
Oscar-winning actress Sally Field gets real with Ben Mankiewicz. Drawing on her memoir In Pieces, she discusses her fraught relationship with ex-boyfriend/Smokey and the Bandit co-star Burt Reynolds and his similarity to her abusive step-father. During The Flying Nun she was introduced to the Actors Studio where she transformed from a sitcom actress Hollywood had written off into someone who could fight for Norma Rae, fight Spielberg twice for Lincoln, and win both battles. In the Super 8 she praises the work of Louise Fletcher in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and reveals she rarely cries at movies.
Films Mentioned:
Remarkably Bright Creatures
Smokey and the Bandit
Sybil
Norma Rae
The Way West
Places in the Heart
Lincoln
Gone with the Wind
Them!
The Searchers
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Charade
Steamboat Bill, Jr.
The Enchanted Cottage
A Letter to Three Wives
Hooper
Absence of Malice
Steel Magnolias
Forrest Gump
Hud
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Jun 11
1 hr 7 min

Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon joins Ben Mankiewicz to share unvarnished stories of a life in films– from making Rocky Horror Picture Show, Bull Durham, Witches of Eastwick, and Pretty Baby to navigating the cynical world of showbiz. She argues that every film is political– either challenging the status quo or enforcing it– and reveals her input into the iconic ending of Thelma & Louise which turns 35 this year.
Films Mentioned:
The Nutty Professor
The Accompanist
Dead Man Walking
Joe
Atlantic City
Pretty Baby
Rocky Horror Picture Show
Witches of Eastwick
Bull Durham
Sirat
Afterlife
Grapes of Wrath
Lord of the Rings
Bambi
Waiting for Guffman
Best in Show
Thelma & Louise
Being There
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
The Front Page, 1974
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Jun 4
1 hr 3 min

Oscar-nominated actress Rosie Perez sits down with host Ben Mankiewicz to discuss the films that shaped her career—Do the Right Thing and Fearless—as well as early favorites like Saturday Night Fever and Double Indemnity. She reflects on building a career in an industry that didn’t readily accept her for who she is, and speaks candidly about being raised in a strict Catholic home for girls. In the Super 8 segment, she tells Ben about an amazing boxing story she’d love to see on the big screen.
Films Mentioned
The Way We Were
Do The Right Thing
Fearless
Criminal Justice
The Bells of St. Mary's
The Little Princess (Shirley Temple version), 1939
Old Yeller
Rosemary's Baby
Saturday Night Fever
Double Indemnity
Cool Hand Luke
Some Like It Hot
Detour
Young Frankenstein
Stormy Weather
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May 28
1 hr 2 min

Comedian and actor Patton Oswalt joins host Ben Mankiewicz for a live taping of Talking Pictures recorded at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel on the eve of the 2026 TCM Classic Film Festival. An obsessive movie fan, Patton sees hundreds of films a year; he hates talkers in theaters but loves when going to a movie turns into a bonding experience with strangers. From his acting career, he tells stories of being suspended in a tree on the set of “Magnolia” and doing a sex scene with Charlize Theron in “Young Adult.” In the Super 8, Oswalt shares films you’ll want to remember and see the first chance you get.
Films Mentioned:
Young Adult
Ratatouille
The D.I.
Halloween
Magnolia
Hard Eight
Young Adult
Stalag 17
The Great Escape
Yojimbo
Bad News Bears, 1976
Casablanca
Pee Wee’s Big Adventure
Return of the Living Dead
Three Kings
Gates of Heaven
Bachelor Party
Baby Driver
After Life
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
Planet of The Apes
Wait Until Dark
Man With No Name
A Catered Affair
The Russians Are Coming The Russians Are Coming
Sergeant York
The Taking of Pelham 123
Female Trouble
Borat! Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
The Twelve Chairs
Blazing Saddles
Ikiru
Kingpin
Quick Change
Pig
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May 21
1 hr 2 min

Talking Pictures is back with ardent movie fan and beloved filmmaker Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead and The Running Man). He talks with host Ben Mankiewicz about living in Quentin Tarantino’s guesthouse, action movie montages, and being mesmerized by Sidney Poitier at the TCM Classic Film Festival. To Ben’s surprise, Wright christens Ben’s home studio with a perfect classic film moniker.
Films mentioned:
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Shaun of the Dead
Baby Driver
The Running Man
Hot Fuzz
The World’s End
Star Wars: Episode IV:
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Watership Down
The Lord of The Rings (1978 animated film)
Popeye
Evil Dead and Evil Dead II
El Mariachi
Reservoir Dogs
Bad Taste
Rumble In The Bronx
Something About Mary
Silence of the Lambs
In the Heat of the Night
Raising Arizona
Goodfellas
Pink Panther films
Hellraiser
The Wages of Fear
Sorcerer
Lawrence of Arabia
E.T.
Umberto D.
This Is Spinal Tap
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May 14
59 min

Season three of Talking Pictures is back, with a brand new lineup of guests celebrating the movies they love, this time on video.
Host Ben Mankiewicz invites some of the most iconic figures in Hollywood for an intimate conversation at his home studio. Guests like Sally Field, Edgar Wright, and Susan Sarandon open up about the moments that made them, the movies that informed them, and share behind-the-scenes stories that haven’t been told. Of course, every episode ends with the Super 8, where they reveal the movies that make them laugh, cry, and that they can’t forget.
From TCM and HBO Max, this is Season 3 of Talking Pictures: A Movie Memories Podcast, hosted by Ben Mankiewicz.
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May 7
1 min

