Mama Needs a Movie

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!

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+.

Anne and Ryan delve into the drama of the newly released IT ENDS WITH US starring Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, Jenny Slate, Hasan Minhaj and Brandon Sklenar. Based on the bestselling novel by Colleen Hoover, the movie follows Lily Bloom (Lively), a florist reconciling her father's death, beginning a relationship with a surgeon and reuniting with an old flame. As the story unfolds, darker themes of domestic violence reveal themselves, forcing Lily to make tough decisions about her life moving forward. With the off-camera drama between director Baldoni and the cast threatening to overshadow the film itself, we try to fairly examine the form and function of this modern day melodrama, along with some diversions into Nick Jonas, Douglas Sirk, Parachute, Gena Rowlands and much, much more!

IT ENDS WITH US is currently in theaters.

In this unlocked episode of Mama Needs a Movie's Patreon spinoff podcast, ATTENTION MUST BE PAID (patreon.com/MNAM), Anne and Ryan look back at Lynne Ramsay's MORVERN CALLAR, a 2002 Scottish drama anchored by a haunting performance from Samantha Morton that is worthy of far more attention. Traumatized by the suicide of her novelist boyfriend on Christmas morning, Morvern Callar (Morton), submits his last manuscript as her own, then sets out on a trip to Spain with her best friend Lana (Kathleen McDermont). Following Ramsay's acclaimed debut feature, RATCATCHER, and preceding her more widely-recognized WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN and YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE, MORVERN CALLAR is at turns moving, meditative, unsettling, and essential to understanding Ramsay's one-of-a-kind directorial approach.

MORVERN CALLAR is available to stream for free on Kanopy or Freevee (with ads), or with subscription to The Criterion Channel or Prime Video.

Anne and Ryan discuss the newly-released disaster sequel, TWISTERS starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell. Lee Isaac Chung (director of 2020's Minari) helms this fresh follow-up to Jan de Bont's 1996 original. TWISTERS follows meteorologist Kate Carter (Jones) as she re-enters the dangerous world of tornado chasing after a tragedy. When Kate meets Tyler (Powell), a hotshot hillbilly with a storm chasing YouTube channel, she is compelled to resume her groundbreaking scientific research into windy weather. Opening to positive reviews and a record box office debut for a natural disaster thriller, TWISTERS has stirred up a lot of attention, but does the movie itself suck, blow, or soar? Batten down the hatches for a breezy discussion of TWISTER that also takes diversions into the Presidential race, Miranda July, Beetlejuice, Armie Hammer, Normal People, White Christmas and much, much more!

TWISTERS is currently in theaters.

In anticipation of the newly released sequel, Anne and Ryan take a look back at 1996's original TWISTER starring Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Jami Gertz, Cary Elwes, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Lois Smith, Jeremy Davies, Todd Field and Alan Ruck. Director Jan de Bont's disaster spectacular follows a group of amateur storm chasers across Oklahoma, flirting dangerously close with tornados as old flames Jo (Hunt) and Bill (Paxton) flirt with each other. Michael Crichton and Anne-Marie Martin co-wrote TWISTER, which turned out to be the second highest grossing movie of 1996, stirring up $242 million at the box office. As Lee Isaac Chung's remake touches down this week, we look back at the original that started it all, along with diversions off path into The Bear, Jurassic Park, Outbreak, Nightcrawler, Los Angeles Plays Itself, Longlegs, Daddy Longlegs, and much much more!

Vroom vroom! Writer Eva Anderson returns to the podcast for a joy ride with THE BIKERIDERS starring Jodie Comer, Austin Butler, Tom Hardy and Mike Faist. Jeff Nichols wrote and directed this pedal-pumping drama based on Danny Lyon's book of the same name. Based on real figures from 1960s Chicago motorcycle scene, THE BIKERIDERS finds the brooding Benny Cross (Butler) torn between his wife Kathy (Comer) and the reluctant leader of the Vandals bike gang, Johnny (Hardy). Listen to Mama Needs a Movie break down the leatheriest movie of summer along with pit stops into Kevin Costner's Horizon, celebrity tattoos, the Playa Vista Cinemark, method acting, The Box, Poolman, Door Holder Number 3, The First Omen and much much more!

THE BIKERIDERS is currently in theaters.

Writer/director/actor Courtney Davis returns to the podcast to help us judge Alan J. Pakula's 1990 legal thriller PRESUMED INNOCENT starring Harrison Ford, Raul Julia, Bonnie Bedelia, Brian Dennehy, Paul Winfield and Greta Scacchi. Based on the best-selling novel by Scott Turow, PRESUMED INNOCENT spins the engrossing tale of a respected prosecutor accused of murdering a colleague. To give away any more of the plot would be a crime in itself. A box office hit upon release, the story has resurfaced in a new adaptation on Apple TV+ starring Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead role. For a movie of highly enjoyable twists and turns (including a still-discussed ending), we highly recommend you see PRESUMED INNOCENT before listening to our spoiler-filled discussion, where we also launch into unrelated sidebars on Casino, Flags of Our Fathers, The Perils of Pauline, Donald Sutherland, Kinds of Kindness, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard's Architectural Digest profile, and much, much more!

PRESUMED INNOCENT (1990) is available for digital rental and purchase on most major platforms.

It's raining men on Mama Needs a Movie with our first ever doubleheader review, discussing Richard Linklater's comedy noir HIT MAN and Chris Pine's lighthearted mystery POOLMAN.

HIT MAN stars Glen Powell as a mild-mannered philosophy professor Gary Johnson, moonlighting as an undercover fake hit man, who falls for Madison (Adria Arjona), a woman who hires him. Debuting to critical praise at the Venice Film Festival, HIT MAN was picked up by Netflix for a straight-to-streaming release.

POOLMAN stars Chris Pine as Darren, a good-natured eccentric who lives in a trailer at an apartment complex in Los Angeles. His intense love of the city is put to the test when femme fatale June (DeWanda Wise) draws him into a sordid conspiracy. Premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, POOLMAN has faced a harsher critical response, but we vow to give Pine's directorial debut a fair shake.

HIT MAN is currently available to stream with subscription on Netflix.

POOLMAN is currently available for digital rental.