We’re back with an all-new season of Guide for the Film Fanatic! In each episode, Jason Bailey and Mike Hull invite a guest from the world of film (including filmmakers, authors, critics, actors, and more) to select one of the 1600+ “must-see movies” collected in Danny Peary’s seminal 1986 book, Guide for the Film Fanatic. Bailey, Hull, and their guests deep dive on each film, discussing its history, themes, style, performances, initial reception, and legacy, taking a fresh look at some of the most beloved titles in cinema history.

Every Time a Bell Rings: The Legacy of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’, America’s Most Beloved Holiday Film is Emily St. James and Lauren Theisen’s thoughtful, deeply researched, and frankly beautiful meditation on Frank Capra’s 1946 character study. They join us to discuss its themes, its reputation, its peculiar history, and its ongoing legacy.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. We’ve partnered up with One Heat Minute Productions on this show, so we’ve migrated over to their feed; subscribe now if you haven’t already. 

We’re also putting our new episodes up on YouTube! Watch the show on our YouTube channel, @guideforthefilmfanatic, for visual accompaniment and bonus stuff and who knows what else:

It’s A Wonderful Life is streaming on Amazon Prime, but as Emily explained in the episode, steer clear of that one; that and all of the other subscription streamers are either streaming the colorized version or the “abridged” black and white.  Your best bet is to either buy or rent it digitally or pick up the gorgeous 4K UHD / Blu-ray edition. On the “Double It Up” side, Mulholland Dr. is available for digital rental or purchase, Eyes Wide Shut is on HBO Max (and Criterion 4K), Platinum Blonde is available for digital rental or purchase, and Why We Fight is on YouTube.   

You can read Bosley Crowther’s New York Times review here, Jack E. Grant’s Hollywood Reporter review here, Kate Cameron’s New York Daily News review here, and Manny Farber’s New Republic pan here. Here is a link to Lauren’s piece about Donna Reed that we discussed. And if you’d like to know more about the Jefferson Bible that Mike mentioned, you can start here.

Every Time a Bell Rings: The Legacy of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’, America’s Most Beloved Holiday Film is out on September 29, and you can preorder it here. You can buy Emily’s previous books here (including her next novel, Beth March Returns from the Dead), subscribe to her “Episodes” newsletter here, and follow her on Bluesky, Letterboxd, and Instagram. You can read Lauren on Defector here and follow her on Bluesky and Instagram. 

You can listen to Mike’s new podcast “Whitewashed History” here, and you can also watch his documentary Betrayal at Attica on Tubi and Apple TV+. And Jason’s new book Yippee Ki‐Yay:“Die Hard,” Bruce Willis, and the Reinvention of the Action Movie (out 5/11/27) is now available for preorder from Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Inidigo, or wherever you get your books.

Last but not least, if you’d like to make a little donation to support us and the show, you can do that at Ko-fi!