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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

01:07:38

Episode 212 - The Last Waltz (1978)

Mary Versus the Movies ·

2025/11/25

Let's celebrate Thanksgiving 1970s-style, by watching Martin Scorsese's concert documentary of the last performance by The Band (or at least the Band with Robbie Robertson still part of it). It's not just a concert, of course--it's a meditation on the end of the 1960s counterculture, bookending Scorsese's earlier work in Woodstock. We also have an interview with Mary's mother about cinematography, editing, and keeping up with music when you age out of youth culture. Starring Rick Danko, Levon Helm,

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01:22:53

Episode 211 - The Outsiders (1983)

Mary Versus the Movies ·

2025/11/21

It's 1960s Tulsa, Oklahoma, it's Greasers versus Soches, it's poor versus rich, it's murder and poetry, and it's a ton of future stars. We welcome back my sister Anne Jones to talk about her favorite movie. Starring C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Diane Lane, Emilio Estevez, Tom Cruise, and Leif Garrett. Written by Kathleen Rowell from S.E. Hinton's novel. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola.

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58:24

Episode 210 - Taps (1981)

Mary Versus the Movies ·

2025/11/14

Students at a prestigious military academy hold an insurrection when told the school will close. Gotta be honest, I never loved my high school that much. Starring Timothy Hutton, Sean Penn, Tom Cruise, Giancarlo Esposito, and George C. Scott. Written by Darryl Ponicsan and Robert Mark Kamen. Directed by Harold Becker.

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51:14

Episode 209 - Cocoon (1985)

Mary Versus the Movies ·

2025/11/06

Florida seniors discover the fountain of youth--an abandoned pool full of alien cocoons from Atlantis. Naturally, they drain the aliens of their life force in order to save money on Viagra. Hey, sometimes humans are the real monsters. Starring Don Ameche, Wilford Brimley, Hume Cronyn, Brian Dennehy, Jack Gilford, Steve Guttenberg, Maureen Stapleton, Jessica Tandy, Gwen Verdon, Herta Ware, and Tahnee Welch. Written by Tom Benedek. Directed by Ron Howard.

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23:51

Hollywood Avalon, ep. 29 - 28 Years Later (2025)

Mary Versus the Movies ·

2025/11/04

At first glance, the sequel to the zombie movie 28 Days Later and 28 Weeks Later is not an obvious pick for a podcast about Arthurian movies. However, after watching a few minutes, it's fairly evident that the movie isn't just a commentary on post-Brexit Britain, the weaponization of nostalgia, and the dangers of Little Englanders, it's playing with all of British history, from the end of its place as part of the Roman Empire--an end that leads to the creation of the Arthurian legend--to the Viking

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12:33

Episode 208 - Possibly In Michigan (1983) with...

Mary Versus the Movies ·

2025/10/30

Mary and Dennis are tied up with their dayjobs this week, so as a Halloween treat, friend and fellow podcaster Josh Seybert asked his Uncle Morty to step into the breach with a review of Cecelia Condit's horror musical shortPossibly In Michigan. Starring Jill Sands, Bill Blume, and Karen Skladany. Written and directed by Cecelia Condit. Check out Josh's many projects at https://screamingatclouds.libsyn.com and his show with Andy Mascola, Empathy at the Apocalypse:

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57:42

Episode 207 - Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)

Mary Versus the Movies ·

2025/10/23

A carnival blows into a sleepy town, promising to fulfill everyone's desires--but wishes always come with a catch. Can young Will and Jack resist temptation? Can Will's father save them before it's too late? And will the town be free of Mr. Dark and his carnival before the storms come and wipe everything away? Ray Bradbury's dark fantasy of Americana is a little let down in the directing, but Robards and Price's performances ground the battle between good and evil. Starring Jason Robards, Jonathan

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07:26

Hollywood Avalon, ep. 26 - The Twilight Zone: The...

Mary Versus the Movies ·

2025/10/18

An immortal Lancelot, living in 1986, is attacked by a gang of punks, kidnapped by Morgan Le Fay, and forced by a mad Merlin to battle a magic suit of armor in a desperate attempt to bring back Camelot--something Old Man Lancelot really doesn't want. We visit the 1980s incarnation of The Twilight Zone with this adaptation of a Roger Zelazny short story, which originally aired April 11, 1986. Starring Richard Kiley, Jenny Agutter, Norman Lloyd, and John Cameron Mitchell. Written by George R.

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19:00

Hollywood Avalon, ep. 22 - Legend of the Sword (2017)

Mary Versus the Movies ·

2025/10/18

What if Arthur was a bloke? You know, a regular street tough, a geezer, a guy up from the harsh streets of Londinium, who defeats an evil wizard-king with his merry band of criminals? Then you’d have Guy Ritchie’s version of the Arthurian story. And honestly? It’s not that bad. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not great–the story is silly, the CGI looks terrible, and there are parts that drag quite a lot. But it has Jude Law as the evil King Vortigern, swishing his way through the story, and Charlie Hunnam

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01:26:13

Episode 206 - Bad Dreams (1988)

Mary Versus the Movies ·

2025/10/16

The only survivor of a suicide cult wakes up in a mental institution after fifteen years in a coma, only to be haunted by the ghost of her former leader, urging her to finish the deed. Is this real? Or is she being manipulated by the hospital? Writer and relationships expert Alana Phelan is back with us to talk about a movie she was terrified by as a kid. Is it as scary as she remembers? Or is it all kind of silly nonsense? Starring Jennifer Rubin, Bruce Abbott, E.G. Daily, Dean Cameron, Harris

