Mary Versus the Movies

Mary Jones
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  • FILM REVIEWS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
Mary Versus the Movies

Sure, the 1980s were a great decade for film. But have you seen all of them? No, neither has Mary. In fact, some pretty big films passed her by, what with being in kindergarten at the time: A Nightmare on Elm Street, Moonstruck, My Neighbor Totoro... So it's time to fix that. Artwork, opening and closing themes by Dennis Lingg Produced and edited by Mary Jones

  1. 2 DAYS AGO

    Episode 170 - The Boys From Brazil (1978)

    Nazis hiding in South America have been cloning Hitler, and one researcher is crossing the globe, trying to stop their plans to resurrect the Third Reich. A thriller from the writer of Rosemary's Baby and The Stepford Wives that culimates in two very old men slapfighting over the future. Starring Gregory Peck, Laurence Olivier, James Mason, Lilli Palmer, Steve Guttenberg, Uta Hagen, and Jeremy Black. Written by Ira Levin and Heywood Gould. Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner.

    1h 21m

  2. JAN 10

    Episode 169 - Little Shop of Horrors (1986)

    Nebbish Seymour Krelborn finds an extraterrestrial plant that offers him everything he wants—fame, money, the love of his coworker Audrey—in return for fresh human blood. What started as a 1960 Roger Corman schlockfest is turned into a campy musical from the guys who brought us… The Little Mermaid? Wait, really? Starring Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Vincent Gardenia, Steve Martin, and Bill Murray. Written by Howard Ashman. Music by Alan Menkin. Directed by Frank Oz

    50 min

  3. 12/31/2024 · BONUS

    Hollywood Avalon, ep. 20 - Excalibur (1981)

    Here it is, John Boorman's epic retelling of King Arthur's conception, Camelot, the Holy Grail, and his final betrayal by his own son. It's mostly Thomas Malory's 15th century romance Le Morte Darthur, mashed up with bits of Jessie Weston's 1920 book, the Grail study "From Ritual to Romance" and with a heavy dollop of 1960s Neopaganism. It has plenty of sex, violence, swords, and sorcery to grab the attention of any young teen watching HBO in the 1980s, and enough Before They Were Stars for the rest of us. Starring Nigel Terry, Helen Mirren, Nichol Williamson, Nicholas Clay, Cherie Lunghi, Gabriel Byrne, Patrick Stewart, Paul Geoffrey, Robert Addie, and Liam Neeson. Written and directed by John Boorman. This is a preview of the latest episode of our series Hollywood Avalon. To hear the entire episode, join the Mary Versus the Movies patreon for $3/month to hear this and the entire series Hollywood Avalon: https://www.patreon.com/maryvsmovies.

    21 min

  4. 12/20/2024

    Episode 168 - Scrooge (1970)

    It's the musical version of A Christmas Carol, featuring one of the more surprising diss tracks in all musical cinema. Join us as we dissect Dickens' classic one more time. Starring Albert Finney, Alec Guinness, Edith Evans, Kenneth Moore, and Laurence Naismith. Directed by Ronald Neame. Written and with music by Leslie Bricusse.

    52 min

  5. 12/13/2024

    Episode 167 - The Warriors (1979)

    The gangs of New York come together for a conclave, only for the charismatic leader Cyrus to be assassinated, and Coney Island's Warriors to be falsely accused. Can they make it home before the rest of the city tries to kill them?  Joining us is a special guest, the writer and cartoonist Michael Kupperman, creator of Snake 'n' Bacon and author of All the Answers. Starring Michael Beck, James Remar, David Patrick Kelly, and Deborah Van Valkenburgh. Directed by Walter Hill. Written by Walter Hill and David Shaber, from Sol Yurick's novel.

    1h 44m

  6. 12/05/2024

    Episode 166 - Saturday Night Fever (1977)

    The ultimate himbo pursues his dancing dreams during one of the worst periods of New York City’s history, and ends up a cultural icon—off-screen, of course. Starring John Travolta, Karen Lynn Gorney, Barry Miller, Paul Pape, Donna Pescow, and Martin Shakar. Written by Norman Wexler. Directed by John Badham.

    1h 17m

  7. 11/29/2024

    Hollywood Avalon ep. 19 - Transformers: the Last Knight (2017)

    This month, we are joined with a special guest, Tim Ryan, the King of Janitors, for a watch of Michael Bay's Arthurian epic, Transformers: The Last Knight, in which Mark Wahlberg teams up with a hot Oxford don who is apparently the last descendent of Merlin, and a selection of Autobots, to take on a corrupted Optimus Prime, using Excalibur. No, I'm not making this up. It's a complete nonsense movie. Starring Mark Wahlberg, Josh Duhamel, Anthony Hopkins, Stanley Tucci, Laura Haddock, Isabela Moner, Jerrod Carmichael, Tony Hale, Mitch Pileggi, Peter Cullen, Frank Welker, Gemma Chan, John Goodman, and Omar Sy. This is a preview of the latest episode of our series Hollywood Avalon. To hear the entire episode, join the Mary Versus the Movies patreon for $3/month to hear this and the entire series Hollywood Avalon: https://www.patreon.com/maryvsmovies.

    9 min

  8. 11/29/2024

    Episode 165 - Cinema Paradiso (1988)

    A Sicilan boy in post-war Italy is taken under the wing of the local projectionist, and begins a life-long love of the movies, while watching how the world changes around him. Winner of the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, this is a funny, moving film about love, art, and community. Starring Philippe Noiret, Salvatore Cascio, Jacques Perrin, Antonella Attili, and Agnese Nano. Written and directed by Giuseppe Tornatore.

    1h 10m
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5
out of 5
21 Ratings

About

Sure, the 1980s were a great decade for film. But have you seen all of them? No, neither has Mary. In fact, some pretty big films passed her by, what with being in kindergarten at the time: A Nightmare on Elm Street, Moonstruck, My Neighbor Totoro... So it's time to fix that. Artwork, opening and closing themes by Dennis Lingg Produced and edited by Mary Jones

Information

  • Creator
    Mary Jones
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2025
  • Episodes
    194
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Mary Jones
  • Show Website
    Mary Versus the Movies

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