Mary Versus the Movies podcast

Mary Versus the Movies

Mary Jones

Sure, the 1980s were a great decade for film. But have you seen all of them? No, neither has Mary. In fact, some pretty big films passed her by, what with being in kindergarten at the time: A Nightmare on Elm Street, Moonstruck, My Neighbor Totoro... So it's time to fix that. Artwork, opening and closing themes by Dennis Lingg Produced and edited by Mary Jones

305 Episodes

Episode 257 - The Beastmaster (1982)
11/13/2026
50:39
A foundling prince, raised by peasants, battles an evil wizard and rescues a damsel with the help of his animal friends. It's sword-and-sorcery aimed straight at the heart of a horny twelve-year-old. Starring Marc Singer, Tanya Roberts, Rip Torn, and John Amos. Written by Don Coscarelli and Paul Peppermint. Directed by Don Coscarelli. Listen without ads when you join the Patreon: patreon.com/maryvsmovies
Episode 256 - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)
11/6/2026
48:06
A mismatched pair of conmen fleece the rich of the French Riviera, until a woman comes between them in this witty comedy about grifters living the good life. Starring Michael Caine, Steve Martin, and Glenne Headly. Written by Dale Launer, Stanley Shapiro, and Paul Henning. Directed by Frank Oz. Listen without ads when you join the Patreon: patreon.com/maryvsmovies
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Hollywood Avalon ep. 41 - A Connecticut Yankee (1931)
10/31/2026
2:01
As a crossover with our other new show The Winners, we watch 1931's A Connecticut Yankee, which puts Will Rogers in the familiar Mark Twain story about a time-traveling inventor who ends up in King Arthur's court. This is actually one of the more faithful adaptations we've seen of Twain's story; being made during the Great Depression, it retains some of the social satire and class consciousness--and mechanized warfare--of the novel, while eliding a good deal of the plot. Starring Will Rogers, Myrna Loy, Maureen O'Sullivan, William Farnum, Frank Albertson, and Heinie Conklin. Written by William M. Conselman and Owen Davis. Directed by David Butler. This is a preview of the latest episode of our series Hollywood Avalon. To hear the entire episode, join the Mary Versus the Movies patreon for $3/month to hear this and the entire series Hollywood Avalon: https://www.patreon.com/maryvsmovies.
Episode 255 - Tremors (1990)
10/30/2026
47:10
Giant worms destroy a town in Nevada. That's it, that's the movie. It's glorious. Starring Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Finn Carter, Michael Gross, and Reba McEntire. Written by S.S. Wilson and Brent Maddock. Directed by Ron Underwood. Listen without ads when you join the Patreon: patreon.com/maryvsmovies
Episode 254 - Flowers in the Attic (1987) - with Alana Phelan
10/22/2026
1:35:58
We bring back Alana Phelan for our yearly horror-watch, and she brings us the not-great adaptation of every 12 year old girl's favorite forbidden gothic novel. It's the story of a family locked in an attic because the tree couldn't be bothered to fork. Fun stuff. Staring Kristy Swanson, Victoria Tennant, Louise Fletcher, and Jeb Stuart Adams. Written and directed by Jeffrey Bloom from V.C. Andrews' novel. Get the extended version and listen without ads when you join the Patreon: patreon.com/maryvsmovies
The Winners - 1930/1931 - Cimmeron/The Front Page/The Four Seasons
10/20/2026
4:58
We cover the fourth Best Picture winner, Cimmeron: an epic history of the settling of Oklahoma that is, unfortunately, both slow-moving and mired in the racial prejudices of its time. Still, not unlike Killers of the Flower Moon a century later, it attempts to wrestle with the mistreatment of the Osage Nation. We also watched The Front Page, the Ben Hecht/Charles MacArthur comedy about newspaper reporters, corrupt mayors, and an escaped prisoner. Front Page has been adapted several times, the most notable being the stunning His Girl Friday, and while this doesn't quite reach that film's heights (what could?), Lewis Milestone's direction and Duncan Mansfield's editing is fast and funny and pretty revolutionary for early sound film. Finally, we watched a few more Silly Symphonies, "Spring", "Summer", "Autumn", and "Winter", the first three directed by Ub Iwerks before he left Disney. This is a preview of the latest episode of our series The Winners. To hear the entire episode, join the Mary Versus the Movies patreon for $3/month to hear this and the entire series The Winners: https://www.patreon.com/maryvsmovies.
Episode 253 - Dead Ringers (1988) - with Emma Cole
10/16/2026
1:18:29
Twin gynecologists descend into madness in this claustrophobic psychological horror story about love, jealousy, misogyny, and body horror. We talk with author Emma Cole about one of the greatest Canadian films of all time, and about her new book Love Never Dies: Romance in Horror Movies. Check out her work at https://editrixemma.com/ Starring Jeremy Irons and Geneviève Bujold. Written by David Cronenberg and Norman Snider. Directed by David Cronenberg.
Episode 252 - Motel Hell (1980)
10/9/2026
58:12
Farmer Vincent and his sister Ida are just humble hoteliers and charcuterie aficionados. Is it really so bad they cut a few corners? And necks? Spooky month continues with this horror comedy about cannibalistic countryfolk and the people who cross their paths. Starring Rory Calhoun, Nancy Parsons, Paul Linke, and Nina Axelrod. Written by Robert Jaffe and Steven-Charles Jaffe. Directed by Kevin Connor. Listen without ads when you join the Patreon: patreon.com/maryvsmovies
Episode 251 - Spookies (1986) with Uncle Morty
10/1/2026
31:13
Mary was sick this week, so she tapped friend of the show Josh Seybert to ask his Uncle Morty to step in and kick off Spooky Month with the aptly-named Spookies, a schlocky horror movie about squatters battling a warlock. Starring Felix Ward, Dan Scott, Alec Nemser, and Maria Pechukas. Written and Directed by Thomas Doran, Brendan Faulkner, and Frank Farel. Thanks again to Uncle Morty; check out Josh's many projects at https://screamingatclouds.libsyn.com and his show with Andy Mascola, Empathy at the Apocalypse: https://directory.libsyn.com/shows/view/id/8fee42d4-fe5b-4500-9db1-767a4e25b9f8 Listen without ads when you join the Patreon: patreon.com/maryvsmovies
Hollywood Avalon ep. 40 - Merlin (1998)
9/30/2026
6:12
In a Britain torn apart by civil war, with Christianity displacing the Old Religion, Queen Mab of the Faeries takes it upon herself to create Merlin, the greatest enchanter of all time, in order to reestablish people's worship of her and ensure her immortality. Merlin has other plans, though. A surprising blend of high fantasy and historical romance, this TV miniseries is infinitely better than it has any right to be, thanks to a stellar cast, witty script, effects from the Jim Henson Shop, and designs by Alan Lee. Starring Sam Neil, Miranda Richardson, Isabella Rossellini, Helena Bonham Carter, Rutger Hauer, and Martin Short. Written by Edward Khmara, David Stevens, and Peter Barnes. Directed by Steve Barron. This is a preview of the latest episode of our series Hollywood Avalon. To hear the entire episode, join the Mary Versus the Movies patreon for $3/month to hear this and the entire series Hollywood Avalon: https://www.patreon.com/maryvsmovies.

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