Filmspotting: Reviews & Top 5s: Recent Episodes
Kempenaar & Larsen
“...affable, insightful film analysis since 2005."–NY Times / New + classic reviews and top 5s. Also on WBEZ Chicago.
Emma Seligman (“Shiva Baby”) wields satirical feminism in her raunchy, violent, and hilarious new high school comedy BOTTOMS; and Josh and guest host Marya E. Gates discover surprising depths in RISKY BUSINESS, which turns 40 this year. -Review: “Bottoms” (02:23) -Next Week / Notes (24:30) -Massacre Theatre (30:13) -Sacred Cow Review: “Risky Business” (38:03) (Times may not be precise with ads) Promo: FACTORMEALS.com/filmspotting50 and use code filmspotting50 to get 50% off. Notes/Links: Marya E. Gates [Substack | Twitter | Instagram] Roger Ebert reviews “Risky Business” Feedback: Email us at feedback@filmspotting.net. Ask Us Anything and we might answer your question in bonus content. Support us: -Join the Filmspotting Family for bonus episodes and complete archive access. http://filmspottingfamily.com -T-shirts (and more) on sale at the Filmspotting Shop. https://filmspotting.net/shop Contact us: https://letterboxd.com/filmspotting @filmspotting on Threads https://twitter.com/filmspotting https://facebook.com/filmspotting https://letterboxd.com/larsenonfilm @larsenonfilm on Threads https://twitter.com/larsenonfilm https://facebook.com/larsenonfilm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Not the most acclaimed film of ‘93, but maybe the most surprisingly acclaimed. Josh and guest Michael Phillips on the lasting appeal of Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones, and one of the great Chicago-set movies. And from the archive, the Top 5 Movies of 1993, recorded in 2013. -Review: “The Fugitive” at 30 (03:02) -Next Week / Notes (28:55) -Polls (31:45) -Top 5 of 1993 (40:47) (Times may not be precise with ads) Promo: Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to https://nordvpn.com/filmspotting to get a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + a Bonus Gift! Notes/Links: Michael Phillips interviews “Fugitive” director Andrew Davis Rolling Stone’s Oral History of “The Fugitive” Feedback: Email us at feedback@filmspotting.net. Ask Us Anything and we might answer your question in bonus content. Support us: -Join the Filmspotting Family for bonus episodes and complete archive access. http://filmspottingfamily.com -T-shirts (and more) on sale at the Filmspotting Shop. https://filmspotting.net/shop Contact us: https://letterboxd.com/filmspotting @filmspotting on Threads https://twitter.com/filmspotting https://facebook.com/filmspotting https://letterboxd.com/larsenonfilm @larsenonfilm on Threads https://twitter.com/larsenonfilm https://facebook.com/larsenonfilm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It’s an old-school Listener Feedback segment as Adam and Josh respond to recent emails. Plus, a tribute to William Friedkin, the second African Cinema Marathon installment, and Adam shares some personal and professional news. -RIP William Friedkin (07:23) -Mailbag (16:01) -Adam’s Announcements (44:26) -Next Week / Notes / Giveaway (58:05) -Massacre Theatre (01:01:29) -African Cinema Marathon #2: “Black Girl (01:10:38) (Times may not be precise with ads) Promo: Babbel.com/filmspotting for up to 55% off your subscription. Grab your EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal by going to https://nordvpn.com/filmspotting to get a Huge Discount off your NordVPN Plan + a Bonus Gift! Notes/Links: Joe George on Christopher Nolan’s “Wordless Humanism” African Cinema Marathon African Cinema in The Film Foundation's Restoration Screening Room Film Forum's SEMBÈNE Series Starts Sept. 8 UNESCO African Film Heritage Project Teaser Feedback: Email us at feedback@filmspotting.net. Ask Us Anything and we might answer your question in bonus content. Support us: -Join the Filmspotting Family for bonus episodes and complete archive access. http://filmspottingfamily.com -T-shirts (and more) on sale at the Filmspotting Shop. https://filmspotting.net/shop Contact us: https://letterboxd.com/filmspotting @filmspotting on Threads https://twitter.com/filmspotting https://facebook.com/filmspotting https://letterboxd.com/larsenonfilm @larsenonfilm on Threads https://twitter.com/larsenonfilm https://facebook.com/larsenonfilm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Top 5 Jump Scares that messed Adam and Josh up. Also, thoughts on the new horror film “Talk To Me,” Ira Sach’s “Passages,” and a marathon review of 1958’s “Cairo Station.” -Top 5: Jump Scares (09:15) -Review (JL): “Talk To Me” (1:02:27) -Review (AK): “Passages” (1:08:26) -Next Week / Notes / Poll (1:12:40) -African Cinema Marathon #1: “Cairo Station” (1:24:36) (Times may not be precise with ads) Notes: Josh’s Fear Not: A Christian Appreciation of Horror Movies “Venomous, Sexy, Queer Romance Passages Lives in the Fallout of a Narcissist’s Dalliance” Cairo Station on YouTube African Cinema Marathon The Filmspotting Guide to the Archives The Filmspotting Pantheon
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Feedback: Email us at feedback@filmspotting.net. Ask Us Anything and we might answer your question in bonus content. Support us: -Join the Filmspotting Family for bonus episodes and complete archive access. http://filmspottingfamily.com -T-shirts (and more) on sale at the Filmspotting Shop. https://filmspotting.net/shop Contact us: https://letterboxd.com/filmspotting @filmspotting on Threads https://twitter.com/filmspotting https://facebook.com/filmspotting https://letterboxd.com/larsenonfilm @larsenonfilm on Threads https://twitter.com/larsenonfilm https://facebook.com/larsenonfilm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
For the most anticipated double feature in years - Greta Gerwig's BARBIE and Christopher Nolan's OPPENHEIMER - Adam and Josh praise two very different films for treating their subjects with similar complexity. -Review: “Barbie” (03:20) -Brickspotting (JL): “Earth Mama” (30:27) -Next Week / Notes / Massacre Theatre (36:02) -Review: “Oppenheimer” (52:03) -”Oppenheimer” Spoiler Talk (01:09:37) (Times may not be precise with ads) Resources: -Alicia Wilkinson's "Oppenheimer" review https://www.vox.com/culture/23800888/oppenheimer-review-physics-donne-trinity-christopher-nolan-fission-fusion-manhattan-project Promo: Filmspotting is presented by Factor Meals. Go to FACTORMEALS.com/filmspotting50 and use code filmspotting50 to get 50% off. Filmspotting is presented by Fandango! Find times, read reviews, AND buy tickets to your favorite theater – fast and easy on the Fandango app or Fandango.com. Feedback: Email us at feedback@filmspotting.net. Ask Us Anything and we might answer your question in bonus content. Support us: -Join the Filmspotting Family for bonus episodes and complete archive access. http://filmspottingfamily.com -T-shirts (and more) on sale at the Filmspotting Shop. https://filmspotting.net/shop Contact us: https://letterboxd.com/filmspotting @filmspotting on Threads https://twitter.com/filmspotting https://facebook.com/filmspotting https://letterboxd.com/larsenonfilm @larsenonfilm on Threads https://twitter.com/larsenonfilm https://facebook.com/larsenonfilm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
With its show-stopping stunts, the long-awaited seventh film in the “Mission: Impossible” series - DEAD RECKONING PART ONE - delivers the goods. But has the series - and its star - become too meta for their own good? -Review: M:I Dead Reckoning Part One (02:40) -Mission: Impossible Ranked (24:55) -Next Week / Notes / Poll (39:00) -Christopher Nolan Oeuvre-view Awards [2020] (50:31) (Times may not be precise with ads) Promo: Filmspotting is presented by Fandango! Find times, read reviews, AND buy tickets to your favorite theater--fast and easy on the Fandango app or Fandango.com.
Feedback: Email us at feedback@filmspotting.net. Ask Us Anything and we might answer your question in bonus content. Support us: -Join the Filmspotting Family for bonus episodes and complete archive access. http://filmspottingfamily.com -T-shirts (and more) on sale at the Filmspotting Shop. https://filmspotting.net/shop Contact us: https://twitter.com/filmspotting https://facebook.com/filmspotting https://letterboxd.com/filmspotting https://twitter.com/larsenonfilm https://facebook.com/larsenonfilm https://letterboxd.com/larsenonfilm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Lots of directors have favorite actors. But for their Top 5 Actor-Director Duos since 2000, Adam and Josh choose the definitive collaborations of the last 20-plus years. -Top 5: Actor-Director Duos (02:37) -Next Week/Notes (45:56) -Massacre Theatre (51:31) -Top 5, cont. (57:01) (Times may not be precise with ads) Promo: Filmspotting is presented by Fandango! Find times, read reviews, AND buy tickets to your favorite theater – fast and easy on the Fandango app or Fandango.com. Feedback: Email us at feedback@filmspotting.net. Ask Us Anything and we might answer your question in bonus content. Support us: -Join the Filmspotting Family for bonus episodes and complete archive access. http://filmspottingfamily.com -T-shirts (and more) on sale at the Filmspotting Shop. https://filmspotting.net/shop Contact us: https://twitter.com/filmspotting https://facebook.com/filmspotting https://letterboxd.com/filmspotting https://twitter.com/larsenonfilm https://facebook.com/larsenonfilm https://letterboxd.com/larsenonfilm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Adam and Josh praise Harrison Ford’s farewell to Indy with their review of DIAL OF DESTINY and narrow down their favorite scenes in the franchise with their Top 5 Indiana Jones Moments. -Top 5: Indiana Jones Moments (01:52) -Next Week/Notes/Poll (48:52) -Review: “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” (01:03:20) (Times may not be precise with ads) Promo: AMANDA Opens July 7th at The IFC Center in NY and the Laemmle Royal in Los Angeles More at CinemaMadeinItaly.com Feedback: Email us at feedback@filmspotting.net. Ask Us Anything and we might answer your question in bonus content. Support us: -Join the Filmspotting Family for bonus episodes and complete archive access. http://filmspottingfamily.com -T-shirts (and more) on sale at the Filmspotting Shop. https://filmspotting.net/shop Contact us: https://twitter.com/filmspotting https://facebook.com/filmspotting https://letterboxd.com/filmspotting https://twitter.com/larsenonfilm https://facebook.com/larsenonfilm https://letterboxd.com/larsenonfilm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The space race and method acting collide in Wes Anderson’s '50s-set ASTEROID CITY, and former sweethearts reunite in Celine Song’s acclaimed debut PAST LIVES. -Review: “Asteroid City” (01:42) -Notes (38:21) -Massacre Theatre (40:30) -Review: “Past Lives” (47:42) (Times may not be precise with ads) Promo: FACTORMEALS.com/filmspotting50 and use code filmspotting50 to get 50% off your first box. Feedback: Email us at feedback@filmspotting.net. Ask Us Anything and we might answer your question in bonus content. Support us: -Join the Filmspotting Family for bonus episodes and complete archive access. http://filmspottingfamily.com -T-shirts (and more) on sale at the Filmspotting Shop. https://filmspotting.net/shop Contact us: https://twitter.com/filmspotting https://facebook.com/filmspotting https://letterboxd.com/filmspotting https://twitter.com/larsenonfilm https://facebook.com/larsenonfilm https://letterboxd.com/larsenonfilm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aisha Harris’s new book - “Wannabe: Reckoning With the Pop Culture that Shapes Me” - inspires this week’s show. Adam, Josh, and Aisha share the Top 5 Movie Characters Who Shaped Us. Plus, Josh’s take on Pixar’s ELEMENTAL. -Interview: Aisha Harris (02:01) -Top 5: Characters Who Shaped Us (10:13) -Review (JL): Pixar’s “Elemental” (56:40) -Notes/Polls (1:00:45) -Top 5, cont. (1:17:35) (Times may not be precise with ads) Notes/Corrections: Resources/Links: Aisha Harris’s “Wannabe: Reckonings with the Pop Culture that Shapes Me” https://www.harpercollins.com/products/wannabe-aisha-harris?variant=40679574437922 Upcoming in-person events with Aisha Harris