Episodes

  • Joachim Trier

    Joachim Trier
    Feb 26 2026
    Oscar-nominated writer/director Joachim Trier (Sentimental Value) talks with Host Ben Mankiewicz about how being raised in a filmmaking family shaped his worldview and his career. Ben and Joachim bond over E.T., Hitchcock's villains, and the enduring humor of Step Brothers. At the end you get a rare peek at a couple of Ben’s prized movie posters. Films Mentioned: Sentimental Value The Passion of Joan of Arc (aka La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc) The Worst Person in the World Oslo, August 31st Tarzan the Ape Man Mon Oncle E.T. The Hunt (aka The Chasers) The Pinchcliffe Grand Prix The Champ, 1979 and The Champ, 1931 F1 Annie Hall Salò Solaris Notorious Amarcord Flashdance Fame Flight of the Eagle The Emigrants The New Land Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid The Sting Slap Shot Step Brothers One Battle After Another Kes Harry and Tonto Where Eagles Dare Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    55 mins
  • Chloé Zhao

    Chloé Zhao
    Feb 23 2026
    Oscar-nominated writer/director Chloé Zhao (Hamnet) reveals why she has dance parties on set and what happened when a Los Angeles high school teacher took her under his wing. This two-time Academy Award winner, whose latest film is up for eight Oscars, also reveals where she stores her Oscars. Films Mentioned: Hamnet Nomadland Terminator 2 True Lies Ghost Sister Act Basic Instinct Happy Together The Matrix The Mummy Ghost In The Shell The Rider Red River Jeremiah Johnson My Darling Clementine Unforgiven Avatar Titanic Aliens Alien Star Wars Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace Land of Silence and Darkness Into the Abyss Lord of the Rings Harry Potter The Tree of Life Ferris Bueller’s Day Off Casablanca Interstellar The Searchers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Bonus Episode: Eli Roth

    Bonus Episode: Eli Roth
    May 7 2025
    In this bonus episode of Talking Pictures recorded live at the TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood, host Ben Mankiewicz chats with director and actor Eli Roth. They discuss Roth’s close relationship with David Lynch and his role as The Bear Jew in Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglorious Basterds.” Known for his horror films, we discover that scary movies made a young Eli Roth projectile vomit! The Super 8 reveals Roth’s broad film knowledge and his family admiration for Mel Brooks movies. Films Mentioned: Cabin Fever Hostel Hostel 2 The Green Inferno Thanksgiving Inglourious Basterds Death Proof Pulp Fiction True Romance The Idol* Ben-Hur Eraserhead* Superman: The Movie (1978)* The French Connection The Royal Tenenbaums The Conversation Knock Knock The Godfather The Godfather Part II Night Moves Scarecrow Quiz Show The Paper The Music of Chance Dr. Strangelove Rabbits The Scary of Sixty-First Jimmy and Stiggs It Follows* The Ring Clown E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial Alien Private Parts House of 1000 Corpses Saw Nosferatu (2024) All Hallows' Eve Terrifier The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Scream VI Sleepaway Camp Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope Outland Dracula (1979) Kingdom of the Spiders Raiders of the Lost Ark Evil Dead A Nightmare on Elm Street The Devil's Rejects American Werewolf in London Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom The Wizard of Oz* Wild at Heart Joe (1070) The Breakfast Club Re-Animator Porky's Zapped Fast Times at Ridgemont High My Chauffeur 2001: A Space Odyssey* Blue Velvet* Pink Flamingos Hamburger: The Motion Picture One-Eyed Jacks House of Wax (1953) A Night at the Opera A Day at the Races Young Frankenstein The Producers (1967) Blazing Saddles High Anxiety American Psycho The Sixth Sense Friends with Benefits One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest America's Sweethearts The Exorcist The Shining Suspiria (1977) *Available on Max as of 5/7 (Availability of titles subject to change) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • Paul Scheer

    Paul Scheer
    Feb 4 2025
    One of the godfathers of movie podcasts, Paul Scheer launched How Did This Get Made? fifteen years ago. His love of movies started as a kid on Long Island working at a Blockbuster Video. Through his talent for improv comedy, he ended up writing, directing and performing in some of the funniest shows ever put on TV. Paul details his rollercoaster career, his extremely awkward celebrity encounters, and how movies were often an escape from his difficult childhood. In the Super 8, Paul tells Ben how he once lined up at 6:00 AM... just to watch a trailer. Films Mentioned : Ordinary People The Milagro Beanfield War Dollars Heaven Can Wait Shampoo The Elephant Man The Avengers Iron Man 3 Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace Meet Joe Black The Cable Guy* Galaxy Quest Twilight Psycho 4: A New Beginning Ghost Phantasm Flowers in the Attic Young Frankenstein Blazing Saddles Happy Gilmore Back to the Future Groundhog Day Planes, Trains and Automobiles Grosse Pointe Blank Midnight Run Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. *Available on Max as of 2/04 (Availability of titles subject to change) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    58 mins
  • Pamela Adlon

    Pamela Adlon
    Jan 28 2025
    Pamela Adlon landed her first movie role when she was sixteen, and then twenty years later, she won an Emmy... for playing a teenage boy. Her thirteen seasons as Bobby Hill on King of the Hill made her a world-famous voice actor, but she's equally renowned for creating and starring in Better Things. Pam is also a director – her first feature, Babes, came out last year – and she sits down with Ben Mankiewicz to discuss her deep love of movies, which includes everything from musicals to the films of John Cassavetes. Films Mentioned: Grease 2 Babes Biosphere Creep The Animatrix Anora Deadwood* Porky's Love Streams Fame Bugsy Malone The Wiz One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest The Shining To Kill a Mockingbird The Guns of Navarone Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein Mamma Mia!* My Old Ass Schindler's List The Notebook Terms of Endearment Coming Home The Birdcage* Merrie Melodies - Rabbit Hood *Available on Max as of 1/28 (Availability of titles subject to change) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    57 mins
  • Charles Barkley

    Charles Barkley
    Jan 21 2025
    NBA legend Charles Barkley became addicted to movies as a rookie, when he'd sneak into theaters to escape the limelight for a couple of hours. By the time he changed careers from baller to broadcaster, he was a bonafide film buff, with strong opinions on all kinds of movies. In this hilarious episode, Sir Charles talks to Ben Mankiewicz about the similarities between a film crew and a basketball team, the secret to hosting Saturday Night Live, and the courtroom classic that never fails to make him laugh. Films Mentioned: Space Jam Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi A Quiet Place All the Way* The Beekeeper Jaws Arsenic and Old Lace It Happened One Night Gladiator Any Given Sunday Die Hard Live Free or Die Hard My Cousin Vinny A Bronx Tale Pulp Fiction Malcolm X The Karate Kid Stripes Taps Taxi Driver Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope Guess Who's Coming to Dinner The Ten Commandments Ben-Hur In the Heat of the Night Brian's Song Field of Dreams The Sixth Sense Dirty Harry Rawhide *Available on Max as of 01/21 (Availability of titles subject to change) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 1 min
  • Paul Feig

    Paul Feig
    Jan 14 2025
    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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    57 mins
  • Henry Winkler

    Henry Winkler
    Jan 7 2025
    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) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr