2026 sure looks like it’s going to be a year with movies in it. Rena and Sara break down what we know is coming—Michael, Jimmy, Young George Washington, Madden—and what we know will never come (give up the ghost, “Devil the White City directed by Martin Scorsese” shippers), and where the biopic stands as we leave the hellscape of 2025 and enter the hellscape of 2026.  We don’t have all the answers, as we ask, what, exactly, is a KJ Apa and what is he doing here? How many new houses will the executive producers of Michael build on their altar of lies and bullshit? When you can write a verse of “We Didn’t Start the Fire” containing the insane number of producers on a project, does that mean that movie is going to be bad? Does Nicolas Cage in Madden look more like a sleep paralysis demon or Cabbage Patch Kid? What is more sinister: the presence of David Mamet or John Travolta on your film set? This is far from complete (there’s a biopic of Stallone made by the Farrelly Brothers due out this year, people), so there’s more to mock as the year goes on. Buckle up, we’re in for another year.  Sources used in the episode include… https://www.salon.com/2021/12/30/its-a-wonderful-life-harmful-message-sacrifice/ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/hollywood-winners-losers-2025-best-worst-movies-tv/lost-prestige-biopics/ https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2003/04/21/remake   Spoiler Warning: We spoil everything. And we enjoy it. Our theme music is by Ben Patch: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5BB01QpPE7HBGacGAlullu?si=gp_6jbvsThWXg_sSLVcv6Q   Follow us! Instagram: @biopicapodcaststory Bluesky: @biopic-podcast.bsky.social Threads: @biopicapodcaststory Website: https://biopicapodcaststory.podbean.com/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/biopicapodcaststory Contact us: biopiclistenermailbag@gmail.com

It's a very Oppenheimer holiday season 2025! Christopher Nolan’s magnum opus about the work of one of America’s most brilliant scientists, and his leadership in creating our first weapon of mass destruction, is a GD masterpiece, and we love it.   Enjoy the end of the year with this feel-good tale of that time we built and used nukes and it was never, ever a problem ever again. If those feels aren’t good enough, enjoy the throughline in which we watch  Oppenheimer’s patriotism and service to America in one of its darkest hours get desecrated by a bitchy, self-centered former shoe salesman/"Admiral" who labors under the illusion that Oppenheimer talked shit about him to Einstein one time. Also discussed: How do all of these scientists know each other? Would J. Edgar Hoover have a file on this podcast, were he still alive today? Are we ever going to sit in the chairs in a hotel room again? Are we going to spend every Christmas with Rami Malek?  This episode is a long one, however, it would have been longer if we kept in the parts where we re-litigate the foreign and domestic policy choices made by U.S. leadership in 1945, something we’re both deeply qualified to do and that we know our audience would just LOVE. Oppenheimer was directed by Christopher Nolan and stars Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, Emily Blunt as Kitty Oppenheimer, Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss, Alden Ehrenreich as Senate Aide, Scott Grimes as Counsel, Jason Clarke as Roger Robb, Macon Blair as Lloyd Garrison, Kenneth Branagh as Niels Bohr, Tom Conti as Albert Einstein, David Krumholtz as Isidor Rabi, Matthias Schweighöfer as Werner Heisenberg, Josh Hartnett as Ernest Lawrence, Alex Wolff as Luis Alvarez, Josh Zuckerman as Rossi Lomanitz, Michael Angarano as Robert Serber, Dylan Arnold as Frank Oppenheimer, Emma Dumont as Jackie Oppenheimer, Florence Pugh as Jean Tatlock, Jefferson Hall as Haakon Chevalier, Guy Burnet as George Eltenton, Tom Jenkins as Richard Tolman, Matthew Modine as Vannevar Bush, Louise Lombard as Ruth Tolman, David Dastmalchian as William Borden, Matt Damon as Leslie Groves, Dane DeHaan as Kenneth Nichols, Olli Haaskivi as Edward Condon, Jack Quaid as Richard Feynman, Benny Safdie as Edward Teller, Gustaf Skarsgård as Hans Bethe, James Urbaniak as Kurt Gödel, Danny Deferrari as Enrico Fermi, Christopher Denham as Klaus Fuchs, Rami Malek as David Hill, Máté Haumann as Leo Szilard, Olivia Thirlby as Lilli Hornig, Casey Affleck as Boris Pash, Gary Oldman as Harry Truman, and Hap Lawrence as Lyndon Johnson. Sources Podcasts: Star Talk with Neil DeGrasse Tyson, episode on Oppenheimer.   Books: American Prometheus, by Kai Bird.   Magazines   Vanity Fair Jean Tatlock: The Tragic Story of Robert Oppenheimer’s “Truest Love” by Katey Rich https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/07/oppenheimer-true-story-jean-tatlock https://www.fourthwallcontent.com/blog/colour-as-a-storytelling-device-in-films https://filmustage.com/blog/the-power-of-color-in-film-learn-from-10-cinematic-examples/ Congressional Records https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=wsorGFIlEawC&pg=GBS.PA766&hl=en https://www.congress.gov/86/crecb/1959/05/20/GPO-CRECB-1959-pt7-1-1.pdf   FBI Files https://vault.fbi.gov/rosenberg-case/robert-j.-oppenheimer https://vault.fbi.gov/Katherine%20Oppenheimer/Katherine%20Oppenheimer%20Part%2001%20%28Final%29/view   Spoiler Warning: We spoil everything. And we enjoy it. Our theme music is by Ben Patch: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5BB01QpPE7HBGacGAlullu?si=gp_6jbvsThWXg_sSLVcv6Q   Follow us! Instagram: @biopicapodcaststory Bluesky: @biopic-podcast.bsky.social Threads: @biopicapodcaststory Website: https://biopicapodcaststory.podbean.com/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/biopicapodcaststory Contact us: biopiclistenermailbag@gmail.com

“You ruined it with your stupidity!” Rena’s favorite line in the history of film comes alive (albeit not the way she remembers it) in this absolutely magical biopic about the compassionate genius Temple Grandin, a true doctor Doolittle (unlike alleged murderer Rex Harrison).  Through almost starting to cry again, we discuss the David Strathairn exception to the dangers of being hot for teacher, how the squeeze machine could have been a very different project at Vassar, the need to better honor our Swiss Army knife film directors (like Mick Jackson — who directed this movie and the feelgood film of 1984, Threads).. and so much more.  Temple Grandin stars Claire Danes as Temple Grandin, Julia Ormond as Eustacia Grandin, David Strathairn as Dr. Carlock, Catherine O'Hara as Aunt Ann, Stephanie Faracy as Betty Goscowitz, Barry Tubb as Randy, and Melissa Farman as Alice. Sources used in the episode include… Podcasts Episode of Star Talk,  Neil deGrasse Tyson’s podcast that Temple Grandin guest starred on. Books Thinking in Pictures by Temple Grandin. Temple Grandin: Voice for the Voiceless by Annette Wood. Spoiler Warning: We spoil everything. And we enjoy it. Our theme music is by Ben Patch: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5BB01QpPE7HBGacGAlullu?si=gp_6jbvsThWXg_sSLVcv6Q   Follow us! Instagram: @biopicapodcaststory Bluesky: @biopic-podcast.bsky.social Threads: @biopicapodcaststory Website: https://biopicapodcaststory.podbean.com/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/biopicapodcaststory Contact us: biopiclistenermailbag@gmail.com

Buckle up, snowflakes, we’re ruining your favorite folk hero!  Politics month is supposed to be over, but we have one more slice of Americana bullshit for you all, 1973’s Walking Tall, starring Joe Don Baker. After all, what is more patriotic than being a pro-wrestler-turned-town-sherriff-without-any-law-enforcement-experience-cum-alleged-wife-murderer-and-legend who stands up for what is right (grifting harder than your competition)? What is more American than assaulting your town’s inhabitants with a two-by-four because due process is nonsense, and you haven’t eaten yet?  Nothing. NOTHING.  We find a couple of flaws with the popular, ridiculous myth of Buford Pusser and discuss those (spoiler alert: There was not an official stick that he used to beat people with) while also finding fault with Buford’s sheriff’s uniform of a relaxed-fit shirt and brown slacks, the film’s soundtrack, Bing Crosby’s production house, the too-good-for-this-film presence of the tragic Elizabeth Hartman, and the town orthopedist’s cast-making skills. And a lot of other things.  Walking Tall was directed by Phil Carlson and stars Joe Don Baker as Sheriff Buford Pusser, Elizabeth Hartman as Pauline Pusser, Lurene Tuttle as Helen Pusser, Noah Beery Jr. as Carl Pusser, Dawn Lyn as Dwana Pusser, Leif Garrett as Mike Pusser, Felton Perry as Obra Eaker, Logan Ramsey as John Witter, Rosemary Murphy as Callie Hacker, Gene Evans as Sheriff Al Thurman, and Bruce Glover as Grady Coker. Sources used in the episode include…   Podcasts  Behind the Bastards  Going South   The Facebook page Buford Pusser: The Other Story—which, I know what a cesspool Facebook is, but the man who created it, Mike Elam, has dedicated a lot of energy and time and shoe leather to dissecting this man’s legacy which, I gotta say, is fucking weird, and speaks to that strange, strange time our society was in at the end of the Vietnam War and in the throes of Watergate.—Sara   Spoiler Warning: We spoil everything. And we enjoy it. Our theme music is by Ben Patch: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5BB01QpPE7HBGacGAlullu?si=gp_6jbvsThWXg_sSLVcv6Q   Follow us! Instagram: @biopicapodcaststory Bluesky: @biopic-podcast.bsky.social Threads: @biopicapodcaststory Website: https://biopicapodcaststory.podbean.com/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/biopicapodcaststory Contact us: biopiclistenermailbag@gmail.com

Hello boredom, our old friend. Dull, terrible Parnell — widely considered Clark Gable’s worst film and one of the worst movies ever made — lives up to its reputation as we celebrate the blessed end of Politics Month. We take a long, pained look at a film that combines the magic of inert, uncommitted acting, a dire, boring screenplay filled with cliches, and the thrills of parliamentary procedure around Irish “home rule”, and firmly recommend that no one ever watch this movie. Was there a gas leak on set? How checked out was Clark Gable? Did Billie Burke sell her soul to the devil in order to look young for her entire life? Can an impromptu spelling be ever be compelling? This movie is a nightmare. We did this work for you here.  Because the movie was so wildly uninformative, we welcome a special guest, the delightful and wildly intelligent Fin Dwyer of The Irish History Podcast and the Transatlantic Podcast  who gives us the true (and much more interesting) story of groundbreaking Irish politician Charles Stewart Parnell. Parnell stars Clark Gable as Charles Stewart Parnell, Myrna Loy as Katie O'Shea, Edna May Oliver as Aunt Ben Wood, Edmund Gwenn as Campbell, Alan Marshal as Captain William O'Shea, Donald Crisp as Davitt, Billie Burke as Clara Wood, Berton Churchill as The O'Gorman Mahon, Donald Meek as Murphy, Montagu Love as Gladstone, Byron Russell as Healy, Brandon Tynan as Redmond, and somewhere, in an uncredited role, Lee Strasberg. Spoiler Warning: We spoil everything. And we enjoy it. Our theme music is by Ben Patch: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5BB01QpPE7HBGacGAlullu?si=gp_6jbvsThWXg_sSLVcv6Q   Books   Clark Gable : tormented star David Bret   The Irish Assassins: Conspiracy, Revenge and the Phoenix Park Murders that Stunned Victorian England  by Julie Kavanagh (Author)   Myrna Loy : the only good girl in Hollywood Emily Wortis Leider   Fireball : Carole Lombard and the Mystery of Flight 3 By Robert Matzen   The fifty worst films of all time : (and how they got that way) by Harry Medved  The Irish History Podcast with Fin Dwyer, our guest.   Follow us! Instagram: @biopicapodcaststory Bluesky: @biopic-podcast.bsky.social Threads: @biopicapodcaststory Website: https://biopicapodcaststory.podbean.com/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/biopicapodcaststory Contact us: biopiclistenermailbag@gmail.com

We couldn’t be more excited to welcome our friend and New Orleansian Glenn from The Awesome Village to talk about John Goodman’s star turn as Louisiana populist senator and governor Huey Long in the TV movie Kingfish.  Featuring a cavalcade of future stars, Kingfish efficiently cycles through the political career, appetites, and light corruption of Long with what Sara found to be an objectionable amount of music. Also discussed at length: why John Goodman is the best, several odes to New Orleans, Rena displaying unexpected interest in football, why we wore brown lipstick in the 1990s, the magic of Louisiana politics, and the shocking heel turn of FDR, who we liked well enough two weeks ago in Sunrise at Campobello.  Kingfish: A Story of Huey P. Long was directed by Thomas Schlamme, written by  Paul Monash, and stars John Goodman as Huey P. Long, Jr., Matt Craven as Seymour Weiss, Anne Heche as Aileen Dumont, Ann Dowd as Rose Long, Jeff Perry as Earl Long, Bob Gunton as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Bill Cobbs as Pullman Porter, Hoyt Axton as Huey P. Long, Sr., Kirk Baltz as Frank Costello, Richard Bradford as Judge Benjamin Pavy, Jimmie Ray Weeks as Allen Henderson, Bill Raymond as Gov. O.K. Allen, John McConnell as 'Battlin' Bozeman, Ed Bruce as Gov. J.Y. Sanders, and Joe Chrest as Carl Weiss. Sources used in the episode include…   Podcasts: Perspectives in History, 5-parter on Huey Long. Gadfly 6-parter on Huey Long. TV: Dick Cavett interview with John Goodman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3F9ltZhPgM   News: https://variety.com/1995/tv/reviews/kingfish-a-story-of-huey-p-long-1200441053/   Also, we have an actual Louisianian to give us some context here.  Spoiler Warning: We spoil everything. And we enjoy it. Our theme music is by Ben Patch: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5BB01QpPE7HBGacGAlullu?si=gp_6jbvsThWXg_sSLVcv6Q   Follow us! Instagram: @biopicapodcaststory Bluesky: @biopic-podcast.bsky.social Threads: @biopicapodcaststory Website: https://biopicapodcaststory.podbean.com/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/biopicapodcaststory

A crude, egomaniacal leader with astonishing hair, suffering from mini-strokes and hypertension, dies following a party where everyone kisses his ass and cheers on American machismo. Is it a call from the future? A bird? A plane? No…It’s The Death of Stalin! Chaos breaks loose as his potential successors try to figure out who is the most feckless and clever of them all, and who can take over the future of the USSR. We meet failsons, daughters of dubious intellect, hypermasculine generals, and overly performative ass-kissers on our journey to the Nikita Khrushchev era in this pitch-black comedy from Antonio Iannucci, the kind and hilarious Scotsman who also blessed us with Veep. We unpack the absurdity and tragedy of communist Russia in the 1950s, what “17 minutes” means, Sara’s history of working for maniacs, the settled-science hotness of Steve Buscemi, the adorable, tragic pup Laikaa, the missed opportunity for a McDonald’s tie-in, and so much more as we continue Politics Month 2025.   Spoiler Warning: We spoil everything. And we enjoy it. Sources used in the episode include… Behind the Bastards, several episodes related to Joseph Stalin and his henchmen. Real Dictators episodes on Joseph Stalin. We read the graphic novel. Character sketch on Khrushchev from a CIA memoranda prepared for President Kennedy in 1961 that was declassified in 1976, now available through the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library: https://www.jfklibrary.org/asset-viewer/archives/jfkpof-126-003#?image_identifier=JFKPOF-126-003-p0087   The Last Days of Stalin, by Joshua Rubenstein. https://slate.com/culture/2018/03/whats-fact-and-whats-fiction-in-the-death-of-stalin.html Stalin's daughter : the extraordinary and tumultuous life of Svetlana Alliluyeva by Rosemary Sullivan Our theme music is by Ben Patch: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5BB01QpPE7HBGacGAlullu?si=gp_6jbvsThWXg_sSLVcv6Q   Follow us! Instagram: @biopicapodcaststory Bluesky: @biopic-podcast.bsky.social Threads: @biopicapodcaststory Website: https://biopicapodcaststory.podbean.com/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/biopicapodcaststory Contact us: biopiclistenermailbag@gmail.com

