Talking Pictures

Hiro Murai 18.06.2026 58min

Director/Producer Hiro Murai whose new show is Apple TV’s “Widow’s Bay,” joins host Ben Mankiewicz. They discuss why he and Donald Glover collaborate so well and how their initial approach to making “Atlanta” was unsustainable. Murai and Ben debate the value of surrealism in art and Murai reveals that he once pitched himself to direct a Beyonce video but completely understands why he didn’t get the gig. His answers to the Super 8 span Japanese films like Miyazaki’s “My Neighbor Totoro” and Takeshi Kitano’s “Sonatine” to the Albert Brooks comedy “Modern Romance” and Kubrick’s “The Shining.” Films Mentioned: Rosemary’s Baby Eraserhead Cool Runnings The Shining Terminator 2: Judgement Day AKA T2 Elevator To The Gallows Boogie Nights No Country For Old Men Jurassic Park Modern Romance La Chimera 2001: A Space Odyssey Ran My Neighbor Totoro Tampopo The Sound of Music Reds Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sally Field 11.06.2026 1h 7min

Oscar-winning actress Sally Field gets real with Ben Mankiewicz. Drawing on her memoir In Pieces, she discusses her fraught relationship with ex-boyfriend/Smokey and the Bandit co-star Burt Reynolds and his similarity to her abusive step-father. During The Flying Nun she was introduced to the Actors Studio where she transformed from a sitcom actress Hollywood had written off into someone who could fight for Norma Rae, fight Spielberg twice for Lincoln, and win both battles. In the Super 8 she praises the work of Louise Fletcher in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and reveals she rarely cries at movies. Films Mentioned: Remarkably Bright Creatures Smokey and the Bandit Sybil Norma Rae The Way West Places in the Heart Lincoln Gone with the Wind Them! The Searchers One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Charade Steamboat Bill, Jr. The Enchanted Cottage A Letter to Three Wives Hooper Absence of Malice Steel Magnolias Forrest Gump Hud Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Susan Sarandon 04.06.2026 1h 3min

Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon joins Ben Mankiewicz to share unvarnished stories of a life in films– from making Rocky Horror Picture Show, Bull Durham, Witches of Eastwick, and Pretty Baby to navigating the cynical world of showbiz. She argues that every film is political– either challenging the status quo or enforcing it– and reveals her input into the iconic ending of Thelma & Louise which turns 35 this year. Films Mentioned: The Nutty Professor The Accompanist Dead Man Walking Joe Atlantic City Pretty Baby Rocky Horror Picture Show Witches of Eastwick Bull Durham Sirat Afterlife Grapes of Wrath Lord of the Rings Bambi Waiting for Guffman Best in Show Thelma & Louise Being There Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid The Front Page, 1974 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rosie Perez 28.05.2026 1h 2min

Oscar-nominated actress Rosie Perez sits down with host Ben Mankiewicz to discuss the films that shaped her career—Do the Right Thing and Fearless—as well as early favorites like Saturday Night Fever and Double Indemnity. She reflects on building a career in an industry that didn’t readily accept her for who she is, and speaks candidly about being raised in a strict Catholic home for girls. In the Super 8 segment, she tells Ben about an amazing boxing story she’d love to see on the big screen. Films Mentioned The Way We Were Do The Right Thing Fearless Criminal Justice The Bells of St. Mary's The Little Princess (Shirley Temple version), 1939 Old Yeller Rosemary's Baby Saturday Night Fever Double Indemnity Cool Hand Luke Some Like It Hot Detour Young Frankenstein Stormy Weather Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Patton Oswalt 21.05.2026 1h 2min

