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PODCAST

Mary Versus the Movies

Sure, the 1980s were a great decade for film. But have you seen all of them? No, neither has Mary. In fact, some pretty big films passed her by, what with being in kindergarten at the time: A Nightmare on Elm Street, Moonstruck, My Neighbor Totoro... So it"s time to fix that. Artwork, opening and closing themes by Dennis Lingg Produced and edited by Mary Jones

tv & film film reviews

All Episodes

49:06

Episode 194 - Summer Rental (1985)

Mary Versus the Movies ·

2025/07/10

An overworked air traffic controller just wants to take a long vacation down the shore with his family? What could go wrong? Well, everything, of course. And then for some reason a boat race happens. Starring John Candy, Richard Crenna, Rip Torn, Karen Austin, Kerri Green, John Larroquette, and Joey Lawrence. Written by Mark Reisman and Jeremy Stevens. Directed by Carl Reiner.

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01:08:07

Episode 193 - The Big Picture (1989)

Mary Versus the Movies ·

2025/07/03

Nick Chapman is a film student who suddenly hits it big in Hollywood, and finds out how much of a curse that is. The directorial debut of Christopher Guest is a sly satire of filmmaking that has a surprisingly sweet center. Starring Keving Bacon, Jennifer Jason Leigh, J. T. Walsh, and Michael McKean. Written by Christopher Guest, Michal McKean, and Michal Varhol. Directed by Christopher Guest.

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01:07:57

Episode 192 - Field of Dreams

Mary Versus the Movies ·

2025/06/26

A man turns his farm into a baseball diamond inhabited by the ghosts of disgraced ballplayers in what might be the most boomer dad film ever made. Starring Kevin Costner, Ray Liotta, James Earl Jones, Amy Madigan, Burt Lancaster, and Timothy Busfield. Written and directed by Phil Alden Robinson.

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01:05:29

Episode 191 - Deathtrap (1982)

Mary Versus the Movies ·

2025/06/20

Sidney is a washed-up playwrite; Myra is his rich and sickly wife; Clifford is his younger lover and protégé. Let's just say they're not a happy trouple in this comedy-thriller adapted from the long-running stage play. Starring Michael Caine, Dyan Cannon, and Christopher Reeve. Written by Ira Levin and Jay Presson Allen. Directed by Sidney Lumet.

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14:59

Episode 190 - Butlerian Jihad Now

Mary Versus the Movies ·

2025/06/13

My computer died, so you get a rant instead.

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01:12:48

Episode 189 - Twilight Zone: the Movie (1983)

Mary Versus the Movies ·

2025/06/06

Four directors remake several classic Twilight Zone episodes, as well adding as their own material. Does it work? Do anthology films work? Can this movie escape the tragedy that occured during production? Is this a movie, or just tv on a big screen? Starring Dan Ackroyd, Albert Brooks, Vic Morrow, Scatman Crothers, Kathleen Quinlan, and John Lithgow. Oh, and Dick Miller. Directed by John Landis, Steven Spielberg, Joe Dante, and George Miller. Written by John Landis, Richard Matheson, Melissa

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46:21

Episode 188 - Hangar 18 (1980)

Mary Versus the Movies ·

2025/05/30

Aliens crash-land in the American southwest, and it's a race between NASA and the CIA over whether the truth is ever exposed. Also, it's a race between my attention and my eyelids--this is an incredibly soporific film. Starring Darren McGavin, Robert Vaughn, Gary Collins, James Hampton and Pamela Bellwood. Written by Thomas C. Chapman and James L. Conway. Directed by James L. Conway

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06:10

Hollywood Avalon, ep. 25 - The Black Knight (1954)

Mary Versus the Movies ·

2025/05/29

A young blacksmith joins King Arthur's court and hopes to win the hand of the fair Linet, but first he must defeat Vikings, Druids, the villainous Sir Palamedies, King Mark, and a very burly guy in a turban. If it didn't feature brownface and a far-too-old Alan Ladd in the title role, it might have been a pretty good movie. Starring Alan Ladd, Patricia Medina, Peter Cushing, Patrick Troughton, Anthony Bushell, and Harry Andrews. Directed by Tay Garnett. Written by Alec Coppel, Bryan Forbes, and

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01:13:04

Episode 187 - Threads (1984)

Mary Versus the Movies ·

2025/05/22

It's the end of the world as we know it, and the living envy the dead. The threads of civilization are destroyed in a nuclear war, and Britain is thrust into a new dark age. And we don't even get to have any of the fun stuff like barbarians on motorcycles. Starring Karen Meagher, Reece Dinsdale, Steve Halliwell, and Jane Hazelgrove. Written by Barry Hines. Directed by Mick Jackson.

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41:57

Episode 186 - Earth Girls Are Easy (1989)

Mary Versus the Movies ·

2025/05/15

A manicurist from The Valley dumps her cheating doctor fiance for a trio of hairy aliens in this campy sci-fi musical comedy that's better than its reputation. Starring Geena Davis, Julie Brown, Jeff Goldblum, Damon Wayans, Jim Carrey, and Charles Rocket. Written by Julie Brown, Charley Coffey, and Terrence E. McNally. Directed by Julien Temple.