Emergency bonus episode! Michael, the oft-delayed musical biopic about the life and times of troubled genius and smooth (never convicted, often tried) alleged criminal Michael Jackson has a teaser trailer and an April 2026 release date. We risked 1990s-era Pokemon-inspired seizures as we watched the trailer over and over in an attempt to parse the psychotically edited clip parade for insights about what we can expect from this movie. What we’re confident predicting: the absolutely unbiased team of MJ estate executors producing the film will give us a film in which young boys will be the villains trying to take down one of the 20th century’s most iconic and important artists; Johnnie Cochran may not make it to the final cut because the filmmakers didn’t read MJ’s 1993 settlement agreement; screenwriter John Logan’s need for a GoFundMe (call us, John!), and that the musical sequences will probably be electrifying.  Also discussed: the economics of MJ and why it was easier to let him do whatever the hell he wanted; prosthetics; The Jacksons: An American Dream; how Rena was old enough to rent a car when she first saw the Thriller video; and the unexpected parallels between the Michael teaser trailer and Thornton Wilder’s Our Town. And so much more.  Sources used in the episode include… https://variety.com/2025/film/news/michael-jackson-biopic-trailer-first-footage-1236168488/#recipient_hashed=b9997f00edcb0ce488b46f6883f897b1143a3ff8c2a571e2e26872f0fcba0958&recipient_salt=4d7867d3eca22b71fde0dba3b278c22145f502c20e757e3f49a26898273008a5&utm_medium=email&utm_source=exacttarget&utm_campaign=newsalert&utm_content=644726_11-06-2025&utm_term=6337474?utm_medium=&utm_source=&utm_campaign=&utm_content=&utm_id=    With additional thanks to Pajiba As promised, here's the video of Smokey Robinson and George Michael singing "Careless Whisper." Noted: Bill Cosby does the intro, sorry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZflvN5mkrxQ Spoiler Warning: We spoil everything. And we enjoy it. Our theme music is by Ben Patch: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5BB01QpPE7HBGacGAlullu?si=gp_6jbvsThWXg_sSLVcv6Q   Follow us! Instagram: @biopicapodcaststory Bluesky: @biopic-podcast.bsky.social Threads: @biopicapodcaststory Website: https://biopicapodcaststory.podbean.com/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/biopicapodcaststory Contact us: biopiclistenermailbag@gmail.com

We start Politics Month with a whimper: A 2 hour, 30 minute, ponderous look inside the months and (maybe?) years that immediately follow FDR’s devastating polio diagnosis.  Should this be an interesting look at a consequential moment in which the future of American politics was forever changed? Yes. Should this be an incisive character study on one of the most important, decent and progressive individuals to hold the office of president, during one of the most challenging eras in U.S. history? Yes. Is it? No.  We get furious about the monologuing, the Von Trapp style children, and desperate need for a screenplay editor. Also discussed: Alice Roosevelt’s bitchy vendetta against Eleanor, Sara’s parasocial relationship with Teddy Roosevelt, bad teeth and bad parenting, getting polio from a Boy Scout camp, and being in more than one community production of Annie.  Sunrise at Campobello stars Ralph Bellamy as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Greer Garson as Eleanor Roosevelt, Hume Cronyn as Louis Howe, Jean Hagen as Marguerite "Missy" LeHand, Ann Shoemaker as Sara Delano Roosevelt, Alan Bunce as Governor Alfred E. Smith, Tim Considine as James Roosevelt, Zina Bethune as Anna Roosevelt, Frank Ferguson as Dr. Bennett, Pat Close as Elliott Roosevelt, Robin Warga as Franklin Roosevelt Jr., Tom Carty as Johnny Roosevelt, Lyle Talbot as Mr. Brimmer, David White as Mr. Lassiter, Walter Sande as Captain Skinner and Herbert Anderson as Vincent Dailey, was directed by Vincent J. Donehue, and was based on a play by Dore Schary.   Sources used in the episode include…   Books The Roosevelt Women by Betty Boyd Caroli Eleanor Roosevelt, Volume I by Blanche Weisen Cook. Franklin D. Roosevelt, a Political Life by Robert Dallek Eleanor by David Michaelis Hissing Cousins: The Lifelong Rivalry of Eleanor Roosevelt and Alice Roosevelt Longworth by Marc Peyser and Timothy Dwyer  The Man He Became: How FDR Defied Polio to Win the Presidency by James Tobin Podcasts The Totalus Rankium episodes on FDR.   Spoiler Warning: We spoil everything. And we enjoy it. Our theme music is by Ben Patch: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5BB01QpPE7HBGacGAlullu?si=gp_6jbvsThWXg_sSLVcv6Q   Follow us! Instagram: @biopicapodcaststory Bluesky: @biopic-podcast.bsky.social Threads: @biopicapodcaststory Website: https://biopicapodcaststory.podbean.com/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/biopicapodcaststory Contact us: biopiclistenermailbag@gmail.com

