Movies 101 Film Review Show

Meet the hosts of Movies 101
Dan Webster is a Spokesman-Review film critic, who got seriously into movies back in his UC San Diego days. Mary Pat Treuthart is a tenured law professor and happens to be Dan's wife. Throw in the youngster, hipster film critic Nathan Weinbender, and the occasional guest reviewer, and you have Movies 101 – the weekly film review program on KPBX and KSFC.

The program began mid-1999, as KSFC started establishing itself as a separate news and information service. As KSFC as matured, so has Movies 101.

MOVIES 101 PODCAST

MOVIES 101's BEST MOVIES OF 2012

Dan Webster
1. Silver Linings Playbook
2. Magic Mike
3. Searching for Sugar Man
4. Argo
5. Zero Dark Thirty
6. Bernie
7. Lincoln
8. Beasts of the Southern Wild
9. In the Family
10. Le Tableau

Mary Pat Treuthart
1. Argo
2. Life of Pi
3. Silver Linings Playbook
4. Zero Dark Thirty
5. Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
6. Lincoln
7. Queen of Versailles
8. Beasts of the Southern Wild
9. Polisse
10. Pitch Perfect

Nathan Weinbender
1. The Master
2. Beasts of the Southern Wild
3. Silver Linings Playbook
4. Holy Motors
5. Zero Dark Thirty
6. Moonrise Kingdom
7. Argo
8. Skyfall
9. Searching for Sugar Man
10. Flight

Leonard Oakland (no particular order)
AMERICAN FILMS
Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
The Lady Eve (1941)
The Philadelphia Story (1959)
Some Like It Hot (1959)
Ball of Fire (1941)

FOREIGN FILMS
Jules and Jim (French, 1962)
Run Lola Run (German, 1998)
Babette's Feast (Danish, 1987)
Wings of Desire (German, 1987)
The Lives of Others (German, 2006)


Casey Andrews (no particular order)

Christmas in July (1940), directed by Preston Sturges
Not really about Christmas, but hilarious and heart-warming nonetheless, this Sturges film has an unforgettable, often reiterated slogan for Maxford House Coffee that acts as a running gag.
 
Eyes Wide Shut (1999), directed by Stanley Kubrick
Fun for the whole family! My pick for the greatest film about faithfulness and forgiveness. It is set at Christmas time, but many viewers forget this because of some other, more memorable scenes.
 
The Shop Around the Corner (1940), directed by Ernst Lubitsch
Far superior to its imitators, this story of anonymous pen pals who are squabbling co-workers by day is a holiday classic with the dark edge of the Great Depression beneath the romantic comedy.
 
Out of Sight (1998), directed by Steven Soderbergh
Another not-really-Christmas movie that feels holiday-ish to me because of its ending in Michigan in the falling snow. The final music cue with the Isley Brothers never fails to fill me with seasonal cheer.

Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas (TV, 1977), directed by Jim Henson - Note: Also a Movies 101 founder Bob Glatzer family favorite.
It’s hard to go wrong with this Muppet produced riff on The Gift of the Magi complete with ‘70s roots music.


Barbara Williamson

1.  It's a Wonderful Life (1946) - I wish I could pick a more non-traditional film, but in terms of holiday films, this is it.  and, there are few things more evil than Lionel Barrymore as the original corporate bad guy, Mr. Potter.

2.  Miracle on 34th Street (1947) Again, an unsurprising choice, and perhaps I like sap in my holiday movies, but if we can't believe at Christmas time, when can we believe?

3.  Elf (2003) - I am not a Will Ferrell fan in general, but Ferrell sitting on Bob Newhart's lap?  How can you not love that? and Zooey Deschanel is a revelation, as usual.

4.  Labyrinth (1986) - Not really a holiday movie at all, in but our family watches it because of the magic, and what is more magical than Christmas (and David Bowie in leather pants)?

5.  A Christmas Story (1983) - This film is the holiday movie most quoted around my house and the one we make sure we watch ever season. 

Linus Porter for Pete Porter (in no particular order)

The Thin Man (1934) Has a Christmas party overflowing with cocktails and good cheer.  And one of the best humorous mystery films ever.
Raising Arizona (1987) Concludes with a feast, which might be a dream or might be a vision. But, it's all about family and what one couple goes through to have one.
Annie Hall (1977) Features several holidays, including a journey to Hollywood for Christmas and to Wisconsin for Easter. One of the great bittersweet romances, full of humor and insight and love and life.
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) A masterpiece of family dysfunction and deep abiding love, both familial and romantic, gone awry.  Christmas music fits in a strange, but perfect, way in this story of how one father sacrifices himself to save his family.
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1982) Concludes with the song "Christmas in Heaven" but it is probably best remembered for its scene of gluttony.  Its satire of life in the early 1980s remains all too prescient.
Sixth Pick: How the Grinch Stole Christmas (TV, 1966) The Chuck Jones version of this Dr. Seuss story features the voice of Boris Karloff and is my favorite of the more traditional holiday favorites. 

 

Ed Renouard
1. Love Actually (2003) 

Shelley Sharp
1. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992, Brian Henson); A cheery musical retelling of the famous Dickens' story starring Michael Cain as Scrooge and Kermit the Frog as Bob Cratchit.
2. A Child’s Christmas in Wales (1987, BBC TV; Don McBrearty) This famous Dylan Thomas poem brought to life is a small Welsh village gets it exactly right.
3. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003; Peter Jackson) Favorite pick if you are snowed in and have 10 hours (triple that if you watch the special features too).
4. The Snowman (TV 1982, Diane Jackson & Jimmy Murakami) The beautiful song "Walking in the Air" by Howard Blake is the only spoken word in this silent winter film.
5. Bridget Jones's Diary (2001, Sharon Maguire) Colin Firth in a reindeer jumper - what more do I need to say. A holiday chick flick.

Of note: Gremlins (1984) Christmas gone really wrong; The Family Man (2000) Predictable but with real chemistry between Nick Cage and Tea Lione; Scrooged (1987) Bill Murray wrecks havoc as a modern day scrooge with funny performances by Carol Cane and Bobcat Goldthwait.