Maltin on Movies

Legendary film critic Leonard Maltin and his daughter Jessie are the ultimate movie fans. They love talking about movies, especially with people who share their enthusiasm—from living legends like Mel Brooks, Al Pacino, Angela Lansbury and Quincy Jones to such contemporary artists as Amy Adams, Tim Burton, Laura Dern, and Jordan Peele. You’ll meet all kinds of interesting people and hear their recommendations of unsung movies you ought to know…

Latest Episodes:

Revisiting Floyd Norman Sep 09, 2022

Show notes

In celebration of this weekend's D23 convention in Anaheim, California, we're happy to revisit this episode from August of 2018:

Floyd Norman is an official Disney Legend, and so much more: Walt Disney's first full-time African-American animator, a contributor to such films as Sleeping Beauty and The Jungle Book, a disciple of Disney's legendary Nine Old Men, and a story man on such Pixar features as Toy Story 2 and Monsters Inc. What's more, as Leonard and Jessie have learned, he's a naturally funny man, a great storyteller, and a sweetheart of a guy with an irreverent sense of humor. He's even the subject of a first-class documentary called Floyd Norman: An Animated Life. Tune in for some great anecdotes and first-hand memories of Walt Disney.

Recorded live at That's from Disneyland, courtesy of its creators Richard and Nicky Kraft

Andreas Deja Aug 26, 2022

Show notes

Andreas was 10 or 11 when he saw Walt Disney's The Jungle Book and it changed his life. As a boy in Germany he dreamed of working for the studio that captured his imagination so completely… and he made that dream come true. A master animator, he brought King Triton to life in The Little Mermaid, Scar in The Lion King, and Jafar in Aladdin, to name just a few. He never surrendered his pencil, choosing to burnish his skills rather than adapt to computer technology. For most of the last decade he's been working on an animated film of his own called Moushka. Andreas is that rare artist who has carved his own path and been rewarded for his dedication (and talent). Leonard and Jessie are longtime friends and fans.

Emmy Nominees for Love, Death & Robots Aug 19, 2022

Show notes

Meet four of the creative folks responsible for the animated Netflix hit Love, Death & Robots! In their alternate lives, creator and executive producer Tim Miller directed the big-screen Deadpool and Jennifer Yuh Nelson directed Kung Fu Panda 2 and 3… but this attention-grabbing anthology of animated short subjects has got their juices flowing. The same holds true for supervising sound editors Brad North and Craig Henighan, who treat each episode of the show like a feature film and call on years of experience creating unusual soundscapes. Leonard and Jessie can't imagine all the work that goes into crafting every installment of this wildly imaginative show.

Emmy Nominees for Gaslit Aug 17, 2022

Show notes

"Gaslit" is one of the best miniseries of the past year, and it has been rewarded with Emmy nominations for Kazu Hiro, the gifted Japanese-born makeup artist who transformed Sean Penn into former Attorney General John Mitchell… cinematographer Larkin Seiple, whose credits include this year's indie darling Everything Everywhere All at Once…sound rerecording mixers John W. Cook II and Ben Wilkins, who articulate why creating authentic sound effects make a crucial difference to the film as a whole and their expert audio colleagues Stefani Feldman and Kevin Buchholz, Leonard and Jessie value this opportunity to go behind the scenes and talk to such creative collaborators.

Rick Carter Aug 12, 2022

Show notes

Rick Carter's credits as production designer are staggering: Jurassic Park, Forrest Gump, A.I., Amistad, Cast Away, Star Wars: The Force Awakens and the two that won him Oscars, Avatar and Lincoln, to name just a few. Yet he remains open-minded and recently mentored eight local artists for an amazing installation at the El Segundo Museum of Art, or eSMOA. That's where Leonard and Jessie sat down with him to discuss his extraordinary career and the exceptional films he's helped bring to life.

Martin Short Aug 05, 2022

Show notes

Show business was always Martin Short's destination. When he was a boy he wrote TV Guide listings for the variety show he envisioned for himself. Most of his dreams have come true, from television to Hollywood to Broadway. He's just completed season 2 of Only Murders in the Building for Hulu, costarring his pal Steve Martin and Selena Gomez. If it looks like the stars are having a good time working together, it's because they are. Both Leonard and Jessie were nervous talking to someone they admire so very much. Their guest was unfailingly thoughtful and good-natured. How could he be otherwise? He's Martin Short!

Michael Uslan Jul 29, 2022

Show notes

Lots of baby boomers read comic books, but only one pursued his love of comics so far that he wound up buying the screen rights to Batman. It took ten years for Michael Uslan to get that first movie made, with Tim Burton behind the camera and Michael Keaton in front, but it was a game-changer for Hollywood. Michael has told his life story in a book, The Boy Who Loved Batman, and now it's going to be a Broadway show! During the recording of this conversation Jessie realized that Michael and Leonard must have inhabited the same space at one time years ago. Listen in and you'll learn the answer.

Paul Walter Hauser Jul 22, 2022

Show notes

If you're casting an unconventional character and you need someone the audience will relate to—no matter how strange his story—you might want to call on Paul Walter Hauser. Clint Eastwood did for the leading role in his movie Richard Jewell, Craig Gillespie did for I, Tonya, and Dennis Lehane did for the current Apple+ series Black Bird. (Spike Lee has used him twice—in Blackklansman and Da 5 Bloods.) Jessie has been a fan since the TV series Kingdom, and Leonard is still catching up with this gifted performer's work.

Annette O'Toole Jul 15, 2022

Show notes

Annette O'Toole's first professional job was dancing with Danny Kaye on his network TV show… and she hasn't stopped performing since. She's about to film the fifth season of the Netflix series Virgin River and is brimming with enthusiasm for it. Her credits include six years as Ma Kent on Smallville, an Emmy nomination for playing Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy in The Kennedys of Massachusetts, and an Oscar nomination for the song "A Smile at the End of the Rainbow" from Christopher Guest's A Mighty Wind (which she wrote with her husband Michael McKean). Leonard and Jessie love talking to people like Annette who love what they do—and are so very good at it.

Dennis Lehane Jul 08, 2022

Show notes

Dennis Lehane is the best-selling author of Boston-based crime novels that have translated well to film (Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone). His first experience with television was on The Wire, a great show that helped inform his new six-part series called Black Birds, which debuts Friday, July 8 on Apple+. It's an incredibly gripping drama and Lehane is happy to talk about it with Leonard and Jessie. You'll learn about the importance of casting not just the leading roles (Taron Egerton, Paul Walter Hauser, Ray Liotta) but every person who appears on camera.

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