Mary Anne and Wanda: Recent Episodes
AllieAndAndie
A classic movie that to no one’s surprise, Andie had never seen. We both liked it alot and it had some good laughs! Did you know the original script was much darker until Disney disnified it?!
We differed in our rating on this one! Hear the rest of Poe’s life and let us know whose opinion you side with more! Andie is getting out of this creepy house the first chance she gets but Allie is sticking around to see what happens.
We love to see Lindsay Lohan making a come back! This rom com has beautiful scenery, a few funny one liners, and a couple good scenes but overall the movie was just ok. If you have seen her Christmas movie, which one do you think is better??
Talk about family drama!!! This family tree is huge and the town of Olympus seems to know all about it. This was a good read that makes you appreciate that your life is not one of the characters in the book, haha! In the end, family is there for each other but limits are tested all throughout.
We watched Beyoncé’s film of her headlining at Coachella from 2019 for this episode. You can really tell how much intention she put into every detail! Allie is more of a fan than Andie but we both enjoyed it!
Warning This episode discusses serial killers, dismemberment, murder, and mental illness. The first of the Edgar Allen Poe short story series was a great pick! We both remembered seeing this short story at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville as kids. Very interesting story!!
Yet another Garry Marshall movie on the pod! Princess Mia is back and is set to become the Queen of Genovia…if she can find a husband in 30 days! Gasp! We love this movie and enjoyed reviewing it for you all!
Excuse our delay with episodes! Life has been extra busy! We both really enjoyed The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young. It itched our brains in a good way! We definitely recommend reading this one and between the hard copy book and audiobook, we think the hard copy text would be better. Let us know if you read it and what you think!
The unnamed protagonist is struggling to make freeze dried food taste slightly edible. We decided that Allie will volunteer to go to space in Andie’s place if necessary. We enjoyed Ausubel’s short stories but the initial reviews were misleading. The tone of the stories are sad overall with some hints of comic relief. Let us know if you read them with us!
Jungle animals help return Mowgli to the man village even though Mowgli doesn’t want to leave the jungle. We both picked Kaa the Snake as our favorite character and really enjoyed King Louie’s scene. Andie rated based on the nostalgia factor and it didn’t quite compare to Robin Hood for Allie but overall a good old fashioned animated movie.
This is the second pick in our short story mini series! Awayland by Ramona Ausubel has 11 short stories, one of them being Club Zeus. David takes a summer job in a foreign country as a story teller. Will he have crazy tales to share when he gets home?!
Triple the taxes! The classic tale of Robin Hood in animal form was one of Allie’s childhood favorites. Oodelally means yippee or hooray in case you were wondering. Join us as we discuss the animated story!
Everybody knows the name Frankenstein but have you actually read the story before? Neither of us had and turns out the story is not at all what we thought. Unethical science and MURDER!!! Let us know what you thought of this classic novel!
Allie and Andie both decided they would not go back in time to high school to relive any moments. Live and learn! Jenna Rink wakes up as a 30 year old woman when she was just 13 yesterday! She makes some questionable choices that we definitely did not agree with. Let us know what you think of the iconic dress! Are you a fan or is it overrated?
The first story in our next short story mini series is You Can Find Love Now which can be found in Awayland by Ramona Ausubel. Awayland contains several short stories and we will be reading three in total. The story focuses on a cyclops who is filling out a dating questionnaire on a dating site. We enjoyed this story but we would both swipe left on Mr. Cyclops! Too many red flags!!!
SomeBODY once told me… that Shrek was this week’s episode. Did you know the original Shrek was scrubbed from the internet?!?! Shrek (the movie) was based off of Shrek (a children’s picture book) and we never knew it existed. We both loved rewatching this masterpiece!!
Sarah and Eddie fall in love in just 7 days but then he ghosts her! What happened to Eddie?! We both thought Sarah should have gotten the message after 2 unanswered texts. This book is classified as a thriller but we agreed that this is the loosest form of a thriller that we’ve read. Overall, we were both “middle of the road” on this one.
