We kick off a brief series on beach movies with a viewing of the original, the story of a tomboy who takes up surfing thanks to the help of the king of the beach bums, the Big Kahuna, while falling in love with his sidekick Moondoggie.

Starring Sandra Dee, Cliff Robertson, and James Darren. Written by Gabrielle Union. Directed by Paul Wendkos.

It's the 4th of July, which means it's time for baseball, mom, and apple pie. We bring back Mary's sister to talk about one of her favorite movies (that Mary somehow avoided), a story about a bunch of boys playing neighborhood baseball in the summer of 1962. It's all rose-tinted glasses and lemonade, an exercise in nostalgia, and it's a pretty good movie.

Starring Tom Guiry, Mike Vitar, Patrick Renna, Chauncey Leopardi, Marty York, Brandon Adams, Grant Gelt, Shane Obedzinski, Victor DiMattia, Denis Leary, Karen Allen, and James Earl Jones. Written by David Mickey Evans and Robert Gunter. Directed by David Mickey Evans

The newly-discovered Scrolls of Merlin have been stolen by a time-traveling MacBeth, so it's up to the Gargoyles to retrieve them. That's right, we check out the Disney fantasy series from the 1990s that combined Shakespeare, fairies, Celtic magic, evil billionaires, and cyberpunk aesthetics.

Gargoyles, season 2, episode 4: "A Lighthouse in the Sea of Time"

Starring Keith David, Ed Asner, Bill Fagerbakke, John Rhys Davies, and Paul Winfield. Written by Lydia Marano & Brynne Chandler Reaves. Directed by Frank Paur.

This is a preview of the latest episode of our series Hollywood Avalon. To hear the entire episode, join the Mary Versus the Movies patreon for $3/month to hear this and the entire series Hollywood Avalon: https://www.patreon.com/maryvsmovies.

A mobster's widow is romantically pursued by both the FBI agent trailing her and the don who killed her husband. Oh, and the don's wife wants her dead. What's a girl to do?

Starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Matthew Modine, Dean Stockwell, Alec Baldwin, and Mercedes Ruehl. Written by Barry Strugatz and Mark R. Burns. Directed by Jonathan Demme.

Surprise guest Jon Solomon is here to talk about Elaine May's unfairly-maligned buddy comedy about two bumbling songwriters who end up at the center of a revolution in the fictional country of Ishtar. A bomb when it was released, it's now a well-liked cult film whose reputation has grown, and one of the funniest movies we've covered for the show.

Starring Warren Beatty, Dustin Hoffman, Isabella Adjani, and Charles Grodin. Written and directed by Elaine May. Songs by Paul Willams.

We went to see Masters of the Universe, the latest toy-turned-into-a-movie, and honestly had a good time, better than we expected. We briefly compare it to the 1987 film (see episode 79), as well as Flash Gordon, Arthurian romance, and more.

Starring Nicholas Galitzine, Jared Leto, Camila Mendes, Idris Elba, and Alison Brie. Directed by Travis Knight.

An engineer is laid off and becomes a stay-at-home dad, and hijinks--and gender--ensue. Not quite as off-putting as it could have been thanks to some very funny performances from Michael Keaton and Teri Garr, but it's still a hackneyed, reactionary premise.

Starring Michael Keaton, Teri Garr, Martin Mull, Ann Jillian. Written by John Hughes. Directed by Stan Dragoti.

A Greek artisan is commissioned by St. Luke and Joseph of Arimathea to make the Holy Grail, while fending off the the evil Simon Magus and the Emperor Nero. It's a very uneven film, sometimes boring, sometimes visually fascinating, and at least Jack Palance seems to be having fun. These days, it's best known as the movie Paul Newman apologized for making--which is a heck of a thing when it's your debut film.

Starring Paul Newman, Jack Palance, Virginia Mayo, Pier Angeli, and Lorne Greene. Written by Lesser Samuels. Directed by Victor Saville.

This is a preview of the latest episode of our series Hollywood Avalon. To hear the entire episode, join the Mary Versus the Movies patreon for $3/month to hear this and the entire series Hollywood Avalon: https://www.patreon.com/maryvsmovies.

In a post-apocalyptic wasteland, the pacifist princess with mystical powers fends off an evil empire in while trying to discover the way to return health to the land.

We bring on Scott Johnson to talk about one of his favorite films, as well as the deep well of influences on Miyazaki's ecological fantasy.

Starring (in the 2005 Disney re-dubbing) Alison Lohman, Patrick Stewart, Shia LaBeouf, Uma Thurman, Chris Sarandon, and Edward James Olmos. Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, adapted from his manga of the same name.

Check out Scott's anime/manga and gaming convention, https://zenkaikon.com

Three short films about New Yorkers: the relationship of an artist and his assistant falls apart; a very young rich girl has adventures; a lawyer's relationship falls apart when his mother disappears during a magic show. It's an uneven collection, as anthology films often are: Scorsese's "Life Lessons" is a savage look at exploitation, Coppola's "Life Without Zoe" is a middling children's film, and Allen's "Oedipus Wrecks" is a pretty standard Woody Allen sketch.

Starring Nick Nolte, Rosanna Arquette, Steve Buscemi, Talia Shire, Mia Farrow, Julie Kavner, Mae Questel, and Woody Allen. Written by RIchard Price, Francis Ford Coppola, Sophia Coppola, and Woody Allen. Directed by Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, and Woody Allen.