Comedian and actor Patton Oswalt joins host Ben Mankiewicz for a live taping of Talking Pictures recorded at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel on the eve of the 2026 TCM Classic Film Festival. An obsessive movie fan, Patton sees hundreds of films a year; he hates talkers in theaters but loves when going to a movie turns into a bonding experience with strangers. From his acting career, he tells stories of being suspended in a tree on the set of “Magnolia” and doing a sex scene with Charlize Theron in “Young Adult.” In the Super 8, Oswalt shares films you’ll want to remember and see the first chance you get. Films Mentioned: Young Adult Ratatouille The D.I. Halloween Magnolia Hard Eight Young Adult Stalag 17 The Great Escape Yojimbo Bad News Bears, 1976 Casablanca Pee Wee’s Big Adventure Return of the Living Dead Three Kings Gates of Heaven Bachelor Party Baby Driver After Life The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Planet of The Apes Wait Until Dark Man With No Name A Catered Affair The Russians Are Coming The Russians Are Coming Sergeant York The Taking of Pelham 123 Female Trouble Borat! Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan The Twelve Chairs Blazing Saddles Ikiru Kingpin Quick Change Pig Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Edgar Wright 14.05.2026 59min

Talking Pictures is back with ardent movie fan and beloved filmmaker Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead and The Running Man). He talks with host Ben Mankiewicz about living in Quentin Tarantino’s guesthouse, action movie montages, and being mesmerized by Sidney Poitier at the TCM Classic Film Festival. To Ben’s surprise, Wright christens Ben’s home studio with a perfect classic film moniker. Films mentioned: Raiders of the Lost Ark Shaun of the Dead Baby Driver The Running Man Hot Fuzz The World’s End Star Wars: Episode IV: Close Encounters of the Third Kind Star Trek: The Motion Picture Watership Down The Lord of The Rings (1978 animated film) Popeye Evil Dead and Evil Dead II El Mariachi Reservoir Dogs Bad Taste Rumble In The Bronx Something About Mary Silence of the Lambs In the Heat of the Night Raising Arizona Goodfellas Pink Panther films Hellraiser The Wages of Fear Sorcerer Lawrence of Arabia E.T. Umberto D. This Is Spinal Tap Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Coming Soon: Talking Pictures 07.05.2026 1min

Season three of Talking Pictures is back, with a brand new lineup of guests celebrating the movies they love, this time on video. Host Ben Mankiewicz invites some of the most iconic figures in Hollywood for an intimate conversation at his home studio. Guests like Sally Field, Edgar Wright, and Susan Sarandon open up about the moments that made them, the movies that informed them, and share behind-the-scenes stories that haven’t been told. Of course, every episode ends with the Super 8, where they reveal the movies that make them laugh, cry, and that they can’t forget. From TCM and HBO Max, this is Season 3 of Talking Pictures: A Movie Memories Podcast, hosted by Ben Mankiewicz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Joachim Trier 26.02.2026 55min

Oscar-nominated writer/director Joachim Trier (Sentimental Value) talks with Host Ben Mankiewicz about how being raised in a filmmaking family shaped his worldview and his career. Ben and Joachim bond over E.T., Hitchcock's villains, and the enduring humor of Step Brothers. At the end you get a rare peek at a couple of Ben’s prized movie posters. Films Mentioned: Sentimental Value The Passion of Joan of Arc (aka La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc) The Worst Person in the World Oslo, August 31st Tarzan the Ape Man Mon Oncle E.T. The Hunt (aka The Chasers) The Pinchcliffe Grand Prix The Champ, 1979 and The Champ, 1931 F1 Annie Hall Salò Solaris Notorious Amarcord Flashdance Fame Flight of the Eagle The Emigrants The New Land Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid The Sting Slap Shot Step Brothers One Battle After Another Kes Harry and Tonto Where Eagles Dare Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chloé Zhao 23.02.2026 1h 2min

