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PODCAST

Mama Needs a Movie

Mama Needs a Movie

Join Anne Rieman (a proud mama) and Ryan Perez (not a mama) — two lifelong movie enthusiasts — as they dive into smart, funny, and thoughtful discussions about movies both old and new. Mama Needs a Movie also features guests like Jordan Morris of Jordan, Jesse, Go, Mike Mitchell and Nick Wiger of Doughboys, Ally Hord of Late Night with Seth Meyers, and Kayla Bates of ScreenVomit, who join Anne and Ryan for engaging, witty conversations about cinema. Also listen to patreon.com/MNAM to hear about

tv & film film reviews

All Episodes

01:43:52

It Follows with Joe Wengert

Mama Needs a Movie ·

2022/10/04

Writer and comedian Joe Wengert (Big Mouth) helps us kick off the scary season with a discussion of the 2014 horror film IT FOLLOWS starring Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, and Daniel Zovatto. David Robert Mitchell wrote and directed this low budget thriller about a malevolent supernatural entity that passes through sexual encounters. An evocative metaphor for STDs and teenage sexual anxiety, IT FOLLOWS turned out to be a box office success, inaugurating a new era of stylish indie thrillers. Follow

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01:27:17

Don't Worry Darling with Raft

Mama Needs a Movie ·

2022/09/27

Artist, writer and comedian Raft joins for a spoiler-packed discussion of DON'T WORRY DARLING starring Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, and Chris Pine. Olivia Wilde's psychological thriller has been the subject of endless tabloid scrutiny, from reported on-set disagreements to its controversy-plagued premiere at the Venice Film Festival, but we've now seen the film for ourselves and will speak our minds on both the entertainment value and cultural impact of this cinematic cause célèbre. Is

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02:01:16

Terminator 2: Judgment Day with Alex Scordelis

Mama Needs a Movie ·

2022/09/20

TV writer and journalist Alex Scordelis (Difficult People) joins to discuss the sci-fi action classic, TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong and Robert Patrick. James Cameron's 1991 followup to the original THE TERMINATOR was the most expensive movie ever made in its time and paid off by being an even bigger box office success. 30 years later, T2 remains the prototypical CGI-boosted blockbuster and a forever-haunting vision of nuclear

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01:49:26

Safe with Jon Millstein

Mama Needs a Movie ·

2022/09/13

Writer and actor Jon Millstein joins to discuss the 1995 psychological drama SAFE starring Julianne Moore, Peter Friedman, and Xander Berkeley. Written and directed by Todd Haynes, SAFE is the disturbing story of a suburban housewife in the 1987 San Fernando Valley who develops a sudden and inexplicable illness related to her environment. The film plays coy as to the causes of the lead character's illness, (is she suffering from an allergic reaction to her increasingly toxic urban lifestyle, a

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01:43:32

The Piano with Jean Villepique

Mama Needs a Movie ·

2022/09/06

Actress and improvisor Jean Villepique (A.P. Bio) joins to discuss Jane Campion's Oscar-winning classic THE PIANO starring Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Sam Neill and Anna Paquin. The New Zealand-set drama about a mute Scottish pianist, her young daughter, her arranged husband, and her illicit lover became an immediate art house crossover sensation upon its release in 1993, winning the Palme d'Or at Cannes and acting Oscars for both Hunter and Paquin. THE PIANO was praised for its exotic locations,

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01:55:00

Michael Clayton with Mike Hanford

Mama Needs a Movie ·

2022/08/30

Writer and performer Mike Hanford (The Sloppy Boys) joins to discuss the 2007 legal thriller MICHAEL CLAYTON starring George Clooney, Tilda Swinton and Tom Wilkinson. Written and directed by Tony Gilroy, the film concerns the moral dilemmas of a New York City law firm's "fixer" who is known for getting clients out of sticky situations. MICHAEL CLAYTON was well-regarded upon release, earning 7 Academy Award nominations, (Swinton took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress), and has