Halloween People is our last short story from Helen Ellis’ Southern Lady Code. Ellis describes the difference between Halloween People and Christmas People. She needs help with an outfit for a party since she is a Christmas Person. Her friend Karen, who is a Halloween Person, goes with her on a shopping trip. Let us know if you are a Halloween Person or a Christmas Person!
Andie had not seen this movie since roughly 2012 and Allie saw it 3 weeks ago… we had mixed feelings on this movie but still an overall positive review. So many funny one liners and anything with Stanley Tucci is sure to be a good watch. Biggest take away is that no job is worth this amount of stress!!! That’s all…
Up next in the Southern Lady Code by Helen Ellis is Serious Women! A murder trial is conducted by several serious women and Ellis is in attendance to show her support for her friend, Meredith, the prosecutor. This story has a very different tone and feel than the first two stories we read. Let us know what you think!
Overlapping storylines all happening on New Year’s Eve! Directed by our fave director, the one and only Garry Marshall, New Year’s Eve is packed with a huge list of famous actors and actresses. Although neither of us rated this movie very highly (can you believe Allie didn’t like a Garry Marshall movie??), it’s not a bad option to play in the background around the holiday. Let us know which character you liked the most!
Eleanor and Timby spend the day looking for Joe because he’s not where he says he is. Panic ensues and Eleanor’s scatterbrained way of thinking causes her to make decisions that are questionable. Definitely read the book over listening to the audiobook on this one! Let us know what you thought of this book!
A Christmas time favorite! We both appreciated Kate Winslet’s character the most. Let us know if you would do a home exchange with a stranger! Andie would with limitations…Allie would not haha.
Allie and Andie take a dive into Southern Lady Code by Helen Ellis! We started out learning how to be the best guest at a dinner party and when it is appropriate to write a thank you note. Helen Ellis writes in true southern style with a hilarious southern accent. We hope you enjoyed these short stories!
Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan are the perfect mother/daughter duo in this hilarious early 2000s movie. You would only rate it 1 out of 5 fortune cookies if your name is Stacey Hinkhouse! So many funny scenes and quotes throughout the film! Let us know what you rate this movie!
So good!! The twists were unexpected though Allie’s guess about who was responsible for the murders was mostly right. Willingham’s debut novel is a must read! Definitely let us know how you liked it!
We had mixed feelings on this documentary. Beautiful photos and videos but questionable ethics regarding interaction with the octopus and other marine life. If you have seen it, let us know how you felt about it!
We are rounding out our short story series by Val McDermid this week with another good one! Kelly Jane quickly goes from Christmas Hero to Santa Claus Killer…or are things not really as they seem?? We hope you enjoyed our 4 stories by Val McDermid! Let us know which one you liked best!
Emma Stone and Emma Thompson both knock it out of the park with their performances in Cruella. We both enjoyed the villain’s back story, even if it wasn’t necessary to be told. Let us know which costume was your favorite from the movie!
Happy almost birthday Stanley Tucci! Stanley Tucci takes readers through his childhood and adult life while reminiscing on his favorite meals as a kid and detailing his current favorite dishes. If you enjoy Tucci’s movies, this book is a must read! Also, Stanley if you’re reading this… feel free to send us samples of your new cookware line. We will happily review it.
Our last Halloween themed episode for the month! Turns out Allie ranked Hocus Pocus higher than Halloweentown and Andie ranked it the opposite… so the jury is still out on which film is the superior Halloween movie. Vote below and let us know which one you like better!
It’s spooky season! We watched one of the original DCOM movies, Halloweentown. Would you trade your personality for beauty?? Would you keep the magic of Halloweentown a secret from your kids?? Would you go visit the Halloweentown reenactment?? Let us know!
Another mystery short story from Val McDermid! Driving A Hard Bargain follows a private investigator who searches for a stolen car. We both thought the story was quite funny and we love how it ended. Have you heard of a BMW Z3 Roadster?? Let us know!
Sorry for the technical difficulties!! We’re back! We both laughed countless times at the classic movie 9 to 5 starring Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, and Dolly Parton. What would you do if you stole the wrong body from a hospital? Would you return the body?? We discuss the work place issues shown in the movie and compare to today’s time. Let us know what you thought of the film!
