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The M&M Report

Devin Mitchell and Mark Lieberman discuss the latest developments in popular culture, from the movie of the week to the TV show of the moment.
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The M&M Report
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Now displaying: Page 1
Mar 10, 2024

Devin and Mark convene for the 11th year in a row to recap the Oscars telecast they just watched -- this time, the 96th annual. Plus, Mark reveals a surprise for Devin live on mic.

Feb 26, 2024

Devin and Mark run through some of the most notable movie releases of 2023 before sharing some personal favorites. Come for Discourse Corner and stay for an attempt to read a funny tweet that goes horribly, delightfully awry.

2:15 - 6:30 : Barbenheimer

6:30 - 23:00: Barbie Discourse Corner

23:00 - 39:45: Oppenheimer

39:45 - 1:01:40: Killers of the Flower Moon/Mark hits back at "Movies should be short" people

1:01:40 - 1:10:30: American Fiction

1:10:30 - 1:19:15: The Holdovers

1:19:15 - 1:26:00: Past Lives

1:26:00 - 1:29:00: Poor Things

1:29:00 - 1:36:45: Anatomy of a Fall

1:36:45 - End: May December / a Good (?) Tweet

Music: Dua Lipa, "Dance the Night" (editorial note from Mark: still goes)

Here's The Tweet: https://twitter.com/aherman2006/status/1749924312260481474

Jan 1, 2024

We (finally) reconvene several months after the series finale of Succession to discuss the final two episodes, "Church and State" and "With Open Eyes"; our broader feelings about how the story wrapped up; what changed in our reactions on second viewing; and the continued relevance of the show. How does Shiv's big decision sit now that some time has passed? And is this podcast just a thinly-veiled exercise in getting to repeat our favorite lines back to each other? (no comment) 

May 23, 2023

Devin and Mark reflect (at length!) on the incredible four-season run of Succession in anticipation of the HBO show's final two episodes.

Why do we care so much about characters who are hellbent on ruining the world? What distinguishes this show from others on similar subject matter? How has the show approached wrapping up its story earlier than even some members of the cast expected? And why did Cousin Greg betray us so?

(Part two will look back on the series as a whole after the final episode airs. The penultimate episode, "Church and State," aired the night after they recorded.)

Mar 12, 2023

Devin and Mark convene for the 10th year in a row to recap the Oscars immediately after the telecast finished airing on ABC. 

Sep 19, 2022

Mark and Devin are back to share their thoughts on some of the most notable and buzzed-about pop culture experiences of the year...after a brief check-in on the aftermath of The Slap. (Please do check out Will Smith's apology video in full if you haven't already.)

Nope: 6:00-20:30

The Rehearsal: 20:30-30:20

Severance: 30:20-40:00

Movie theaters: 40:00-

Rothaniel: 45:15-52:50

The White Lotus: 52:50-1:01:00

Abbott Elementary: 1:01:00-1:08:40

Top Gun Maverick: 1:08:40-End

Mar 28, 2022
Mark and Devin convene virtually for the M&M Report's eighth annual episode recorded immediately after the Oscars telecast on ABC. Uh...some things happened...
Aug 17, 2021

Devin and Mark, recording in the same room for the first time in 17 months (!!!), celebrate the safe reopening of movie theaters and take stock of two movies they saw together (!!!) in Los Angeles: Old and Zola.

(Note: This episode was recorded in late July, before recent urges in cases of the Delta variant of COVID-19.)

Back to the Movies: 3:28 - 17:00
Old: 17:09 - 35:54
Zola: 36:00 - end

Read the (bad) Kara Swisher piece dismissing the excitement around movie theaters, and the Rolling Stone article upon which Zola is based.

Jun 28, 2021

Devin and Mark are healing the world with podcasting—about Bo Burnham's new special (?)/movie (?)/musical (?)/uncategorizable work of semi-autobiographical art that's streaming on Netflix and setting Twitter and TikTok ablaze.

We pick favorite songs and moments; dissect the piece's complicated and conflicting ideas about the Internet and mental health; and try to understand how Burnham and his work achieved a rare kind of pop culture ubiquity.

Read Craig Jenkins on Burnham's music; Richard Brody on the tradition of "cinematic selfies"; and Lili Loofbourow on the special's artifice.

Listen to Who Weekly on Bo Burnham's celebrity persona.

Apr 26, 2021

Mark and Devin convene virtually for the M&M Report's eighth annual episode recorded immediately after the Oscars telecast on ABC--and Mark is mad.

Apr 20, 2021

Devin and Mark break down what to expect and what they're hoping to see during the 93rd Oscars on April 25. They also ponder how it feels for Oscar season to be occurring during ~these times~, and whether anyone even knows the show is just around the corner.

A few worthwhile reads:

Movies Survived 2020. The Oscars Diversified. There’s More to Do. (Wesley Morris, The New York Times)

What Frances McDormand Would (and Wouldn’t) Give to ‘Nomadland’ (Kyle Buchanan, The New York Times) 

Yes, this Oscar season has no blockbuster contenders. Why that’s a good thing (Justin Chang, The Los Angeles Times)

The Many Lives of Steven Yeun (Jay Caspian Kang, The New York Times Magazine)

What Nomadland Gets Wrong About Gig Labor (Wilfred Chan, Vulture)

‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’: The Sixties Told in Sorkinese (K. Austin Collins, Rolling Stone)

Oscar Producers Reveal Plans For Show And Covid Safety Procedure: “There Is No Universe In Which We Put Anybody At Risk” (Pete Hammond, Deadline)

I'd Like This To Stop: Praise For A Promising Young Woman (Ayesha Siddiqi) 

Promising Young Woman is a sneering, winking provocation of a movie (Roxana Hadadi, Polygon)

Stream Let Them All Talk on HBO Max and First Cow on Showtime

Feb 7, 2021

Mark and Devin take stock of the, uh, busy last four years and attempt to make sense of their effect on the landscape of American popular culture. 