We welcome back the amazing cartoonist and South Korea expert Ryan Estrada  (https://www.ryanestrada.com/) to discuss this truly inspiring biopic that is “not about” (wink and nudge, folks) the early years of future 9th president of South Korea and human rights activist Roh Moo-huyn, then a tax attorney who is compelled to defend a number of teenage students who are arrested and imprisoned without warrants on fabricated charges of being communist sympathizers.  Fortunately, this is not at all timely, and we live in the U.S.A., so we can’t relate to people being detained without reason and hopped-up charges of aiding and abetting vague enemies in order to scare and intimidate everyone else into obeying in advance.  We discuss the reason why South Korean filmmakers prefer “based on a true story” for their biopics, talk more about Ryan’s superhero wife (and co-author) Kim Hyun Sook, and, of course, whether there’s anything to ever be hopeful about ever again.  Cut for time (probably for the best): Sara’s theories about Mattress stores being a front for criminal activities.  We unabashedly loved this movie and its performances by future Parasite star (and the Tom Hanks of South Korea) Song Kang-ho and K-Pop idol and Squid Game star Im Si-wan, and desperately needed its message about how one person’s actions can change the world.  ALSO: Ryan has a new book out with aformentioned superhero wife Kim Hyun Sook: Good Old Fashioned Korean Spirit (Penguin Workshop) which can be procured at Bookshop.org or from any of the other major book suppliers who absolutely do not need us to link to them.  The Attorney stars Song Kang-ho as Song Woo-suk, Kim Young-ae as Choi Soon-ae,  Oh Dal-su as Park Dong-ho, Kwak Do-won as Cha Dong-young, Im Si-wan as Park Jin-woo, Lee Sung-min as Lee Yoon-taek, Jung Won-joong as Attorney Kim Sang-pil, Song Young-chang as Judge, and Jo Min-ki as Prosecutor Kang Young-cheol. Spoiler Warning: We spoil everything. And we enjoy it. Our theme music is by Ben Patch: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5BB01QpPE7HBGacGAlullu?si=gp_6jbvsThWXg_sSLVcv6Q Follow us! Instagram: @biopicapodcaststory Bluesky: @biopic-podcast.bsky.social Threads: @biopicapodcaststory Website: https://biopicapodcaststory.podbean.com/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/biopicapodcaststory Contact us: biopiclistenermailbag@gmail.com

 While it dazzles with its 1895-era special effects, the Thomas Edison-produced The Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots offers scant commentary or insight into the life of Mary Stuart, opting for salaciousness over character development.  It’s also 18 seconds long.  Rena offers critical context that the O.G. shameless idea thief Thomas Edison’s film fails to provide, and we also discuss Sara’s ongoing enmity of Kevin Costner, Wes Bentley appreciation, Juilliard auditions, sad puppies, Hugo, and acrylic yarn.  The Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots is directed by Alfred Clark, produced by Thomas Edison, and stars Robert L. Thomas (of course, a man) as Mary Stuart.  Sources used in the episode include… Queen Of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart By John Guy   Podcast: The Rest is History, series on Mary, Queen of Scots The Hollywood Reporter, “How Kevin Costner Lost Hollywood,” by Peter Kiefer, October 8, 2025. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/kevin-costner-horizon-yellowstone-2-1236395016/  Spoiler Warning: We spoil everything. And we enjoy it. Our theme music is by Ben Patch: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5BB01QpPE7HBGacGAlullu?si=gp_6jbvsThWXg_sSLVcv6Q   Follow us! Instagram: @biopicapodcaststory Bluesky: @biopic-podcast.bsky.social Threads: @biopicapodcaststory Website: https://biopicapodcaststory.podbean.com/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/biopicapodcaststory Contact us: biopiclistenermailbag@gmail.com