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01:47:51

Buffalo '66 with Rachel Lee Goldenberg

Mama Needs a Movie ·

2022/08/23

Director Rachel Lee Goldenberg (Unpregnant, Minx) joins to discuss BUFFALO '66 starring Vincent Gallo, Christina Ricci, Anjelica Houston, Ben Gazzara, and Kevin Corrigan. Gallo's feature directorial debut takes place over one day in the life of a newly released ex-convict who kidnaps a young woman to accompany him on a visit to his parents' home, all while planning a delusional revenge on a pro football player. Produced on a shoestring budget of $1.5 million dollars and shot on a vibrant reversal

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01:28:59

Prometheus with Mike Mitchell

Mama Needs a Movie ·

2022/08/16

A truly out-of-this-world guest, Mike Mitchell (Doughboys, The Tomorrow War), joins to discuss Ridley Scott's PROMETHEUS starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, and Idris Elba. This 2012 prequel to the Alien films met an ambivalent reaction upon release, with critics slamming its tangled recontextualizaion of franchise lore. However, the last decade has seen an uptick in PROMETHEUS defenders who extoll the film's sinister atmosphere and themes of intelligent (though

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01:46:09

The King of Comedy with Emily Maya Mills

Mama Needs a Movie ·

2022/08/09

Comic, writer and director Emily Maya Mills (By a Thread) joins to discuss Martin Scorsese's THE KING OF COMEDY starring Robert De Niro, Jerry Lewis, and Sandra Bernhard. This disquieting dark comedy follows wannabe comedian Rupert Pupkin and his obsessive drive to win the attention of his hero, a late night talk show host named Jerry Langford. Upon release in 1982, THE KING OF COMEDY's unlikable characters and claustrophobic style baffled critics and tanked at the box office. Today, it is

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01:35:01

Dirty Dancing with Lauryn Kahn

Mama Needs a Movie ·

2022/08/02

Screenwriter Lauryn Kahn (Hulu's Fresh) joins to discuss the coming-of-age romance DIRTY DANCING starring Jennifer Grey, Patrick Swayze, and Jerry Orbach. The 1987 drama directed by Emile Ardolino is one of the most iconic dance films of all time, but how has the film's perspective on touchier subjects like abortion and class consciousness aged in modern times? Is DIRTY DANCING still worth lifting up, or is it time to put it in the corner? Listen to find out, plus to hear some classic diversions

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01:58:35

First Reformed with Allan McLeod

Mama Needs a Movie ·

2022/07/26

Actor and comedian Allan McLeod (You're the Worst) joins to discuss Paul Schrader's FIRST REFORMED starring Ethan Hawke, Amanda Seyfried, and Cedric Kyles. The 2017 drama concerns the grieving pastor of a small church in upstate New York who undergoes a spiritual crisis after counseling a depressed parishioner and his pregnant wife. Made in a spare, transcendental style, the film is a career-capping summation of Schrader's frequently revisited themes of loneliness, despair, and

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01:46:17

Circle of Violence: A Family Drama with Doug Jones

Mama Needs a Movie ·

2022/07/19

Mama Needs a Movie discusses its first-ever TV movie with actor and voracious cinephile Doug Jones (Everything Is Terrible). Made for CBS in 1986, CIRCLE OF VIOLENCE: A FAMILY DRAMA features an impressive cast including Tuesday Weld, Geraldine Fitzgerald, and River Phoenix in a mother-daughter story tackling the issue of elder abuse. The film is a late-career effort from veteran British director David Green and alternates between moments touching and baffling. The spirited and wide-ranging

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01:41:10

Coal Miner's Daughter with Brian Finkelstein

Mama Needs a Movie ·

2022/07/12

Writer and performer Brian Finkelstein joins to discuss the Loretta Lynn biopic, COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER starring Sissy Spacek, Tommy Lee Jones, Beverly D'Angelo, and Levon Helm. The Michael Apted-directed drama scored Spacek the Best Actress Oscar for 1980 and remains one of the seminal films about life in the world of country music. Don't miss this far-ranging Mama Needs a Movie conversation with our typical tangents touching on the real-life inspiration for Copland, Juliette Binoche, Albert Brooks'

