Talking Pictures

From Bridesmaids to Spy to The Heat, Paul Feig has become Hollywood's go-to guy for raunchy, big-budget comedies about women. But his directing career only took off after his acting career crashed and burned. This week, Paul tells Ben Mankiewicz how getting fired from a beloved sitcom forced him out of his comfort zone and into a new role behind the camera. And during the Super 8, Paul reveals how his mother's taste in movies led to his love of double-breasted suits.

Films Mentioned:

• Bridesmaids
• The Heat
• Spy
• A Simple Favor
• Animal House
• Life Sold Separately
• Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
• The Blues Brothers
• Thelma & Louise
• Animal Crackers
• What's Up, Doc?
• Jackpot!
• Ghostbusters
• The Purge
• It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
• Raiders of the Lost Ark
• An American Werewolf in London
• Polite Society
• Napoleon Dynamite
• Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
• His Girl Friday
• Cabaret
• It's a Wonderful Life
• Poltergeist

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Host Ben Mankiewicz begins the new year by talking to the nicest man in Hollywood, actor Henry Winkler. Winkler admits it was almost impossible to find work after his 10-year run as the Fonz on Happy Days. He reminisces about his friendships with Sylvester Stallone and Ron Howard and shares his struggles with dyslexia. And we get the inspiring story of how he got the second role of a lifetime on HBO’s Barry. Winkler is an enthusiastic movie watcher, so his Super 8 is full of gems. 

Films Mentioned: 

• The Waterboy 
• Little Nicky 
• Barry* 
• The Lords of Flatbush 
• Rocky 
• Heroes 
• The One and Only 
• Night Shift 
• Scream* 
• Rebel Without a Cause* 
• City of God 
• The Alamo 
• Nobody 
• Casablanca* 
• Love Actually 
• Notting Hill 
• Four Weddings and a Funeral* 
• Les Compères 
• The Out-of-Towners

*Available on Max as of 1/7 (Availability of titles subject to change)

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Emmy-winner Jane Lynch is known for bringing her razor-sharp comic edge to movies like Best in Show and TV shows like Glee. But her biggest break came in a famous commercial for… Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes! She talks to host Ben Mankiewicz about breaking down a scene with Harrison Ford, the difference between masculine and feminine improv, and the film that made her sob all the way home from the theater.

Films Mentioned:

• Best in Show
• The 40-Year Old Virgin
• Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
• Ninotchka
• Camille
• Anna Christie
• The Wizard of Oz*
• Gone with the Wind*
• Sophie's Choice
• The Devil Wears Prada*
• Hang 'Em High
• Three Days of the Condor
• Husbands and Wives
• Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
• The Sting
• The Fugitive
• A Mighty Wind
• For Your Consideration
• Mascots
• Legally Blonde
• American Pie
• The White Lotus*
• Waiting for Guffman
• This Is Spinal Tap
• Private Benjamin
• Funny Girl
• The Bridge on the River Kwai
• The Big Sleep
• White Christmas
• Terms of Endearment

*Available on Max as of 12/17 (Availability of titles subject to change)

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This week, writer/director Jason Reitman (Saturday Night, Juno, Up in the Air) joins host Ben Mankiewicz to talk about growing up on a movie set, his brief stint writing for Saturday Night Live, and the joys of directing George Clooney. Reitman also reveals what his father, the late director Ivan Reitman, taught him about storytelling and making movies. During the Super 8, Jason surprises Ben with the movie props in his enviable collection. 

Films Mentioned:

• Meatballs
• Stripes
• Ghostbusters
• Dave
• Thank You For Smoking
• Juno
• Inglourious Basterds
• Animal House
• Up in the Air*
• Saturday Night
• The Front Runner
• Ghostbusters: Afterlife
• The Fabelmans
• Westworld
• Jurassic Park*
• Twins
• E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
• Back to the Future
• Jaws
• The Godfather
• Election
• Dr. Strangelove
• Harold and Maude
• Shampoo
• Carnal Knowledge
• The Graduate
• Taxi Driver
• The Conversation
• Run Lola Run
• The Blair Witch Project
• Sexy Beast
• American Psycho
• Wet Hot American Summer
• Pulp Fiction
• Dazed and Confused
• Slacker*
• Bad News Bears
• Boyhood
• A Scanner Darkly
• Before Sunrise
• Before Sunset
• Field of Dreams
• Stand by Me
• Breaking Away
• Little Miss Sunshine
• 24 Hour Party People
• Casablanca*
• Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
• Magnolia
• Boogie Nights
• Pee-wee's Big Adventure
• Singin' in the Rain*

*Available on Max as of 12/10 (Availability of titles subject to change)

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Carol Burnett’s life has always spun around the movies. She tells Ben Mankiewicz about her childhood spent in Hollywood movie theaters, the famous actor who helped her break into showbiz, and the movie parodies in her groundbreaking television variety show. In fact, at 91, Carol Burnett remembers more about movies than Ben! We cap it all off with a delightful Super 8 complete with seasonal gems. Plus, Carol and Ben discuss their Wordle stats…listen to find out who’s winning.                      