We both enjoyed this novel by Rebecca Serle, though it was not the romance book we were expecting. This book includes love, tragedy, self discovery, betrayal, time travel and much more. Let us know which character’s storyline you liked the most!
Is it a good movie or is it just nostalgic?? Let us know if you are a fan of The Breakfast Club and why. We both didn’t really get the hype behind why everyone seems to love this classic movie but maybe it’s a generational thing…?? We were -10 years old when it was released so maybe we just can’t relate hahaha.
Our new short story series is by Val McDermid! Stranded is a collection of McDermid’s short stories so get a copy to read the stories with us. Breathtaking Ignorance and Mittel were both only a few pages long so we did both for this episode. Let us know if you thought the chef was innocent or if she plotted the murder!
Wow guys, sorry this episode is very late! We rewatched one of Allie’s all time favorite movies, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella featuring Brandy and Whitney Houston (RIP). This adaptation of Cinderella is a musical and we know how Andie feels about musicals… but she was pleasantly surprised with the movie. Let us know what you thought!
We both enjoyed Manansala’s debut novel! A murder mystery rooted in Filipino culture that also includes life long friendships, new romance, and all around humor. This one is a must read!
It’s coming out like LAVA! Bridesmaids is one of the highest grossing all female cast movies ever! We have both been bridesmaids a few times now so this movie is for sure relatable. How many times have you been a bridesmaid (or groomsman)?
The last story of our Yukiko Motoya short story mini series! This story had a much different tone than the other two stories we covered but it was still a good read. We both enjoyed Motoya’s stories and would definitely recommend!! Let us know what you thought of the stories!
Another Jim Carrey film! We watched the sequel in the Ace Ventura collection and it seems we had mixed feelings toward it. It is a movie from the mid 90s that didn’t age well but still had lots of good one liners along with a ridiculous main character. Let us know your favorite Ace Ventura quote! Bumblebee Tuna!
Andie’s book pick of the month is The Ensemble! Gabel’s debut novel focuses on four musicians in a string quartet and the ups and downs they face together. Let us know how many Fodorios you would rate this book!
Our second pick in the Yukiko Motoya short story series is The Women! Again, Yukiko had us cracking up at the progressing insanity of each page. We both laughed out loud at the ridiculousness! Let us know what you thought!
Wow guys, it has been a busy week! Sorry for the very late episode! We had our second guest on the pod who also recommended our topic for the episode. The Emperor’s New Groove!! We need everyone to weigh in and let us know how many extracts of llama you would rate this film!
Our one year episode!!! We’re starting a new short story mini series by Yukiko Motoya and the first story did not disappoint. We were laughing out loud while reading Fitting Room. The story gets more ridiculous page by page. Let us know what you thought of the mysterious customer! Did you think the employee took it too far with the customer service? ALSO! Please let us know what your favorite book or short story from the last year was! We would love to know!
This week we reviewed Tennessee’s own Dolly Parton and her documentary Dolly Parton: Here I Am. Obviously this was highly rated as Dolly is such an influential philanthropist. Allie also highly recommends Dolly Parton’s America podcast so check that out for more Dolly content! Let us know your favorite Dolly song in our Spotify Q&A!
This month Allie picked The Truth About Forever which we both read probably 15 years ago. Dessen’s writing style is geared to YA readers but it is still a good story even at our age. Let us know what you thought about the book! Would you chose an ambulance as your first car?? Would you voluntarily go to brain camp?? Have you ever worked in the catering business (and was it fun??)??
Our first podcast guest!!!!! Allie’s friend Molly joins us to discuss the last short story we are covering by Kevin Wilson. Would you have let your child dress up as a deceased sibling? Let us know on our Spotify poll! Sorry for the late episode! Andie is back from vacation so new episodes will be back to regular schedule now.
Clearly one of us likes this movie more than the other! Sing along to dancing queen and then let us know how many unnecessary weddings you would rate this musical!
Our second Kevin Wilson short story was quite enjoyable. The imagery Wilson creates of the disgusting house made our stomachs turn but made us feel like we were right there alongside the narrator. Let us know how many dead dryer squirrels you rate this short story!