Oscar-nominated writer/director Chloé Zhao (Hamnet) reveals why she has dance parties on set and what happened when a Los Angeles high school teacher took her under his wing. This two-time Academy Award winner, whose latest film is up for eight Oscars, also reveals where she stores her Oscars. Films Mentioned: Hamnet Nomadland Terminator 2 True Lies Ghost Sister Act Basic Instinct Happy Together The Matrix The Mummy Ghost In The Shell The Rider Red River Jeremiah Johnson My Darling Clementine Unforgiven Avatar Titanic Aliens Alien Star Wars Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace Land of Silence and Darkness Into the Abyss Lord of the Rings Harry Potter The Tree of Life Ferris Bueller’s Day Off Casablanca Interstellar The Searchers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bonus Episode: Eli Roth 07.05.2025 1h 5min

In this bonus episode of Talking Pictures recorded live at the TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood, host Ben Mankiewicz chats with director and actor Eli Roth. They discuss Roth’s close relationship with David Lynch and his role as The Bear Jew in Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglorious Basterds.” Known for his horror films, we discover that scary movies made a young Eli Roth projectile vomit! The Super 8 reveals Roth’s broad film knowledge and his family admiration for Mel Brooks movies. Films Mentioned: Cabin Fever Hostel Hostel 2 The Green Inferno Thanksgiving Inglourious Basterds Death Proof Pulp Fiction True Romance The Idol* Ben-Hur Eraserhead* Superman: The Movie (1978)* The French Connection The Royal Tenenbaums The Conversation Knock Knock The Godfather The Godfather Part II Night Moves Scarecrow Quiz Show The Paper The Music of Chance Dr. Strangelove Rabbits The Scary of Sixty-First Jimmy and Stiggs It Follows* The Ring Clown E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial Alien Private Parts House of 1000 Corpses Saw Nosferatu (2024) All Hallows' Eve Terrifier The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Scream VI Sleepaway Camp Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope Outland Dracula (1979) Kingdom of the Spiders Raiders of the Lost Ark Evil Dead A Nightmare on Elm Street The Devil's Rejects American Werewolf in London Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom The Wizard of Oz* Wild at Heart Joe (1070) The Breakfast Club Re-Animator Porky's Zapped Fast Times at Ridgemont High My Chauffeur 2001: A Space Odyssey* Blue Velvet* Pink Flamingos Hamburger: The Motion Picture One-Eyed Jacks House of Wax (1953) A Night at the Opera A Day at the Races Young Frankenstein The Producers (1967) Blazing Saddles High Anxiety American Psycho The Sixth Sense Friends with Benefits One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest America's Sweethearts The Exorcist The Shining Suspiria (1977) *Available on Max as of 5/7 (Availability of titles subject to change) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Paul Scheer 04.02.2025 58min

One of the godfathers of movie podcasts, Paul Scheer launched How Did This Get Made? fifteen years ago. His love of movies started as a kid on Long Island working at a Blockbuster Video. Through his talent for improv comedy, he ended up writing, directing and performing in some of the funniest shows ever put on TV. Paul details his rollercoaster career, his extremely awkward celebrity encounters, and how movies were often an escape from his difficult childhood. In the Super 8, Paul tells Ben how he once lined up at 6:00 AM... just to watch a trailer. Films Mentioned : Ordinary People The Milagro Beanfield War Dollars Heaven Can Wait Shampoo The Elephant Man The Avengers Iron Man 3 Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace Meet Joe Black The Cable Guy* Galaxy Quest Twilight Psycho 4: A New Beginning Ghost Phantasm Flowers in the Attic Young Frankenstein Blazing Saddles Happy Gilmore Back to the Future Groundhog Day Planes, Trains and Automobiles Grosse Pointe Blank Midnight Run Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. *Available on Max as of 2/04 (Availability of titles subject to change) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pamela Adlon 28.01.2025 56min

