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Oct 4Liked by Ryan Elston

I have to go with the artless and contentious pick of the first Harry Potter movie for Dame Maggie.

It's...not a great film. It's not even a great movie. But my son grew up listening to me read Harry Potter (I read the entire series out loud more than once before he was able to read them himself) and that first movie is so ingrained in memories of his childhood for me—the magic of magic, the archetypes of character and story it introduced to him, the clumsy charm of it all. Obviously Rowling comes with all the baggage these days and I wasn't particularly fond of the books themselves...I'm a writer after all. But it meant something to my son, which makes it mean everything to me.

He texted me the day she died to share the news. Her death was a piece of his childhood passing, and I feel that deeply. ♥️

I'll also just say, your picks this week are so good. Chef's Table had us drooling (and planning a bucket list trip to Funke). Marie Awadis's piano is so lovely. And I am loving the art of Scherezade García. Incredible, as always.

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Thank you, Chris! So glad you enjoyed the Chef's Table. The whole series is such a masterpiece of food porn. And your justification of of Dame Maggie in the Harry Potter movie, especially the story of you reading it to your son and it being a part of his childhood, is moving beyond words. I think a lot of kids his age are sad by her passing, which is a testament to the breadth of her illustrious career - that she moved everyone from her own generation all the way to your son's - an absolute icon!

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Thank you for sharing the beautiful story about reading to your son. Brought a tear to my eye. Glad you loved this week's picks! Marie Awadis and Scherezade García are two of my favorites at the moment. And it sounds like your reaction to Chef's Table was *exactly* the same as ours. ♥️🍜 🍝🍜 🍝🍜 🍝♥️

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Oct 7Liked by Ryan Elston

For our family, we quoted *so many lines* from Sister Act, it's almost embarrassing. I don't think it's her most majestic performance or anything but the nun who opens her home and heart is so great. Also shoutout to the Dowager Countess but someone else will certainly say it! Love you both!

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Sister Act! She definitely stole hearts in that role. And the Dowager Countess . . . I mean c'mon, . . her zingers alone are priceless! Love you too!

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"I fear I am a relic, and I have misplaced my tambourine." - Maggie Smith as Mother Superior

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Since nobody claimed it, I have to say that The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie has got to be one of my favorite performances by Maggie Smith. She's simply electrifying in it.

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I love that film. One of the best films ever made on the subject of teaching.

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I adore *every* film we talked about on the podcast, but I'm going to choose The Lady in the Van (2015) because I want more people to see it! Alan Bennett is a brilliant writer and Maggie Smith is just wonderful. She's larger than life yet completely committed and believable.

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I'm so glad you chose The Lady in the Van! The script is incredible and she gives the performance of a lifetime. It really shows her incredibly vast range as an actress!

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