Movies 101

Whether we’re referring to a lust for romantic love, an ardent need for acceptance or the simple quest for a peaceful, happy life, desire is a staple movie theme. This week, Dan Webster, Mary Pat Treuthart and Nathan Weinbender discuss a trio of movies, each of which features characters – in one case real-life people – whose life journey involves one or the other of the afore-mentioned yearnings. Those movies are “Three Thousand Years of Longing,” “Prey” and “The Territory.”

If you were given a choice between serving 10 years in a minimum-security prison or transferring to a far more dangerous facility to complete a mission that might earn you your freedom, which would you choose? This week, Dan Webster, Mary Pat Treuthart and Nathan Weinbender discuss a based-on-real-events miniseries titled “Black Bird” in which a guy is given that very choice. They also review the Iranian film “Hit the Road.”

There have been many golden eras of cinema. One of the most universally recognized eras, though, is the 1950s. And it was out of that decade that the actors Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward emerged. This week, Nathan Weinbender, Mary Pat Treuthart and Dan Webster discuss Ethan Hawke’s six-part HBO Max series titled “The Last Movie Stars.” Afterward, we’ll run down some of the married couple’s greatest achievements on screen.

Getting from destination to the next is a staple of existence. And that’s true whether we’re talking about moving literally or figuratively. This week, Mary Pat Treuthart, Nathan Weinbender and Dan Webster discuss two films that represent the two different aspects of movement: “Bullet Train," and “Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey a Song.”

Hollywood defines success first and foremost by box-office grosses. But a lot of good films don’t make hardly a mark at the bank. This week, Nathan Weinbender, Mary Pat Treuthart and Dan Webster will discuss three movies that may be small in earnings but are big in quality. First up is the independent feature “Vengeance” followed by the documentary “Fire of Love” and the French-language “My Donkey, My Lover & I.”

It’s no secret that we here at Movies 101 central seek out cinema both in theaters and, increasingly, in the comfort of our own homes. On this week’s show, Nathan Weinbender, Mary Pat Treuthart and Dan Webster will be discussing two films that are playing in area theaters and one that is streaming. First up is the latest from Jordan Peele, simply titled “Nope,” followed by the Spanish-language film “Official Competition” and the Netflix offering “The Gray Man.”

No literary genre is more overheated than that of the steamy Southern gothic. And when you combine the essentials of that genre with a plucky character like author Delia Owens’ Marsh Girl … well, you’re likely to end up with a best-seller. This week, Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender and Mary Pat Treuthart discuss Olivia Newman’s adaptation of Owens’ best-selling novel “Where the Crawdads Sing.” Then we’ll tackle a Netflix true-crime documentary titled “Girl in the Picture.”

People think, not unreasonably, of critics as … well, people who complain. They forget that, first and foremost, at heart we movie critics are movie fans. This week, Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender and Mary Pat Treuthart discuss two movies that movie beyond art and fall mostly in the let’s-just-have-fun category. First up is the newest Marvel feature “Thor: Love and Thunder” followed by the British import “The Phantom of the Open.”

Every week, Nathan Weinbender, Mary Pat Treuthart and Dan Webster discuss movies that usually, but not always, boast some sort of a common theme. This will be one of those "off" weeks. First up, the coming-of-age study “Cha Cha Real Smooth” then the thriller “Kimi” and finally the drama “The Forgiven.”

Opportunists exists in all genres of art. Some are good, some are bad and – all often – some are both. This week, Dan Webster, Nathan Weinbender and Mary Pat Treuthart discuss two movies that features opportunists of the first order. First up is the the big-screen biopic “Elvis” followed by the Netflix sport film “Hustle.”