Juana of Castile is MADDDDD WITH LOOOOOVVVEEE for one of those Easter Island-headed Hapsburgs and … that’s the movie. That’s it. That’s Mad Love. After several back-to-back bangers, Rena and Sara find themselves in biopic purgatory with this boring-as-all-get-out movie that features baffling artistic choices (including absolutely no lighting and an angry-as-hell score) and manages to make what Rena promises are super-compelling people into droning dullards.  Some of the content discussed includes: the best way to shoot a dance sequence (from the waist up, of course), Hapsburg family inbreeding, toilet babies, Isabella and Ferdinand, and our general unhappiness with having watched this film.    Sources used in the episode include… Sister Queens: The Noble, Tragic Lives of Katherine of Aragon and Juana, Queen of Castile  By Julia Fox (no, not that Julia Fox, the other Julia Fox, although perhaps Julia Fox’s whole thing is to hide being a history nerd.)   Isabella of Castile: Europe's First Great Queen by Giles Tremlett   Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean by Edward Kritzler Emperor : a new life of Charles V by Geoffrey Parker The Habsburgs : To Rule the World by Martyn Rady   Podcasts The Queens Podcast, episodes on Isabella and Juana of Castile   Web https://frockflicks.com/snark-week-mad-love-juana-la-loca-2001/   Spoiler Warning: We spoil everything. And we enjoy it. Our theme music is by Ben Patch: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5BB01QpPE7HBGacGAlullu?si=gp_6jbvsThWXg_sSLVcv6Q   Follow us! Instagram: @biopicapodcaststory Bluesky: @biopic-podcast.bsky.social Threads: @biopicapodcaststory Website: https://biopicapodcaststory.podbean.com/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/biopicapodcaststory Contact us: biopiclistenermailbag@gmail.com

69! Very nice. We commit to the bit by exploring the seedy underworld of Los Angeles’ porn and drug scene in 2003’s unfairly overlooked Wonderland. Starring Val Kilmer as the legendary abusive monster John Holmes, aka Johnny Wadd, Wonderland documents, Rashomon-style, the notorious revenge murders in which John Holmes most definitely participated, and reminds us that drugs are indeed very, very, very bad.  We discuss a lot of addict logic, P.T. Anderson’s insistence that John Holmes was a good actor, the differences between crack and freebase, Tim Blake Nelson’s enduring gift for playing the kind of dude who would be comfortable at a dog fight, the unbelievable magic of Lisa Kudrow, Liberace, and so much more, including acrylic yarn.  Wonderland is directed by James Cox, and stars Val Kilmer as John Holmes, Lisa Kudrow as Sharon Holmes, Kate Bosworth as Dawn Schiller, Eric Bogosian as Eddie Nash, Dylan McDermott as David Lind, Carrie Fisher as Sally Hansen, Josh Lucas as Ron Launius, Ted Levine as Sam Nico, Tim Blake Nelson as Billy Severely, Christina Applegate as Susan Launius, Janeane Garofalo as Joy Miller, and Natasha Gregson Wagner as Barbara Richardson.    Sources used in the episode include… “The Devil and John Holmes” by Mike Sager —  this was an article for Rolling Stone that is kind of the definitive telling of this story.  Wonderland Murders podcast on Wondery. Michael Connelly's series on MGM TV called The Wonderland Massacre. Malice in Wonderland by Tom Lange. The documentary WADD, which came out in 1999. – Basically if there’s a podcast or episode of television or anything about this story Sara has probably looked into it.    Spoiler Warning: We spoil everything. And we enjoy it. Our theme music is by Ben Patch: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5BB01QpPE7HBGacGAlullu?si=gp_6jbvsThWXg_sSLVcv6Q Follow us! Instagram: @biopicapodcaststory Bluesky: @biopic-podcast.bsky.social Threads: @biopicapodcaststory Website: https://biopicapodcaststory.podbean.com/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/biopicapodcaststory Contact us: biopiclistenermailbag@gmail.com

Rena and Sara are pretty psyched that they saw this the second-best way (the first being on an Apple watch) at the Paris Theater. Because David Lean’s epic masterpiece Lawrence of Arabia is what everyone says it is: expansive.  Why did everyone tolerate Peter O’Toole’s drunken shenanigans? Why was Anthony Quinn’s appearance the one that had to be made accurate with a prosthetic nose? Which of T.E. Lawrence’s contributions to society were most meaningful: foreign policy based on nation-building or the motorcycle helmet? Why is master bridge player and actor Omar Sharif so darn hot?  We also play “Thanks A Lot, Alexander Korda” (you nerds out there owe him big time), talk about Lawrence of Arabia’s place in the Listicle Industrial Complex, Rena discovers what might be Mitch McConnell’s burner account for writing IMDB reviews, and Sara again mentions that she is trying to read The Power Broker. Sources used in the episode include… Hero: The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia by Michael Korda The Seven Pillars of Wisdom, by T.E. Lawrence Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth, by Noa Tishby David Lean: A Self Portrait  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jAb4tmCPOk  - I’d like to mention here that a friend pointed out the size of his ears - which are astonishing - and said, “It makes sense that one of the most acclaimed directors of the 20th century could probably hear everything on the set better than everyone else.” And I have not stopped thinking about that a little since. * Articles in the New York Post, El Pais, and others https://english.elpais.com/people/2023-12-24/alcohol-fights-and-indestructible-talent-how-peter-otoole-survived-the-bars.html  Podcasts The Empire podcast. An episode of History Hit An episode of In Our Time, from the BBCUnspooled, Lawrence of Arabia Follow us! Instagram: @biopicapodcaststory Bluesky: @biopic-podcast.bsky.social Threads: @biopicapodcaststory Website: https://biopicapodcaststory.podbean.com/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/biopicapodcaststory Contact us: biopiclistenermailbag@gmail.com * So David Lean is like Dumbo, sort of.