We both said WOW to this book! Wilkerson’s first novel was an obvious 5/5. The writing style was engaging and the intertwined stories were wonderful. We both highly recommend this read!
One of us clearly liked this movie more than the other! Cast your vote on our Spotify poll for how many Wild Wild Wests you rate this movie. We love to hear that the model horse for Spirit is also the same age as us and is living his best life as the ambassador of the Kiger herd. It’s a tough job but somebody’s gotta do it.
Explicit The first of our next short story series! This was a quick read by the same author who wrote Nothing To See Here that we covered a couple months back. Let us know if you thought Adam was a narcissist, a hedonist, or just privileged… Side note- Happy Birthday Allie (tomorrow)!
Whew it’s been a rough week in Andie’s house, so sorry for another late episode! We both love the princess bride! It’s the perfect combination of action, comedy, and twue wuv! Let us know what your favorite quote from the movie is on our Instagram post.
The last of our Ted Chiang short story series! We both enjoyed this story but we both felt it was a heavier topic and even a little scary when it came to the description of the angels. This may be a controversial topic for some listeners and these are solely our opinions. We would love to know how you liked the story and which of the three Chiang stories you liked the best!
Wow is all we can say! Allie and Andie both listened to the audiobook which was a fantastic audio experience. We both had never read a book narrated by a non-human before and we both agreed it was quite imaginative. Music takes you through the life of Frankie Presto and introduces familiar musicians throughout the novel. We both rated this book the highest out of any book we have covered so far. Let us know what you thought on our Instagram post!
Sorry for the late episode this week! Easy A (2010) was Emma Stone’s breakout role and she hit it out of the park. Easy A is a romcom but we prefer to think of it more of a com with a touch of rom, if you will. Be honest, how long was Pocketful of Sunshine stuck in your head after you watched this film? Let us know on our Instagram post!
More Ted Chiang! This is the last of the short stories by Ted Chiang that we are reviewing. Tower of Babylon was a good read! Let us know if you could live on a mostly onion diet and how many bricks you would give this story on our Instagram post.
Spirited Away is a 2001 Studio Ghibli award winning anime film. High quality animation and lots of unique characters keep the viewer interested in Chihiro’s journey. We both liked the Soot Sprites the best! Let us know what you thought!
Spontaneous human combustion?! Need we say more!? This book made both of us laugh and had us questioning the parenting techniques used for the fire children. Let us know how many bacon mayonnaise sandwiches out of 5 you would rate this book on our Instagram post!
This short documentary offers a behind the scenes view of animals used on movie, tv, and commercial sets. How many teetering seesaw horses would you rate this documentary?? Let us know on our Instagram post!
Don’t be fooled by the title! This is a short story written in a documentary format, not actually a film. Both of us really enjoyed this read. A quick google search will lead you to the online version if you would like to leave your thoughts on our Instagram post. Would you have gotten the implant? Would you have mailed the application?!
One of Andie’s childhood favorites is up for discussion this week. This movie was a remake of the 1963 movie but the 1993 version includes the pets’ monologues which makes the remake better than the original. I said what I said! Let us know which pet is your favorite!
Allie and Andie review a series of short stories written by George Saunders compiled into one book. Let us know which story you liked the most but more importantly, did you find these stories to be funny or is Allie just wrong???
Who doesn’t love some yummy zerts?! The gals review Ms. Christa’s Angel Food Delight and Sticky Toffee Pudding. Both of these desserts are great to share with friends! Please ensure you have an electric mixer of some sort before attempting these recipes! Hand mixing is not recommended by Andie!
Valentine’s Day (2010), directed by none other than Garry Marshall, is a Valentine’s Day must!! A classic romcom featuring more actors/actresses than we can count. Let us know if you are pro or anti conversation hearts on our Instagram post!
Justin Timberlake…JT, if you will, is one of the all time greatest performers you will ever see if you are so lucky to attend a concert. You could also catch the Netflix special if you missed the concert. Let us know what your favorite JT song is!
If you don’t have a passport, don’t worry! Allie and Andie talk about the beautiful country Bella Moritz (sounds a lot like Genovia…IYKYK) and their likes and dislikes regarding the romance novel Once Upon a Royal Summer by Teri Wilson. How many theme parks out of 5 are you rating this book? Let us know on our Instagram post!