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01:10:58

Episode 185 - Newsies (1992)

Mary Versus the Movies ·

2025/05/08

Newsboys of the streets unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains. We welcome back Anne Jones to talk about one of her favorite movies, Newsies, the story of the 1899 New York City newsboys strike, which Mary didn't know was a Disney musical. Life is full of surprises. Starring Christian Bale, Bill Pullman, Robert Duval, and Ann Margaret. Written by Bob Tzudiker and Noni White. Directed by Kenny Ortega. Music by Alan Menkin, lyrics by J. A. C. Redford. Support the Philadelphia Avengers:

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48:25

Episode 184 - All of Me (1984)

Mary Versus the Movies ·

2025/05/01

Steve Martin is a lawyer. Lily Thomlin is dead. Can two souls inhabit one body without driving each other crazy? We go back to the Steve Martin/Carl Reiner well for this screwball comedy about living your best life, and have a great time doing it. Starring Steve Martin, Lily Thomlin, Victoria Tennant, Richard Libertini, and Dana Elcar. Written by Phil Alden Robinson. Directed by Carl Reiner.

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19:58

Hollywood Avalon, ep. 24 - Good Knight MacGyver (1991)

Mary Versus the Movies ·

2025/04/30

We delve into some prime late 20th century nonsense when we watch a two-part episode of MacGyver, wherein our mulleted hero is conked on the head and wakes up in Camelot, uncovers an assassination plot against King Arthur, trades tips with Merlin, rescue a fair maiden, and does battle against Queen Morganna. Starring Richard Dean Anderson, Dana Elcar, Time Winters, Christopher Collet, Christopher Neame, Robin Strasser, and Colm Meany. Written by John Considine. Directed by Michael Vejar. This is a

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58:26

Episode 183 - Burden of Dreams (1982)

Mary Versus the Movies ·

2025/04/24

Opera-loving director wants to make a movie about an opera-loving rubber baron who hauls a boat over a mountain in order to bring music to the jungle, and so he hauls an actual boat over a mountain. The lines between life and art, work and exploitation, madness and determination blur together in this documentary about the making of Fitzcarraldo. Starring Werner Herzog, Klaus Kinski, Jason Robards. Directed by Les Blank. Narrated by Michael Goodwin.

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52:21

Episode 182 - Top Secret! (1984)

Mary Versus the Movies ·

2025/04/17

An American rock star gets caught up in intrigue in Cold War East Germany. Or is it World War II? Nazis, Communists, whatever, right guys? Anyway, from the guys who made Airplane, it's "what if Elvis made a spy movie", and it's pretty good. Starring Val Kilmer, Lucy Gutteridge, Omar Sharif, Michael Gough, Jeremy Kemp, and one very odd cameo from Peter Cushing. Written by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker, and Martyn Burke. Directed by Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker.

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01:05:43

Episode 181 - Porco Rosso (1992)

Mary Versus the Movies ·

2025/04/11

A pig-headed pilot takes on air pirates and fascists while regaining his humanity in this adventure from Hayao Miyazaki. Set in 1929, it's a story of love, honor, pacifism, and resistance. For this, we watched the English dub from 2005; I know, I know, subs over dubs, but so it goes. Starring (in the dub) Michael Keaton, Cary Elwes, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Susan Egan, David Ogden Stiers, and Brad Garrett. Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki.

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12:30

Hollywood Avalon, ep. 23 - Star Wars (1977)

Mary Versus the Movies ·

2025/04/01

Look, I know it sounds crazy, but Star Wars has all kinds of Arthurian elements: an orphan boy with a secret destiny; a magic sword; a crazy magician; a princess who needs rescuing; and a big bad guy. Obviously the original film was influenced by all sorts of things (The Hidden Fortress; Lawrence of Arabia; Dune; even Lord of the Rings) but it’s no surprise that the stories of King Arthur are a pretty prominent influence on the original movie about a farm boy who wants to be a hero, takes up with a

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50:53

Episode 180 - Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure...

Mary Versus the Movies ·

2025/03/27

Toys come to life and encounter a hallucinating camel, a sentient taffy pit that eats itself, and a paranoid king who only grows big when torturing and humiliating other people. You know, a kids movie. "Dennis Versus the Movies" month comes to an end with a really, really strange movie that Mary was obsessed with as a kid. Starring Didi Conn, Mark Baker, Claire Williams, George S. Irving, Fred Stuthman, and Joe Silver. Written by Patricia Thackray and Mark Wilk. Directed by Richard Williams. Music

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01:42:32

Episode 179 - The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)

Mary Versus the Movies ·

2025/03/21

"Dennis versus the Movies" continues as we welcome back to the show puppeteer and children's entertainer Zach Woliner to talk about the third Muppets movie, an homage to the Broadway musical films of the 1930s. The Muppets head to Manhattan with stars in their eyes and a dream of Broadway stardom, only to break apart, Kermit to get amnesia, and Miss Piggy to face down a New York full of muggers, cruel bosses, and sexual harrassment. It's a family film. Starring Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Dave Goelz,

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01:16:35

Episode 178 - Joe Versus the Volcano (1990)

Mary Versus the Movies ·

2025/03/14

An ex-firefighter stuck in a dead-end job is offered a chance to live it up for a week if he jumps in a volcano and dies so a rich man can steal some natural resources from a tropical island. Well, who wouldn't say yes to that? Dennis Vs the Movies month continues, featuring an interview with Mary's mom! Starring Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Lloyd Bridges, Abe Vigoda, Robert Stack, Ossie Davis, Dan Hedaya, Amanda Plummer, and Nathan Lane. Written and directed by John Patrick Shanley.

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