Pamela Adlon landed her first movie role when she was sixteen, and then twenty years later, she won an Emmy... for playing a teenage boy. Her thirteen seasons as Bobby Hill on King of the Hill made her a world-famous voice actor, but she's equally renowned for creating and starring in Better Things. Pam is also a director – her first feature, Babes, came out last year – and she sits down with Ben Mankiewicz to discuss her deep love of movies, which includes everything from musicals to the films of John Cassavetes. Films Mentioned: Grease 2 Babes Biosphere Creep The Animatrix Anora Deadwood* Porky's Love Streams Fame Bugsy Malone The Wiz One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest The Shining To Kill a Mockingbird The Guns of Navarone Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein Mamma Mia!* My Old Ass Schindler's List The Notebook Terms of Endearment Coming Home The Birdcage* Merrie Melodies - Rabbit Hood *Available on Max as of 1/28 (Availability of titles subject to change) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Charles Barkley 21.01.2025 1h 1min

NBA legend Charles Barkley became addicted to movies as a rookie, when he'd sneak into theaters to escape the limelight for a couple of hours. By the time he changed careers from baller to broadcaster, he was a bonafide film buff, with strong opinions on all kinds of movies. In this hilarious episode, Sir Charles talks to Ben Mankiewicz about the similarities between a film crew and a basketball team, the secret to hosting Saturday Night Live, and the courtroom classic that never fails to make him laugh. Films Mentioned: Space Jam Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi A Quiet Place All the Way* The Beekeeper Jaws Arsenic and Old Lace It Happened One Night Gladiator Any Given Sunday Die Hard Live Free or Die Hard My Cousin Vinny A Bronx Tale Pulp Fiction Malcolm X The Karate Kid Stripes Taps Taxi Driver Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope Guess Who's Coming to Dinner The Ten Commandments Ben-Hur In the Heat of the Night Brian's Song Field of Dreams The Sixth Sense Dirty Harry Rawhide *Available on Max as of 01/21 (Availability of titles subject to change) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Paul Feig 14.01.2025 56min

From Bridesmaids to Spy to The Heat, Paul Feig has become Hollywood's go-to guy for raunchy, big-budget comedies about women. But his directing career only took off after his acting career crashed and burned. This week, Paul tells Ben Mankiewicz how getting fired from a beloved sitcom forced him out of his comfort zone and into a new role behind the camera. And during the Super 8, Paul reveals how his mother's taste in movies led to his love of double-breasted suits. Films Mentioned: Bridesmaids The Heat Spy A Simple Favor Animal House Life Sold Separately Honey, I Shrunk the Kids The Blues Brothers Thelma & Louise Animal Crackers What's Up, Doc? Jackpot! Ghostbusters The Purge It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World Raiders of the Lost Ark An American Werewolf in London Polite Society Napoleon Dynamite Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope His Girl Friday Cabaret It's a Wonderful Life Poltergeist Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Henry Winkler 07.01.2025 1h

Host Ben Mankiewicz begins the new year by talking to the nicest man in Hollywood, actor Henry Winkler. Winkler admits it was almost impossible to find work after his 10-year run as the Fonz on Happy Days. He reminisces about his friendships with Sylvester Stallone and Ron Howard and shares his struggles with dyslexia. And we get the inspiring story of how he got the second role of a lifetime on HBO’s Barry. Winkler is an enthusiastic movie watcher, so his Super 8 is full of gems. Films Mentioned: The Waterboy Little Nicky Barry* The Lords of Flatbush Rocky Heroes The One and Only Night Shift Scream* Rebel Without a Cause* City of God The Alamo Nobody Casablanca* Love Actually Notting Hill Four Weddings and a Funeral* Les Compères The Out-of-Towners *Available on Max as of 1/7 (Availability of titles subject to change) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jane Lynch 17.12.2024 54min

