Sitting Around Talking Movies

Movies are like canned cranberry sauce. Definitely manufactured but capable of being sweet or tart, and able to make at least one day a little better. Plus the jiggling is always fun. And now we have this year's crop of Thanksgiving movies. They're quite the seasonal bounty. First we have "Gladiator 2" which stars Denzel Washington, Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal and Connie Neilson. It's been a long time since the first one - how's the sequel? We all saw it and we'll let you know.Then Neil tells us about "Wicked" which is the much anticipated movie version of the Broadway musical which seems destined to last longer than Broadway itself. And for something a bit more adult, Bill Bregoli tells us about "Anora," which is about a young sex worker from Brooklyn, who meets and impulsively marries the son of an oligarch. Once the news reaches Russia, her fairytale is threatened as his parents set out for New York to get the marriage annulled. Also for grownups is "September 5" which takes place during the 1972 Munich Olympics, as an American sports broadcasting crew finds itself thrust into covering the hostage crisis involving Israeli athletes. And for you streaming fans there's "Blitz" which is the stories of a group of Londoners during the German bombing campaign of the British capital during World War II. We've also got amodern-day tale of fortune seeking in the world of West Texas oil rigs called "Landman" starring Billy Bob Thornton and "The Day of the Jackal" which is about an elusive assassin who makes his living carrying out hits for the highest fee. And for music documentary fans there's "Beatles '64" which captures the band's electrifying 1964 US debut amid fan frenzy. So put that can opener down and listen in.

Daylight Savings Time is coming to an end and darkness will be upon us even sooner. But that's OK since there are lots of movies and shows to watch.We start with "Woman of the Hour." It's the directorial debut of Anna Kendrick who also stars in the film as Sheryl Bradshaw, a single woman looking for a suitor on a hit 1970s TV show, chooses charming bachelor Rodney Alcala, unaware that, behind the man's gentle facade, he hides a deadly secret.It's based on a true story! Bill Bregoli and Bill McCuddy both saw it and they'll tell you what they think. Neil Rosen, on the other hand, went to some Broadway plays. The first is "Hold on to Me Darling" starring Adam Driver. And he also saw "Left on Tenth" starring Julianna Margulies and Peter Gallagher. For streaming folks there's the Seth Meyers comedy special "Dad Man Walking" which is about, you guessed it - being a dad. Plus there's the intense drama "Disclaimer" which stars Cate Blanchett as a television documentary journalist whose work has been built on revealing the transgressions of long-respected institutions. And for something less intense there's "It's Florida, Man" which is an irreverent late-night series bringing to life unbelievable tales from Florida. Safer than actually going there. We've also got the Netflix documentary "Sweet Bobby: My Catfish Nightmare" and even more. Time's a wastin' so listen in!

Summer's creature features and superheroes have faded away and now it's time for the award show bait to show up. We start with "Conclave" which stars Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow and Isabella Rossellini (wow!). Ralph stars as Cardinal Lawrence, who is tasked with leading one of the world's most secretive and ancient events, selecting a new Pope, and he finds himself at the center of a conspiracy that could shake the very foundation of the Catholic Church. It's got lots of Oscar buzz plus an amazing cast. We'll let you know what we think! Then there's "The Apprentice."" which is the story of how a young Donald Trump started his real-estate business in 1970s and '80s New York with the helping hand of infamous lawyer Roy Cohn. And speaking of controversial folks, we've also got the new Netflix documentary "Martha" which covers the breadth of an extraordinary life through intimate interviews with Martha Stewart herself, who opened up her personal archives to share never-before-seen photos, letters, and diary entries. For comedy buffs there's "Saturday Night" which tells how on October 11th, 1975, a ferocious troupe of young comedians and writers changed television forever. Find out what happened behind the scenes in the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of Saturday Night Live way back in1975. There's a whole lot more, so lsten in!

It's officially Fall now. And like your neighbor's zucchinis, we have lots of movies. Some big, some small. First up we've got "Wolfs." It's about two rival fixers who cross paths when they're both called in to help cover up a prominent New York official's misstep. Oh, George Clooney and Brad Pitt are in it. Then there's "My Old Ass." It's a comong of age comedy about how a mushroom trip brings free-spirited Elliott (the up andcoming Maisy Stella) face-to-face with her 39-year-old self - played by no less than Aubrey Plaza. If it's creepy you want we've got "The Substance" in which a fading celebrity played by Demi Moore decides to use a black-market drug, a cell-replicating substance that temporarily creates a younger, better version of herself. If you're one of the few unfortunates who hasn't seen "Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice" we'll fill you in on that and it you're into documentaries we'll tell you about "Wise Guy: David Chase and the Sopranos" which is full of firsthand accounts and revelations from the people who brought the groundbreaking series to life. And for animation fans there "The Wild Robot" in which an intelligent robot called Roz is stranded on an uninhabited island. To survive the harsh environment, Roz bonds with the island's animals and cares for an orphaned baby goose. Oh and there's more including "Rebel Ridge," "The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg" and "In the Land of Saints and Sinners." We talk a lot in this one so fry up some zucchini and listen in.

If you've been going to movies for a few years you;ve probably realized that August is usually the End of Season Clearance Sale at the movies. Horror flicks, lame comedies, really, they should mark these films down. But this year is very different. Not only are pictures making more money this August than a year ago, but they're making more money than in August 2019 - the year before the pandemic. So we'll start with "It Ends With Us." It's based on a popular novel and stars Blake Lively as Lily, who overcomes a traumatic childhood to embark on a new life. A chance meeting with a neurosurgeon sparks a connection but Lily begins to see sides of him that remind her of her parents' relationship. Bill Bregoli watched it in a theater full of women and he'll tell you how they liked it. Then there's "Deadpool & Wolverine" which just about everyone has seen but once again Bill B was the one of us who ventured out to the theater and he'll tell you how that went. Bill B also saw "Twisters" and he explains how it;s different from "Twister" (the one with the cow). Neil went to a theater too, and he caught up with "Fly Me to the Moon." Bill McCuddy went the streaming route and watched the new version of "Presumed Innocent" Starring Jake Gylllenhaal and he'll let you know what he thought. Plus Neil and Bill M talk about the new "Saturday Night Live" movie trailer for longer than the actual trailer, but hey, that's what we do. So listen in!