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01:55:07

Raising Arizona with Amy Heidt

Mama Needs a Movie ·

2022/07/05

Writer and performer Amy Heidt joins to discuss the Coen Brothers' RAISING ARIZONA starring Nicolas Cage and Holly Hunter. The 1987 kidnapping caper is considered the Coens' most kinetic comedy, boasting speedy 94 minute runtime and more quotable lines than you can count, (and we make sure to quote most of them). Don't miss this wide-ranging conversation that touches on TikTok, Spielberg's E.T., the South's representation in movies, baby names, the real-life town that inspired Mayberry, Moonstruck,

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01:47:09

Get Carter with Jordan Morris

Mama Needs a Movie ·

2022/06/28

Comedy writer Jordan Morris (Bubble; Jordan, Jesse Go!) joins to discuss the 1971 British crime film, GET CARTER, starring Michael Caine. This ruthlessly violent drama, directed by Mike Hodges, follows the eponymous gangster Jack Carter (played by Caine) on a quest to avenge his brother's murder. The movie has long been a benchmark in the genre of underworld sleaze, but how does its bleak worldview compare to living in 2022, (not to mention the year 2000 remake starring Sylvester Stallone)? The

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01:40:42

Lightyear with Joan Ford

Mama Needs a Movie ·

2022/06/21

Writer and animation connoisseur Joan Ford, (DC Super Hero Girls, Tiny Toons Looniversity), joins to discuss Pixar's new release, LIGHTYEAR starring Chris Evans, Keke Palmer, and Peter Sohn. The Angus MacLane-directed animated science fiction film is a (sort of) prequel to the Toy Story franchise, presented as a 1995 adventure movie that inspired the Buzz Lightyear toy. But does the movie-within-a-movie live up to the saga's gold standard? We get to the bottom of this question, stopping along the

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01:52:24

Jurassic World: Dominion with James III

Mama Needs a Movie ·

2022/06/14

In a conversation 65 million years in the making, guest James III (Astronomy Club, Black Men Can't Jump [In Hollywood]) joins Mama Needs a Movie to discuss JURASSIC WORLD: DOMINION starring Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neill, DeWanda Wise, Mamoudou Athie, and Campbell Scott. Colin Trevorrow directs this apocalyptic blockbuster conclusion to the Jurassic World trilogy where dinos run amok on earth and genetically-engineered locusts threaten to bring about

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01:53:54

Top Gun: Maverick with Mark Rennie

Mama Needs a Movie ·

2022/06/06

In a supersonic episode, writer and film devotee Mark Rennie (co-host of Two Old Queens) joins Anne and Ryan to discuss the new high-flying blockbuster, TOP GUN: MAVERICK starring Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly, and Miles Teller. The Joseph Kosinski-directed sequel to Tony Scott's 1986 original has been widely-praised by critics and audiences alike for delivering old-school action thrills, but this trio of maverick filmgoers will take a ride into the danger zone of the film's more enigmatic

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01:52:35

Save the Last Dance with Caramel Nguyen

Mama Needs a Movie ·

2022/05/31

Anne and Ryan welcome guest Caramel Nguyen to discuss the 2001 romance SAVE THE LAST DANCE starring Julia Stiles, Sean Patrick Thomas, and Kerry Washington. The Thomas Carter-directed story of a teenage interracial couple in Chicago helped inspire the early-2000s dance flick craze, (not to mention a recent fascination on TikTok). Viewed two decade's later, the film's themes of race and class encompass far more than one white girl's hip-hop-infused Juilliard audition. In this broad-ranging

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01:47:19

The Northman with Alex Fernie

Mama Needs a Movie ·

2022/05/23

Writer, director and performer Alex Fernie joins for a discussion of THE NORTHMAN starring Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, and Anya Taylor-Joy. Robert Eggers' Viking epic has received critical acclaim for its historical accuracy and gruesome violence, but how will it stack up in the Mama Panic Attack Assessment? You won't want to miss this truly berserk conversation that covers Star Wars, magic mushrooms, failsons, Ari Aster, The Song of the South, the Alamo Drafthouse, and much much more. THE

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138 results

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