On this week’s show, Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender, and Mary Pat Treuthart discuss two surreal movies that delve into the complexities of life. The first is “Kinds of Kindness,” the latest from the Greek-born filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos. And the second is “Janet Planet,” the debut feature film from playwright Annie Baker.

It’s been 50 years since the film “Chinatown” was released, and yet it still remains one of the best crime sagas every splashed across a big screen. Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender, and Mary Pat Treuthart discuss the qualities of “Chinatown,” which are many, and add to that a general discussion about those responsible for it.

On this week’s show, Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender, and Mary Pat Treuthart discuss three movies that attempt to tell stories about the inner workings of our personal lives. One is the intrepid grandma study “Thelma,” one is the theater-as-therapy exploration “Ghostlight” and one is the who-is-the-real-person project “Hit Man.”

Imagination, if not entertaining actual fantasy, is a standard moviemaking staple. The question always is, does it work? On this week’s show, Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender, and Mary Pat Treuthart discuss a trio of movies that, each in its own distinctive way, explore the realms of imaginative fantasy—some, as always, better than others. The films are the theatrical releases “Inside Out 2” and “Tuesday,” followed by the streaming documentary “Brats.”

The summer movie season is in high gear, as you can tell from all the noises of crashing cars and gunshots emanating from your local multiplex. On this week’s show, Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender, and Mary Pat Treuthart discuss three films that are currently in release—the first being “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” the second being George Miller’s prequel “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” and the third being the re-release of Tom Tykwer’s imaginative and energetic action film “Run Lola Run.”

Most movie fans may mourn what seems to be the slow demise of theaters. But these days missing some new release at your local multiplex doesn’t necessarily mean missing out. On this week’s show, Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender, and Mary Pat Treuthart discuss two recent releases that are now available for online streaming, namely “The Fall Guy” and “Sasquatch Sunset.”

We all have favorite movies, the kind that we can slip into as if they were a favorite pair of shoes. On this week’s show, Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender, and Mary Pat Treuthart share with you some of what they’re calling their "comfort movies"—the kinds of films that they go to over and over again.

The old saw is that opposites attract, though that notion doesn’t necessarily hold true for the movies we watch. On this week’s show, Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender, and Mary Pat Treuthart discuss two movies, both streaming documentaries, that couldn’t be more different. The first is “Spermworld,” which delves into the unregulated world of sperm donating, while the second is “Girls State,” a follow-up to the 2020 film “Boys State.”

One of the things that makes life the adventure it is involves facing the various challenges that it poses. Which is convenient for us here at Movies 101 because the very concept of challenges is this week’s theme. In this episode, Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender, and Mary Pat Treuthart discuss two films that involve that very theme. The first is “Challengers,” director Luca Guadagnino’s look at a three-way relationship among tennis players. The second is a challenge to our very senses, director Bertrand Bonello’s head-scratching study “The Beast.”

Those of us with consciences may not care about killers—but as movie fans, we sure seem to love them. They certainly show up enough on screens both big and small. On this week’s show, Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender, and Mary Pat Treuthart discuss the work of Patricia Highsmith, an author who made a career out of imagining the inner lives of various sociopaths—including one Tom Ripley, who is the protagonist in the new Netflix series titled, simply, “Ripley.” In this episode, they talk about the series and their other favorite Highsmith adaptations.