Emmy-winner Jane Lynch is known for bringing her razor-sharp comic edge to movies like Best in Show and TV shows like Glee. But her biggest break came in a famous commercial for… Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes! She talks to host Ben Mankiewicz about breaking down a scene with Harrison Ford, the difference between masculine and feminine improv, and the film that made her sob all the way home from the theater. Films Mentioned: Best in Show The 40-Year Old Virgin Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby Ninotchka Camille Anna Christie The Wizard of Oz* Gone with the Wind* Sophie's Choice The Devil Wears Prada* Hang 'Em High Three Days of the Condor Husbands and Wives Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid The Sting The Fugitive A Mighty Wind For Your Consideration Mascots Legally Blonde American Pie The White Lotus* Waiting for Guffman This Is Spinal Tap Private Benjamin Funny Girl The Bridge on the River Kwai The Big Sleep White Christmas Terms of Endearment *Available on Max as of 12/17 (Availability of titles subject to change) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jason Reitman 10.12.2024 1h 1min

This week, writer/director Jason Reitman (Saturday Night, Juno, Up in the Air) joins host Ben Mankiewicz to talk about growing up on a movie set, his brief stint writing for Saturday Night Live, and the joys of directing George Clooney. Reitman also reveals what his father, the late director Ivan Reitman, taught him about storytelling and making movies. During the Super 8, Jason surprises Ben with the movie props in his enviable collection. Films Mentioned: Meatballs Stripes Ghostbusters Dave Thank You For Smoking Juno Inglourious Basterds Animal House Up in the Air* Saturday Night The Front Runner Ghostbusters: Afterlife The Fabelmans Westworld Jurassic Park* Twins E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial Back to the Future Jaws The Godfather Election Dr. Strangelove Harold and Maude Shampoo Carnal Knowledge The Graduate Taxi Driver The Conversation Run Lola Run The Blair Witch Project Sexy Beast American Psycho Wet Hot American Summer Pulp Fiction Dazed and Confused Slacker* Bad News Bears Boyhood A Scanner Darkly Before Sunrise Before Sunset Field of Dreams Stand by Me Breaking Away Little Miss Sunshine 24 Hour Party People Casablanca* Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade Magnolia Boogie Nights Pee-wee's Big Adventure Singin' in the Rain* *Available on Max as of 12/10 (Availability of titles subject to change) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Carol Burnett 03.12.2024 57min

Carol Burnett’s life has always spun around the movies. She tells Ben Mankiewicz about her childhood spent in Hollywood movie theaters, the famous actor who helped her break into showbiz, and the movie parodies in her groundbreaking television variety show. In fact, at 91, Carol Burnett remembers more about movies than Ben! We cap it all off with a delightful Super 8 complete with seasonal gems. Plus, Carol and Ben discuss their Wordle stats…listen to find out who’s winning. Films Mentioned: The Carol Burnett Show New Faces The Pajama Game Babes in Arms All About Eve Gone with the Wind* The Fighting Guardsman Inferno (1953) Strangers on a Train On Moonlight Bay* Citizen Kane The Dolly Sisters The Godfather It's a Wonderful Life Capricorn One Ragtime Cowboy Joe Singin' in the Rain* From Here to Eternity Terms of Endearment Some Like It Hot Duel *Available on Max as of 12/3 (Availability of titles subject to change) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Margot Robbie 26.11.2024 1h 1min

The fearless Margot Robbie goes in-depth with Ben Mankiewicz about how her early days as an Australian soap star prepared her to go toe-to-toe with Leonardo DiCaprio. Now, after producing the blockbuster Barbie and working with the likes of Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino, is her next move behind the camera as a director? Plus, our exclusive Super 8 questionnaire, which she was very excited to answer. Films Mentioned Barbie * I, Tonya * Bombshell The Wolf of Wall Street Asteroid City Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood Titanic The Legend of Tarzan* Mary Queen of Scots Terminal Eye of the Devil Babylon Whiplash La La Land Wings Singin' in the Rain* Cabaret True Romance The Fifth Element Bandits* The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring* Pulp Fiction Rambo Bring It On High Society Babette's Feast* The Blues Brothers The Dirty Dozen Withnail and I* Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar Seven Samurai* Young Frankenstein The Producers Robin Hood: Men in Tights *Available on Max as of 11/26 (Availability of titles subject to change) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bridget Everett 19.11.2024 55min

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) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices