Minute 24

Best Friend and perpetual optimist Marcelina Chavira sits miles away from me on a computer to share one of her favorite movies - Harold and Maude. It is weird and both not enough and too much. We talk about ageism, the agency of a woman and how talented Margot Robbie is.

Then I show her Tommy Boy and it is very different. We talk about little boy humor and it's very real place in the world, and I talk about loving David Spade in th...

Best Friend and dog actor enthusiast Stephanie Streisand comes on the show to show me a classic - S.O.B. She teaches me a lot about the movie industry, I talk a lot about how dogs break into the biz. She talks intelligently about the background of the movie and how it came to be and I keep nodding, forgetting I'm audio only.

Then I show her Empire Records and she does an amazingly accurate job of predicting the movie. We talk about...

Best Friend and fellow podcaster Myke Thompson joins me on my podcast to revisit an old favorite. He makes me watch True Lies while I try not to fall in love with young Arnold Schwarzenegger. We talk about spies, Jamie Lee Curtis and how I always picture Tom Arnold driving. We laugh a lot and get a lot of stuff wrong.

Then I make him watch (500) Days of Summer, while I nervously wait to see his reaction. We talk about gender roles,...

Best friend and painter extraordinaire Hooks shows me one of their favorite nostalgic movies. We watch State and Main and I swoon over romantic lead Philip Seymour Hoffman. We talk about Los Angeles as two transplants and basically decide it's all avocados.

Then I show them Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse and confess my love for Nic Cage and Rubick's cubes. I call the movie "Art" way too many times.

I learned a lot and I had a grea...

Best friend and political aficionado Emma Lieberman joins me for two great polar opposites. First, she shows me The American President. We laugh about 40 year olds flirting, we talk West Wing and Aron Sorkin and we love Michael J Fox. I get distracted by a much more suspenseful plot.

Then I show her Robin Hood: Men in Tights. It's nearly impossible not to tell her every line so we laugh over Mel Brooks-isms, that Dave Chappelle is ...

Best friend and first time interviewee Kiki Andersen joins me to discuss some classic movies.  First she shows me Sleepy Hollow where I laugh and am grossed out by Johnny Depp all at the same time. We discuss how Tim Burton it all is, how Harry Potter actors will always be Harry Potter actors to me, and solving crimes as a woman. 

Then I show her Die Hard. I am woefully unprepared and I miss out on all the best parts. She...

Best friend and jazz enthusiast Allison Lyons joins me via Zoom to discuss two incredibly different movies. First she shows me Who Framed Roger Rabbit and I marvel at toons in real life. We laugh about fake hammers and living taxis and Steve Buschemi as a weasel.

Then, I show her Reservoir Dogs and we talk about the great part of heist movies, the difference between watching a movie and someone explaining it to you and Steve Busche...

Best friend and movie-review-article writer John Flynn "zooms" me to watch six minutes of a movie. He regales me with stories of a coyote and I insist we watch There will be Blood. I confuse it with No Country for Old Men and we talk a lot about "how it was back then" - though neither of us lived through it.

Then I show him six minutes of Ghostbusters and John discovers he's thought Rick Moranis and Harold Ramis were the same perso...

Best Friend and whatever-is-in-your-pantry-chef extraordinaire Marc "The Nucch" Ranucci sits down miles away from me to chat about scary movies. He shows my The Conjuring and tells me that a full world with rules exists inside the Horror movie realm. He teaches me about The Warrens (real people) and Easter Eggs in the movies connecting them. I mostly giggle nervously, knowing I won't sleep for weeks. We laugh, we cry, we troublesho...

Best friend and professional college filmmaker Jimmy Flynn "zooms" with me to talk about our favorite movies. He shows me Goodfellas and I keep talking about "The Irishman" despite several warnings. I fall in love with Ray Liotta again (no surprise) and predict horrible things for women. We talk about how great Joe Pesci is as an actor and I can't stop thinking about Home Alone.

Then I show him The Cabin in the Woods. He's pleasant...

Best friend and recurring quarantine-lifer Alex Warheit sits with me in our living room (as we do every day and night) and shows me a delightful gem - Heartbreakers. I desperately wish Gene Hackman finds the love of his life as we discuss the basics of improv (only for a second), the art of coughing and Boy Meets World.

Then I show him He's Just Not That Into You and over and over we are amazed he's never seen it. He's surprised by...

Best friend and opera up-and-comer Elizabeth Hayhurst joins me in a tiny room. She shows me Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and I dream of the olden days. I make incredibly far off predictions and never mention (not even once) that I know the full Gettysburg address. 

Then I show her Arrival and RUIN the movie, but not the experience. She makes some valiant guesses after not seeing nearly enough of the movie and, I think we have...

Best Friend and casual beer drinker Bryan Musil and I sit down to watch two movies in series. First he shows me Paddington 2, a charming movie about a child friendly psychopath and a hunt for gold that ends in a communist moral. Or at least, that's what my dad would say about it. We laugh, we fall in love with a talking bear and we discuss British acting.

Then I show him Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, a fast paced movie ...

Best friend and all around bad ass Tara Erickson joins me in the pod room to discuss cars, love and music. She shows me Gone in 60 Seconds and we talk about our love of cars, Nic Cage, and Bullet Tooth Tony from Snatch. Ford v. Ferrari comes up more than I'd care to admit.

Then I show her A Star is Born and we talk about our love of music and uh, what's that guy's name, oh yeah, Bradley Cooper!!!!!! We both insist on singing into t...

Best friend and Trekkie Gil Baron gives me a personal master class in film. He walks me through what it means to be an independent filmmaker with a strong message by showing me Hollywood Shuffle. I keep talking about "Famous People" like they are untouchables and Gil calls me out.

Then I bumble through Rear Window and hope I did the ghost of Alfred Hitchcock proud. Gil pulls from his knowledge of the Simpsons and all the real life ...

Best friend and cat whisperer Catherine Durickas joins me for a movie day and forces me to watch Demolition Man. I accuse her of not following directions, we talk about airpods and movies with good guys AND bad guys and we laugh a whole bunch. We also cry, but I won't discuss that here.

Then I show her Moonrise Kingdom. She comes out the gate aggressively with "I don't like kids" but I think I talk her into appreciating the idea of...

Best friend and workaholic Elyssa Phillips joins me in my scent-sational abode to show me one of her favorites - Auntie Mame. I'd never heard of it, but it didn't stop me from reviewing the movie. We talk about the role of the banker in the adoption process and feminism in the 1920's. It's also fun.

Then I show her Bridesmaids and she knew literally NOTHING - but it didn't stop her from reviewing the movie. We talk about a Christma...

Inquiring mind and best friend Jeannie Ceglar joins me for a fun filled afternoon of sci-fi humor. First, she shows me Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. We talk about history's men and laugh and then we talk about pizza delivery and cry.

Then, I show her Spaceballs and quote almost every bit of it. We talk about unappreciated actors and MERCHANDISING! She reveals she knows not a ton about Star Wars and Star Trek and I realize the...