Films Mentioned:

• The Carol Burnett Show 
• New Faces 
• The Pajama Game 
• Babes in Arms 
• All About Eve 
• Gone with the Wind*  
• The Fighting Guardsman 
• Inferno (1953) 
• Strangers on a Train 
• On Moonlight Bay* 
• Citizen Kane 
• The Dolly Sisters 
• The Godfather 
• It's a Wonderful Life 
• Capricorn One 
• Ragtime Cowboy Joe 
• Singin' in the Rain*  
• From Here to Eternity 
• Terms of Endearment 
• Some Like It Hot 
• Duel 

*Available on Max as of 12/3 (Availability of titles subject to change) 

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The fearless Margot Robbie goes in-depth with Ben Mankiewicz about how her early days as an Australian soap star prepared her to go toe-to-toe with Leonardo DiCaprio. Now, after producing the blockbuster Barbie and working with the likes of Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino, is her next move behind the camera as a director? Plus, our exclusive Super 8 questionnaire, which she was very excited to answer.               

Films Mentioned 

• Barbie * 
• I, Tonya * 
• Bombshell 
• The Wolf of Wall Street 
• Asteroid City 
• Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood 
• Titanic 
• The Legend of Tarzan* 
• Mary Queen of Scots 
• Terminal 
• Eye of the Devil 
• Babylon 
• Whiplash 
• La La Land 
• Wings 
• Singin' in the Rain* 
• Cabaret 
• True Romance 
• The Fifth Element 
• Bandits*  
• The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring* 
• Pulp Fiction 
• Rambo 
• Bring It On 
• High Society 
• Babette's Feast* 
• The Blues Brothers 
• The Dirty Dozen 
• Withnail and I*  
• Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar 
• Seven Samurai*  
• Young Frankenstein 
• The Producers 
• Robin Hood: Men in Tights 

 *Available on Max as of 11/26 (Availability of titles subject to change) 

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Comedian, actor, and cabaret performer Bridget Everett and new fan Ben Mankiewicz chat about her Peabody Award-winning HBO show Somebody Somewhere as well as her outrageously fun cabaret act. Everett and Ben talk dogs, famous great uncles, and walk through the highs and lows of Everett’s endlessly promising career. Everett’s Super 8 questionnaire is a staff favorite, full of stories, inspiration, and a touching story about Turner Classic Movies. 

Films Mentioned 

• Somebody Somewhere * 
• Bridget Everett: Gynecological Wonder 
• All About Eve 
• A Letter to Three Wives 
• Sex and the City* 
• The Sound of Music 
• The Wizard of Oz * 
• Mommie Dearest 
• Magic Mike XXL 
• Rudy 
• Let the Good Times Roll 
• Dancer in the Dark 

Young Frankenstein 

 *Available on Max as of 11/19 (Availability of titles subject to change)

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Season two of Talking Pictures is here! Bill Murray doesn’t do a lot of podcasts, but he was game to talk movies with host Ben Mankiewicz. They dive into his comedies (Stripes, Caddyshack, Groundhog Day) and discuss the directors Murray works with repeatedly (Wes Anderson, Jim Jarmusch). Murray remembers growing up a “bad boy” in a house with eight siblings and how success impacted his mom. Finally, our Super 8 returns and you don’t want to miss the prop Bill Murray says he would steal for his personal collection.                                                                          

Films Mentioned: 

• Meatballs 
• Ghostbusters  
• Stripes 
• Caddyshack 
• Groundhog Day 
• Broken Flowers 
• Lost in Translation 
• Rushmore 
• Red River 
• Frankenstein 
• Dracula 
• The Fugitive 
• Going My Way 
• Bells of Saint Mary's 
• Yankee Doodle Dandy 
• The Sound of Music 
• The Razor's Edge 
• Mad Dog and Glory 
• Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer 
• Olive Kitteridge * 
• Moonrise Kingdom 
• The Royal Tenenbaums 
• The Grand Budapest Hotel 
• Coffee and Cigarettes * 
• The Limits of Control 
• The Dead Don’t Die 
• Bottle Rocket 
• Asteroid City 
• Barry Lyndon 
• Gallipoli 
• Ninotchka 
• Old Yeller 
• The Man with Two Brains 
• Nothing but Trouble                                       

*Available on Max as of 11/12 (Availability of titles subject to change)

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Talking Pictures is back for its second season, filled with new guests and new stories about how movies shape us, change us – and make us laugh. This season, host Ben Mankiewicz sits down with some of the funniest stars in Hollywood, folks like Bill Murray, Margot Robbie, Carol Burnett, Henry Winkler and many more. Comedy legends open up about their toughest struggles, their wildest moments, and the twists of fate that made them famous. Each episode culminates with the Super 8, where they reveal their most cherished movie memories and film favorites.

From TCM and MAX, this is Season 2 of Talking Pictures: A Movie Memories Podcast, hosted by Ben Mankiewicz.

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In a special bonus episode of Talking Pictures recorded live at the Turner Classic Movies Film Festival in Hollywood, host Ben Mankiewicz interviews actor, comedian, and classic movie lover, Mario Cantone. They discuss Mario’s life before acting, his role in HBO’s “Sex and the City” and the Max series “And Just Like That…,” and Ben challenges Mario to the Super 8 movie questionnaire. 

Films Mentioned:

• Sex and the City
• And Just Like That…
• Hello Dolly
• Blazing Saddles
• Lady Sings the Blues
• The Lady Gambles
• Slap Shot
• Chinatown
• Network
• Quiz Show
• All About Eve
• Guys and Dolls
• My Cousin Vinny
• The Thorn Birds
• New York, New York
• Looking For Mr. Goodbar
• Pollyanna
• Bambi
• West Side Story (1961)
• Cleopatra
• The Wizard of Oz
• A Star is Born (1954)
• The Godfather

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Director, actor, Saturday Night Live veteran, and cinephile Bill Hader joins host Ben Mankiewicz to talk about his heroes (Stanley Kubrick, Joel and Ethan Coen), about writing and directing his HBO show Barry, and if you’re hoping for a few of his expert impressions, you won’t be disappointed. Hader also ventures into his movie-watching past by answering our Super 8 questionnaire.

Films Mentioned:

• Top Gun (1986)
• Superbad
• Trainwreck*
• Inside Out
• Barry*
• The Shining
• 2001: A Space Odyssey*
• Dr. Strangelove*
• A Clockwork Orange* 
• The Natural
• Oliver! 
• Planet of the Apes (1968)
• Paths of Glory
• Mars Attacks!
• Evil Dead
• Rashomon*
• Seven Samurai*
• Ikiru*
• It’s A Wonderful Life
• Bad News Bears
• Shawshank Redemption
• The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939)
• Barton Fink
• A Serious Man*
• Inside Llewyn Davis
• Intolerable Cruelty 
• Hail, Caesar!
• Burn After Reading
• Trouble in Paradise
• The Apartment
• Five Graves to Cairo
• Double Indemnity
• One, Two, Three
• Sunset Boulevard 
• Kes
• To Kill A Mockingbird
• From Here to Eternity
• Von Ryan’s Express
• Dreams (1990)
• The Last Detail
• The Great Muppet Caper
• Midnight Run
• The Black Hole (1979)

*Available on Max as of 3/19 (Availability of titles subject to change)

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Host Ben Mankiewicz visits with director Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman, Monster) and her mother (!!) to talk superheroes, female serial killers, and gets her take on being a female director in Hollywood. Patty surprises Ben with stories about her friendship with singer Steve Perry and she talks about that rumored Star Wars script. Plus, an impressive Super 8 for your movie list.

Films Mentioned:

• Wonder Woman*
• Wonder Woman 1984*
• Monster
• Midnight Cowboy
• The Devil's Advocate
• Superman (1978)*
• Reds
• What Have I Done To Deserve This?
• I Know Where I’m Going
• A Matter of Life and Death
• Moulin Rouge
• The Red Balloon*
• Charade
• Bridge Over the River Kwai
• The Best Years of Our Lives
• Doctor Zhivago

*Available on Max as of 3/12 (Availability of titles subject to change)

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Legendary documentarian and filmmaker Errol Morris (The Thin Blue Line, The Fog of War, The Pigeon Tunnel) and host Ben Mankiewicz have a charged conversation about interviewing, serial killers, grave robbing and, yes, movies. Morris gives the longest, most original (and most surprising!) answer to our Super 8 question about movie props. Plus, he reveals the movie that changed his life.

Films Mentioned:

• The Fog of War 
• The Thin Blue Line
• American Dharma
• The Unknown Known
• Psycho
• The Pigeon Tunnel
• Gates of Heaven
• Vernon, Florida
• Conan the Barbarian
• Creature From The Black Lagoon
• This Island Earth
• Tarnished Angels
• Imitation of Life
• Les Enfants du Paradis
• Au Hasard Balthazar

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Director Damien Chazelle ( La La Land, First Man) describes his childhood as a budding filmmaker inspired by Walt Disney, his path to getting his first film made (Whiplash), and how the pandemic impacted casting for his recent epic Babylon. Chazelle surprises – and delights – host Ben Mankiewicz as they discuss his parents’ favorite films and which movies always make him cry.  

Films Mentioned:

• La La Land 
• Whiplash
• Jurassic Park
• Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench
• Annie Hall
• Speed 
• Volcano
• Lethal Weapon
• Taken
• The Last Exorcism Part 2
• 10 Cloverfield Lane
• Ouija 
• Paranormal Activity*
• The Umbrellas of Cherbourg*
• West Side Story
• Singin’ in the Rain*
• The Sound of Music
• An American in Paris
• First Man
• Babylon
• Peter Pan
• Full Metal Jacket*
• Paths of Glory
• City Lights*
• Make Way For Tomorrow
• Black and Tan
• St. Louis Blues
• The Emperor Jones*
• Vertigo
• La Grande Vadrouille
• The Red Circle
• The 400 Blows*
• The 13th Warrior

*Available on Max as of 2/27 (Availability of titles subject to change)

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Director Alexander Payne (Election, Sideways, About Schmidt) talks about the inspiration for his new film The Holdovers, what it’s like working with actors Paul Giamatti and George Clooney, and addresses the rumors of an Election sequel. He also shares the movie forever associated with one of his more awkward teenage dates. Plus, terrific answers to the Super 8!

Films Mentioned:

• Election*
• Sideways
• About Schmidt
• Nebraska
• The Holdovers 
• Paper Moon*
• Citizen Ruth
• Seconds
• Something's Gotta Give
• The Descendants
• The Passion of Martin
• Inspector Gadget
• Citizen Kane*
• Downsizing
• Meet The Parents
• Jurassic Park 3
• Pokemon Detective Pikachu
• Modern Times*
• Viridiana
• Seven Samurai*
• One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
• Annie Hall
• Manhattan
• Taxi Driver
• A Special Day
• City Lights*
• Bicycle Thieves*
• Ikiru
• Red Beard*
• Dersu Uzala
• The Best Years of Our Lives
• The Unknown Known
• Cinema Paradiso
• Gone With the Wind*
• Doctor Zhivago
• Casablanca*
• The Garden of the Finzi Contini
• The Two of Us
• The Wolf of Wall Street
• Out of the Past
• The Friends of Eddie Coyle

*Available on Max as of 2/20 (Availability of titles subject to change)

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Host Ben Mankiewicz hangs out with his friend, 97-year-old legend Mel Brooks (The Producers, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein) in this often hilarious and sometimes poignant episode. Mel reminisces about Gene Wilder, David Lynch, his wife Anne Bancroft, and best friend Carl Reiner. He also recounts a tremendously funny dinner with Alfred Hitchcock. Mel Brooks has spent a lifetime watching and making movies so you don’t want to miss his answers to our Super 8 questionnaire.  

Films Mentioned:

• Blazing Saddles*
• Young Frankenstein
• The Producers
• High Anxiety
• Psycho
• Vertigo
• The Elephant Man 
• Eraserhead*
• Frankenstein (1931) 
• Casablanca*
• Swing Time
• Top Hat
• Broadway Melody of 1940 
• Ninotchka
• The Gods Must Be Crazy 
• It Happened One Night 
• Spaceballs*
• Random Harvest 
• Alexander’s Ragtime Band 

*Available on Max as of 2/13 (Availability of titles subject to change)

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Writer director Cord Jefferson (American Fiction) and host Ben Mankiewicz talk life transitions, bravery, and family for this in-depth conversation. Jefferson charts his path from journalist to TV writer to first-time film director of 2023’s celebrated American Fiction. He shares the movies important to him and gives his take on the ending of Shawshank Redemption.

