Comedy, as we all know, evokes personal reactions. Some people laugh at the stand-up goofiness of Brian Regan, while others laugh at the dead baby jokes of Anthony Jeselnik—and some yawn at both. On this week’s show, Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender, and Mary Pat Treuthart discuss a pair of movies that take widely diverse views of comedy. One, titled “Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain,” is clear farce. The other, “Dream Scenario,” may not strike some viewers as comic at all.

As we head into the final month of 2023, our movie schedule starts to include some of the year’s most highly touted releases. On this week’s show, Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender, and Mary Pat Treuthart discuss two of those much-anticipated films: Ridley Scott’s biopic “Napoleon” and Emerald Fennell’s exploration of family and class titled “Saltburn.”

Humans can perform incredible feats. We all know that. Some feats, though, just seem impossible to imagine, much less accomplish. On this week’s show, Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender, and Mary Pat Treuthart discuss “Nyad,” the Netflix feature film about marathon swimmer Diana Nyad’s 2013 swim form Cuba to Key West, Florida—at the tender age of 64. They also talk about its two stars—Annette Bening and Jodie Foster—and list their favorite films of the two actresses.

Movies can and do focus on a variety of things, from settings to themes—but it tends to be character that we movie fans love the most. On this week’s show, Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender, and Mary Pat Treuthart discuss a pair of films that revolve around unique characters: one an exacting prep-school teacher played by Paul Giamatti in the theatrical offering “The Holdovers,” the other a self-aware assassin played by Michael Fassbender in the Netflix streaming feature “The Killer.”

No matter how well you might think you know people, it’s difficult to say you know everything about them. That premise is especially true both for film stars and the characters they play. On this week’s show, Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender, and Mary Pat Treuthart discuss two films that present us with characters who we think we might know, but maybe do not. The first is Elvis Presley, a central figure in Sofia Coppola’s biopic “Priscilla,” while the second is the protagonist of the award-winning French film “Anatomy of a Fall.”

Getting to the truth of a matter isn’t always easy. And the same holds true of a person. On this week’s show, Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender, and Mary Pat Treuthart discuss a pair of films that seek not just to get to a subjective truth but, at least in one case, pair that with a quest for justice. One is “The Burial,” a film based on a real incident that stars Jamie Foxx and and Tommy Lee Jones, while the other is the Errol Morris documentary “The Pigeon Tunnel” that focuses on the novelist John Le Carré.

When humans act like animals, it’s often not a pretty thing to watch—especially when their actions are documented in the movies. On this week’s show, Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender, and Mary Pat Treuthart discuss a pair of films, both streaming options, that revolve around such scenarios. One is “Reptile,” a murder mystery starring Benicio Del Toro and the other is “The Beasts,” a French/Spanish study of culture clash.

We all have personal definitions of horror, ranging from strange noises in the night to Thanksgiving family gatherings. On this week’s show, Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender, and Mary Pat Treuthart discuss a pair of films that explore very different notions of horror. One is the big screen franchise entry “The Exorcist: Believer,” released on the 50th anniversary of the late William Friedkin’s first in what became a staple horror series. The other is the turbulent domestic/business drama “Fair Play.”

Movies that try your imagination can be hit or miss. But when they do hit, they can provide hours of entertainment. On this week’s show, Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender, and Mary Pat Treuthart discuss two dives into imaginary worlds—one being the full-length feature “The Creator” and the other a series of short Wes Anderson films adapted from Roald Dahl short stories.

“One good thing about music,” the late Bob Marley once said, “is that when it hits you, you feel no pain.” On this week’s show, Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender and Mary Pat Treuthart discuss a film that is about as painless a viewing experience as has ever hit the big screen: the re-release of Jonathan Demme’s 1984 music documentary “Stop Making Sense.” They talk about that film, the music of the group featured in it, Talking Heads, and some of their other favorite concert films.