Maverick at the Movies

MAVERICK AT THE MOVIES
Southern Minnesota's local source for film music, reviews, and new release information.

About the Show

Maverick at the Movies began airing in May 2004 from 89.7 KMSU FM, "The Maverick," a member of Independent Public Radio. The show was initially conceived as a film music program with some related commentary. After a few episodes had passed, Nathan began to incorporate announcements of theatrical and video releases, local film screenings, and film reviews of new releases. A website soon followed, and allowed listeners to access full text film reviews and play lists from previous episodes.

The mission of Maverick at the Movies is to provide an outlet for serious discussion about film and film music. This medium permeates our culture and its stories have become our popular mythology. Unlike most other topics, even sports or politics, film is one of the rare subjects in which everyone has an opinion and nearly everyone is engaged with it at some level. Yet, most mainstream media outlets have reduced the discussion of film to box office grosses and celebrity gossip. Aside from a few scattered television programs, there is no serious discussion about a medium that in just over a century has emerged as the primary mode of artistic expression. Film has come to shape our view of ourselves and others, changed our vocabulary, and effected how we view reality. But without any serious criticism, the techniques of film are almost invisible to the passive viewer. Maverick at the Movies is intended to open up a greater understanding of the medium, making us all better consumers.

After the show was established, The Mankato Free Press, the local newspaper and one of the most widely circulated papers in southern Minnesota, stopped running film reviews, with the exception of occasional Associate Press reviews written by critics from other places. As a result, Maverick at the Movies became the only source of local film criticism in Mankato and throughout much of southern Minnesota. Due to the broadcasting signal and popularity of KMSU, it also became the most far reaching source of local reviews south of the Twin Cities.

As the show has gone on, Maverick at the Movies has featured interviews with such industry figures as Carl Gottlieb, the co-screenwriter on Jaws and The Jerk, and critics such as David J. Skal, author of Hollywood Gothic and The Monster Show. Nathan has been interviewed by The Mankato Free Press about film-related issues such as the 2006 Academy Awards and the release of Superman Returns.