FILMS MENTIONED:

• American Fiction
• Saltburn 
• Promising Young Woman 
• Sex, Lies, and Videotape
• Master of None
• The Good Place
• Succession*
• Watchmen*
• The People vs. Larry Flynt
• Do The Right Thing
• Jacob’s Ladder
• Clueless 
• Cruel Intentions
• Dangerous Liaisons
• Punch-Drunk Love
• Shawshank Redemption
• Paths of Glory
• The Killing
• Eyes Wide Shut
• Full Metal Jacket*
• Pulp Fiction*
• Young Frankenstein
• Blazing Saddles*
• Philadelphia

*Available on Max as of 2/6 (Availability of titles subject to change)

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Writer-director Emerald Fennell has made two of the most talked about movies in recent years: Saltburn and Promising Young Woman. Fennell tells host Ben Mankiewicz why she makes uncomfortable films, why she prefers directing over acting, and shares a formative experience watching Jurassic Park. She also challenges Ben on his knee-jerk aversion to costume dramas. You don’t want to miss that!

FILMS MENTIONED:

• Barbie*
• Promising Young Woman 
• Saltburn
• Casablanca*
The Favourite
• Smokey and the Bandit 
• Star Wars
• The Death of Stalin 
• Dangerous Liaisons 
• Napoleon
• Jurassic Park
• Midnight Run
• Out of Sight
• Bridge of Spies
• Ben-Hur
• A Walk To Remember 
• Cape Fear (1991)
• Cape Fear (1962)
• Natural Born Killers*
• To Die For
Killing of a Sacred Deer 
• Beau is Afraid 
• Melancholia
• The Shining
• Mrs. Miniver
• Goodbye, Mr. Chips
• Random Harvest
• Brief Encounter* 

*Available on Max as of 1/30 (Availability of titles subject to change)

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This episode of Talking Pictures is special for host Ben Mankiewicz, whose favorite film of all time is Out of Sight, directed by Steven Soderbergh. Ben sits down with Soderbergh (Ocean’s 11, Full Circle, Erin Brockovich) to talk ‘70s films, George Clooney, and how one maintains a 35-year career as a film director. Soderbergh also offers a little relationship advice and answers the Super 8, during which he reveals how many movies he watched in high school. Trust us, it’s a lot.

FILMS MENTIONED: 

• Sex, Lies, and Videotape
• Ocean's Eleven
• Ocean’s Twelve 
• Ocean’s Thirteen
• Magic Mike
• Magic Mike’s Last Dance*
• Out of Sight
• Schizopolis*
• Gray’s Anatomy*
• The Last Detail
• Seconds
• The Parallax View
• Wanda*
• Carnal Knowledge
• The Landlord
• Being There
• Mad Max
• Witches of Eastwick
• Kafka
• King of the Hill
• The Underneath
• Erin Brockovich
• Michael Clayton
• Contagion
• Yankee Doodle Dandy
• Casablanca*
• Mildred Pierce*
• Four Daughters
• Angels with Dirty Faces
• The Knick*
• Jaws
• Planet of the Apes
• Three Days of the Condor
• EO
• Au Hasard Balthazar
• Hiroshima, Mon Amour
• Happy as Lazaro
• The Maltese Falcon
• Stormy Weather
• The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T.
• Behind the Candelabra*

*Available on Max as of 1/23 (Availability of titles subject to change)

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Our first guest on Talking Pictures is writer director Nancy Meyers (Something’s Gotta Give, It’s Complicated, The Holiday). Recorded at her home, host Ben Mankiewicz talks with Meyers about casting Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton, getting script advice from Sunset Boulevard director Billy Wilder, and they discuss what it’s like to become famous for her interiors. Spoiler: it’s frustrating! Nancy Meyers also answers our Super 8 questionnaire and reveals which film had her running from the theater in absolute terror.

FILMS MENTIONED:

• Something’s Gotta Give
• It’s Complicated
• The Holiday
• Sunset Boulevard
• His Girl Friday
• Harry and Walter Go To New York
• Terms of Endearment
• About Schmidt
• Reds
• The Magnificent Seven
• The Good, the Bad and the Ugly*
• The Misfits
• The Graduate
• It’s a Wonderful Life
• North by Northwest
• Private Benjamin
• Baby Boom
• Double Indemnity
• Stalag 17
• Ace in the Hole
• Some Like it Hot*
• Sabrina
• The Apartment
• Lost Weekend
• The Philadelphia Story
• Bringing Up Baby
• Trouble in Paradise
• The Intern*
• The Exorcist*
• Love in the Afternoon*
• Rear Window
• Day For Night
• A Man and a Woman 
• Paddington 2
• The Worst Person in the World
• Modern Times*
• Planes, Trains and Automobiles
• The Great Escape

*Available on Max as of 1/16

(Availability of titles subject to change)

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