To cap off our Friendsgiving month, we welcome back Christina and Mac from World of Horror Podcast to talk about a feel-good family film that is as sweet as a delicious piece of pecan pie a la mode -- Paddington 2! We discuss the movie's heartfelt themes of family, being yourself, and building community; how Paddington's perspective as an immigrant makes his contributions to society even more unique and valuable; the brilliant use of CGI and visual storytelling that enhances the film rather than replacing the work of artists; the amazing performances from Hugh Grant, Sally Hawkins, Brendan Gleeson, and Ben Whishaw, who brings real humanity to a little bear; and how Christina uses Paddington to teach ethics in the classroom. This film is like a warm hug from a relative you've missed for a long time, and we can't think of a better movie to discuss for Thanksgiving! We are grateful for all our guests this month, and we are grateful to you, our listeners, for giving us a chance to talk movies with you year-round. Have a safe, happy, and comfort-filled Thanksgiving!

For the third installment of our Friendsgiving series, we welcome first-time guest and professional singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Zev Marx-Kahn to discuss Pitch Perfect (2012), which Zev first saw at age 11. It greatly inspired him to join an a capella group once he went to college a few years later, and he's able to share his first-hand experience to give some serious street cred to our movie discussion. We talk about the absolute perfection of Rebel Wilson's Fat Amy, the differences between movie a capella and real-life a capella, the short-term cultural takeover of the "Cups" song, the talented cast and equally sharp musical arrangements, the surprisingly emotional moments in this seemingly fluffy film, and which pie we prefer at our Thanksgiving feast. Aca-join us for an aca-mazing chat!

For this second episode of our Friendsgiving series, we welcome back Etta Goodridge (of previous episodes 35: Legally Blonde and 79: Wet Hot American Summer) to travel back in time to the Middle Ages to solve a monastery mystery with Sean Connery and Christian Slater in The Name of the Rose! We discuss the connections between Connery's William of Baskerville and greatest of all literary detectives Sherlock Holmes, references to the seven deadly sins, F. Murray Abraham's chilling performance as evil Inquisitor Bernardo Gui, Ron Perlman's full commitment to the disgusting role of Salvatore, the accuracy of the history and philosophy underpinning the screenplay, and what exactly was the deal with medieval monk hairdos. Meet us in the secret library for a great discussion!