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Movies 101
KPBX: Friday 6:30pm-7pm | KSFC: Saturday 1pm-1:30pm

The program began mid-1999, as KSFC started establishing itself as a separate news and information service. As KSFC has matured, so has Movies 101. The show has also been picked up on KPBX, and has a loyal fan base.

Movies 101 is produced by Spokane Public Radio's Cassia Fox.

  • We’re all familiar with the concept of myth, whether we’re talking about a story involving heroes and their attendant quests, or a popularly accepted tale that masks actual truth. On this week’s show, Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender, and Mary Pat Treuthart will be discussing a pair of movies that are steeped in myth. First up is the Chinese import “Full River Red,” followed by the Hulu drama “Boston Strangler.”
  • The concept of race is a touchy topic in America. So, too, is family dysfunction. In this week’s show, Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender, and Mary Pat Treuthart will be discussing two movies that explore both Black life in America and how family turmoil isn’t confined to any single racial group. First up is the big-screen offering “Creed III,” followed by a streaming choice, titled simply: “Bruiser.” In addition, they’ll offer their reactions to Sunday’s Oscar broadcast.
  • The Oscars are coming on Sunday, and the question is—as has been true for the past couple of years—will the annual broadcast offer up any surprises? On this week’s show, Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender, and Mary Pat Treuthart will be offering up their picks, both who they think will win and who they think should win. They’ll also review one of the Feature Documentary nominees, Laura Poitras’ “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed.”
  • Movies 101
    Despite the occasional exception, European cinema has always felt different from American cinema. Call what they do more experimental, more serious, more thoughtful, whatever, European filmmakers—the best ones, at least—distinguish themselves by refusing to pander to mainstream tastes. This week Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender and Mary Pat Treuthart discuss a pair of European films that are prime examples of the European filmmaking ethos. First up is the Polish-made EO followed by the Belgian-made Close.
  • Movies 101
    He burst upon the mainstream moviemaking scene in 1999 with a thriller called “The Sixth Sense.” Since then, M. Night Shyamalan’s career has had its ups and down. This week Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender and Mary Pat Treuthart discuss Shyamalan’s latest effort, “Knock at the Cabin,” before tackling the Oscar-nominated live-action and animated short films, which are screening at the Magic Lantern.
  • Movies 101
    Life is full of moments in which, for one reason or another, we’re impelled to change the way we perceive things. Sometimes that means even changing our very selves. Thisd week Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender and Mary Pat Treuthart discuss a pair of Oscar-nominated movies, each of which features protagonists who have to face such a scenario. First up is “Living,” which stars Oscar-nominated Bill Nighy, followed by “Argentina, 1985,” which is up for a Best Foreign Language Academy Award.
  • Movies 101
    The plight of desperate women is one of today’s central movie themes. And two of the movies that have attracted Academy Award attention explore that very topic. This week Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender and Mary Pat Treuthart discuss writer-director Sarah Polley’s film “Women Talking,” which is up for two Oscars, and “To Leslie,” which has earned star Andrea Riseborough a surprise Best Actress nomination. They also share some impression of last week’s 24th Spokane International Film Festival.
  • Movies 101
    It used to be that we movie fans living in this part of the Inland Northwest had to head into Academy Awards season largely blind because not all of the nominees had yet played locally. These days, though, that’s all changed. This week Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender and Mary Pat Treuthart discuss three movies, two of which are Oscar-nominated and all of which are available for streaming on Netflix. First up is the latest adaptation of the World War I novel “All Quiet on the Western Front” followed by the Indian-made musical drama “RRR” and finally the period-piece mystery “The Pale Blue Eye.”
  • Movies 101
    If you had a full holiday season, as many of us did, you might be just now catching up with your moviegoing. This week Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender and Mary Pat Treuthart discuss a pair of films that opened during the final weeks of 2022. First up is “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” followed by the Netflix offering “White Noise.”
  • Movies 101
    While James Cameron and the rest of the mainstream film industry continue to churn out blockbusters, other filmmakers maintain their focus on making films that emphasize heart over heat. This week Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender and Mary Pat Treuthart discuss three movies that aren’t likely to rank very high on the box-office meter yet, each in its own way, explore matters of basic humanity. First up is the Japanese import “Broker” followed by “The Whale” and the French import “Saint Omer.”