We finally found a movie that is both a Sara Movie and a Rena Movie, and it’s the damn-near-perfect 1967 film Bonnie & Clyde. Yes, their names are Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow and they rob banks… but there’s so much more to talk about, including Sara’s Talmudic Loophole of Seeing Inappropriate Stuff as a Kid, whether Faye Dunaway is the most beautiful, most bananas, most brilliant actress to appear on screen, how the hell CW Moss got that box of grenades, Buck Barrow’s refusal to die, and Rena’s fascination with Blanche Barrow’s jodhpurs. We love this movie, we have a lot to say about it, and we went deep and hard, which, according to this film, was something Clyde Barrow could not do (though opinions vary). Bonus: We have a challenger for “Lou Gehrig’s Older Than the Dust Itself On-Screen Mother,” and Corpse Capers.   Sources used in the episode include… Public Enemies by Bryan Burroughs  Looking for Gatsby by Faye Dunaway  The Studio, by John Gregory Dunne  Go Down Together, by Jeff Guinn Pictures at a Revolution by Mark Harris  Documentary Faye, a documentary about the life of Faye Dunaway Podcasts American History Hit: Bonnie & Clyde Criminalia episode: The Reluctant Blanche Barrow: Bonnie Wasn’t the Only Dame in Clyde Barrow’s Gang Infamous America multi-parter on Bonnie & Clyde Spoiler Warning: We spoil everything. And we enjoy it. Our theme music is by Ben Patch: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5BB01QpPE7HBGacGAlullu?si=gp_6jbvsThWXg_sSLVcv6Q Follow us! Instagram: @biopicapodcaststory Bluesky: @biopic-podcast.bsky.social Threads: @biopicapodcaststory Website: https://biopicapodcaststory.podbean.com/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/biopicapodcaststory Contact us: biopiclistenermailbag@gmail.com

The Devils is a lot of things: a wholesome look at what happens when people believe in weird provincial nonsense instead of actual facts; a star vehicle for unlikely pin-up Oliver Reed; the most Catholic movie ever made; and the only time (so far, at least) we’ve used the phrase “Holy Water Enema.”   We’re SO excited to welcome back our show’s official Ken Russell sherpa, the still-brilliant Elana Levin from the Graphic Policy Podcast (https://graphicpolicy.com/radio/, on Bluesky @Levin), to take us through the not-at-all-relevant-in-present-day tale of a town’s one rational, science-trusting dude battling the floods of insanity, stupidity and mob rule led by religious maniacs.    Just a few of the topics we cover are the not-at-all-coded Klan hoods, Sara’s history with the Jesuits, where crocodiles fit into healthcare protocols, Jefferson Airplane, the musical Hair, and so much more. Also in this episode: Another “Road to Korda.”    The Devils is directed by Ken Russell, and stars Oliver Reed as Urbain Grandier, Vanessa Regrave as Sister Jeanne, Dudley Sutton as Baron De Laubardemont, Gemma Jones as Madeleine, Michael Gothard as Father Barre, Georgina Hale as Phillippe, Christopher Logue as Cardinal Richelieu, Max Adrian as Ibert, and Graham Armitage as Louis XIII.    Find Elana here: https://graphicpolicy.com/radio/  Our theme music is by Ben Patch: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5BB01QpPE7HBGacGAlullu?si=gp_6jbvsThWXg_sSLVcv6Q Spoiler Warning: We spoil everything. And we enjoy it.   Sources used in the episode include…   Books:   The Devils of Loudon by Aldous Huxley   The Possession at Loudun by Michel de Certeau   Podcasts:   Bad Ideas, “The Devils of Loudon — Urbain Grandier and the Possessions of Loudon”   Battle Royale episode on Louis XIII   Not Just the Tudors episode on Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu.   Online:    Interview with Ken Russell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySbsO_9d3ls    https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/looking-back-possessions-loudun   Follow us! Instagram: @biopicapodcaststory Bluesky: @biopic-podcast.bsky.social Threads: @biopicapodcaststory Website: https://biopicapodcaststory.podbean.com/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/biopicapodcaststory Contact us: biopiclistenermailbag@gmail.com

PART 2 of the most epic and definitive discussion of the greatest movie ever made: 1993’s Tombstone, a film we loved so much that we could not shut up about it and had to make our first two-parter.    There’s more talk about costumes and sets and history, but also a LOT more talk about the perfection of Val Kilmer, the one way America could be made great again (over-the-counter laudanum), continued hatred of 1994’s Wyatt Earp (known as “Boring Tombstone”),  what is not Charlton Heston’s final acting role.    This movie is perfect and that is settled law.    Tombstone stars Kurt Riussell as Wyatt Earp, Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday, Sam Elliott as Virgil Earp, Bill Paxton as Morgan Earp, Powers Boothe as Curly Bill Brocius, Michael Biehn as Johnny Ringo, Charlton Heston as Henry Hooker, Jason Priestley as Billy Breckinridge,  Jon Tenney as Behan, Stephen Lang as Ike Clanton, Thomas Haden Church as Billy Clanton,  Dana Delany as Josephine Marcus, Paula Malcomson as Allie Earp, Lisa Collins as Louisa Earp, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson as Mattie Earp, Joanna Pacula as Kate, Michael Rooker as Sherman McMasters, and Harry Carey Jr. as Marshal Fred White.   Sources used in the episode include…   Tombstone: The Earp Brothers, Doc Holliday, and the Vendetta Ride from Hell By Tom Clavin   The Last Gunfight : The Real Story of the Shootout at the O.K. Corral—and How it Changed the American West By Jeff Guinn   Lady at the O.K. Corral : The True Story of Josephine Marcus Earp by Ann Kirschner   Ride the Devil's Herd : Wyatt Earp's Epic Battle Against the West's Biggest Outlaw Gang By John Boessenecker   The Making of Tombstone by John Farkis, and a note on John Farkis who is life goals—his bio: “Retired automotive executive John Farkis, is an historian and lifelong fan of the cinema.” He’s basically like, I am a fan of this movie and I am going to write a book and he DID.    Also a podcast that Sara would recommend highly, It was a Shit Show, which did an episode about the behind of the scenes of this film, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCN_JF1kN-g  Spoiler Warning: We spoil everything. And we enjoy it. Our theme music is by Ben Patch: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5BB01QpPE7HBGacGAlullu?si=gp_6jbvsThWXg_sSLVcv6Q Follow us! Instagram: @biopicapodcaststory Bluesky: @biopic-podcast.bsky.social Threads: @biopicapodcaststory Website: https://biopicapodcaststory.podbean.com/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/biopicapodcaststory Contact us: biopiclistenermailbag@gmail.com

Get in, losers, we’re going to Tombstone. We’re back from hiatus, and we love this movie so much that it gets pretty embarrassing. But what are you supposed to do when gazing upon the majesty of Kurt Russell with ALL the eyeliner on, Sam Elliot and his magical moustache, Powers Boothe’s goofy, over-the-top Curly Bill, and, of course, the miraculous Val Kilmer’s virtuoso turn as Doc Holliday?  Kevin Costner and “Boring Tombstone” catch plenty of strays as we praise this film’s costumes (no, seriously), the screenplay’s avoidance of clever subtext, it’s sort-of-a-scientology audit meet-cute scene between Wyatt and his eventual wife Josie, and so much more.  Also, we loved this so much that we had to do this episode as a two-parter!   Sources used in the episode include… Tombstone: The Earp Brothers, Doc Holliday, and the Vendetta Ride from Hell By Tom Clavin The Last Gunfight : The Real Story of the Shootout at the O.K. Corral—and How it Changed the American West By Jeff Guinn Lady at the O.K. Corral : The True Story of Josephine Marcus Earp by Ann Kirschner   Ride the Devil's Herd : Wyatt Earp's Epic Battle Against the West's Biggest Outlaw Gang By John Boessenecker The Making of Tombstone by John Farkis, and a note on John Farkis who is life goals - his bio: “Retired automotive executive John Farkis, is an historian and lifelong fan of the cinema.” He’s basically like, I am a fan of this movie and I am going to write a book and he DID.  Also a podcast that I would recommend highly, It was a Shit Show, which did an episode about the behind of the scenes of this film, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCN_JF1kN-g  Spoiler Warning: We spoil everything. And we enjoy it. Our theme music is by Ben Patch: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5BB01QpPE7HBGacGAlullu?si=gp_6jbvsThWXg_sSLVcv6Q   Follow us! Instagram: @biopicapodcaststory Bluesky: @biopic-podcast.bsky.social Threads: @biopicapodcaststory Website: https://biopicapodcaststory.podbean.com/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/biopicapodcaststory Contact us: biopiclistenermailbag@gmail.com

Hooray! We have a bonus episode: our 13th edition of Irrelevant Host Banter, with a flashback to mid-2024 with Episode 25: Ray and Episode 26: Liz & Dick.  These are some outtakes that were cut for running time, and/or because we were digressive or repetitive. Think of it as Sara and Rena having a conversation in non sequiturs. We jump around in a senseless, context-deprived manner, and you should definitely skip this episode and download any normal episode from “Episode 10: Cobb” onwards if this is your first time listening. Includes material cut from: Episode 25: Ray Episode 26: Liz & Dick Highlights include: Rena fuming about other podcast hosts boring her by talking about what they are wearing or drinking. Another dead brother. The time that Sara and Rena saw the Cats movie together: “Do you remember like halfway through that when we realized when I was like, their ears are moving. Like the horror was like the horror washed over you so slowly.” David Eigenberg appreciation. Speculating on the budget for Liz & Dick. Love for Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. Relief that Lawrence Olivier did not win an Oscar for Othello. And much more, of course. Spoiler Warning: We spoil everything. And we enjoy it.   Our theme music is by Ben Patch: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5BB01QpPE7HBGacGAlullu?si=gp_6jbvsThWXg_sSLVcv6Q Follow us! Instagram: @biopicapodcaststory  Bluesky: @biopic-podcast.bsky.social Threads: @biopicapodcaststory Website: https://biopicapodcaststory.podbean.com/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/biopicapodcaststory Contact us: biopiclistenermailbag@gmail.com

Sara and Rena have an announcement to make about why there is no episode new this week, and why we'll be taking a hiatus for the month of August, 2025. We will be back on September 2 with Tombstone. Until then, we have over sixty official episode plus bonuses that we're hoping you'll check out. See you in September!   Love,  Rena & Sara