This is our final Radio Goes to the Movies series before the 2024 Mendocino Film Festival, in which we feature two films that are screening today in the Matheson. First we speak with Elaine McMillion Sheldon about her film, KING COAL, and in the 2nd segment, we speak with Josh Margolin about his film, THELMA, which begins at 25:16.

You might think, oh I don’t want to see a film about coal, but this is a very artistic, lyrical tapestry of a place and people. KING COAL meditates on the complex history and future of the coal industry, the communities it has shaped, and the myths it has created. This is a spectacularly beautiful and deeply moving immersion into Central Appalachia, where coal is not just a resource, but a way of life.While deeply situated in the communities under the reign of King Coal, where Elaine McMillion Sheldon has lived and worked her entire life, the film transcends time and place, emphasizing the ways in which all are connected through an immersive mosaic of belonging, ritual, myth, and imagination. Emerging from the long shadows of the coal mines, KING COAL untangles the pain from the beauty, and illuminates the innately human capacity for change.We spoke with her via Skype on May 28th, 2024.

Inspired by a real-life experience of director Josh Margolin’s own grandmother, THELMA puts a clever spin on movies like MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, shining the spotlight on an elderly grandmother as an unlikely action hero. With infectious humor, Margolin employs the familiar tropes of the action genre in hilarious, age-appropriate ways to tackle aging with agency. In the first leading film role of her 70-year career, Squibb portrays the strong-willed Thelma with grit and determination, demonstrating that she is more than capable of taking care of business — despite what her daughter Gail (Parker Posey), son-in-law Alan (Clark Gregg), or grandson Danny might believe.

This edition ends with excerpts from Congressman Jamie Raskin’s (D-MD) New York Times piece from Nay 29, 2024 headlined, How to Force Justices Alito and Thomas to Recuse Themselves in the Jan. 6 Cases https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/29/opinion/alito-thomas-recuse-trump-jan-6.html

The Supreme Court Is Going Off the Rails. It’s About to Get So Much Worse. https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2024/05/supreme-court-going-off-the-rails-amicus-end-of-term-june.html