Maltin On Movies

Who is your Batman—Michael Keaton, Christian Bale, Adam West? Leonard and his daughter Jessie talk about the movie heroes we’ve all grown up with, and why we’re attached to the ones we saw first…from Superman to James Bond.

Recorded from the 2015 Los Angeles Podfest, Leonard and Baron discuss LA Movies: the 2006 true-crime period film Hollywoodland, a true-crime turkey also released that very same year, and a brilliant sleeper by the name of King of California. Plus, they take questions from the live audience!

Phil Rosenthal, creator of “Everybody Loves Raymond” and the new PBS series “I’ll Have What Phil’s Having” joins Leonard this week to discuss Woody Allen’s Broadway Danny Rose: a hilarious film that showcases the low end of New York show business.

Finally, a sequel as good as the first! This week Leonard & Baron discuss the many great performances by Catherine O'Hara, Madeline Kahn, and Melissa McCarthy, as well as Baron's new theme song!

School is back in session and this week Leonard and Baron discuss three films that deal with school life: the terrific social satire Election, a movie with a likable cast that is unapologetically bad, and the breath of fresh air that is 2004’s Saved!

Leonard and Jessie Maltin are back this week to talk about many facets of moviegoing: accepting a movie for what it is and not for what it isn’t, the experience of seeing a movie with an engaged audience at a film festival, and discovering a wonderful movie sometimes by luck.

Transferring hit TV shows to the big screen isn’t a new idea. This week Leonard and Baron discuss three films that have received this treatment: 1991’s dark and twisted The Addams Family, two unfortunate turkeys, and the underrated (and star-studded) SNL film Coneheads.

This week Leonard and Baron discuss three documentaries that are well worth your time and will make you cry: Jesse Moss’ The Overnighters, Crips and Bloods: Made in America, and an inspiring film about two remarkable people separated in age by more than 60 years.

Baron and Leonard are reunited once again! Inspired by leading ladies Amy Schumer & Melissa McCarthy, they discuss three films that feature funny ladies: Whoopi Goldberg in the crowd pleaser Sister Act, Lily Tomlin in The Late Show, a sleeper from 1977, and a stinker from one of everyone’s favorite female comics. (p.s. it wasn’t her fault).

Leonard and Jessie Maltin are back this week and this time they are answering your questions about music in film! What’s the best music score? Which film has the best soundtrack? What are some unknown musical movie gems? Tune in to find out!

Leonard returns along with his daughter Jessie Maltin to answer all your questions! What was Leonard’s first (and second) experience walking out of a movie? What is the best Alan Smithee film? If you can only watch movies from one decade which will it be? Tune in to find out!

Baron is joined once again by the globe-trotting Jessie Maltin as they discuss actors who fill major roles in major motion pictures constantly but aren't names known by "your mom."

This week Baron and special guest Jessie Maltin answer some listener questions addressed to Leonard & Baron including: favorite film of all time, favorite film composers, if they have ever changed their opinion of a film upon a second viewing, and much more.

This week Leonard and Baron welcome Leonard’s wife Alice to sit in with them as they discuss three excellent documentaries that take you behind the scenes of movies in different ways: Casting By, a celebration of the casting profession and casting pioneer Marion Dougherty, Lost in La Mancha which follows Terry Gilliam's doomed attempt to get his film, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, off the ground, and It's All True: Based on an Unfinished Film by Orson Welles, the story of a notorious Orson Welles project about South America that was never completed.

Inspired by Father’s Day, Leonard’s daughter Jessie Maltin returns to discuss the movies that her dad shared with her growing up—and Leonard explains why he chose the classics. Plus, Baron explains how movies as diverse as Amadeus and the Muppets opened him up to a world of great movies.

This week Leonard and Baron discuss three films that prove cartoons aren’t always intended for children: the first animated feature ever submitted by France as its official entry for the Oscars, 2007’s Persepolis, a stop-motion animated sleeper from Australia, and a stinker from one of the medium’s true innovators. (Hey, nobody’s perfect…)

Every rule has exceptions, and while Leonard and Baron have reservations about many remakes of older films, this week they spotlight a couple they love! They praise the breathless, incredibly funny His Girl Friday, lament that the latest RoboCop was hamstrung from the beginning by a terrible script, and recommend a remake of a spooky Swedish thriller.

This week Leonard and Baron discuss three films adapted from books; two that are great, and one that’s just grating. They’re captivated by the many grace notes of the John Irving adaptation “The Cider House Rules,” and appalled by the bloated, lugubrious “How The Grinch Stole Christmas,” before recommending a classic from the 30’s that takes you to a remote, exotic land.

This week Leonard and Baron discuss three movies made by women: Love & Basketball, written and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, a reimagining of a popular TV show that’s not worthy of its director or star, and a compelling sleeper written and directed by Dee Rees called Pariah.

This week Leonard and Baron discuss three movies featuring female duos of all stripes! After praising the debut film of a famed directorial duo, they advise listeners to steer clear of the shrill caricatures that populate The Other Woman, and check out the haunting musical sister act Hilary & Jackie.