!

THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR is currently available to stream with subscription to Paramount Plus.

Our Political Thriller season continues with writer and actor Jon Millstein joining to discuss the 1985 espionage true story THE FALCON AND THE SNOWMAN starring Timothy Hutton and Sean Penn. Directed by John Schlesinger, the movie tells the fact-based tale of two disillusioned friends who embark on a dangerous hustle selling United States security secrets to the Soviet Union. With a whip smart script by Steven Zaillian (his first-ever produced) and revelatory performances from Hutton and Penn, THE FALCON AND SNOWMAN received decent reviews upon release, but was only a muted box office success. In recent years, FALCON has yet to catch a second wind, but is due for a critical reappraisal. Listen in on our discussion of this underrated espionage classic that takes diversions into Megalopolis, the Vice Presidential debate, Alfred Tennyson, Skibidi Toilet, Levitated Mass, Boss Baby, the Winter Soldier and much, much more!

THE FALCON AND THE SNOWMAN is currently available to stream for free on Hoopla and PlutoTV. 

Our season of political thrillers continues with guest Kayla Bates (host of ScreenVomit) joining to discuss Mary Harron's AMERICAN PSYCHO starring Christian Bale, Chloë Sevigny, Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto, Samanta Mathis and Reese Witherspoon. Based on the novel by Bret Easton Ellis, this turn-of-the-millenium satirical thriller delves into the psyche of Patrick Bateman, a status-obsessed investment banker leading a double life as a sadistic serial killer in 1980s Manhattan. Anchored by an audacious performance from Bale, AMERICAN PSYCHO had much to say about Trump-style materialism and dehumanization long before Trump entered the political arena. As both a slyly feminist work and an oft-misinterpreted staple of filmbro canon, it's only grown in esteem as a darkly fascinating film to watch and discuss. Join us as we go nuts for AMERICAN PSYCHO, taking diversions into Blink Twice, The Dark Knight, Serial Mom, Chris Hansen, Gloria Steinem, Caligula, and much, much more!

Support Kayla's recovery from surgery here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-kaylas-recovery-from-surgery

AMERICAN PSYCHO is currently available to stream with subscription to Netflix.

Writer Ally Hord (Late Night with Seth Meyers) joins our Political Thriller series to discuss Alan J. Pakula's 1974 paranoia-fest, THE PARALLAX VIEW starring Warren Beatty, Hume Cronyn, and Paula Prentiss. Beatty stars as an investigative newspaper reporter uncovering a sinister shadow organization that specializes in political assassination. Released in the wake of several real life political assassinations and the Watergate scandal, THE PARALLAX VIEW typifies the stylish disillusionment of '70s era cinema, soberly shading an outlandish premise with cinematographer Gordon Willis's low-light moodiness. Join us as we contrast our different views on PARALLAX, along with diversions into Donald Trump, Home Improvement, the Burbank airport, The Paper, Harrison Ford, Glenn Close, and much, much more!

THE PARALLAX VIEW is currently available to stream for free on Kanopy and PlutoTV. 

Just in time for election season, we're kicking off our Political Thriller series with IN THE LINE OF FIRE starring Clint Eastwood, John Malkovich and Rene Russo. Wolfgang Petersen directed this 1993 suspense actioner about a Secret Service agent trying to thwart a would-be assassin targeting the U.S. President. Upon release, IN THE LINE OF FIRE was a critical and commercial hit, garnering Oscar nominations for Malkovich, screenwriter Jeff Maguire and editor Anne V. Coates. From now until Election Day, Mama Needs a Movie will delve into paranoia-driven political thrillers, starting with this pulse-pounding episode on IN THE LINE OF FIRE which contains the premiere of a new segment, Poetry Corner, the return of Let's Talk Physical, and diversions into Law & Order, the Olympics, Dermot Mulroney, incels, the 2024 election cycle and much, much more!

IN THE LINE OF FIRE is available from most streaming rental platforms and can also be streamed with a subscription to MGM+.