Oscar-nominated writer/director Joachim Trier (Sentimental Value) talks with Host Ben Mankiewicz about how being raised in a filmmaking family shaped his worldview and his career. Ben and Joachim bond over E.T., Hitchcock's villains, and the enduring humor of Step Brothers. At the end you get a rare peek at a couple of Ben’s prized movie posters.
Films Mentioned:
Sentimental Value
The Passion of Joan of Arc (aka La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc)
The Worst Person in the World
Oslo, August 31st
Tarzan the Ape Man
Mon Oncle
E.T.
The Hunt (aka The Chasers)
The Pinchcliffe Grand Prix
The Champ, 1979 and The Champ, 1931
F1
Annie Hall
Salò
Solaris
Notorious
Amarcord
Flashdance
Fame
Flight of the Eagle
The Emigrants
The New Land
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
The Sting
Slap Shot
Step Brothers
One Battle After Another
Kes
Harry and Tonto
Where Eagles Dare
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Feb 26
55 min

Oscar-nominated writer/director Chloé Zhao (Hamnet) reveals why she has dance parties on set and what happened when a Los Angeles high school teacher took her under his wing. This two-time Academy Award winner, whose latest film is up for eight Oscars, also reveals where she stores her Oscars.
Films Mentioned:
Hamnet
Nomadland
Terminator 2
True Lies
Ghost
Sister Act
Basic Instinct
Happy Together
The Matrix
The Mummy
Ghost In The Shell
The Rider
Red River
Jeremiah Johnson
My Darling Clementine
Unforgiven
Avatar
Titanic
Aliens
Alien
Star Wars
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Land of Silence and Darkness
Into the Abyss
Lord of the Rings
Harry Potter
The Tree of Life
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Casablanca
Interstellar
The Searchers
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Feb 23
1 hr 2 min

In this bonus episode of Talking Pictures recorded live at the TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood, host Ben Mankiewicz chats with director and actor Eli Roth. They discuss Roth’s close relationship with David Lynch and his role as The Bear Jew in Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglorious Basterds.” Known for his horror films, we discover that scary movies made a young Eli Roth projectile vomit! The Super 8 reveals Roth’s broad film knowledge and his family admiration for Mel Brooks movies.
Films Mentioned:
Cabin Fever
Hostel
Hostel 2
The Green Inferno
Thanksgiving
Inglourious Basterds
Death Proof
Pulp Fiction
True Romance
The Idol*
Ben-Hur
Eraserhead*
Superman: The Movie (1978)*
The French Connection
The Royal Tenenbaums
The Conversation
Knock Knock
The Godfather
The Godfather Part II
Night Moves
Scarecrow
Quiz Show
The Paper
The Music of Chance
Dr. Strangelove
Rabbits
The Scary of Sixty-First
Jimmy and Stiggs
It Follows*
The Ring
Clown
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Alien
Private Parts
House of 1000 Corpses
Saw
Nosferatu (2024)
All Hallows' Eve
Terrifier
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
Scream VI
Sleepaway Camp
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
Outland
Dracula (1979)
Kingdom of the Spiders
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Evil Dead
A Nightmare on Elm Street
The Devil's Rejects
American Werewolf in London
Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom
The Wizard of Oz*
Wild at Heart
Joe (1070)
The Breakfast Club
Re-Animator
Porky's
Zapped
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
My Chauffeur
2001: A Space Odyssey*
Blue Velvet*
Pink Flamingos
Hamburger: The Motion Picture
One-Eyed Jacks
House of Wax (1953)
A Night at the Opera
A Day at the Races
Young Frankenstein
The Producers (1967)
Blazing Saddles
High Anxiety
American Psycho
The Sixth Sense
Friends with Benefits
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
America's Sweethearts
The Exorcist
The Shining
Suspiria (1977)
*Available on Max as of 5/7 (Availability of titles subject to change)
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May 7, 2025
1 hr 5 min

One of the godfathers of movie podcasts, Paul Scheer launched How Did This Get Made? fifteen years ago. His love of movies started as a kid on Long Island working at a Blockbuster Video. Through his talent for improv comedy, he ended up writing, directing and performing in some of the funniest shows ever put on TV. Paul details his rollercoaster career, his extremely awkward celebrity encounters, and how movies were often an escape from his difficult childhood. In the Super 8, Paul tells Ben how he once lined up at 6:00 AM... just to watch a trailer.
Films Mentioned :
Ordinary People
The Milagro Beanfield War
Dollars
Heaven Can Wait
Shampoo
The Elephant Man
The Avengers
Iron Man 3
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
Meet Joe Black
The Cable Guy*
Galaxy Quest
Twilight
Psycho 4: A New Beginning
Ghost
Phantasm
Flowers in the Attic
Young Frankenstein
Blazing Saddles
Happy Gilmore
Back to the Future
Groundhog Day
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Grosse Pointe Blank
Midnight Run
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.
*Available on Max as of 2/04 (Availability of titles subject to change)
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Feb 4, 2025
58 min
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