Writer-director Emerald Fennell has made two of the most talked about movies in recent years: Saltburn and Promising Young Woman. Fennell tells host Ben Mankiewicz why she makes uncomfortable films, why she prefers directing over acting, and shares a formative experience watching Jurassic Park. She also challenges Ben on his knee-jerk aversion to costume dra ... Show More
Jul 2025
The Plot Thickens: Cleopatra
Get ready for your new summer obsession! We're sharing a special preview of Cleopatra, the new season of Ben Mankiewicz's other podcast, The Plot Thickens. (Yes, he has two.) Cleopatra was the most tumultuous production in Hollywood history, a disaster of epic proportions written ... Show More
49m 29s
Sep 2022
‘The Woman King’ and 10 Movies to See Now. Plus: The Best and Worst Films at TIFF.
After a quiet few weeks, movies are back in theaters in a big way—and none bigger than Gina Prince-Bythewood’s warrior epic ‘The Woman King.’ Sean and Amanda break down the new Viola Davis vehicle and nine more new releases, including a pair of disturbing horror movies, a David B ... Show More
1h 28m
Sep 2022
‘Blonde’ and the Top 5 Essential Marilyn Monroe Movies
‘Blonde,’ Andrew Dominik’s long-awaited Marilyn Monroe biopic starring Ana de Armas, is now available on Netflix. Sean and Amanda dissect the film’s handful of successes and numerous, puzzling failures, before discussing Monroe’s titanic impact on movie stardom and the various de ... Show More
1h 5m
Oct 2023
Did ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ Just Save Movies? Plus: The Emily Blunt Movie Star Playbook.
Sean and Amanda discuss the somewhat surprising dominant movie at the box office, ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s,’ a horror adaptation of a popular video game series (1:00). Then, they review ‘Pain Hustlers,’ the David Yates–directed drama about the opioid crisis starring Chris Evans a ... Show More
1h 32m
Apr 2023
Pretty Woman, Sleeping with the Enemy and Julia Roberts in the early 90s (Erotic 90’s, Part 2)
The first blockbuster about sex of the 90s, Pretty Woman both reinvigorated Richard Gere’s career, and turned Julia Roberts into the biggest female movie star of the era. We’ll dissect the gender politics of this fantasy about love between a streetwalker and a corporate villain, ... Show More
1h 13m
Nov 2020
10 Things I Hate About You with Karen McCullah and Kirsten ‘Kiwi’ Smith
<p>Kirsten ‘Kiwi’ Smith and Karen McCullah are the writers behind the timeless high school comedy 10 Things I Hate About You. Released in 1999, their Gil Junger-directed teen reworking of Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew had it all: big laughs, blossoming romance, coming-of-age ... Show More
51m 56s
Dec 2020
The George Clooney Hall of Fame. Plus: Carey Mulligan and Emerald Fennell!
The iconic movie star directed and stars in a new Netflix film, 'The Midnight Sky.' To celebrate, Amanda and Sean build a Hall of Fame in his honor, where they enshrine 10 movies from his long career, and 10 only (1:00). Then, Sean is joined by writer-director Emerald Fennell and ... Show More
1h 52m
Oct 2021
Practical Magic with David Lowery & Elijah Wood
<p>Topics covered include: the importance of letting your movie breath, hate-cutting <em>The Green Knight</em>, the fall of Troy, Grail mythology, a mom’s helpful nudge, old-fashioned movie magic, the epic oner from <em>Eternal Sunshine</em>, concentric circles of production and ... Show More
50m 52s