“Hung Up” writer and “Lemme Say This” co-host Hunter Harris joins us to discuss Mike Nichols’s scathing 1971 chronicle of the battle of the sexes. We dig in on the picture’s emotional brutality, theatrical structure, and complicated characters (the women, at least), as well as Hunter’s reason for connection to Art Garfunkel.

Violet Lucca, film critic and author of the new, essential book David Cronenberg: Clinical Trials, joins us to talk about one of Mr. Cronenberg’s early hits, The Dead Zone. Hear us revel in the pleasures of Walken and the various ways critics found to deem the film “tasteful” and “restrained,” and marvel at the silliness of an insane amoral strongman somehow becoming President of the United States.

Our dream guest, the beloved film historian and author of the book that inspired our show, joins us to discuss the 1943 horror classic directed by Jacques Tourneur and produced by Val Lewton — as well as his very personal reason for selecting it, among the 1600+ movies in “Guide,” for our deep dive.

You may know Scott Derrickson as one of the best genre directors around, thanks to “The Black Phone,” “Doctor Strange,” and “Sinister”; what you might not know is that he’s a literal Akira Kurosawa scholar. So this week, he joins us to discuss one of the master’s most influential films, “Rashomon” — as well as Scott’s new movie “The Gorge,” which is out Friday on Apple TV+.

On the first episode of our film-by-film rundown of Danny Peary’s beloved 1986 movie guide, we are joined by Vulture TV critic and longtime friend Roxana Hadadi, who explains her personal, familial connection to Francis Ford Coppola’s 1974 Oscar-winner, and joins in a spirited discussion of the picture’s virtues, flaws, and reputation.