Screen Thoughts - Movie & Tv Reviews

Christine Merser AKA Hollister has nothing but praise for Jesse Eisenberg from the start of this week's episode, as she dives into his latest film, A Real Pain, which he wrote, directed, and starred in. Starring alongside Eisenberg is Kieran Culkin, as the two portray mismatched Jewish-American cousins traveling to Poland to honor their late grandmother—taking us on a heartfelt, funny, and emotional journey. In a surprising first, Christine places another writer on the same pedestal as Aaron Sorkin. While we won’t give too much away about the title, we absolutely love it—and we think you will too after watching the film. While we encourage you to see it in theaters if it's still playing in your area, A Real Pain is now streaming on Hulu, and we’d love to hear your thoughts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christine Merser aka Hollister has a solo episode for us after watching and being left speechless by Netflix's new documentary, Martha, about Martha Stewart. Christine marvels about Martha being our first real influencer and first female self-made billionaire, her sense of excellence and what that sometimes means for the people around her, and concludes with a heartfelt apology. And, at the end Who should watch this? Any woman in business. Or maybe just any woman. What we took away? Learn something new every day. We start tomorrow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christine’s review of Adolescence, Netflix’s #1 series about an eleven-year-old boy who kills his classmate, will have you turning off her video to start watching it—if you haven’t already. Starring Stephen Graham and Owen Cooper, the show addresses, in a new and painfully palatable way, the demise of our tweens and teens and the perils they face growing up in a society that has unwittingly nurtured these outcomes. And for film buffs, the way this series was shot and rolled out is game-changing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christine Merser (AKA Hollister) goes this one alone. Fresh Kills, according to her review, should have been front and center at the Academy Awards. Was it overlooked because it's the first mafia genre film told from a woman's perspective? How could it have been overlooked? According to Hollister, it provides a perfect script, amazing acting, and a plotline that explores not only insight into mafia life but also inner family relationships: a strong father versus a daughter who wants out, a mother who doesn't see her daughter as something other than what she was, even though she knows it is not enough. And, perhaps most importantly, a sister-sister relationship complicated by anger and love, betrayal and love, and, lastly, hatred. Don't miss this review, but more importantly, don't miss this film. Streaming on Prime and Peacock. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"May December," featuring a star-studded cast including Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman, is much more than the torrid story of a seventh-grade teacher who ensnared her student, went to prison for it, and married him upon her release. It transcends that narrative, offering a profound exploration of complex themes. Don't miss the discussion on the film's production, including the techniques employed by Todd Haynes. His interpretations consistently delve deeper than the obvious. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

