1600+ “must-see movies,”
one movie at a time.
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Hosts Jason Bailey and Mike Hull invite a guest from the world of film (including filmmakers, authors, critics, actors, and more) to select one of the 1600+ “must-see movies” collected in Danny Peary’s seminal 1986 book, Guide for the Film Fanatic. Bailey, Hull, and their guests deep dive on each film, discussing its history, themes, style, performances, initial reception, and legacy, taking a fresh look at some of the most beloved titles in cinema history.
Episode 1:
THE GODFATHER PART II with Roxana Hadadi
On the first episode of our film-by-film rundown of Danny Peary’s beloved 1986 movie guide, we are joined by Vulture TV critic and longtime friend Roxana Hadadi, who explains her personal, familial connection to Francis Ford Coppola’s 1974 Oscar-winner, and joins in a spirited discussion of the picture’s virtues, flaws, and reputation.
Episode 2:
RASHOMON
with Scott Derrickson
In this week’s edition, we are joined by Scott Derrickson, director of Doctor Strange, The Black Phone, Sinister, and The Gorge, streaming this Friday on AppleTV+. Scott shares his thoughts on making The Gorge, working for a streamer for the first time, and directing The Black Phone 2, his first sequel to one of his own movies. But most of all, this lover of all things Akira Kurosawa — he literally teaches a course on the man and his movies!! - joins us to discuss the GOAT’s big international breakthrough, a film whose influence is still deeply felt in films and literature.
Episode 3:
I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE
with Danny Peary
In this week’s edition, we are joined by our dream guest—the one and only Danny Peary, our guiding light, the author of our Bible, Guide for the Film Fanatic (and Cult Movies, and Cult Movie Stars, and Alternate Oscars, and and and…). Mr. Peary joins us to discuss I Walked with a Zombie, the 1943 horror classic directed by Jacques Tourneur and produced by Val Lewton — as well as his very personal reason for selecting it, among the 1600+ movies in “Guide,” for a deep dive.
Episode 4:
THE DEAD ZONE
with Violet Lucca
Violet Lucca, film critic and author of the new, essential book David Cronenberg: Clinical Trials, joins us for to talk about one of Mr. Cronenberg’s early hits, The Dead Zone. Hear us revel in the pleasures of Walken and the various ways critics found to deem the film “tasteful” and “restrained,” and marvel at the silliness of an insane amoral strongman somehow becoming President of the United States.
Episode 5:
CARNAL KNOWLEDGE
with Hunter Harris
“Hung Up” writer and “Lemme Say This” co-host Hunter Harris joins us to discuss Mike Nichols’s scathing 1971 chronicle of the battle of the sexes. We dig in on the picture’s emotional brutality, theatrical structure, and complicated characters (the women, at least), as well as Hunter’s reason for connection to Art Garfunkel.
Episode 6:
THE BREAKING POINT
with Eddie Muller
The czar of noir himself, TCM’s Noir Alley host Eddie Muller, joins us to discuss Michael Curtiz’s (slightly) closer 1950 adaptation of Hemingway’s To Have and Have Not. Hear his thoughts on the various adaptations, the power of its leading man and the counterpoints of its leading ladies, and the new edition of his marvelous book Dark City Dames.
Episode 7:
PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK
with Alicia Malone
TCM host and prolific author Alicia Malone joins us to discuss Peter Weir’s contemporary classic “Picnic at Hanging Rock.” She fills us in on the Australian New Wave, the film’s considerable cultural reach in her home country, and her new book TCM Imports: Timeless Favorites and Hidden Gems of World Cinema.
Episode 8:
DESPERATELY SEEKING SUSAN
with Marya E. Gates
Marya E. Gates’s wonderful new book Cinema Her Way: Visionary Female Directors in Their Own Words includes interviews with 19 groundbreaking women directors — including Susan Seidelman, whose 1985 smash (masterpiece, even?) Desperately Seeking Susan is our subject for today. We discuss Seidelman’s genius, our favorite Madonna songs, and (favorite topic alert) how much David Denby sucks.
Episode 9:
ORDET
with Jonathan Rosenbaum
The king Jonathan Rosenbaum — one of the foremost film critics and historians in the world, author of several essential books (including his most recent collection, In Dreams Begin Responsibilities: A Jonathan Rosenbaum Reader) — joins us to discuss one of his favorite movies, Carl Theodor Dreyer’s indelible Ordet.
Episode 10:
DAYS OF HEAVEN
with John Bleasdale
Before recently, we knew John Bleasdale best as one of our favorite podcasters - he hosts, among others, “Writers on Film,” a spotlight on film books, on which Jason has guested twice. Now John has written a book of his own, The Magic Hours: The Films and Hidden Life of Terrence Malick, and joins us to discuss one of Malick’s best, Days of Heaven.
Episode 11:
DUNE
with Max Evry
Film writer Max Evry spent several years of his life investigating a failure: David Lynch’s 1984 screen adaptation of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi classic, Dune. But was it really a failure? If so, why? If not, why was (and is) it perceived as such? The resultant book, A Masterpiece in Disarray: David Lynch’s “Dune” - An Oral History, is one of the best of the recent books on single films; he joins us to talk about the book and the film, and what makes it so special to him.
Episode 12:
Sixteen Candles” with Ilana Kaplan
This week, freelance journalist Ilana Kaplan joins us to talk about the experience of writing her first book Nora Ephron At the Movies: A Visual Celebration of the Writer and Director Behind When Harry Met Sally, You've Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle, and More, as well as one of her favorite movies as an angsty teen: John Hughes’s directorial debut Sixteen Candles.
Episode 13:
FIVE FINGERS OF DEATH and ENTER THE DRAGON with Grady Hendrix and Chris Poggiali
This week, for our first-ever two-guest double-feature show, we’re joined by film historians and authors Grady Hendrix and Chris Poggiali to discuss the two movies that broke kung fu big with American audiences — Five Fingers of Death (aka King Boxer) and Enter the Dragon — as well as the new, revised edition of their five-star book These Fists Break Bricks: How Kung Fu Movies Swept America and Changed the World.
Episode 14:
THE FIREMEN’S BALL with Liam Billingham
This week, Mr. Liam Billingham, the co-host of NOT ONE BUT TWO of our favorite movie podcasts, “Die Hard on a Blank” and “48 Hours of Buddy Movies,” joins us to discuss Miloš Forman’s final Czech picture, the sharp-as-a-shiv social satire The Firemen’s Ball.
Episode 15:
BODY DOUBLE with Megan Abbott
Our guest this week is the Edgar award-winning, New York Times-bestselling crime novelist and confirmed cinephile Megan Abbott, author of Beware the Woman, The Turnout, Give Me Your Hand, You Will Know Me, The Fever, Dare Me, The End of Everything, Bury Me Deep, Queenpin, The Song Is You and Die a Little. She joins us to chat about her latest hit, El Dorado Drive, and her long history with one of Brian De Palma’s most controversial (and metatextual) movies, the 1984 “sexspenser” Body Double.
Episode 16:
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY with Matt Zoller Seitz
Our guest this week is the Editor at Large and film critic of RogerEbert.com, Features Writer for New York Magazine and Vulture.com, Contributing Writer for D Magazine and Texas Highways, and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in criticism. He is the author of many fine books, including the New York Times bestsellers The Sopranos Sessions, Mad Men Carousel, and The Wes Anderson Collection, as well as TV (The Book), The Deadwood Bible: A Lie Agreed Upon, and The Oliver Stone Experience. He joins us to discuss one of the unqualified masterpieces of cinema, Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 game-changer 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Episode 17:
STRANGERS ON A TRAIN with Stephen Rebello
Nobody but nobody chronicles the making of classic movies as thoroughly and compellingly as Stephen Rebello, author of Dolls! Dolls! Dolls!: Deep Inside 'Valley of the Dolls,' the Most Beloved Bad Book and Movie of All Time, A City Full of Hawks: ‘On the Waterfront’ Seventy Years Later — Still the Great American Contender, and the granddaddy of them all, Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of ‘Psycho’. He joins us to discuss his latest book Criss Cross: The Making of Hitchcock's Dazzling, Subversive Masterpiece ‘Strangers on a Train’ and the movie it’s about: Alfred Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train.
Episode 18:
CHRISTIANE F
with Katie Walsh
When film critic and podcaster Katie Walsh finally saw the 1981 German sensation Christiane F. in its 4K restoration reissue, she needed to talk about it — and we’re lucky enough that she joined us to do just that this week. It was also Mike and Jason’s first watch, so listen in as we pick our collective jaws up off the floor over this tough, unsentimental look at life on the fringes of ‘70s-era Berlin.
Episode 19:
RISKY BUSINESS with John Malahy
In his book Rewinding the ‘80s (on shelves Tuesday), film historian John Malahy examines — per the subtitle — “cinema under the influence of music videos, action stars, and a Cold War.” He joins us to discuss what may be the quintessential ‘80s movie, and the breakthrough role of the quintessential ‘80s movie star: Tom Cruise in Paul Brickman’s Risky Business.
Episode 20:
MS. 45 with Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
Few people know their genre cinema like Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, whose many, MANY books, essays, chapters and commentaries have been contextualizing and magnifying horror and exploitation for years now. Today she joins us to discuss Abel Ferrara’s seminal rape-revenge film MS. 45 — out in a new 4K from Arrow Video, with heavy involvement from Alexandra.
Episode 21: THE NAKED SPUR with Scout Tafoya
Author, critic, and filmmaker Scout Tafoya’s most recent book is The Black Book: An Anthony Mann Reader, and he joins us to discuss one of Mann’s best-regarded pictures, the James Stewart Western The Naked Spur. It’s a spirited discussion!
Episode 22:
GRAND HOTEL with Scott Eyman
Scott Eyman is one of the foremost biographers of classic Hollywood, writing essential books on Chaplin, Cary Grant, John Wayne, John Ford, Henry Fonda and James Stewart, and many more. He joins us to discuss his latest, Joan Crawford: A Woman’s Face, and Crawford’s quintessential performance in Grand Hotel.
Episode 23:
ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE with Alonso Duralde
Critic, podcaster, and Christmas movie expert Alonso Duralde has issued a revised and updated edition of his essential guide Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas, so he joins us this week to discuss one of his unconventional picks: the 1969 Bond movie On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
Episode 24:
GONE WITH THE WIND with Soraya Nadia McDonald
“Taking down sacred cows” has never really been our thing here, but we’ll happily make an exception for Gone with the Wind, the David O. Selznick-produced adaptation of Margaret Mitchell’s bestselling valentine to the Antebellum South, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed movies of all time, a vile work of racist propaganda and misogyny. Cultural critic and Pulitzer finalist Soraya Nadia McDonald joins in the fun!
Episode 25:
THE SHINING with Justin and Laura Khoo (Cows in the Field)
Justin and Laura Khoo’s podcast Cows in the Field explores the philosophical, aesthetic, and cultural themes in popular movies, high and low, “good” and “bad,” which aligns them clearly with Danny Peary and Guide for the Film Fanatic. Together, we work through Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of Stephen King’s bestseller The Shining — a polarizing picture, throughout the culture, throughout the years, and even within our four-person conversation.
Episode 26:
THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME with Kristen Lopez
Kristen Lopez is a busy critic (her site is The Film Maven), podcaster (her podcast is Ticklish Business), and author (her most recent book is Popcorn Disabilities). She joins us to discuss the first concert documentary we’ve dived deep on from Guide: Led Zeppelin’s 1976 rock epic, The Song Remains the Same.
Episode 27:
YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN
with David Fear
Long before he was the chief film critic for Rolling Stone, David Fear discovered Guide for the Film Fanatic at the mall bookstore and it became “my Bible, my Torah, my Quran.” He joins us to discuss his four-decade obsession with Guide, and the genius of Mel Brooks’s 1974 Universal horror valentine/spoof Young Frankenstein.
Episode 28:
SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS with Aisha Harris
Pop Culture Happy Hour co-host Aisha Harris was herself a confused teen when she first watched Elia Kazan and William Inge’s confused-teen tale Splendor in the Grass; she joins us to discuss the timelessness of its conflicts, the mastery of Kazan’s direction, and the absolutely scorching chemistry of leads Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty.
Episode 29:
BILLY JACK
with Nathan Rabin
AV Club alum and “Happy Place” proprietor Nathan Rabin joins us to discuss his wonderful new book The Fractured Mirror: Nathan Rabin’s Happy Place’s Definitive Guide to American Movies About Filmmaking, cataloging all of the movies about movies. And we talk about one of his strangest cultural obsessions: Tom Laughlin’s immensely profitable, culturally ubiquitous, and completely forgotten small-town martial arts social drama Billy Jack.
Episode 30:
ACE IN THE HOLE
with Leonard Maltin
and Jessie Maltin
The legendary film critic and historian Leonard Maltin and his “Maltin on Movies” co-host (and daughter!) Jessie Maltin join us this week to discuss their wonderful new book Family Movie Night Menus: Recipes and Films for Unforgettable Times Together, and one of their very favorite movies, Billy Wilder’s acidic media commentary Ace in the Hole.
Episode 31:
CONAN THE BARBARIAN with Jordan Harper
This week, the Edgar award-winning author of Everybody Knows and She Rides Shotgun joins us to discuss his new novel A Violent Masterpiece, as well as John Milius’s 1981 adaptation of Robert E. Howard’s pulp classics Conan the Barbarian — the movie that made a movie star of an Austrian bodybuilder with a complicated name.
Episode 32:
KING CREOLE with Sheila O’Malley
If you’ve spent any time reading the marvelous, energetic, infectiously enthusiastic prose of Sheila O’Malley — film critic, essayist, and author of the recent The Art and Making of Frankenstein — you will not be surprised that, given a list of movies to choose from, she chose one starring Elvis Presley. So we discussed King Creole, his 1958 vehicle directed by Michael Curtiz and co-starring Carolyn Jones, Dolores Hart, and a (comparatively!) young Walter Matthau.
Episode 33:
THE HARDER THEY COME with Ashley Clark
This week, film critic, essayist, and programmer Ashley Clark — whose most recent book is The World of Black Film: A Journey Through Cinematic Blackness in 100 Films — joins us to discuss one of the most beloved of those films: Perry Henzell’s reggae gangster classic, The Harder They Come.