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01:06:21

Episode 205 - House / ハウス (1977)

Mary Versus the Movies ·

2025/10/09

A group of girls head to an elderly aunt's haunted house for the summer and are quickly consummed by the past. This cult classic is one of the strangest films we've covered in the show, full of wild video effects and a guy who turns into a pile of bananas. It rocks. Starring Kimiko Ikegami, Miki Jinbo, Ai Matubara, Kumiko Oba, Mieko Sato, Eriko Tanaka, Masayo Miyako, and Yōko Minamida. Written by Chiho Katsura. Directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi

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54:04

Episode 204 - Fright Night (1985)

Mary Versus the Movies ·

2025/10/03

The new next door neighbor is a vampire who wants your girlfriend. Naturally, the first thing you do is enlist a local tv host to fight him. It's a very meta comedy, a Scream before there was Scream. Starring Chris Sarandon, Roddy McDowell, William Ragsdale, Amanda Bearse, Stephen Geoffreys, and Jonathan Stark. Written and directed by Tom Holland.

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01:54

Hollywood Avalon, ep. 27 - Hellboy (2019)

Mary Versus the Movies ·

2025/09/26

We’re subjected to a reboot of the Hellboy franchise, which amps up the Arthurian content–Hellboy doesn’t just battle a reanimated Vivian/Nimue, the sorceress who traditionally imprisoned Merlin, but it turns out Hellboy is descended of King Arthur and the only person who can wield Excalibur. But if Hellboy does so, he might give over to his demonic nature and initiate the apocalypse. Sounds pretty cool, right? Well, this movie absolutely sucks. Just a real turd. Flat, dull, and incoherent. So much

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01:06:41

Episode 203 - Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)

Mary Versus the Movies ·

2025/09/25

A movie about a bitter divorce and custody battle might win best picture, but it doesn't entirely win us over, no matter how good Meryl Streep's peformance is. A reactionary film that swept the Oscars? Quelle surprise, Hollywood. Starring Dustin Hoffmann, Meryl Streep, Justin Henry, and Jane Alexander. Written and directed by Robert Benton.

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53:07

Episode 202 - Krull (1983)

Mary Versus the Movies ·

2025/09/18

A young prince, with his magic weapon called the Glaive, gathers a bandit army to rescue his princess from a beast from the stars. Sure, it's generic 1980s fantasy, but it's better-looking than most from that era, and who doesn't want to throw a deadly starfish? Starring Ken Marshall, Lysette Anthony, Freddie Jones, Francesca Annis, Alun Armstrong, Liam Neeson and Robbie Coltrane. Written by Stanford Sherman. Directed by Peter Yates.

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01:06:41

Episode 201 - Pretty In Pink (1986)

Mary Versus the Movies ·

2025/09/11

Molly Ringwald is her own fairy godmother, a Cinderella stuck in a love triangle between her best friend and a wealthy classmate, in this teen dramady from John Hughes. Did we like it? More than we thought, but not without some reservations. But hey, it has a killer soundtrack, a very sleazy James Spader, and Annie Potts in a beehive wig. Starring Molly Ringwald, Jon Cryer, Andrew McCarthy, Annie Potts, Harry Dean Stanton, and James Spader. Written by John Hughes. Directed by Howard Deutch.

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41:35

Episode 200 - Surf Nazis Must Die (1987)--LIVE!

Mary Versus the Movies ·

2025/08/22

It's our 200th episode! To celebrate, we recorded live in Philadelphia with an audience. In a post-apocalyptic Los Angeles, teenage surf nazis rule the beaches, causing havoc for the city, until one elderly mother, her son murdered by the gang, goes on a campaign of revenge. Starring Gail Neely, Barry Brenner, Robert Harden, and Tom Demenkoff. Written by Jon Ayre. Directed by Peter George Thanks again to everyone who came out to the show at Space 1026, and to Bruce Bohri for producing it

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49:56

Episode 199 - Q (The Winged Serpent) (1982)

Mary Versus the Movies ·

2025/08/15

A scumbag thief stumbles across a monster, a detective chases a neo-Aztec cult, and New York City is terrorized by a giant naked bird in a surprisingly good and bloody horror movie. Starring Michael Moriarty, Candy Clark, David Carridine, and Richard Roundtree. Written and directed by Larry Cohen.

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01:29:22

Episode 198 - More American Graffiti (1979)

Mary Versus the Movies ·

2025/08/07

The 1960s fly by, with drag races and bravado giving way to war and suburban malaise in this sequel to George Lucas's groundbreaking American Grafitti. The result is a better, sadder film than the expected cash-grab. Starring Ron Howard, Cindy Williams, Paul Le Mat, Candy Clark, Charles Martin Smith, Scott Glenn, and Anna Bjorn. Written and directed by Bill L. Norton.

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03:37

Hollywood Avalon, ep. 27 - King Arthur on Ice (1975)

Mary Versus the Movies ·

2025/08/01

Rick Wakeman's infamous prog rock ballet was captured on video tape, and thank God. While the majority of incidents have been edited out--one skater losing her top, another unable to pull the sword from the stone, still another being a knight who has to fall on his own sword due to a lack of choreography--there's still plenty of baffling choices being backed here by Wakemans' attempt at a modern rock show about the legendary Once and Future King. This is a preview of the latest episode of our series

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