(Note: This episode was recorded on the first weekend in January, before the insurrection, the second Trump impeachment, and the early days of the Biden administration.)

Nov 18, 2020

From opposite coasts, Devin and Mark reflect on fond memories of seeing movies in theaters (with other people sitting close to us and breathing the same air for multiple hours) and tentatively ponder whether those experiences can continue once the pandemic eventually subsides.

Further reading:

Sep 9, 2020

Mark and Devin try to make sense of what the Emmy Awards will look like, and what they mean, during the pandemic. Plus, they highlight some worthy and not so worthy nominees, and Devin shares a particularly exasperated take on a notable contender.

Aug 6, 2020

Devin and Mark return from an extended hiatus to provide some personal updates and share what they've been thinking about during the protests for racial justice and as the pandemic times continue.

They also discuss the protracted saga over when (if?) Christopher Nolan's Tenet will premiere in U.S. theaters (14:20), the quarantine production of Malcolm & Marie with John David Washington and Zendaya (27:55), and whether depictions of police and courts in movies and television will change (39:02).

Note: We did not mean to imply that The M&M Report is the last great American dynasty; that was just Devin's favorite song on folklore.

Further reading:

VarietyChristopher Nolan's 'Tenet' Delays August Release
Deadline: Reopening Hollywood: How Zendaya, John David Washington & ‘Euphoria’ Creator Sam Levinson Started & Finished A Secret Movie During The Pandemic
GQRobert Pattinson - A Dispatch From Isolation
Vulture: How does it feel to make police shows in 2020?
Apr 20, 2020

Devin and Mark, still in quarantine after a month, take stock of how the pandemic has temporarily (and perhaps permanently) transformed the entertainment industry and our relationship to it.

Topics include: Film and TV production; SNL and late-night shows recorded remotely; movie theater closures; scrambled release calendars and canceled events; what the future may hold for pop culture devotees like us; and, finally, Drake.

Some further reading:

  • Deadline: What will happen on film/TV sets once they do eventually resume production
  • New York Times: Reporting on possibilities for fall movies and the Oscars
  • IndieWire: Steven Soderbergh leading a DGA committee on restarting production
  • Los Angeles Times: Film sets are notoriously unsanitary
  • Vulture: What happens for the rest of the year?
Mar 31, 2020

Devin and Mark, self-quarantining in their respective homes, review and recommend the first season of the USA drama series Briarpatch, created by former Grantland TV critic Andy Greenwald (0:00-32:40) and share some streaming suggestions to fill time while you're at home for the next while (32:40 - end).

Mark's picks:

  • Halt and Catch Fire, four ten-episode seasons on Netflix
  • The filmography of Kelly Reichardt (River of Grass and Wendy and Lucy on Kanopy; Meek's Cutoff on Hulu; Night Moves and Certain Women available for rent)

Devin's picks:

  • High Maintenance on HBO Now (fourth season currently airing)
  • The Sopranos on HBO Now and Amazon Prime
Feb 10, 2020

Mark and Devin convene immediately after the end of the telecast of the 92nd Oscars to discuss winners, losers, favorite moments and lingering frustrations. #BongHiveAssemble

Feb 3, 2020

Devin and Mark look back on the films of 2019 and preview the 2020 Oscars. Topics include a galaxy brain take on 1917; an incoherent rant about Joker; warm words for ParasiteMarriage Story and The Irishman; and some earnest recommendations for great movies that got zero Oscar nominations.

Jan 9, 2020

Mark and Devin welcome back West Coast correspondent Erin Vail for scorching hot takes on Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker and ~feelings~ about Little Women.

Dec 19, 2019

Special guest and Dunkirk stan Meg Kearns joins Devin and Mark to look back on the the 2010s at the ~cinema~. Topics include Marvel hegemony, Social Network bops, a hot take on Manchester by the Sea, reflections on #MeToo, feelings about Greta Gerwig and Barry Jenkins, and the Dark Universe for some reason.

Extra Recommendations from Devin: Stories We Tell, Locke, Brooklyn, Arrival, Everybody Wants Some!!, O.J. Made in America, Columbus, Logan Lucky, The Meyerowitz Stories: New and Selected, Widows, The Favourite, The Farewell

Extra recommendations from Meg: BacheloretteBrooklyn, Cold War, Crimson Peak, The Handmaiden, The Invitation, Loving, Magic Mike XXL, Mad Max: Fury Road, Minding the Gap, The Nice Guys, Mission: Impossible 4-6, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Parasite, Sleeping With Other People

Extra recommendations from Mark: Another Year, Before Midnight, Captain Phillips, Certain Women, Edge of TomorrowFirst Reformed, Fruitvale Station, The Florida Project, The Immigrant, Margaret, Personal Shopper, The Rider, Roma, Selma, Short Term 12, The Tree of LifeThe World's End

Nov 20, 2019

Devin and Mark dig deep to discuss Noah Baumbach's Marriage Story, in select theaters now and on Netflix Dec. 6.

(No spoilers until the 18-minute mark!)

Listen to Sean Fennessey's interview with Noah Baumbach, and read the New Yorker's 2013 profile of the director.

Oct 21, 2019

Devin and Mark untangle their recent lack of enthusiasm for TV and explore the current state creatively and commercially of the television landscape.

Sep 16, 2019

Devin and Mark look ahead to the fall movies they're excited to see and the fights they're assuming they'll have.

Aug 21, 2019

Devin and Mark welcome returning guest Erin Vail to check in on the delightfully upsetting Succession as it begins its second season on HBO.

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