The actor Peter Ustinov is reported to have said: “Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious.” That holds true whether you’re Lenny Bruce, Weird Al Yankovic or Leanne Morgan. On this week’s show, Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender, and Mary Pat Treuthart discuss a trio of films, all of which are either sequels or reboots and all of which—like their earlier counterparts—test the limits of farcical comedy. They start off with “The Naked Gun,” followed by “Happy Gilmore 2” and then end with “Freakier Friday.”

Over the decades, show business has given us any number of celebrities who at times seem as familiar to us as actual member of our own families. On this week’s show, Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender, and Mary Pat Treuthart discuss a pair of streaming documentary features that focus on well-known public figures from the past—TV host Ed Sullivan in Netflix’s “Sunday Best: The Untold Story of Ed Sullivan,” and Jayne Mansfield in HBO Max’s “My Mom Jayne.”

Movies that open at film festivals seldom achieve blockbuster status, but the best ones—and even some that are merely good—usually end up reaching their desired audiences. On this week’s show, Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender, and Mary Pat Treuthart discuss a pair of Sundance Film Festival releases that are well worth checking out: the first is Eva Victor’s “Sorry, Baby” and the second is Sophie Brooks’ “Oh, Hi!”

Like most everything in life, perspective is all. And when it comes to movies, perspective is reflected in what’s also known as point of view. On this week’s show, Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender, and Mary Pat Treuthart discuss two movies that reveal their narratives through the eyes of very different characters. The first is the Ari Aster feature “Eddington,” and the second is “Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight,” the first venture as writer-director by the actress-turned-filmmaker Embeth Davidtz.

Summer wouldn’t be summer without a few movie blockbusters, and this summer of 2025 certainly has its share. On this week’s show, Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender, and Mary Pat Treuthart discuss a pair of big-screen bonanzas, both of which are part of far-larger franchises. The first is the newest iteration of “Superman,” this one directed by James Gunn, and they pivot from there to the Gareth Edwards-helmed “Jurassic World Rebirth,” the seventh in a series dating back some three decades.

Fantasy in its various forms is the lifeblood of moviemaking. And this is true whether you’re talking romance, action, comedy or any other genre you can name. On this week’s show, Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender, and Mary Pat Treuthart discuss a pair of films that indulge in fantasy, each conforming to its particular genre. The first is the racing film “F1” and the second is the existentialist meditation titled “The Life of Chuck.”

One of the favorite games that most, if not all, movie fans plays is: What are your top 10 movies? Well, the New York Times just compiled a list 10 times as big. On this week’s show, Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender, and Mary Pat Treuthart discuss that list, something the editors are proclaiming as the "100 Best Movies of the 21st Century," and list their own picks for the top 10.

Love comes in many forms, a fact that’s especially true when it plays out in the movies. On this week’s show, Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender, and Mary Pat Treuthart discuss two films that embody the emotion we know as love in entirely different ways. First up is Wes Anderson’s latest, titled “The Phoenician Scheme.” Following that is Celine Song’s second feature film, titled simply “Materialists.”

With the exception of those of us who no longer welcome birthdays, most people love anniversaries. But when it comes to movies, anniversaries give us the opportunity to remember great cinema and the directors who make it. On this week’s show, Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender, and Mary Pat Treuthart discuss two such directors, Akira Kurosawa, whose film “Ran” is enjoying the 40th anniversary of its release this month, and Steven Spielberg, whose 1975 film “Jaws” is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

From time to time we all encounter difficult people. And while they may have reasons for their troubled temperaments, that doesn’t make them any easier to deal with. On this week’s show, Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender, and Mary Pat Treuthart discuss two films that feature problematic characters. First up is “Bring Her Back,” a horror offering starring Sally Hawkins, followed by “Mountainhead,” a streaming feature focusing on badly behaved billionaires.