Advertise on podcast: Talking Pictures

Oscar-winning director Ron Howard tells host Ben Mankiewicz that he feared being “branded” a supernatural comedy director following the success of “Splash” and “Cocoon.” After tapping guidance from his “Happy Days” boss, Garry Marshall, and insight from Frank Capra’s biography, Howard set forth to explore the medium of film in all its genres as a director. He tells Ben about being mesmerized by “Bonnie and Clyde” and “The Graduate” and learning how to work with stars when acting in “The Shootist” with John Wayne directed by Don Siegel. Ron Howard’s Super 8 answers run the gamut from nods to “Project Hail Mary.” and “Eastern Promises,” to “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” and “Blazing Saddles.” Films Mentioned: Night Shift Splash Cocoon Grand Theft Auto It Happened One Night Brian’s Song Boys in the Band The Wild Bunch The Graduate Bonnie and Clyde White Heat The Shootist Charley Varrick Skyward Eden The Paper The Missing Backdraft Frontier Woman The Journey Around the World in 80 Days One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World Project Hail Mary Eastern Promises Unforgiven A Face in the Crowd Gone with the Wind Matilda High Noon Arrival Something About Mary Terms of Endearment As Good as it Gets Young Frankenstein Blazing Saddles Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Actor-Director Tony Goldwyn talks with host Ben Mankiewicz about breaking into Hollywood where his family roots run deep and the Goldwyn name looms large. Tony looks back on the ups and downs of his acting career from Ghost to One Battle After Another and explains that directing became a way to get some control in a largely unpredictable business. He also admits that he nearly passed on Scandal– a role that revitalized his career. In the Super 8, he shares his most memorable movie watching experience: being absolutely terrified by The Exorcist. Films Mentioned: Ghost Ezra One Battle After Another Dodsworth Saturday Night Fever Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives Gaby: A True Story Blood Simple A Walk On The Moon Someone Like You Conviction The Exorcist The Godfather Part II Howard’s End The Maltese Falcon The Garden of the Finzi-Continis The Best Years of Our Lives The Madness of King George When Harry Met Sally Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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

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