The Movies of 2024

Anne and Ryan take a bite out of Ryan Coogler's new vampire picture, SINNERS starring Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, Jack O'Connell and Delroy Lindo. Coogler wrote and directed this original Southern Gothic horror tale of twin brothers Smoke and Stack (both played by Jordan), returning to the Mississippi Delta to open a juke joint. When their cousin Sammie is recruited to play the blues guitar, a supernatural power is unleashed that attracts darks forces. Coogler's movie is a bold genre mashup of horror, musical, and period drama that has cast a spell on critics and audiences alike, but do Anne and Ryan think SINNERS is to die for? Or do they they think it sucks? Listen as we unpack Coogler's latest, taking diversions into credit sequences, Hallmark movies, oral sex, Black Bag, Robert Eggers, and much, much more!SINNERS is currently available to stream on Max.

Anne gives a brief update on Mama Needs a Movie for the upcoming weeks. Follow our Patreon podcast, ATTENTION MUST BE PAID, at patreon.com/MNAM

We discuss the new romantic comedy, BRIDGET JONES: MAD ABOUT THE BOY starring Renée Zellweger, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Leo Woodall, and Hugh Grant. Based on the Helen Fielding novel and directed by Michael Morris, this latest chapter of the Bridget Jones saga finds our titular heroine as a widowed single mother, re-entering the dating world with a younger man. Join as we reveal if we're mad about MAD ABOUT THE BOY, calling in some help from Ryan's sister, Carly Layne (a true blue BRIDGET JONES fan) for the definitive rating, and taking diversions into the Academy Awards, Justin Baldoni, Lights Camera Jackson, Amistad, The White Lotus and much, much more!BRIDGET JONES: MAD ABOUT THE BOY is available to stream with a subscription to Peacock.

Anne and Ryan gestate their takes on the new comedy, KINDA PREGNANT starring Amy Schumer, Jillian Bell, Brianne Howey, and Will Forte. Directed by Tyler Spindel and written by Schumer and Julie Paiva, KINDA PREGNANT stars Schumer as a Brooklyn school teacher who fakes a pregnancy for attention. Debuting to the #1 spot on the Netflix charts, KINDA PREGNANT aims to imbue a prenatal comedy with wild irreverence, but does the movie deliver? Check out our discussion that also takes diversions into Super Bowl commercials, Nosferatu, Riverdale, Superman, Miami Vice and much, much more!KINDA PREGNANT is currently available to stream on Netflix.

Anne and Ryan discuss the year's most Oscar-nominated film, Jacques Audiard's musical EMILIA PÉREZ starring Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón and Selena Gomez. The film follows a Mexican cartel leader who recruits a lawyer to help her transition into a woman and restart her life as a philanthropist. Drawing both accolades as an inventive, relevant musical and criticism as a tone-deaf overreach into Mexican and trans representation, EMILIA PÉREZ is the most polarizing film of any recent awards season. Join our discussion of Audiard's divisive musical, taking diversions into Justin Baldoni, George Lucas, offensive Tweets, Josh O'Connor, The Reader, Born in East L.A., and much, much more! EMILIA PÉREZ is currently available to stream on Netflix.

In honor of the recently departed David Lynch, Anne and Ryan revisit one of the director's least-celebrated, but most haunting works, LOST HIGHWAY starring Bill Pullman, Patricia Arquette, Balthazar Getty, Robert Loggia, and Robert Blake. This 1997 neo-noir begins with a married couple receiving a mysterious VHS tape on the doorstep of their Los Angeles home and the rest of the story... is better seen than explained. Join us for a trip down the dark and enigmatic LOST HIGHWAY, as we pay a fond tribute to one of America's irreplaceable artists. LOST HIGHWAY is currently available to stream on The Criterion Channel. 

Anne and Ryan digest the architectural drama, THE BRUTALIST starring Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, and Joe Alwyn. Directed by Brady Corbet and written by Corbet and Mona Fastvold, THE BRUTALIST follows a fictional Hungarian-Jewish architect László Tóth (Brody) as he immigrates to America and falls under the patronage of a wealthy industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren (Pearce). A critical hit and Oscar front-runner, THE BRUTALIST is undoubtedly epic in its ambition, length, and use of VistaVision, but is the film as monumental as the hype? Join us for a brutally honest discussion that takes some diversions into Wicked, Babygirl, Dave Eggers, Bradley Cooper, Funny Games, The Godfather, The Fountainhead and much, much more!THE BRUTALIST is currently available to stream on Max.

Anne and Ryan look back on the most memorable 2024 releases in a special year-in-review episode. Brace yourselves for a spoiler-heavy discussion of 2024's most divisive and impactful movies, including THE APPRENTICE, BABYGIRL, BETWEEN THE TEMPLES, CHALLENGERS, A DIFFERENT MAN, HARD TRUTHS, HERE, HOW TO HAVE SEX, LA CHIMERA, MEGALOPOLIS, MY OLD ASS, NICKEL BOYS, QUEER, THE SUBSTANCE, and many more!

Writer/director Alex Kavutskiy returns to the podcast to discuss the new Bob Dylan biopic A COMPLETE UNKNOWN starring Timothée Chalamet, Edward Norton, Monica Barbaro, and Elle Fanning. James Mangold directs this chronicle of Dylan's early successes, including his quick rise in the New York folk scene, his collaborations with Joan Baez, and controversial choice to go electric at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. It ain't no use to sit and wonder what we think of this movie, take a listen to our freewheelin' discussion which includes a few diversions into Amadeus, Babygirl, Inside Llewyn Davis, Dune, and much, much more!A COMPLETE UNKNOWN is currently available to stream on Hulu.

We watched a ton of movies this year, but some of the most exciting ones weren't new. In a special holiday episode, Anne and Ryan discuss a handful of older films that fascinated them in 2024, from first-time discoveries of underseen gems to reexaminations of all-time classics. From noir to gothic horror, from Brando to Bogart, these are some of the film experiences that felt most vital to us in the past year.