This week we reviewed Our Father, a Netflix documentary that spotlights DNA testing, infertility struggles, and a no good doctor. Was Dr. Cline part of the Quiverfull cult?? Let us know what you think!
Giggle along with us as we share our favorite parts of the 2006 pink panther movie feat. Steve Martin. Let us know how many hamburgers out of 5 you rate this movie! NEWSPAPERS!
We’re rounding out the first season of Schitt’s Creek! Let us know on our insta post what you thought!
Spoiler alert! This episode covers the extended version of Verity by Colleen Hoover with the updated epilogue. This book was recommended by countless people and we both enjoyed it. Let us know if you are team manuscript or team letter on our Instagram post!
Merry Christmas Eve Eve! Listen as we dive into Jim Carrey’s version of the Grinch! Let us know on our Instagram if you know what a roast beast is cause we have no idea and how many Cheermeisters you would rate this movie!
Annabelle’s Wish was one of Andie’s favorite Christmas movies as a child. This cute story of a Christmas cow and a mute boy’s friendship was truly adorable to review on the podcast. Allie was less than wowed by the animation quality but Andie loved the stroll down memory lane. Let us know what you thought!
Allie gives us her family’s favorite Andes Mint Cookie recipe that is a Christmas staple in the Smith household. Andie gives her Nana’s breakfast pizza recipe that is great for large crowds on Christmas morning. Let us know if you try these recipes!
Fiona + Jane = Jiona?!?! Andie picked Fiona and Jane for our November book of the month. Listen to Allie and Andie’s review of this Asian American novel. We both enjoyed it!
We’re back covering episodes 10 and 11 of Schitt’s Creek! Let us know what you thought of these two great episodes!
Another Garry Marshall classic is on the podcast this week! Andie had never seen Runaway Bride so this movie was next on our list!
This month’s book was Heart of Junk by Luke Geddes. Let us know what you thought on our Instagram post and tell us how many Barbie doll legs out of 5 you would rate the book!
Soup season is here! Andie loves white chicken chili and Allie loves broccoli cheddar soup! What’s your go to spooky season comfort soup??
She’s beauty and she’s grace, she’s Miss United States! Andie and Allie watched another favorite from the early 2000s. Listen as we deep dive into the characters, behind the scenes, and discuss our favorite parts!
This week we watched and reviewed more Schitt’s Creek! Episodes 4-6 of Season 1 were just as good as the first 3 episodes. Let us know what you think!
Allie and Andie love listening to weekly true crime cases on Ashley’s hit podcast Crime Junkie. When Ashley announced her debut novel, we knew we had to read and review it. Let us know what you thought on our Instagram post! @maryanneandwandapodcast
This week we watched the documentary Inside the Mind of a Cat. Allie and Andie have each owned several cats and when this film was a Netflix recommendation for Andie, we had to give it a chance!
Allie and Andie started watching the multi-award winning series Schitt’s Creek. This episode covers season 1 episodes 1-3. We have only decided to watch season 1 at this point in time but may extend to more seasons later. Schitt’s Creek podcast episodes will be sporadic rather than back to back and will typically review 2-3 episodes at a time.
Andie gives her family’s staple Pinto Beans and Cornbread recipe. Allie gives her family’s classic Meatloaf recipe. Enjoy!
Andie and Allie review Sea of Tranquility and discuss time travel and the possibility of living in a simulation!
Allie tells about her grandma’s spaghetti sauce recipe and Andie tells about her nana’s gravy recipe.
Allie and Andie discuss one of the best movies of their childhood! King Rupert, may he rest in peace!
Allie and Andie discuss their introduction to the science world and review a documentary.
Allie and Andie talk about their favorite concerts they been to as well as their mad love for The Fray.
Allie and Andie review one of their favorite childhood movies. Relive all of the crazy pranks that the twins pulled in the movie with us!
Two long time bffs review one book a month. On the off weeks, we will be talking about some new recipes, movies, trips, etc. Just whatever comes our way! The first book we review will be Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech.