Talking Pictures

Latest Episodes:

Bridget Everett Nov 19, 2024

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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Bill Murray Nov 12, 2024

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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Coming Soon: Season 2 Talking Pictures Oct 30, 2024

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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Bonus Episode: Mario Cantone Apr 26, 2024

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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Bill Hader Mar 19, 2024

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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Patty Jenkins Mar 12, 2024

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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Errol Morris Mar 05, 2024

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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Damien Chazelle Feb 27, 2024

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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Alexander Payne Feb 20, 2024

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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Mel Brooks Feb 13, 2024

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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Cord Jefferson Feb 06, 2024

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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Emerald Fennell Jan 30, 2024

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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Steven Soderbergh Jan 23, 2024

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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Nancy Meyers Jan 16, 2024

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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Coming Soon: Talking Pictures Dec 19, 2023

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

We all remember the first movie to really scare us, or the movie a parent loved and watched repeatedly. We know which movies changed us, inspiring a move or a new career path. Mankiewicz, the Turner Classic Movies host, collects these moviegoing memories from Hollywood’s most interesting writers, actors, and directors in Talking Pictures. Listen in as movie-lovers swap stories, jokes, surprising moments, and endless movie recommendations; then watch some of those very same films on the streaming service MAX. For the cinephile or the casual movie lover, this is a conversation about all the life that happens because of watching movies.

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