Kristen Meinzer

Jonah Hill returns to his slacker comedy roots as an overgrown man child who finds work as a babysitter in his most recent film entitled "The Sitter." Known for his hilarious roles in movies such as "Superbad" and "Knocked Up," Hill recently dropped some weight and starred next to Brad Pitt in "Moneyball." But the actor tries to bring back the laughs with his latest slapstick film. Takeaway Movie Date podcasters Rafer Guzman and Kristen Meinzer give us their critique.

Margaret Thatcher is known as the somewhat belligerent former prime minister of the United Kingdom, and a new film starring Meryl Streep looks into the life of this historic figure. "Iron Lady" follows Thatcher's life as the young daughter of a grocer to a one of the most powerful heads-of-state in a male dominated world. But is "Iron Lady" engaging enough to match the charismatic, strong-willed personality of Thatcher? Takeaway Movie Date podcasters Rafer Guzman and Kristen Meinzer tell us if this movie is worth a date.

Stephen Spielberg's adaptation of the Michael Morpurgo novel "War Horse," the adaptation of Jonathan Safran Foer's novel "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close," and Cameron Crowe's "We Bought a Zoo" are slated to be this week's newly-released, big box office winners. "The Artist," which topped many years' best lists and has only been in a handful of theaters, also opens across the country this weekend. 

It's Christmas week, and Oscar season, which means lots and lots of movies. Our Movie Date podcasters try to cut through the muck and get to the quality films by looking at this week's releases. Find out what they think about the self-explanatory feel-good story "We Bought a Zoo," the new blockbuster "Mission Impossible — Ghost Protocol," the bestseller-turned-feature film "Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" and much more.

It’s the week before Christmas, and The Takeaway is celebrating with our annual "Remixing the Holidays" series. All week long we're talking with musicians, music lovers, and you about the best, and worst, songs of the season. On Wednesday, The Takeaway spoke with Jon Solomon, a DJ who hosts an annual 24-hour Christmas show on Princeton University's WPRB. Today, we speak with Jason Segel, star of the new "Muppet Movie," as well as "How I Met Your Mother," "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," and "Freaks and Geeks" about why the Muppets are among his favorite holiday music-makers.

Three big movies come out this weekend as we head into the holidays: "Sherlock Holmes," "Mission Impossible" and "Carnage," a black comedy directed by Roman Polanski. Co-hosts of the Movie Date Podcast Kristen Meinzer and Rafer Guzman review this week's big releases.

Every Friday, The Takeaway looks at the weekend's new releases. Opening this weekend: slacker comedy "The Sitter" with Jonah Hill; and "New Year's Eve" starring Sarah Jessica Parker among many others. Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday, and Takeaway producer Kristen Meinzer, co-hosts of The Takeaway Movie Date podcast, give their recommendations on this weekend's new movies.

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Seventy years ago today, Japan attacked a naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, killing and wounding thousands of Americans. The enemy might have been Japan, but in the American melting pot there were many Japanese faces. The Pearl Harbor inspired solidarity in America soon gave way to distrust and a staggering suspension of the U.S. Constitution. "War Relocation Camps" for 100,000 Japanese-Americans were set up, and entire families of American citizens were forced to halt their lives and move. Some of those relocated Japanese-Americans petitioned the U.S. to serve in combat as a way of demonstrating their loyalty. The petitions were accepted, and soon Japanese-Americans were fighting as both volunteers and drafted servicemen.

Who doesn't get chills when they hear the opening banjo riff to "Rainbow Connection"? That was the popular tune payed by a lovable Kermit the Frog in the original 'Muppet Movie' way back in 1979. This week, 'The Muppets' return to the screen after a long hiatus. When Muppet-master Jim Henson died in 1990, some thought these lovable puppets might be gone for good. But they got the whole band back together for a Muppets reunion, with help from Jason Segel and Amy Adams.

Takeaway 'Movie Date' podcasters Rafer Guzman and Kristen Meinzer take a trip down memory lane and talk about what the new installment of the series brings to the table.

It’s Thanksgiving. And we have a lot to be grateful for here at the Takeaway — including our amazing listeners and guests. One of our favorites from this past year was the great Betty White. In addition to starring on “Hot in Cleveland,” the legendary comedian, movie star, and seven-time Emmy winner is the author of a new book "If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won’t)." White, who overflows with gratitude, reminds us that there's much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.

Fifty five years ago, the great Shakespearean actor Sir Laurence Olivier teamed up with the biggest movie star in the world, Marilyn Monroe for a little comedic film called "The Prince and the Showgirl." Olivier ,at nearly 50-years-old, directed the film and played the prince. Monroe, at 30, played the showgirl.

It's the day before Thanksgiving, one of the biggest movie release dates of the year. Among the major releases this year is Martin Scorsese's ode to movie history, "Hugo," and "My Week with Marilyn," starring Michelle Williams and Kenneth Branagh. And of course, "The Muppets" which has everyone as eager to talk about music as they are about movies.

Yes, it's finally here; the first part of the last installment of the "Twilight" movies. And it's got everything the others didn't: vampire marriage, sex, pregnancy, baby monsters. Kristen and Rafer talk about the latest (and possibly greatest?) movie that all the tweens are talking about. What do a couple of grown adults think? They kind of liked it! Find out why in this week's podcast.

This week's big releases include the animated family film "Happy Feet 2," "The Descendants," starring George Clooney, and the eagerly awaited fourth Twilight movie "Breaking Dawn." Rafer Guzman, film critic for Newsday,and Kristen Meinzer, Takeaway culture producer, are co-hosts of the Movie Date podcast. They give their thoughts on the new movies this week.

This week's new movie releases include "Jack and Jill," starring Adam Sandler as both the title characters, "J. Edgar," with Leonardo DiCaprio as the original head of the FBI, and a smaller film by Lars Von Trier and starring Kirsten Dunst, called "Melancholia." 

Over the past few weeks, The Takeaway has been talking about innovation — what it is, and how we can spark more of it. We've talked about medicine, communication, education, and technology, among other topics. And we've talked with some of the biggest names and inventors out there. We wrap up our series with one of the most famous modern innovators in the world: James Dyson.