High schooler Addie Tedrow, a lover of all things Hunger Games, joins Christine Merser to discuss the latest in the series, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, as well as the other stories in the iconic Hunger Games franchise. Don't miss their interesting, intergenerational discussion of this film. Christine's fear of snakes coils around the difficulty of some of the scenes. P.S. we do include some spoilers in this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"The Holdovers," bringing back 70s and 80s boarding school films, heads toward awards season with Paul Giamatti finding his way to front-page news. Why hasn't he had more starring roles when he's such a strong actor? We have our theories. And "NYAD", where Annette Bening and Jodie Foster save the day. NYAD's swim is an amazing feat, no question about that. How they made it into a movie is up for discussion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who knew that the movie The Burial on Amazon Prime was as fabulously brilliant and fun and compelling as it is? Don’t watch the trailer. Just listen to this podcast and go watch. Better yet? They agree! Hollister and Wilder are both huge fans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week it's all about Lessons in Chemistry on AppleTV+. It should not come as a surprise to regular listeners of Screen Thoughts that Hollister and Wilder hold differing opinions on the show, on pretty much every front. And, just in time for Halloween, Hollister shares some insider information on the 25th anniversary of "Practical Magic," starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hollister welcomes the writers back to work and comments on the opening line of the new contract, which is something out of Star Wars to be sure. First up is 'The Super Models,' the documentary (Hollister takes offense that it's even in that category) surrounding the four super models of the eighties; Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford and Linda Evangelista and how they found their way to superstardom. But the highlight is the discovery of John Carney's Flora and Son, the story of a single mother, trying desperately to connect with her son. Hollister says it should be headed for awards season, although she doesn't think it's getting enough leverage to be seen enough to find its way there.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Merser and Wilder talk The Morning Show, reviewing this new season and commenting on the past two seasons, all the while discussing women's increasing power in the making of film & television and what an exciting time it is for our ability to showcase women in film and history. Such a great show this week. Part of the strike is still on, but hope springs eternal that the role of women will continue to grow! **This podcast was recorded before the writer's strike had ended. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christine and Wilder speed through their review of the three hour Oppenheimer, singing its praises, its importance and so many behind the scenes extras. Is it about Nolan, the director? The acting acumen of everyone, from Cillian Murphy to Robert Downey? The cinematography tricks? So many things to consider. One of Christine’s recommendations is to watch Fat Man and Little Boy, the 1989 film about the Manhattan Project before you see this. Or read American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the more than 600 page book it’s based on. Oppenheimer makes us want to go to the movies again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christine (AKA Hollister) and Wilder dissect Apple’s the Crowded Room, and address Christine’s POV around the futility of the writer’s strike, while Wilder defends it. And, Somebody Somewhere, season two on HBO? Christine speaks to the enormity and importance and talent of Bridget Everett’s hit. Golda, Helen Mirren’s portrayal of Golda Meir, comes out in August and Screen Thoughts has tickets for the preview and video of an interview with Mirren, which will be offered to Screen Thoughts' viewers. And, the Morning Show comes out in early September … and, and, and, so many things discussed, so little time.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The names of many of the heroes of the Civil Rights movement are well known to us today: MLK, Malcolm X, Medgar Evers—the list goes on. But there were unsung heroes of the movement as well. Among these were white men of the cloth in rural towns and small cities of the American South, whose congregations might be wearing white cloaks on Saturday night before attending services the next morning, believing that they could both be good Christians as well as racist segregationists. Some of these pastors took a stand against the views of their own parishioners, welcoming Black people to join them in the pews and worship with them on Sunday mornings. Taking this position wasn’t always easy. Sometimes it was dangerous; sometimes, it cost these men their jobs. As a child, Carolyn Crowder, filmmaker and self-described “bred racist,” struggled to reconcile what she learned from her pastors and her parents’ commitment to the belief that whites were superior to their Black neighbors. Eventually, she moved north to seek co

On a very special episode of Screen Thoughts, Christine Merser, Bryan Cohen and Shanette Barth Cohen give a review of Netflix's The Diplomat, kicking the episode off with praise for the show's creator Debora Cahn. They are chock full of admiration and talk about the comparisons to so many past TV shows; The West Wing, Grey’s Anatomy, Homeland, all of whom Debora wrote for. Some say it’s the best series on television. Don’t miss this review. One of the best from Screen Thoughts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What a week it was chatting about Mario’s amazing box office receipts, Mafia Mama (look for no lovers on this podcast), and Renfield. We finish up with Jennifer Garner, and her talent often unseen by the choices she has made in the films she has chosen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tim Miller is back, guest co-hosting with Hollister and this podcast is chock full of film. They don’t agree on Air at all, with comparison’s by Hollister to Jerry Maguire versus Tim’s comparison to Moneyball. Some interesting takes on the new surge of Hollywood remakes. What do Spielberg and Tim have in common? A lot actually, and recommendations - quick ones for what is coming in April and what Tim and Hollister saw in March. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lena Dunham’s latest creation is out and ready to be seen by mothers and daughters all across the land. Brave girl, that Lena Dunham. No one tackles the Medieval Ages in film. Recipe for failure is the reason why, but she goes forth, fearless in her quest to bring her favorite childhood book to life. Don’t miss this review. And according to Hollister, don’t miss the film. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join Hollister and Wilder as they explore their favorite Halloween films. Spoiler alert: not all are about Halloween. They are, however, classics and it’s a great list of what to watch to get in that dark, scary place. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

House of the Dragon. Game of Thrones. Don’t get Wilder started on the fantasy appeal for both. But she even won Hollister over with the need to at least give House of the Dragon a try. Plot. Cinematography. Acting. Special Effects. And, and, and. The plot line is amazing and one of the things Wilder points out is that unlike Game of Thrones, this might, just might, put women on the map as the great leaders they can be. Hollister and Wilder debate the redeeming value of having rape-laden shows on the screen and whether they have a ‘right’ to be there. Interesting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices