Let's Party with Marty: A Martin Scorsese Podcast

The hosts of Let's Jaws for a Minute, Sarah Buddery and MJ Smith present a podcast delving into the filmography of Martin Scorsese, as well as the tapestry of cinema history presented within his "Companion Films" list on Letterboxd.

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21 episodes
Updated Friday

Episodes21

Newest first

Friday · 1 hr 6 min
Episode 53: Ordet
Kicking things off on the road to Bringing Out the Dead is 1955's Ordet. On paper, this is an extremely Sarah & MJ coded movie, full of religious themes, crisis of faith, and even some supernatural touches. We get into what does and doesn't work in this movie, the pitfalls of adapting stage plays for the big screen, and the strange acting style we've come across in the two Carl Theodor Dreyer-directed movies we've watched so far.
July 17 · 1 hr 43 min
Episode 52: Kundun
In this episode, Sarah and MJ are joined by Kip Mooney to talk about an (intentionally) underseen Marty movie, Kundun. They discuss the myriad ways in which the film was buried by the studio, the fallout of the film being released at all, how unlike any other Marty movie it feels, and MJ gets Big Mad at a particularly well known mouse.
July 6 · 41 min
Episode 51: Yeelen
Sarah & MJ continue along the road to Kundun with African movie Yeelen. Recognised by Empire Magazine as one of the best examples of World Cinema, it is clear to see the influence Martin Scorsese took from movies like this when making Kundun. We discuss why expanding your movie horizons is always a good thing and how this compares to previous companion movie, The Horse Thief.
June 15 · 1 hr 45 min
Episode 50: The Horse Thief
We're now on the road to Kundun and the first movie paired with it is 1986's The Horse Thief, the movie Martin Scorsese calls his "favorite movie of the '90s" (no there isn't a typo in that). It's a curious movie but one that HEAVILY influenced Scorsese, not just for Kundun but across his career. We also bring things more up to date to discuss Marty's recent AI controversy.
May 29 · 1 hr 58 min
Episode 49: Casino
Joining us this week to discuss Casino is film critic Kelechi Ehenulo. There's much to discuss in this epic not-quite-3-hour-long movie including why it's another feminist masterpiece from Martin Scorsese (yes, really), the incredible trio of performances, and how it compares to Goodfellas. Stick around to find out what bombshell fact leads Sarah to possible violence and who she might have to fight in the desert as a result. Follow Kelechi on Bluesky and Instagram, and read her reviews here.
May 8 · 1 hr 42 min
Episode 48: The Wild Bunch
For this week's episode, we've rounded up our very own Wild Bunch with Nick Mear joining Sarah and MJ to discuss this classic Western movie. Not only was this movie a huge influence on Scorsese, but apparently influenced every movie ever.
April 24 · 1 hr 50 min
Episode 47: The Age of Innocence
Opinions are divided amongst your illustrious hosts this week! Join Sarah & MJ as they discuss Martin Scorsese's The Age of Innocence. They discuss the film's not-so-subtle symbolism, the acting performances, and find some similarities with another pod favorite movie (and Daniel Day-Lewis starring), Phantom Thread.
April 10 · 1 hr 18 min
Episode 46: The Heiress
We're back with another companion film and fiendishly, Martin Scorsese includes The Heiress on his list twice ... for The Age of Innocence and Killers of the Flower Moon. We're talking about it (mostly) in relation to the former, however, it is hard to ignore some of the similarities with KOTFM! We discuss Olivia de Havilland's astonishing performance, why this movie felt stressful to watch, and much more!
March 30 · 1 hr 3 min
Episode 45: The Leopard
We're starting the journey towards Marty's The Age of Innocence with Luchino Visconti's 1963 movie, The Leopard. This wasn't a film we enjoyed all that much, but we did get to appreciate another appearance from pod fave, Alain Delon and one of us got to admire the incredible restoration work Marty and The Film Foundation did!
March 17 · 2 hr 4 min
Episode 44: Cape Fear
Sarah and MJ are joined by Martin Buddery to talk about Marty's remake of Cape Fear! They discuss the knife's edge between heavy and fun in this film, Spielberg and Scorsese trading projects to get this made, oddball alternate casting choices. And, of course, the classic episode of The Simpsons.
February 27 · 2 hr 10 min
Episode 43: The Night of the Hunter
The Night of the Hunter was chosen by Martin Scorsese as the companion film for his own Cape Fear, and we were HYPED to talk about this 1955 masterpiece. Joining Sarah and MJ is the man who (quite literally) wrote the book on Cape Fear, Rob Daniel.
January 30 · 1 hr 53 min
Episode 42: Goodfellas
Just a trio of good fellas talking about some ... not very good fellas, but a very, very good movie. Joining us this week is podcast host and friend, Nick Mear, talking about Martin Scorsese masterpiece "Goodfellas." We talk about the film's many great moments, continue to prove that Scorsese is a feminist (yes, really), and the great injustice that it didn't win the Oscar for editing.
January 16 · 1 hr 13 min
Episode 41: Jules & Jim
Our final stop on the road to Goodfellas is François Truffaut's Jules & Jim. Within the first 30 minutes of this movie it becomes abundantly clear what Martin Scorsese has lifted from it for his own picture, but there's plenty more to dive into besides that. We discuss the chaotic and interesting relationships in this movie and coin a new phrase, "Marty-splaining."
Dec 31, 2025 · 1 hr 31 min
Episode 40: Ocean's 11 (1960)
We're on the road to Goodfellas, taking a quick diversion into 1960 heist movie, Ocean's 11. Joining us for this discussion is The Man, The Myth, The Mumford, Harley Mumford from the Fandomentals podcast. We talk about what makes a perfect heist movie, and why in this rare case, the remake is actually better than the original.
Dec 12, 2025 · 1 hr 26 min
Episode 39: People Will Talk & Made in Milan
We've got a rare double feature for you this week as we talk about 1951's People Will Talk (starring Cary Grant) and Martin Scorsese's 1990 documentary Made in Milan. It is a curious pairing, but join us as we try and make sense of it, talk about why Cary Grant was born to be in movies, and why you can always rely on Marty to do the absolute most, regardless of the project.
Nov 28, 2025 · 1 hr 25 min
Episode 38: Life Lessons (New York Stories)
This week, Sarah and MJ are taking to the streets of New York to discuss one third of the anthology film New York Stories (they discuss the other two shorts as well). Marty contributed a short film called Life Lessons to this project, and it's a doozy. They talk about Marty's use of music, his signature style present in even his short works, and the nature of art, creation, and inspiration.
Nov 14, 2025 · 1 hr 6 min
Episode 37: Eva
We're back in companion film territory this week, talking about 1962's Eva, a film that splits your illustrious co-hosts in terms of how they sympathise with the characters. Sarah and MJ get into the film's religious undertones, and some connections to Martin Scorsese's wider body of work.
Oct 31, 2025 · 2 hr 3 min
Episode 36: The Last Temptation of Christ
This week, Sarah and MJ are joined by Calum Cooper to talk about Scorsese's most controversial film, The Last Temptation of Christ. They talk about Scorsese's reckoning with his faith through the medium of film, the controversies surrounding it, and whether or not Harvey Keitel is actually good in the film.
Oct 17, 2025 · 1 hr 23 min
Episode 35: Accattone
mic check one two one two *ahem* WE'RE BACK. After an extended summer hiatus, Sarah and MJ are back to talking about Martin Scorsese and the films he draws inspiration from. We kick things off with the companion film to The Last Temptation of Christ, the 1961 Italian drama, Accattone.
May 12, 2025 · 1 hr 42 min
Episode 34: The Color of Money
After our brief detour via The Hustler, this week we're talking about Martin Scorsese's The Color of Money. This movie introduces a young Tom Cruise into the Fast Eddie saga and Paul Newman reprises his role as Eddie Felson. We talk about why this movie works so well as a legacy sequel — plus some other legacy sequels that get it right — and the great tricks Marty and Thelma Schoonmaker employ to make pool exciting to watch. As a little extra note, Let's Party with Marty will be on hiatus until mid-September while we focus our attentions on our sister show, Let's Jaws for a Minute. We'll be back for more Marty madness in a few months time ...