https://twitter.com/craftingmystyle/status/1658526875629797376?s=20 "There was no one better to watch a movie with than Casey Tourangeau." https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dq56B-YAhI41dBCSXgaA_9JRXDY6KF83/view Casey Tourangeau's 5-Star Films https://letterboxd.com/c_redmond/list/caseys-five-star-films/ Feedback: Email us at feedback@filmspotting.net. Ask Us Anything and we might answer your question in bonus content. Support us: -Join the Filmspotting Family for bonus episodes and complete archive access. http://filmspottingfamily.com -T-shirts (and more) on sale at the Filmspotting Shop. https://filmspotting.net/shop Contact us: https://twitter.com/filmspotting https://facebook.com/filmspotting https://letterboxd.com/filmspotting https://twitter.com/larsenonfilm https://facebook.com/larsenonfilm https://letterboxd.com/larsenonfilm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Adam and Josh celebrate Pride Month with the Top 5 LGBTQ+ Movies that were formative in shaping their understanding of queer life. Plus, ‘The BFIs’ recognize the best of the Sight & Sound Top 100 Marathon. -Pride Top 5: LGBTQ+ Movies (02:01) -Next Week/Notes (31:28) -Review (AK): “Close To Vermeer” (39:42) -Massacre Theatre (44:42) -Top 5, cont. (56:18) -Sight & Sound Top 100 Awards (1:16:00) (Times may not be precise with ads) Notes/Corrections: -”All That Heaven Allows” made the Sight & Sound Critcs’ Top 250 – not the Top 100. Resources/Links: “Garp, Forty Years Later” https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2019/08/23/garp-forty-years-later/ “The Top 175 Essential Films of All Time for LGBT Viewers” https://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/film/2014/06/23/top-175-essential-films-all-time-lgbt-viewers “Kenneth Anger Never Cooled Off” https://www.vulture.com/2023/05/kenneth-anger-filmmaker-obituary-appreciation.html 826CHI: A Nonprofit Creative Writing, Tutoring, and Publishing Center https://www.826chi.org/ “The Grace of Keanu Reeves” https://www.rogerebert.com/features/bright-walldark-room-february-2016-the-grace-of-keanu-reeves-by-angelica-jade-basti%C3%A9n “Oscar Nominee Chris Sarandon Remembers His Groundbreaking Role in Dog Day Afternoon” https://gwynnew.tumblr.com/post/129721633114/oscar-nominee-chris-sarandon-remembers-his Feedback: Email us at feedback@filmspotting.net. Ask Us Anything and we might answer your question in bonus content. Support us: -Join the Filmspotting Family for bonus episodes and complete archive access. http://filmspottingfamily.com -T-shirts (and more) on sale at the Filmspotting Shop. https://filmspotting.net/shop Contact us: https://twitter.com/filmspotting https://facebook.com/filmspotting https://letterboxd.com/filmspotting https://twitter.com/larsenonfilm https://facebook.com/larsenonfilm https://letterboxd.com/larsenonfilm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This week, a pair of very different, but also surprisingly similar, coming-of-age stories: the electrifying new “Across the Spider-Verse” and Edward Yang’s ‘91 masterpiece “A Brighter Summer Day.” Plus Adam on the new doc “Lynch/Oz.” -Review: “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (02:28) -Review (AK): “Lynch/Oz” (29:29) -Next Week/Notes (38:14) -Polls (45:19) -Marathon Review: “A Brighter Summer Day” (55:26) (Times may not be precise with ads) Feedback: Email us at feedback@filmspotting.net. Ask Us Anything and we might answer your question in bonus content. Support us: -Join the Filmspotting Family for bonus episodes and complete archive access. http://filmspottingfamily.com -T-shirts (and more) on sale at the Filmspotting Shop. https://filmspotting.net/shop Contact us: https://twitter.com/filmspotting https://facebook.com/filmspotting https://letterboxd.com/filmspotting https://twitter.com/larsenonfilm https://facebook.com/larsenonfilm https://letterboxd.com/larsenonfilm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
With THE FABLEMANS, what appeared to be Steven Spielberg’s portrait of the filmmaker as a young man turns out to be a more complicated autopsy of a family coming apart at the seams—that happens to have a budding filmmaker there to document it. Adam and Josh have lots of praise for Spielberg, his co-conspirator/co-screenwriter Tony Kushner, and the film’s cast, but a few minor issues may reflect a weakness that appears more broadly in the director’s work. Director Joanna Hogg has worked almost exclusively in an autobiographical vein: her acclaimed 2019 film “The Souvenir” and last year’s sequel “The Souvenir, Part II,” had Hogg revisiting and re-examining her film student days. Her latest, THE ETERNAL DAUGHTER, continues the director’s audacious self-reflexivity, this time casting Tilda Swinton in a double role as Hogg surrogate Julie and also as Julie’s mother, Rosalind. Hogg’s film is both a meta-meditation on what it means to be an artist—and a ghost story. Plus, Adam recommends Sr., a new doc about filmmaker - and Robert Downey Jr.’s dad - Robert Downey, Sr.1:06 - Review: "The Fablemans"36:35 - Next Week / Notes 43:44 - Polls51:22 - Review: “The Eternal Daughter"1:03:01 - Review (AK): “Sr.”1:08:41 - OutroLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Luca Guadagnino's BONES AND ALL is a coming-of-age story with an unusual twist: cannibalism. Starring Timothée Chalamet and Taylor Russell, the film was adapted by writer David Kajganich from a 2015 novel by Camille DeAngelis. Kajganich had previously written adaptations for Guadagnino's "A Bigger Splash" (based on the 1969 Jacques Deray film "La Piscine") and his 2018 remake of Dario Argento's cult horror film "Suspiria." In his conversation with Adam, Kajganich talks about how his background as a novelist made him uniquely qualified for adaptation work; how to write (and how not to write) exposition; and the surprising subtext of "Bones and All" that the book's author asked him to preserve. And producer Sam Van Hallgren joins Adam for a conversation – recorded live at Iowa City FilmScene's Refocus Film Festival – about some of the best recent book-to-screen adaptations. 1:05 - Interview: David Kajganich ("Bones and All") 41:02 - Next Week / Notes 42:44 - Book-to-Screen Adaptations w/Sam Van Hallgren (Live) 1:41:55 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
For the second installment in his "Knives Out" series, Rian Johnson leaves the family squabbling behind for a trip to a luxury island where murder most foul befalls the filthy rich. GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY shows Johnson hasn't lost his ability to pair social commentary with crackerjack entertainment. Unfortunately, director Ryan Coogler’s return to the “Black Panther” franchise is a less successful venture. While Coogler does right by the late Chadwick Boseman, his WAKANDA FOREVER is over-burdened by the demands of the MCU and let down by uninspiring and occasionally indecipherable effects work. Also on the show, Golden Brick nominations for Nikyatu Jusu's Sundance-winning NANNY and David Siev's BAD AXE, a documentary about the director's immigrant family's life in small-town Michigan. Plus reviews of Zoe Kazan and Carey Mulligan in SHE SAID and the new doc LOVE, CHARLIE: THE RISE AND FALL OF CHARLIE TROTTER. 1:08 - Reviews: "Glass Onion," "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" 34:13 - Brickspotting: “Nanny," "Bad Axe" 49:53 - Next Week / Notes 1:02:52 - Massacre Theatre 1:10:08 - Reviews: "She Said," "Love, Charlie" 1:18:57 - New Releases / Credits Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Director Charlotte Wells's AFTERSUN documents a holiday that 11-year-old Sophie takes with her loving but troubled father (played by Paul Mescal). The debut feature is one of the best and most sneakily heart-rending films of the year. It also inspires this week's Top 5: Father-Daughter Duos, with Adam and Josh sharing picks from Ozu, Nolan, Bogdanovich, and Spike Lee, along with a pair of inventive docs made by daughters about their dads. Plus Adam's review of WEIRD: THE AL YANKOVIC STORY. 1:22 - Top 5 Father-Daughter Duos 30:26 - Review (AK): “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story" 36:29 - Next Week / Notes 46:38 - Polls 55:08 - Review: “Aftersun" 1:19:12 - Top 5 Father-Daughter Duos, cont. 1:39:12 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Josh, Sam, and Adam discuss the launch of the new Filmspotting Family membership platform and how you can help support and grow the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Adam and Josh cover lots of new releases on this week's show, including James Gray's guilt-ridden coming-of-age film ARMAGEDDON TIME and Ruben Östlund's eat-the-rich Palme d'Or-winner TRIANGLE OF SADNESS, along with a return to form from Jennifer Lawrence in CAUSEWAY (with Brian Tyree Henry); Henry Selick's new stop-motion collaboration with Jordan Peele WENDELL & WILD; and new docs about the secret history of Africatown, Alabama (the not-to-miss DESCENDANT), the early 2000s indie rock scene (MEET ME IN THE BATHROOM), and jazz great "Satchmo" (LOUIS ARMSTRONG'S BLACK & BLUES). 1:06 - Review: "Armageddon Time" 28:04 - Reviews (AK): “Causeway," "Descendant" 40:29 - Review (JL): “Wendell & Wild" 44:02 - New doc recs (AK): “Meet Me in the Bathroom," "Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues" 48:56 - Next Week / Notes 59:31 - Massacre Theatre 1:05:31 - Review: “Triangle of Sadness" 1:16:59 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In Martin McDonagh's new THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN, Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson play a couple of longtime friends whose relationship takes a sudden and mysterious turn. Along with their review of the film - one of the year's best - Adam and Josh consider the long history of Movie Bromances, from classic noirs and westerns to a beloved fantasy epic to a couple of notable (but possibly forgotten?) comedies from the early 2000s. Josh also has a report from his TICKET TO PARADISE date night. 0:58 - Top 5: Movie Bromances Mike Schank, "Mr. Bojanges" 34:27 - Next Week / Notes / R.I.P. Robbie Coltrane 39:09 - Polls 48:44 - Review: "The Banshees of Inisherin" 1:02:46 - Top 5, cont. 1:37:10 - Outro / Outtake Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Korean auteur Park Chan-wook's DECISION TO LEAVE is something of a departure for a director best known for the violent and sexual provocations of films like "Oldboy," "The Handmaiden," and "Stoker." His latest involves a murder, but Park's camera is more attentive to the mounting attraction between Hae-joon's married police detective and the victim's wife, played by Tang Wei. Park's film inspires this week's Top 5: Cops In Love, which gives Adam and Josh a chance to give director Kathryn Bigelow some love, along with titles from Jane Campion, Peter Weir, Martin Scorsese, and Otto Preminger. 1:14 - Top 5: Cops In Love 32:12 - Next Week / Notes 39:58 - Massacre Theatre 44:35 - Review: "Decision to Leave" 58:23 - Top 5, cont. 1:16:17 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Director Todd Field ("In The Bedroom," "Little Children") returns after a sixteen-year hiatus with TÁR, the most acclaimed film of his career and possibly of the year. Cate Blanchett stars as an accomplished composer and conductor who faces a personal crisis that could derail her career. Gender politics, identity politics, the "Me Too" movement, cancel culture: the movie circles around these issues without necessarily being about any of them. In their review, Adam and Josh praise the film's complexity and intelligence along with what may be the definitive Blanchett performance. Plus, a review of David O. Russell's latest, AMSTERDAM, a film that is "very wobbly right from the start, regains its balance but is still teetering, and then? Things absolutely collapse." Plus, Blanchett v Swinton and the battle of the seasonably appropriate stop-motion features. 1:20 - Review: "TÁR" 42:03 - Next Week / Notes / Angela Lansbury 48:31 - Polls 57:07 - Review: “Amsterdam" 1:09:19 - Outro
With ‘Tár,’ Todd Field Returns to Directing. Where Has He Been?
Sam smartly points out that TÁR is also an anagram for ART.
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The 58th annual Chicago International Film Festival closes out the fall fest season with screenings of highly anticipated titles from Sarah Polley, Rian Johnson, Martin McDonagh, Park Chan-wook, Noah Baumbach, and others. But with 90+ features playing over CIFF's ten days - many of them available via streaming - there are countless under-the-radar films worth checking out. Adam and Josh highlight some of those titles in their fest preview. Plus, a review of Anna Rose Holmer ("The Fits") and Saela Davis's GOD'S CREATURES, and listeners respond to our request to name the most quotable movie of the '80s. 0:00 - Billboard 1:03 - Preview: Chicago Int'l Film Festival 26:44 - Feedback: Quotable '80s Movies 41:24 - Next Week / Notes 51:09 - Massacre Theatre 59:19 - Review: “God's Creatures" 1:13:19 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Caught up in a storm of bad press following its festival debut earlier in the month, Olivia Wilde’s highly anticipated DON’T WORRY DARLING finally opened in theaters and was met with mostly scornful reviews. But the movie has its defenders—including Josh. So he and Adam get to spar over the movie’s handling of its social critique and get into some spoilers to discuss its provocative? infuriating? ending. Plus, private Edens, corporate paradises, and rainforest idylls: it’s the Top 5 Utopias Gone Wrong. 0:00 - Billboard 1:00 - Top 5: Utopias Gone Wrong 28:09 - Next Week / Notes 37:37 - Polls 46:57 - Review: “Don't Worry Darling" 56:10 - “Don't Worry Darling" SPOILER TALK 1:08:08 - Top 5: Utopias Gone Wrong, cont. 1:27:11 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
With the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in the news and Her Majesty Viola Davis currently on screens in Gina Prince-Bythewood’s THE WOMAN KING, Adam and Josh devote this week’s Top 5 to a consideration of movie monarchs. Making the cut: film royalty like Bette Davis and Katherine Hepburn and a certain teen queen who wants us all to eat cake. That Top 5, plus reviews of “The Woman King” and the trippy new Bowie doc “Moonage Daydream.” 0:00 - Billboard 1:08 - Top 5 Movie Queens 32:33 - Review (AK): “Moonage Daydream” 40:41 - Next Week / Notes 48:14 - Massacre Theatre 53:09 - Review: “The Woman King” 1:03:29 - Top 5 Movie Queens, cont 53:09 - Review: “The Woman King” 1:21:12 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Andrew Dominik's long-in-the-works Marilyn Monroe tale BLONDE (based on the 1999 novel by Joyce Carol-Oates), offers a nightmarish portrayal of the actress and icon that avoids some of the pitfalls of celebrity biopics (thanks in part to its impressive formal approach) while running headlong into others. Mostly in agreement on the film, Adam and Josh remain divided on a few things, including the central performance by Ana de Armas. Also on the show, the sixth and final film in the Summer of Stanwyck Marathon, DOUBLE INDEMNITY, and the Stanwyck Marathon Awards. Plus, Adam recommends the new doc HOCKEYLAND. 0:00 - Billboard 1:06 - Review: "Blonde" 35:41 - Review (AK): "Hockeyland" 40:47 - Next Week / Notes / R.I.P. Jean-Luc Godard 45:41 - Polls (Fall Movies / Comedies) 55:53 - Summer of Stanwyck #6: "Double Indemnity" 1:24:44 - Stanwyck Marathon Awards 1:51:34 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When George Miller's THREE THOUSAND YEARS OF LONGING premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier in the year, it was met with some pans, some shrugs, and some raves (including a six-minute standing ovation). Most agreed, however, that it was an unexpected departure from a director whose previous film was "Mad Max: Fury Road." An intimate and intellectual dialogue-driven drama between stars Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba for much of its runtime, it occasionally blossoms into a fantastic, millennia-spanning tale. While both Adam and Josh admired much of what Miller was attempting, only one of them managed to get and stay on the director's eccentric wavelength. That review, plus Josh's review of the new comedy HONK FOR JESUS. SAVE YOUR SOUL, and the fifth film in the Summer of Stanwyck Marathon, Howard Hawks' BALL OF FIRE (1941), with Barbara Stanwyck as a worldly showgirl who goes into hiding with eight buttoned-up bachelor academics (including Gary Cooper). 0:00 - Billboard 1:11 - Review: "Three Thousand Years of Longing" 28:32 - Review (JL): "Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul." 32:11 - Next Week / Notes 39:36 - Massacre Theatre 45:22 - Stanwyck Marathon #5: "Ball of Fire" (1941) 1:08:27 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The fall movie season has lots of intriguing titles that raise all sorts of questions. De Armas as Marilyn. Black Panther without Chadwick Boseman. Spielberg in autobiographical mode. This week, it's a Fall Movie Preview in the form of Adam and Josh's five most pressing questions. Plus, their picks for the 5 Most Anticipated Films of the Fall. 0:00 - Billboard 1:07 - Top 5: Fall Movie Questions 18:04 - Next Week / Notes 37:11 - Polls 42:41 - Top 5 Questions, cont. / Top 5 Most Anticipated 1:06:25 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
If Dutch director Halina Reijn's BODIES BODIES BODIES doesn't remain the definitive snapshot of Zillennial life in the early 2020s, that won't be the fault of the ace ensemble, featuring standout performances from Rachel Sennott ("Shiva Baby"), Maria Bakalova ("Borat Subsequent Movifilm"), or Amandla Stenberg ("The Hate You Give"). Josh and guest critic Marya E. Gates praise the cast along with the film itself for its incisive observations about the chronically online generation. Later in the show, Josh is joined by the Chicago Tribune's Michael Phillips to talk about Frank Capra's surprisingly bleak MEET JOHN DOE (1941), with Gary Cooper as a down-on-his-luck ballplayer who becomes a populist hero and current marathon subject Barbara Stanwyck as the conflicted newspaper columnist who created him—and maybe loves him.
0:00 - Billboard 1:07 - Review: “Bodies Bodies Bodies” (w/Marya E. Gates) 36:21 - Next Week / Notes 40:05 - Massacre Theatre 48:02 - Stanwyck #4: “Meet John Doe” (w/Michael Phillips) 1:16:43 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Indie distributor A24 started memorably, if modestly, back in 2012 and 2013, with titles like Harmony Korine's "Spring Breakers" and Sofia Coppola's "The Bling Ring." Within the next couple of years, they'd launched the directing careers of Alex Garland ("Ex Machina") and Robert Eggers ("The Witch"). Then in 2016, they went ahead and - very memorably - won the Oscar for Best Picture with Barry Jenkins' "Moonlight." And they haven't slowed down since. David Lowery's "A Ghost Story," Greta Gerwig's "Lady Bird," Sean Baker's "The Florida Project," and Ari Aster's "Hereditary" are just a fraction of the acclaimed titles released by the company in its first ten years. To celebrate the occasion, Adam and Josh hold the debut Filmspotting Draft: ten A24 titles each, no shared picks, no trades, no fighting. Listen and then cast a vote for who built the better roster. Also on the show, a review of the new entry in the "Predator" franchise, PREY. 0:00 - Billboard 1:11 - A24 Draft 43:07 - Review: "Prey" 59:02 - Next Week / Notes 1:04:39 - Polls 1:11:48 - A24 Draft, cont. 1:42:37 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When Brad Pitt arrived on screen 30+ years ago, he was a pretty face with a surprising sinister side. That brief turn in Ridley Scott's "Thelma and Louise" proved to be a template for the actor's diverse and increasingly accomplished film career. For proof of Pitt's growth as an actor, look no further than the very existence of this week's TOP 5 PITT PERFORMANCES, featuring long-time Pitt skeptic Adam's mea culpa. And for proof of the high quality of the Pitt filmography, consider that Adam and Josh share only one title between them. Also on the show, Adam's thoughts on Pitt in the new BULLET TRAIN from director David Leitch. 0:00 - Billboard 1:04 - Top 5: Brad Pitt Performances 42:40 - Review (AK): "Bullet Train" 48:31 - Next Week / Notes 52:58 - Massacre Theatre 58:07 - Top 5, cont. 1:20:10 - Outro The Pitt Reviews Fight Club at 20 (2019) Babel (2006) Oceans 13 (2007) The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford (2007) The Assassination... (2019 Reappraisal) Burn After Reading (2008) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2009) Inglourious Basterds (2009) The Tree of Life (2011) Moneyball (2011) Killing Them Softly (2012) 12 Years A Slave (2013) The Big Short (2015) War Machine (2017) Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) Ad Astra (2019) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
With their potent mix of horror, comedy, and social satire, the films of Jordan Peele are the rare Hollywood films that succeed in entertaining while also puzzling, sending audiences out of the theater sifting through clues in an attempt to find meaning. Peele's latest - NOPE - is no exception, with Adam and Josh sharing their own theories about the director/prophet's wild west sci-fi that's loaded with themes of trauma, spectacle, race, and the movie industry's complicity in all those things. Also, there are some scares. And some laughs. Adam and Josh get spoiler-y in the second half of the review to sort out some lingering questions. Adam also recommends the Russo Brothers' new THE GRAY MAN, and the Summer of Stanwyck continues with Preston Sturges's 1941 screwball classic THE LADY EVE, starring Stanwyck and Henry Fonda. 0:00 - Billboard 1:05 - Review: "Nope" 25:01 - "Nope" Spoilers 46:20 - "The Gray Man" 50:32 - Notes / Polls 1:09:33 - Stanwyck #3: "The Lady Eve" 1:40:22 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Taika Waititi helming another Thor movie was always going to mean a great deal of silliness along with whatever planetary crisis the MCU brain trust cooked up, but with THOR: LOVE & THUNDER, the question has become: how much silliness is too much? Put another way: how many goats is too many goats? Adam defends his 1-star Letterboxd review and Josh (sort of ) defends Waititi. With its two movie Chrises (Hemsworth and Pratt), "Love and Thunder" also gives us an opportunity to revisit 2018's TOP 5 CHRIS POWER RANKING, with Adam and Josh offering their revised rankings at the end of the show. Plus Josh shares thoughts on the new GKids feature THE DEER KING and has a Golden Brick-spotting review of Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman's NEPTUNE FROST.
0:00 - Billboard 1:19 - Review: "Thor: Love & Thunder" Saul Williams, "Binary Stars" 29:10 - Golden Brickspotting (JL): "Neptune Frost" 33:10 - Review (JL): "The Deer King" 35:52 - Notes / Polls 48:04 - Top 5: Chris Power Rankings (2018) 1:26:39 - Chris Power Rankings Redux (2022) 1:39:48 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
As a social climber turned selfless mother in the heartbreaking 1937 melodrama STELLA DALLAS, Barbara Stanwyck earned the first of her four Oscar nominations. And two films into their Stanwyck Marathon, Adam and Josh remain in awe of both the actress's power and her subtlety. The film itself offers a still-potent critique of class as its heroine is forced to choose between her own identity and her beloved daughter. It also gives us an opportunity to revisit 2013's Top 5 Movie Mother-Daughters, with Adam and Josh considering the memorable mothers and daughters that have come to screens in the intervening decade (lookin' at you, Greta Gerwig). Plus, Josh reviews the new stop-motion animated charmer MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON. 0:00 - Billboard 1:04 - Stanwyck #2: "Stella Dallas" 33:28 - Review (JL): "Marcel The Shell With Shoes On" 38:20 - Next Week / Notes 43:07 - Massacre Theatre 49:44 - Top 5: Movie Mother-Daughters 1:20:17 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The frank sexuality of 1933's BABY FACE has made it one of the defining films of Hollywood’s precode era, with new Filmspotting marathon subject Barbara Stanwyck as Lily Powers, a young woman who escapes the abuse and exploitation facing her at home for the big city, where she acquires money and status by exploiting her own sexual power. Adam and Josh agree that Stanwyck is electrifying and the movie’s precode directness is a lot of fun while considering how successfully it pulls off its balance of proto-feminism provocation and sentimentality. The launch of the Stanwyck Marathon also offers a chance to revisit the 1930s Starter Pack, which has Adam and Josh sharing their favorite comedies, musicals, action, and horror films from that rich decade. 0:00 - Billboard 1:01 - Stanwyck #1: “Baby Face” (w/SPOILERS) 36:03 - Polls / Notes 51:07 - Top 5: 1930s Starter Pack 1:36:12 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The summer movie season offers the promise of a special kind of escape. With our brains and bodies fried from the heat, we go to the multiplex less for the subtlety of great cinema and more for big pleasures: belly laughs, impossible action sequences, jump scares, and explosions. Lots and lots of explosions. But which movie years best delivered on that promise? This week, Adam and Josh break out the spreadsheets to determine the Top 5 Movie Summers of all time (or at least since 1975), and Josh weighs in on Baz Luhrmann's ELVIS and Pixar's LIGHTYEAR. 0:00 - Billboard 1:20 - Top 5 Movie Summers 30:28 - Reviews (JL): "Elvis," "Lightyear" 39:10 - Next Week / Notes 44:10 - Massacre Theatre 49:51 - Top 5 Movie Summers, cont. 1:10:50 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Cooper Raiff's debut film, 2020's "Sh*thouse," put the young writer/director on the map with a tale of collegiate malaise, and was made not long after Raiff himself left college. His follow-up, the new CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH, sees Raiff exploring the existential restlessness that awaits college grads. As with his debut, Raiff is back in a starring role, this time with a legit movie star as his co-star, Dakota Johnson. Adam interviews Raiff, who talks about crying in movies, his mentor Jay Duplass, and why Michael Caine isn't right about everything. And with Buzz currently flying solo in the new "Lightyear," we revisit Adam's TOP 5 STORY STORY MOMENTS (2019) with guest Griffin Newman from the Blank Check podcast. And Adam adds to the praise that has met the latest Netflix Adam Sandler joint, HUSTLE. 0:00 - Billboard 1:24 - Interview: Cooper Raiff ("Cha Cha Real Smooth") 25:01 - Review (AK): "Hustle" 34:37 - Next Week / Notes 44:51 - Polls 54:09 - Top 5: Toy Story Moments w/Griffin Newman 1:50:40 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
At the midpoint of the movie year, Adam and Josh come to the show with several titles big and small vying for their Top 5 Films of the Year So Far, along with a shared number one that Josh describes as "the standard that cinema 2022 will have to meet." Plus, highlights from last weekend's live event at Chicago's Music Box Theatre, which featured a screening of Buster Keaton's THE CAMERAMAN, and Slate's Dana Stevens joining Adam and Josh for "The Porkpies," the end-of-Keaton-marathon awards. 0:00 - Billboard 1:30 - Top 5 Films of the Year So Far 41:30 - Next Week / Notes 47:43 - Massacre Theatre 59:42 - Live in Chicago: "The Cameraman" / Keaton Awards 1:53:03 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
For their TOP 5 MOVIES FOR GRADUATES, Adam and Josh choose tales of hardship, uncertainty, letting go, and finding fulfillment from Hayao Miyazaki, Cameron Crowe, Agnes Varda, Akira Kurosawa, and others. Plus thoughts on the gone too soon Ray Liotta, listener picks for the best high schoolers in transition movies, and Pixar’s best of the last decade.
0:00 - Billboard 1:51 - Top 5 Movies for Graduates 34:51 - Remembering Ray Liotta 39:42 - Next Week / Notes 52:50 - Polls 1:03:08 - Top 5 Movies for Graduates, cont. 1:32:12 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Scrubbed of nostalgia, 1986's "Top Gun" is, let's be honest, a big slab of '80s cheese. But there's that star-making turn by Tom Cruise; some flashy direction from Tony Scott; the rousing, synth-heavy score; and a memorable supporting cast led by the never more intense Val "Iceman" Kilmer. Could TOP GUN: MAVERICK, the long in the works sequel, justify its return? Adam comes to the sequel as a "Top Gun" fanboy, with the '86 original a seminal film of his bike-riding preadolescence. Josh, though, never really took to the film that he's described as a "locker room movie." Plus, the Buster Keaton Marathon continues with Josh's favorite film of the series, 1927's STEAMBOAT BILL, JR, and a Golden Brick nomination for HIT THE ROAD, from director Panah Panahi. 0:00 - Billboard 1:47 - Review: "Top Gun: Maverick" 27:54 - Golden Brickspotting: "Hit the Road" 33:12 - Next Week / Notes 40:57 - Massacre Theatre 46:09 - Buster Keaton #5: "Steamboat Bill, Jr." 1:00:41 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Do you have to understand a movie to love it? And if so, how much do you have to understand a movie to love it? This, more or less, is what constitutes “The Garland Scale,” which Josh introduces as a means of talking about the work of Alex Garland, the brainy, provocative writer/director behind the new MEN and earlier efforts like “Ex Machina” “Annihilation” and the limited series “Devs.” As it turns out, Adam and Josh position Garland’s films at different points on the scale, including his latest, which sees the director setting aside sci-fi in favor of horror with a biblical bent. Also on the show, the "Mad Max: Fury Road of the silent era": Buster Keaton’s THE GENERAL, the fourth entry in the Keaton Marathon. Plus, listeners weigh in on the most anticipated films of the summer and a new Deeply Flawed Filmspotting poll about high schoolers in transition. 0:00 - Billboard 1:03 - Review: "Men" w/eventual Spoiler Talk 35:32 - Next Week / Notes 41:44 - Polls 52:27 - Keaton Marathon #4: "The General" 1:11:58 - Outro *Time codes are estimates and do not account for ads live or pre-recorded. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
With new films from Jordan Peele, Alex Garland, and Claire Denis, not to mention the latest from Marvel, Pixar, and the long-awaited return of Tom Cruise's Maverick, the fifteen or so weekends that make up the summer movie season gives us plenty to look forward to. Adam and Josh's Summer Movie Preview comes in the form of their Top 5 questions about the upcoming movie season.
0:00 - Billboard 1:49 - Summer Movie Preview Igor Dvorkin, "Golden Summer" 24:37 - Next Week / Notes 33:14 - Massacre Theatre 39:41 - Summer Movie Preview, cont 1:00:34 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Back in 2002, the superhero genre was still finding its feet. Tim Burton's "Batman" had been huge in '89, but the franchise it spawned had fizzled out by the end of the '90s. The first "X-Men" film did decent box office in 2000, but failed to become a culture-defining event like the Burton film had. Sam Raimi's SPIDER-MAN changed all that. A massive success at the box office when it opened in May 2002, it acted as a bridge between the self-aware, still campy comic book movies of the past two decades and the effects-driven spectacle that has come to define our current "cinematic universe" era. With a masterful control of tone, an eye for staging memorable action, and a focus on character and relationships, the Raimi/Spidey combo was a winning one. For their 20th anniversary revisit, Adam and Josh talk about the pleasure of watching a self-contained superhero movie, and break down some of the film's most iconic scenes. Also on the show, Josh's review of Raimi's new DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS and his thoughts on Golden Brick nominee WE'RE ALL GOING TO THE WORLD'S FAIR. And Chicago critic Steven Prokopy drops by to share details about the upcoming Chicago Critics Film Festival. Plus Movie Doctors Not Doctoring poll results and a new poll that asks: "Yep? or Nope." 0:00 - Billboard 1:32 - Sacred Cow: "Spider-Man" (2002) Danny Elfman, "Spider-Man (Main Title)" 39:55 - Review (JL): "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" 44:15 - Buster Keaton Event in Chicago 47:54 - Chicago Critics Film Fest Preview w/Steve Prokopy 1:00:59 - Polls 1:09:12 - Brickspotting: "We're All Going To The World's Fair" 1:14:26 - Outro / Outtake (Goblin Mode) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
With obsessive attention to historical detail and a fascination with lore, language, and ritual, there is no mistaking THE NORTHMAN for the work of anyone but Robert Eggers (“The Witch,” “The Lighthouse”). But despite a bigger budget and a much bigger canvas, does the director’s new Viking revenge epic add up to anything but a bloody good time? Along with that review, Adam and Josh return to the Buster Keaton Marathon with the actor/director’s first masterpiece, 1924's SHERLOCK, JR. 0:00 - Billboard 1:58 - Review: “The Northman” Tim Garland, “Trains A Comin” 37:40 - Next Week / Notes 58:53 - Massacre Theatre 1:03:29 - Buster Keaton #3: “Sherlock, Jr.” 1:26:42 - Outro / Outtake Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
For over four decades, Nicolas Cage has remained a distinctive and unpredictable screen presence, navigating a career that has gone from memorable character actor in the 80s, to unlikely movie star and Oscar-winner in the 90s, to VOD mainstay in the 2010s, and then, most recently, to critically (re)acclaimed actor finally playing roles worthy of his talent. Last year’s “Pig” earned Cage some of his best reviews in years, and now with the new meta-Cage movie THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT in theaters, the Cage-aissance is in full swing. Joining Adam and Josh for their TOP 5 NICOLAS CAGE PERFORMANCES is “Age of Cage” writer Keith Phipps (The Next Picture Show, The Reveal).
0:00 - Billboard 1:28 - Top 5: Nicolas Cage Performances with Keith Phipps ("Age of Cage") Gareth Johnson, "Power Move" 54:23 - Next Week / Notes 1:04:16 - Poll 1:09:47 - Review: "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent" 1:14:41 - Top 5 Cage Performances, cont. 1:51:31 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The directing duo Daniels (“Swiss Army Man”) take a maximalist approach to filmmaking that suits the dizzying plotting of their new multiverse tale EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE. And while Daniels’ seemingly endless inventiveness is impressive and often hilarious, what makes the film really tick is the layered acting work of stars Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan. Speaking of acting, 1997's FACE/OFF has its share of it, with Nicolas Cage and John Travolta trading personas - and faces - in John Woo’s action spectacle. Adam and Josh give the film a 25th-anniversary revisit in anticipation of their upcoming Top 5 Nicolas Cage Performances. Plus they crown the winner of Filmspotting Madness—Best of the '70s. 0:00 - Billboard 1:25 - Review: “Everything Everywhere All At Once” Jair Claudino Rodrigues Junior, “Sorte” 31:25 - Next Week / Notes 36:43 - Filmspotting Madness—Best of the '70s: Champion 52:32 - Review: “Face/Off” at 25 1:21:34 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
With his first two films, 2017's "Columbus" and the new AFTER YANG, director Kogonada has established a meditative style of filmmaking that rewards close attention. "After Yang" takes place in a near-future that’s populated by techno-sapiens, clones, and self-driving cars, but its characters struggle with all too familiar things like death, grief, and the meaning of life. In his conversation with the director, Adam asks about Kogonada's preoccupation with grieving, the quiet, non-confrontational style of his films, and the origins of "After Yang"'s thrilling title sequence. We also share a recent review of "Yang" from our sister podcast, The Next Picture Show, hosted by Tasha Robinson, Scott Tobias, Genevieve Koski, and Keith Phipps. Plus, the championship round of Filmspotting Madness—Best of the '70s. 0:00 - Billboard 0:58 - Interview: Kogonada Mitski, "Glide" 47:15 - Next Week / Notes 51:39 - Filmspotting Madness—Best of the '70s 1:00:12 - The Next Picture Show: "After Yang" 1:27:44 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Among Richard Linklater's gifts is his ability to find the transcendent in the ordinary. A young man and woman meeting on a train. A last day of school. A life captured in snapshots over a decade. In his latest - APOLLO 10 1/2 - Linklater brings the space-mad suburban Houston of his '60s youth to life with vivid use of animation and inspired episodes of fantasy. Adam and Josh also revisit their Top 5 Richard Linklater Scenes (2016) and unveil the Filmspotting Madness Final 4 Matchups. 0:00 - Billboard 1:09 - Review: "Apollo 10 1/2" John Williams, "Jaws Theme" 30:25 - Next Week / Notes 35:43 - Filmspotting Madness—Final 4 50:22 - Top 5: Richard Linklater Scenes (2016) 1:25:22 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Like art itself, "Hitchcockian" can't be easily defined—but you know it when you see it. Sinister plotting, mistaken identity, dangerous obsession; a blonde, some mommy issues, a little gallows humor. That's Hitchcock more or less. This week, Adam and Josh share their TOP 5 HITCHCOCKIAN MOVIES, with picks that range from Hitch contemporaries like Henri-Georges Clouzot to current masters like Bong Joon-ho, Spike Lee, and Pedro Almodovar. Also, Adam's conversation with director Charlie McDowell ("The One I Love"), whose new thriller WINDFALL--starring Jason Segal, Lily Collins, and Jesse Plemons--has a few Hitchcockian tricks up its sleeve. Plus Filmspotting Madness—Best of the 70s Elite 8 matchups.
0:00 - Billboard 1:12 - Top 5: Hitchcockian Movies Bernard Herrmann, "Vertigo Suite: Prelude" 33:21 - Interview: Charlie McDowell ("Windfall") 1:06:42 - Next Week / Notes 1:12:28 - Filmspotting Madness—Best of the 70s, Elite 8 1:26:47 - Top 5: Hitchcockian Movies, cont. 1:46:05 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Adam and Josh consider the big four Oscar categories ahead of the March 27th ceremony. They share their picks for who will win and who should win. They have also been empowered to correct one snub per category—but only by cutting a current nominee. Plus, the first Golden Brick nomination of the year goes to Mariama Diallo's MASTER. Josh has a review. And the Sweet 16 round of Filmspotting Madness—Best of the '70s. 0:00 - Billboard 1:28 - Oscars: Supporting Actor/Actress 18:09 - Oscars: Lead Actor/Actress Alberto Iglesias, "Sesión de fotos" ("Parallel Mothers") 36:25 - Brickspotting: "Master" 41:04 - Next Week / Notes 45:52 - R.I.P. William Hurt 49:50 - Filmspotting Madness—Best of the '70s 1:14:04 - Oscars: Director / Picture 1:28:39 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
There have been some great films about the unanticipated complications of artificial intelligence: Spielberg's "A.I.," Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner," Alex Garland's "Ex Machina," Kubrick's "2001." And while AFTER YANG, about a malfunctioning "techno sapien," evokes all of them, it also - unlike those films - avoids exploiting those complications for conflict. Instead, director Kogonada chooses to focus his attention on his film's family of homo sapiens, and how an ailing robot causes all of them to consider what it means to be human. Adam and Josh agree that it's one of the best films of the year so far. Plus, Rd. 2 of Filmspotting Madness—Best of the '70s, featuring bewildering, flop-sweat-inducing matchups like "Young Frankenstein" v "Alien" and "Dog Day Afternoon v Monty Python and the Holy Grail." 0:00 - Billboard 1:14 - Review: "After Yang" Mitski, "Glide" 41:56 - Next Week / Notes 47:51 - Madness Rd. 2 1:20:34 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Part detective story, part serial killer movie, Matt Reeves’ THE BATMAN evokes Fincher’s “Se7en” and “Taxi Driver”-era Scorsese, while star Robert Pattinson - more Bat than Man - brings a despondent rage to his Caped Crusader. Adam and Josh are fans. Stick around for a little Spoiler Talk about the film’s ending. Plus, Rd. 1 of Filmspotting Madness—Best of the '70s, Adam recommends DEAR MR. BRODY, and the Buster Keaton Marathon continues with 1923's OUR HOSPITALITY, where Buster proves he’s as much a master stuntman as he is a comedian. 0:00 - Billboard 1:07 - Review: "The Batman" 33:50 - "The Batman" (and Bond!) Spoiler Talk - Be warned: with ads, spoiler talk will start a bit later! Michael Giacchino, "The Batman" 40:55 - Adam Recommends: "Dear Mr. Brody" 45:54 - Next Week / Notes 51:39 - Madness—Best of the '70s: Rd. 1 1:10:41 - Buster Keaton #2: "Our Hospitality" 1:30:03 - Outro / Outtake Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Silent film star Buster Keaton has and probably always will exist in the shadow of his contemporary Charlie Chaplin. And because of that underdog status, Keaton has had his share of passionate advocates. The latest is Slate critic and friend of the show Dana Stevens, whose new book "Camera Man" puts Keaton at the center of her study of "The Dawn of Cinema and the Invention of the 20th Century." With four classic Keaton shorts selected by Stevens, Adam and Josh embark on their Buster Keaton Marathon. Plus, Filmspotting Madness—Best of the 1970s kicks off with the Play-In Round. 0:00 - Billboard 1:00 - Keaton #1: "One Week" / "The Scarecrow" / "The Play House" / "Cops" Mark Allaway, Martin Wheatley, and Jeff Lardner, "Silent Movie Chase" 34:19 - Next Week / Poll 44:25 - Notes / Massacre Theatre 49:39 - Filmspotting Madness: Play-Ins 1:08:16 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Another year, another Soderbergh. The prolific director has been averaging a film a year for about a decade now, which has Adam wondering if we’re taking him for granted. His latest - KIMI, starring Zoe Kravitz and streaming exclusively on HBO Max - is a tech thriller that lets Soderbergh show off his craft while providing some genre thrills in the vein of “Rear Window” and “The Conversation.” Josh can admire the craft, but wonders if Soderbergh’s feverish filmmaking pace has kept him from returning to the highs of his ’90s and early 2000s heyday. Adam and Josh also don’t quite see eye to eye on Disney’s ENCANTO, which last week received an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature. While one sees a moving and surprisingly sophisticated take on generational trauma, the other sees a film that is ambitious but overstuffed. (They both dug Bruno.) Plus, details about the upcoming Buster Keaton Marathon and Filmspotting Madness—Best of the 1970s. 0:00 - Billboard 1:08 - Review: "Kimi" Sebastián Yatra, "Dos Oruguitas" 28:10 - Nex Week / Notes 43:05 - Polls 57:58 - Review: "Encanto" 1:12:50 - Outro / Outtake Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Stephen Sondheim’s contributions to musical theater were so immense and influential that when he died last fall at 91, it was not uncommon to see him compared to Shakespeare. Sondheim hasn’t always translated so well to the big screen, but from "West Side Story" in '61 to "West Side Story" in '21 - and everything in between - there are still more than enough examples of his genius for Adam and Josh and guest Michael Phillips to compile their Top 5 Sondheim Screen Moments. (With Sondhead Michael using a particularly liberal interpretation of “screen.”) Plus, reactions to the Oscar noms and a very special musical edition of Massacre Theatre. 0:00 - Billboard 1:16 - Top 5 Sondheim Screen Moments Madonna, “Sooner or Later” 39:41 - Oscar Nominations 49:59 - Next Week / Notes 1:03:34 - Massacre Theatre 1:11:48 - Top 5 Sondheim, cont 1:45:21 - Outro / Outtake Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
As they approached their rewatch of 1972’s THE GODFATHER, Adam and Josh questioned whether they - or anybody, really - could bring anything new to a conversation about a film that has been written about, talked about, watched and rewatched, quoted, and memed pretty much without ceasing since its release a half-century ago. But when they sat down for their Sacred Cow review, the answer was pretty simple: it didn’t actually matter if there is anything new to say; what mattered was the pleasure of watching - and talking about - something so thematically rich, so brilliantly shot and directed, and so damn well acted. (It’s the longest review in the history of the show.) And, as it turns out, maybe there were a couple of new things to say about THE GODFATHER. Adam has some thoughts about the film as a product of the Vietnam era. And Josh makes the bold suggestion that “The Godfather” could have been an even stronger film if it had paid just a little more attention to one of its more tangential characters. Also: has Al Pacino’s Michael Corleone ever been compared to “Terminator 2"’s T-1000? Seems unlikely. 0:00 - Billboard 1:07 - “The Godfather” at 50 Nina Rota, “The Godfather Love Theme” 56:42 - Next Week / Notes 1:03:52 - Poll: Oscar Snubs 1:19:06 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
2022 has the directors: Scorsese, Reichardt, Cronenberg, Wilde, Eggers, Aster, Spielberg, Peele. And the talent: Pattinson, Swinton, Cumberbatch, de Armas, Cruise, Pugh, Williams, and DiCaprio. Adam and Josh have the questions. They ring in the new movie year with their Top 5 Questions About 2022. And they announce show plans for the year, including a couple of new marathons, a new Oeuvre-view subject, and more. 0:00 - Billboard 1:14 - 2022 Movie Preview Nervous Dater, "Tin Foil Hat" 28:45 - 2022 Show Plans 45:49 - Notes / Massacre Theatre 56:08 - 2022 Movie Preview, cont. 1:21:05 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We don't remember movies. We remember movie moments. This week, Adam and Josh say goodbye for now to 2021 with a celebration of the year's best scenes. The ones that made them laugh, the ones that made them cry, and the ones that sent them soaring. Featuring memorable movie moments from "Licorice Pizza," "Summer of Soul," "The Power of the Dog," "The Killing of Two Lovers," "Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar," and more. Plus, the winner of the 13th Annual Golden Brick Award. 0:00 - Billboard 0:58 - Wrap: Opening Scenes / Funniest Scenes / Moving Moments Antonio Pinto, "10327 Days of Life" ("Nine Days") 38:44 - JL: "Scream" (2022) 43:34 - Next Week / Notes 1:00:23 - 2021 Golden Brick Award 1:12:45 - Wrap, cont: Music Moments / Scenes of the Year 1:48:26 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Adam and Josh did not choose the same color pill before recording their review of THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS. Both fans of the '99 original and equally dubious about the merits of the 2003 sequels, they emerged from Lana Wachowski's meta return to the franchise with two very different responses: one grateful to Wachowski for bringing a thoughtful and provocative inventiveness (and enough action movie chops) to the long-delayed fourth entry; the other feeling as if almost nothing about the new Matrix worked, especially not the action nor its attempts at profundity. There is far less to debate about THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH, which sees Joel Coen going solo with a sinister and stunning adaptation of Shakespeare. 0:00 - Billboard 1:02 - Review: "The Matrix Resurrections" Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine, "Lady Macbeth in Chains" 29:09 - Next Week / Notes 46:40 - Massacre Theatre 1:00:38 - Review: "The Tragedy of Macbeth" 1:19:52 - Outro / Outtakes (more "Matrix" talk and a Meow-sacre Theatre Audition) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sure, a few films have dominated the conversation about the year’s best - Jane Campion’s unsettling western “The Power of the Dog,” Questlove’s ecstatic music doc “Summer of Soul,” and Paul Thomas Anderson’s breezily nostalgic “Licorice Pizza”; but with Adam and Josh joined by Slate’s Dana Stevens and Michael Phillips from the Chicago Tribune for Pt. 2 of their Top 10 Films of 2021, there isn’t even always agreement about the consensus. Plus, top 10 support for a movie musical revival, a “sui generis” comedy, a medieval epic, and a couple of literary adaptations from first-time filmmakers. 0:00 - Billboard 1:08 - Top 10 of 2021 Jim Williams, "Car F***" ("Titane") 1:16:16 - Notes/Polls 1:22:28 - Top 10 of 2021, cont. 2:04:02 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A shock comic, a gambler, a couple of exotic dancers, and Nicolas Cage all make appearances in part one of the Top 10 Films of 2021 – not to mention a singing puppet baby. On this week's show, it's "The Outliers," the films that only Adam or Josh deemed Top 10-worthy. Next week, they'll be joined by the Chicago Tribune's Michael Phillips and Dana Stevens of Slate for part two and the 'consensus' best films of the year. 0:00 - Billboard 1:15 - Top 10 of 2021: The Outliers Jimmy Montague, "70th Avenue Hustle" 45:09 - Golden Brick Finalists 48:50 - Top 10 of 2021: The Outliers, cont. 1:13:20 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The end-of-year conversation starts this week as Adam and Josh talk through their Chicago Film Critics Association ballots, naming their favorite 20 or so performances of the 2021 movie year. Plus reviews of LICORICE PIZZA, Paul Thomas Anderson's nostalgia trip to 70s-era San Fernando Valley, and NIGHTMARE ALLEY, a nasty new noir from Guillermo del Toro. 0:00 - Billboard 1:14 - Best Performances of 2021 Taj Mahal, "Tomorrow May Not Be Your Day" 48:16 - Review: "Nightmare Alley" 1:03:20 - Next Week / Polls / Notes 1:13:06 - Review: "Licorice Pizza" 1:30:38 - Outro / Outtake Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jane Campion’s filmography is one of the greatest collections of woman-led features in the history of the medium, which makes her latest - THE POWER OF THE DOG - such a startling exception. Set in 1925 against a forbidding Montana landscape, Campion’s film takes place in an utterly masculine domain, with Benedict Cumberbatch’s snarling rancher as the film’s primary focus. But armed with the just-completed Campion Oeuvre-view, Adam and Josh see what is undoubtedly a Campion movie, with its attention finely tuned to gender power dynamics and competing displays of masculinity. They also agree that Campion’s latest is a masterpiece. The Campion love continues in the second half of the show with “We Are The Campions,” the end of Oeuvre-view awards for favorite performances and scenes—and Adam and Josh’s ranked lists of the director’s eight features.
0:00 - Billboard 1:04 - Review: "The Power of the Dog" Michael Nyman, "The Sacrifice" 36:04 - Next Week / Notes 49:41 - Massacre Theatre 55:58 - Jane Campion Oeuvre-view: Awards 1:29:58 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When it was announced that Steven Spielberg was mounting a new film adaptation of the classic Broadway musical WEST SIDE STORY, it was entirely reasonable to ask, "Why?" Why a new film adaptation and why Spielberg. The 1961 "West Side," directed by Robert Wise, was a Best Picture-winner and is regarded as one of the great movie musicals of all time. Also? Spielberg has never directed a musical. And yet, as revered as that 1961 adaptation is, it is not without its faults, notably the casting of white actors as Latinx characters and a pair of romantic leads (Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer) who don't sing and are arguably the weakest members of an otherwise ace cast. Adam and Josh make the case that with his thrilling new adaptation, Spielberg more than answers the why, without necessarily fixing all of the earlier film's weaknesses. Plus, a review of Sean Baker's latest, RED ROCKET, which has Simon Rex's former adult film star making an ignominious return to his Texas hometown. 0:00 - Billboard 1:06 - Review: "West Side Story" "Cool" ("West Side Story," Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) 41:44 - Next Week / Notes 47:22 - Polls 57:02 - Review: "Red Rocket" 1:14:36 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
'Tis the season for awards-bait movies based on real lives, so for this week's holiday review roundup, Adam and Josh discuss Ridley Scott's true-crime drama HOUSE OF GUCCI (aka House of Accents), the Lin-Manuel Miranda biographical musical drama TICK, TICK...BOOM!, Kristen Stewart's turn as Lady Di in Pablo Larrain's biopic-as-horror-film SPENCER, and the new bio-doc KURT VONNEGUT: STUCK IN TIME. Plus, the final list of nominees for the 2021 Golden Brick Award, including recommendations for THE KILLING OF TWO LOVERS, TEST PATTERN, SHIVA BABY, and NINE DAYS. 0:00 - Billboard 1:03 - Review Roundup Original Broadway Cast, "Rent" 31:36 - Next Week / Notes 44:25 - Massacre Theater 51:39 - Golden Brick Nominees 1:12:29 - Outro / Outtake Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
For her debut as a director, actor Rebecca Hall takes Nella Larsen’s 1929 novella about race and identity and turns it into a meditation on the many ways that people “pass” as a means of denying or disguising the truth. Adam and Josh praise the film as a showcase for stars Ruth Negga and Tessa Thompson, and for Hall's emergence of a gifted new filmmaker. Adam wasn’t able to make the weekend’s big release, Marvel’s ETERNALS, but Josh did and was pleased to find plenty of director Chloé Zhao in the film’s bloated running time. Unfortunately, Zhao’s Malickian instincts are forced to compete with the leaden necessities of the franchise. Plus the final film in the Jane Campion Oeuvre-view, 2009's BRIGHT STAR, with Campion bringing an uncharacteristic gentleness to her story of the great love and last years of poet John Keats. 0:00 - Billboard 1:15 - Review: "Passing" Leonard Cohen, "Suzanne" 30:23 - Josh: "Eternals" 37:02 - Next Week / Notes 47:51 - Polls 57:36 - Jane Campion #7: "Bright Star" 1:21:38 - Outro / Outtake Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Edgar Wright's latest, LAST NIGHT IN SOHO, is another opportunity for the director of "Baby Driver" and "Shaun of the Dead" to bring his visual panache, comic verve, and impeccable musical taste to a genre he clearly adores. Like the films that inspired it, Wright's time-hopping giallo picture – set in both contemporary London and the city in its swinging '60s heyday – takes some nasty turns. But Adam and Josh disagree about whether Wright's film is a thrill-ride that continually upends expectations—or an incoherent jumble of influences. And the Jane Campion Oeuvre-view arrives at the director's own divisive genre film, the 2003 erotic thriller IN THE CUT. Largely dismissed at the time, Adam and Josh make the case that the Meg Ryan-starring film deserves another look. 0:00 - Billboard 1:07 - Review: "Last Night in Soho" The Kinks, "Starstruck" 26:29 - Chicago Critics Film Festival Preview 34:06 - Next Week / Notes 41:42 - Massacre Theatre 47:13 - Campion #6: "In The Cut" 1:09:45 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Welcome to the Wes Anderson deep end. Adam and Josh sit down to discuss Anderson's latest, THE FRENCH DISPATCH, the densest, most intricate, and maybe most melancholy of his career. There's also that cast, with standout performances from Jeffrey Wright, Benecio del Toro, and Bill Murray. Adam and Josh also share their Anderson Ranked lists and revisit their 2017 Sacred Cow review of RUSHMORE.
0:00 - Billboard 1:03 - Review: "The French Dispatch" Sex Bob-Omb, "We Are Sex Bob-Omb" 35:43 - Polls 50:24 - Next Week / Notes 59:47 - Wes Anderson Ranked 1:15:53 - FS Revisited: "Rushmore" (Sacred Cow, 2017) 1:47:13 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The worst kept secret about Denis Villeneuve's DUNE is that it's only half a movie. Or half a story, anyway. Villeneuve split Frank Herbert's classic sci-fi novel in two, with part one offering a stunningly detailed and impressively cast setup to a conclusion we may not see for years. Adam and Josh admire the film's craft, but they were left with more questions than answers about how the new adaptation will reckon with the source material's 20th-century origins. Plus, the Jane Campion Oeuvre-view continues with 1999's HOLY SMOKE, a critical and box office failure on its release that contains a remarkable early Kate Winslet performance and the complicated sex and gender dynamics we've come to expect from Campion. 0:00 - Billboard 1:01 - Review: "Dune" Neil Diamond, "Holly Holy" 33:05 - Next Week / Notes 41:23 - Massacre Theatre 47:07 - Campion #5: "Holy Smoke" 1:09:31 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In five films over 15 years, Daniel Craig has established himself as the pre-eminent Bond. But will he also prove to be the final 007? The 60-year-old franchise has its work cut out for it, finding someone to fill Craig's shoes and bringing the iconic, if archaic, character firmly into the 21st century. Adam and Josh agree that the new NO TIME TO DIE does right by Craig—but does that make it a good Bond film? They take their review into spoiler territory to unravel their feelings about the conclusion of the Craig era. Plus, the fourth film in the Jane Campion Oeuvre-view, 1996's THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY, Campion's inventive and emotionally volatile adaptation of the Henry James novel. Plus Josh recommends the new Nordic horror film LAMB. 0:00 - Billboard 1:14 - Review: "No Time To Die" 32:56 - "No Time" Spoiler Talk Wojciech Kilar, "Pearl in the Crown" 39:32 - Josh recommends: "Lamb" 43:29 - Next Week / Notes 56:32 - Polls 1:04:40 - Jane Campion #4: "The Portrait of a Lady" 1:35:00 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
“I hear what you’re saying, but you’re completely wrong.” Adam has employed his favorite catchphrase many times over the years, but never on himself. On this week’s show, as part of the Jane Campion Oeuvre-View, he revisits the director's Oscar-winning (and beloved by Josh) THE PIANO for the first time since his lukewarm first encounter with the film in 2013—and this time he comes away from the film singing a very different tune. Plus, a preview of the 57th annual Chicago International Film Festival, which features new films from Céline Sciamma (“Portrait of a Lady on Fire”), Joachim Trier (“Oslo, August 31st”), and Andrea Arnold (“American Honey”). 0:00 - Billboard 1:14 - Preview: Chicago Int'l Film Festival Michael Nyman, "The Heart Asks Pleasure First" 31:13 - Next Week/Giveaway/Notes 41:37 - Massacre Theatre 49:33 - Campion #3: "The Piano" 1:28:56 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Director Julia Ducournau wants to shake her audience to the core. And she more or less accomplished that feat - for Josh, anyway - with her 2016 debut "Raw." Her latest, TITANE, falls into several genre categories—body horror, revenge picture, deeply black comedy—none of which quite prepare you for the experience of watching it. While Ducournau proves herself a filmmaker of great talent, Adam and Josh debate whether the 2021 Palme d'Or winner has much to offer beyond its many unexpected and provocative twists. They take their review into overtime with some Spoiler Talk about some of the movie's more ambiguous moments. Also on the show, the new Deeply Flawed Filmspotting Poll, and the second film in their Jane Campion Oeuvre-view, 1990's AN ANGEL AT MY TABLE. 0:00 - Billboard 1:25 - Review: "Titane" 32:56 - "Titane" Spoiler Talk Duncan Gray, Opening Credits ("An Angel at My Table") 45:37 - Next Week / Notes 54:24 - Polls 1:04:46 - Jane Campion #2: "An Angel at My Table" 1:30:18 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Ahead of Daniel Craig's final outing as 007 in "No Time To Die," Adam and Josh revisit Craig's 2006 debut, CASINO ROYALE, a film both agree remains a high-water mark for the franchise. Plus, the Jane Campion Oeuvre-view kicks off with the New Zealand director's funny, harrowing, and utterly assured first film, 1989's SWEETIE. 0:00 - Billboard 1:06 - Review: "Casino Royale" at 15 Cate Le Bon, "Sisters" 34:31 - Next Week / Notes 47:49 - Massacre Theatre 53:44 - Campion #1: "Sweetie" 1:23:27 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The 50th anniversary of the ’71 movie year provided Adam and Josh an excuse to give Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange" the Sacred Cow treatment earlier in the year and, with this week’s TOP 5 FILMS OF 1971, to celebrate the movies that introduced iconic movie characters and performances like Richard Roundtree’s John Shaft, Gene Wilder’s Willy Wonka and Ruth Gordon’s Maude. Also on the show, Josh recommends the new THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE, featuring a galvanizing performance from star Jessica Chastain. 0:00 - Billboard 1:11 - Top 5 of 1971 Oompa Loompa Cast, "Oompa Loompa" ("Willy Wonka") 36:43 - Josh on "The Eyes of Tammy Faye" 40:50 - Next Week / Poll / Notes 1:04:33 - Top 5 of 1971, cont. 1:30:52 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A gambling movie that only Paul Schrader could make, THE CARD COUNTER has the "First Reformed" director meditating on weighty subjects like redemption and absolution in his tale of an ex-con (Oscar Isaac) trying to make amends for past deeds. Tiffany Haddish and Tye Sheridan co-star. Along with that review, Adam and Josh wrap up the World of Wong Kar Wai Marathon with "The Tonys," their favorite performances and moments from the marathon. 0:00 - Billboard 0:58 - Review: "The Card Counter" Julie London, "I'm In The Mood For Love" 32:14 - Next Week/Notes 41:48 - Massacre Theatre 46:59 - Wong Kar Wai Awards 1:25:25 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The coming fall movie season is less a slate of titles than it is a promise fulfilled, with loads of big films coming to the big screen, some of which have been delayed for a year or more: “No Time To Die,” “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune,” and Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch,” to name just a few. For their FALL MOVIE PREVIEW, Adam and Josh have questions about some of those long-anticipated titles, along with queries about some of the season’s more obscure offerings, including films starring Idris Elba and Regina King; Jessica Chastain and Andrew Garfield; and Tom Hanks and a dog (and a robot). Plus, Josh has reviews of the new CANDYMAN and SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS. 0:00 - Billboard 1:11 - Fall Movie Preview George Lam, "Mr. Strong Man" 25:51 - Josh: "Shang-Chi," "Candyman" 37:32 - Next Week / Notes 47:00 - Polls 54:17 - Fall Movie Preview, cont. 1:10:28 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wong Kar Wai’s IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE had no shortage of acclaim on its 2000 release (2001 in the U.S.), but its stature has only grown in the past two decades and is now considered by many to be one of the great achievements of the 21st century. Adam and Josh offer no arguments to the contrary in their 20th-anniversary revisit of the film, part of their World of Wong Kar Wai Marathon. And not that you asked for it, but the review also prompts them to debate which is sexier: silence or food. Plus, a revisit of the Top 5 Romantic Gestures from 2013, and Josh nominates the new existential drama NINE DAYS for the Filmspotting Golden Brick Award. 0:00 - Billboard 1:05 - Wong Kar Wai #6: “In The Mood For Love” Vitamin String Quartet, “In Your Eyes” 41:43 - Brickspotting: “Nine Days” 46:37 - Next Week / Notes 53:25 - Massacre Theatre 1:01:51 - Revisited: Top 5 Romantic Gestures (2013) 1:12:27 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
French director Leos Carax isn't very well known here in the States, but his films are always something of an arthouse event, coming as they do about once a decade. His 2012 film, "Holy Motors" showed up on several best-of-the-2010s lists, and his latest, ANNETTE, premiered at this year's Cannes Film Festival to a 20-minute ovation (along with a smattering of boos). An L.A.-set rock musical starring Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard, Carax's film is, according to guest critic Michael Phillips, "the world's most toxic remake of 'A Star Is Born'." (That's mostly a compliment.) In the second half of the show, Josh and Adam continue their World of Wong Kar Wai Marathon with the Hong Kong auteur's 1997 Argentina-set film HAPPY TOGETHER, and music biopic skeptic Josh has some nice things to say about the new Aretha Franklin biopic RESPECT. 0:00 - Billboard 1:07 - Review: "Annette" w/Michael Phillips Sparks feat. Adam Driver, "All The Girls" 29:28 - Josh recommends "Respect" 35:43 - Next Week / Notes 44:06 - Polls 56:54 - Wong Kar Wai #5: "Happy Together" 1:21:27 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Like many an auteur before him, David Lowery ("A Ghost Story", "The Old Man and the Gun") brings his obsessions to whatever material he's working with—even if that material is over 600 years old. Lowery's THE GREEN KNIGHT delivers some of the seduction and swordplay that the 14th-century source material "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" promises, but it also serves as another Lowery riff on mortality, time, and mythmaking. The fourth film in the World of Wong Kar Wai Marathon, 1995's FALLEN ANGELS, sees the Hong Kong auteur introduce a new set of lost urban souls, but Adam and Josh debate whether Wong gets dangerously close to self-parody in his follow-up to "Chungking Express." And Josh has a review of the new THE SUICIDE SQUAD, a successful-ish entry in the killshot-comedy genre. 0:00 - Billboard 1:10 - Review: "The Green Knight" Shirley Kwan, "Forget Him" 31:56 - Josh: "The Suicide Squad" 36:58 - Next Week / Notes 52:20 - Massacre Theatre 57:35 - World of Wong Kar Wai #4: "Fallen Angels" 1:21:10 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Getting Nic Cage for your debut feature is a risky move. On the one hand, Cage is both a big name and a singular talent. On the other hand, Cage's eccentric on-screen persona can send a movie reeling into camp. PIG director Michael Sarnoski rolled the dice and won, bringing real pathos to his missing truffle pig saga, and getting Cage's most subtle and moving work in at least a decade. Adam and Josh also continue the World of Wong Kar Wai Marathon with the director's 1994 international breakthrough CHUNGKING EXPRESS. Plus, Josh defends M. Night Shyamalan's OLD–while also advising Adam to avoid it. 0:00 - Billboard 1:10 - Review: "Pig" Chris Egan, "Traveling Troubadours" 22:36 - Josh reviews "Old" 28:37 - Giveaway / Next Week / Notes 37:26 - Polls 47:53 - Wong Kar Wai #3: "Chungking Express" 1:30:18 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Inspired by M Night Shyamalan's "Old," Adam and Josh take a trip to the shore for their TOP 5 BEACH SCENES. As a place of transition–between land and sea, and as a point of no returnºthe beach has long offered filmmakers an evocative setting for tales both hopeful and despairing. Also: romantic, elegiac, and deranged. Plus the second film in the World of Wong Kar Wai Marathon, 1990's DAYS OF BEING WILD. 0:00 - Billboard 1:16 - Top 5: Beach Scenes Emily Lim & Rob Kelly, "Barefoot in the Sand" 31:34 - Cannes / Next Week / Notes 46:03 - Massacre Theatre 53:26 - Top 5: Beach Scenes, cont 1:13:43 - World of Wong Kar Wai #2: "Days of Being Wild" 1:37:28 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
With its provocative mix of giddy, nihilistic violence, social satire, and formal audaciousness, A CLOCKWORK ORANGE has been a cinephile rite of passage for decades. For their Sacred Cow revisit, Adam and Josh find a film that is both more philosophical than they remember–and perversely funny. Just how funny, however, is a matter of some debate. Also up for debate: how to read the film's memorable ending. Plus, the first film in the World of Wong Kar Wai Marathon, 1988's AS TEARS GO BY, and Adam's thoughts on the new ROADRUNNER: A FILM ABOUT ANTHONY BOURDAIN. 0:00 - Billboard 1:16 - Sacred Cow: “A Clockwork Orange” Marianne Faithful, “As Tears Go By” 45:08 - Adam: “Roadrunner” 58:21 - Next Week / Notes 1:08:21 - Polls 1:20:42 - World of Wong #1: “As Tears Go By” 1:42:57 - Outro / Outtake Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Marvel's BLACK WIDOW returns the MCU to theaters for the first time since 2019, but despite the more than capable cast and some provocative ideas, Adam and Josh agree that director Cate Shortland ("Lore") doesn't always find the right balance between the traumatic and the comedic. They have nothing but praise for Questlove's SUMMER OF SOUL, which sees the Roots-founder bringing a keen curatorial eye and potent historical context to his electrifying concert documentary. Plus, a review of Steven Soderbergh's new NO SUDDEN MOVE and Josh's thoughts on the wild road-trip comedy ZOLA. 0:00 - Billboard 1:03 - Review: "Black Widow" The Chambers Brothers, "Uptown" 25:06 - Josh recommends: "Zola" 30:53 - Next Week / Notes 49:04 - Massacre Theatre 54:51 - Review: "Summer of Soul" 1:29:17 - Review: "No Sudden Move" 1:44:24 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Back in September 2012, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK was back in theaters for a limited IMAX run on the heels of its 30th anniversary. Adam and Josh took the opportunity to give the film the Sacred Cow treatment, making the dubious decision to invite noted "Raiders" skeptic Michael Phillips to join them. Luckily, this is a podcast, so there's no risk of getting your face melted off due to Michael's hot take. Plus, Michael sits in for the Top 5 Films of 1981, with a number one pick that marks him as a "psychosexual sicko" (his words, not ours). 0:00 - Billboard 1:00 - Sacred Cow Review: "Raiders of the Lost Ark" John Williams, "Raiders March" 29:48 - Top 5: Films of 1981 1:12:03 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
For one of their patented "still processing" reviews, Adam and Josh go from screening to studio to discuss F9. But all Adam has is questions; namely, are the F&F movies not only critic-proof but critique-proof? Also, director Justin Lin stuck Charlize Theron in a glass box and Adam wants to know if she has access to a bathroom. Big questions for a big movie. Plus listeners make their pick for car movie that needs a sequel, and Adam and Josh revisit 2015's Top 5 Fast & Furious Moments–the culmination of their immersion in what Adam has deemed "The F ampersand FU." 0:00 - Billboard 1:15 - Review: "F9" Dave James and Thomm Jutz, "Bite The Dust" 31:33 - Next Week / Notes 41:14 - Polls 57:24 - Top 5: Fast & Furious Moments 1:34:03 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
While Pixar's latest brazenly evokes the settings and stories of earlier animated classics like Disney's "The Little Mermaid," Pixar's own "Finding Nemo" and Hayao Miyazaki's "Ponyo" and "Porco Rosso," LUCA'S narrative ambition remains modest–and Adam and Josh agree that's mostly to its credit. An earnest coming-of-age story set on the Italian Riviera, the movie also works as a summer-y coming-out party. They also wrap up the 7 From '76—Best Year Ever series by naming their favorite performances, scenes and more–including their Top 5 of 1976. Plus Adam recommends Edgar Wright's new doc, THE SPARKS BROTHERS, about the eccentric pop group that's been described as "your favorite band's favorite band." 0:00 - Billboard 1:15 - 7 From '76—Best Year Ever Awards Edoardo Bennato, "L'isola che non c'e" 35:21 - Review: "Luca" 46:13 - Adam recommends: "The Sparks Brothers" 53:26 - Next Week / Notes 1:07:28 - Massacre Theatre 1:14:15 - 7 From '76 cont. 1:30:18 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When reviews started trickling in for IN THE HEIGHTS earlier this year, anticipation for the already much-hyped adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Tony-winning musical started to reach a feverish pitch. Adam and Josh agree that the movie largely delivers on those expectations. If director Jon M. Chu's ambition occasionally overwhelms the film, the talented ensemble and star-making lead turn by Anthony Ramos keeps things grounded, and the movie offers the kind of visceral pleasure that moviegoers have been conspicuously missing. Plus, listeners name their favorite 21st-century movie musical, and Adam and Josh wrap up the 7 From '76—Best Year Ever series with cult comedy–and almost musical–CAR WASH. 0:00 - Billboard 1:14 - Review: "In The Heights" Rose Royce, "Car Wash" 34:36 - Next Week / Notes / "Raiders" Contest 1:01:26 - Polls (21st-Century Musicals; Car Movie Sequels We Need) 1:20:10 - 7 From '76: "Car Wash" 1:45:10 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Director Christian Petzold ("Phoenix," "Transit") returns with UNDINE, a romance haunted by German history and politics–and loosely inspired by a European fairy tale. Stars Paula Beer and Franz Rogowski sell the romance, and Adam and Josh praise the director for the provocative questions he leaves unanswered. Plus Babara Kopple's Oscar-winning HARLAN COUNTY U.S.A., a film that offers a vivid–and surprisingly musical–portrait of coal country in the early '70s. Part of the 7 From '76—Best Year Ever series. 0:00 - Billboard 1:14 - Review: "Undine" 25:23 - Next Week / Notes 39:54 - Massacre Theatre 49:43 - 7 From '76: "Harlan Country U.S.A." 1:15:29 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Back in 2018, John Krasinksi's "A Quiet Place" was a novelty: the rare box office hit that didn't belong to an existing franchise or property. Fast forward to 2021 and "A Quiet Place" has itself become a franchise, with a third installment already in the works. This week, Adam and Josh talk about the ways that A QUIET PLACE PART II delivers on the promise of the original and also the ways that it tests the limits of an audience's ability to suspend its disbelief. Plus, they revisit 2018's Top 5 Quiet Scenes, with Josh contributing his picks to a list Adam and guest host Michael Phillips shared along with a review of the first "Quiet" film. 0:00 - Billboard 1:13 - Review: "A Quiet Place Part II" Juan Carlos Rodriguez & Iker Gastaminza, "Salsa Brava" 28:22 - Next Week / Notes 35:43 - Polls 46:42 - Top 5: Quiet Scenes w/Michael Phillips 1:29:16 - Pantheon Induction: "Jeanne Dielman" 1:32:40 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Yes, this summer promises pleasures like the return of the MCU, a new Lin-Manuel Miranda musical, and Dev Patel in David Lowery's "The Green Knight"; but, in their SUMMER MOVIE PREVIEW, Adam and Josh invite you to consider less conspicuous summer releases like a Fellini-inspired animated film; a new doc from the director of 2016's "Rat Film;" a resurrected concert film from Questlove; and a tweet-thread-inspired road trip comedy. Plus, the '40s Noir Awards ("The Savages") and Josh's Golden Brick-spotting recommendation of Emma Seligman's SHIVA BABY. 0:00 - Billboard 1:08 - Summer Movie Preview Tim Garland, "Brush With The Law" 27:37 - Golden Brick-spotting: "Shiva Baby" 31:08 - R.I.P. Charles Grodin 34:54 - Next Week / Notes / Massacre Theatre 48:33 - '40s Noir Marathon Awards ("The Savages") 1:14:27 - Summer Movie Preview, cont. 1:29:51 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Historically set but featuring flourishes of magical realism, Barry Jenkins's adaptation of Colson Whitehead's THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD is not quite what it first appears to be. All ten parts come to Amazon Prime this weekend. This week, Adam and Josh review the series' first couple of episodes, full of admiration for the Jenkins aesthetic, the cast and the score from regular Jenkins collaborator Nicholas Britell. Plus a conversation about 1949's WHITE HEAT, the final film in the '40s Noir Marathon, which features a dynamic performance from James Cagney as a psycho crime boss with a mother complex. 0:00 - Billboard 1:22 - Review: "The Underground Railroad" Nicholas Britell, "Bessie" 36:18 - Next week / Notes 45:25 - Poll 53:13 - '40s Noir #6: "White Heat" 1:16:23 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sandwiched between the '60s sexual revolution and the reactionary conservatism of the '80s, the '70s was an anxious decade, and as that anxiety played out on movie screens, it did not spare mothers. This week, Adam and Josh–sons of '70s moms themselves–share their TOP 5 '70s MOVIE MOMS and continue the 7 From '76—Best Year Ever series with Chantal Akerman's NEWS FROM HOME. Plus, Josh's thoughts on the new WRATH OF MAN, starring Jason Statham, and ABOUT ENDLESSNESS from Swedish auteur Roy Andersson ("Songs From The Second Floor"). 0:00 - Billboard 1:27 - Top 5: '70s Movie Moms 31:51 - Next Week 36:49 - Josh reviews "Wrath of Man," "About Endlessness" 46:07 - Olympia Dukakis / Notes / Massacre Theatre 57:49 - 7 From '76: "News From Home" 1:15:01 - Top 5: '70s Movie Moms, cont. 1:38:54 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It's a pair of uneasy couples on this week's show: first up, comedian Patti Harrison as a 20-something surrogate mom to Ed Helms' single 40-something dad in Nikole Beckwith's TOGETHER TOGETHER; and then real-life couple Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth in the '47 noir THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI, with Welles as an Irish drifter who gets caught up in a murder plot when he falls for the seductive Hayworth. Beckwith's movie - her second - is smarter and more satisfying than its high concept suggests; and Welles' formal invention almost makes up for the lack of heat between the married stars, its confounding plot, and its ill-treatment of Hayworth's troubled Elsa. Plus, Josh fills Adam in on what he missed with the Soderbergh-produced Oscars.
0:00 - Billboard 1:08 - Oscars 9:35 - Review: "Together Together" Anita Ellis, "Please Don't Kiss Me" 28:52 - Next Week / Notes / Poll 47:06 - '40s Noir #5: "The Lady From Shanghai" 1:11:54 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Will Oscar night 2021 see Chloé Zhao crowned Best Director for "Nomadland"? Does anyone have a chance against the late Chadwick Boseman for Best Actor? And what about the Best Actress race? Will former winners Viola Davis and Frances McDormand take another statue home, or could Carey Mulligan or Andra Day surprise with the win? Adam, Josh and guest Michael Phillips from the Chicago Tribune don't really have the answers, but that doesn't stop them from taking some guesses, along with making a few final cases for 2020 films and performances that the Academy failed to recognize. (This should have been your year, Kelly Reichardt!) 0:00 - Billboard 1:08 - Oscars: Supporting Actor/Actress 34:05 - Oscars: Lead Actor/Actress Anthony Willis, "Toxic" 59:26 - Next Week / Notes 1:22:57 - Massacre Theatre 1:26:05 - Oscars: Documentary/Director 1:37:12 - Oscars: Picture 1:51:27 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Whatever backlash ROCKY has received over the years for beating out the likes of "Taxi Driver," "All The President's Men" and "Network" for the 1977 Best Picture Oscar, it has largely faded as people discover - or rediscover - that the populist hit that spawned a mostly forgettable (and occasionally ridiculous) franchise has more in common with its gritty '70s peers than it gets credit for. Among those who remain unconvinced, however, is Josh. Thankfully, Adam comes to Rocky's defense and the two go 15 rounds before ending the review in a split decision. Plus, raves for the nasty '45 Noir DETOUR - part of the '40s Noir Marathon - and the winner of Filmspotting Madness—Best of the '80s. 0:00 - Billboard 1:24 - 7 From '76—Best Year Ever: "Rocky" Bill Conti, "Gonna Fly Now" 43:45 - Josh: "Godzilla vs. Kong" 49:01 - Next Week / Poll / Notes 54:29 - Filmspotting Madness '80s Champion 1:05:13 - 40s Noir #4: "Detour" 1:29:08 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
With the new "Godzilla vs. Kong" bringing some much-needed spectacle to long-suffering theatre chains, Adam and Josh take the opportunity to settle the question of which classic monster movie has the most to offer audiences today, the mournful and metaphor-rich GODZILLA (1954) or the effects-driven adventure of the landmark KING KONG (1933). (Tease: it's a split decision.) Plus, results from the Final 4 round of Filmspotting Madness. 0:00 - Billboard 1:17 - Review: "Godzilla" ('54) vs. "King Kong" ('33) Blue Oyster Cult, "Godzilla" 33:49 - Next Week / Notes 45:20 - Filmspotting Madness: Final 4 46:15 - "Godzilla" vs. "King Kong", cont. 1:30:18 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Adam and Josh skipped the harrowing PIECES OF A WOMAN last fall in the lead-up to end-of-year awards, but with star Vanessa Kirby nabbing an Oscar nomination last week, they couldn't put it off any longer. (At least one of them couldn't, anyway.) They did both play biopic bingo with the U.S. VS BILLIE HOLIDAY, a film which largely fails its talented star Andra Day, who also received a nomination. Plus thoughts on the Oscar-nominated docs MY OCTOPUS TEACHER and THE MOLE AGENT. 0:00 - Billboard 1:15 - "The United States vs Billie Holiday" 18:35 - "Pieces of a Woman" Billie Holiday, "Everything I Have Is Yours" 22:36 - Next Week / Notes 34:14 - Filmspotting Madness: Final 4 49:24 - "My Octopus Teacher," "The Mole Agent" 1:14:15 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A primal scream from the post-Watergate American malaise, NETWORK is a movie entirely of its time that manages to speak directly to ours. Adam and Josh continue their 7 From '76—Best Year Ever series with Sidney Lumet's Best Picture nominee, debating the effectiveness of Paddy Chayefksy's bracing, if occasionally overwritten, script and praising the extraordinary cast (which received five Oscar noms). Plus, Otto Preminger's LAURA, the third film in the '40s Noir Marathon; and Filmspotting Madness Elite 8 matchups. 0:00 - Billboard 1:31 - 7 From '76—Best Year Ever: "Network" "San Simeon Waltz" (from "Mank") 49:43 - Oscar Nominations 57:46 - Next Week / Notes / Giveaways 1:11:55 - Filmspotting Madness, Elite 8 1:28:46 - '40s Noir #3: "Laura" 1:48:13 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Inspired by the visually striking - and slyly funny - new documentary THE TRUFFLE HUNTERS, Adam and Josh consider the greatest meals they've ever seen on screen. Plus, Josh's thoughts on Marvel's recently-concluded WANDAVISION and the Sweet 16 round of Filmspotting Madness—Best of the '80s. 0:00 - Billboard 1:22 - "The Truffle Hunters" 7:23 - Top 5: Movie Meals 37:47 - Josh reviews: "WandaVision" 42:42 - Next Week / Notes 52:12 - Filmspotting Madness Sweet 16 1:10:27 - Top 5, cont. 1:32:41 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Set post-Vietnam in a Big Apple at its filthiest, Martin Scorsese's Best Picture-nominated TAXI DRIVER is very much of its time, but the film's troubled anti-hero, "God's lonely man" Travis Bickle, is a figure we've become all too used to—on social media, at political rallies, or storming the U.S. Capitol. Adam and Josh continue the 7 From '76—Best Year Ever series with a 45th-anniversary review. Plus, Rd. 2 of Filmspotting Madness and the second film in the '40s Noir Marathon, THIS GUN FOR HIRE starring Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake. 0:00 - Billboard 1:13 - 7 From '76—Best Year Ever: "Taxi Driver" Bernard Herrmann, "Thank God For The Rain" 47:57 - Next Week / Notes 55:53 - Filmspotting Madness, Rd. 2 1:17:44 - '40s Noir Marathon: "This Gun for Hire" 1:36:30 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A five-time Oscar nominee, Anthony Hopkins has played a Pope, a psychopath and the most loyal of butlers. He's also killed vampires, fought a bear and banished the God of Thunder from Asgard. In fact, there's little Hopkins hasn't done over his six decades of movie acting—and he's done it all with a rare combination of delicate subtlety and volcanic power. This week, Adam and Josh share their Top 5 Hopkins Performances, along with a review of THE FATHER, which features another career-best turn from the actor. Plus, Rd. 1 of Filmspotting Madness—Best of the '80s. 0:00 - Billboard 1:03 - Top 5: Anthony Hopkins Performances 24:06 - Next Week / Notes / Massacre Theatre 35:26 - Filmspotting Madness—Best of the '80s, Rd. 1 58:18 - Review: "The Father" 1:07:55 - Top 5, cont. 1:37:02 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Based on Thomas Harris's grisly 1988 bestseller, Jonathan Demme's THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS was, on its February 1991 release, an immediate critical and box office success. It ran for eight months and went on to be nominated for seven Oscars, winning five—for Demme, Hopkins, Foster, screenwriter Ted Tally, and Best Picture. This week on the show, Adam and Josh dig into the technical sophistication - and the humanist touch - that Demme and company bring to the lurid material. Plus, Filmspotting Madness gets underway with the play-in round, and Josh recommends the new BARB AND STAR GO TO VISTA DEL MAR. 0:00 - Billboard 1:20 - Sacred Cow: “The Silence of the Lambs” (30th Ann.) 35:46 - Review: “Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar” 40:08 - Next Week / Notes 50:51 - Madness: Best of the ’80s (Play-Ins) 1:19:04 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The new Fred Hampton biopic JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH gives as much time to the FBI informant (Lakeith Stanfield) who infiltrates his Black Panthers as it does to Hampton himself (Daniel Kaluuya). Adam and Josh debate the effectiveness of that decision, which recalls atypical biopics like “Amadeus,” “Hamilton” and “Jesus Christ Superstar.” Plus the first film in the six-part '40s Noir Marathon, William Wyler’s THE LETTER, with Bette Davis as a conniving murderer; and Josh anoints the new religious horror movie SAINT MAUD with a Golden Brick nomination. 0:00 - Billboard 1:06 - Review: "Judas and the Black Messiah" 24:09 - Next Week 29:48 - Brickspotting: "Saint Maud" 33:55 - Giveaways / Notes 40:46 - Massacre Theatre 48:17 - '40s Noir #1: "The Letter" 1:16:57 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It doesn't take the investigative powers of a Woodward or Bernstein to pick up on the giddiness that Adam and Josh bring to their review of ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN, the first film in the 7 From '76—Best Year Ever series. Long a favorite of both hosts - and an early entry in the Filmspotting Pantheon - they revel in the opportunity to praise the film's unmatched acting ensemble and exquisite, if subtle, craft. Their good mood carries over to their review of the divisive MALCOLM & MARIE (new to Netflix), a volatile, two-hander relationship drama starring Zendaya and John David Washington.
0:00 - Billboard 1:00 - 7 From '76—Best Year Ever: "All The President's Men" David Shire, "All The President's Men 45:16 - Polls / Notes 1:02:02 - Review: "Malcolm & Marie" 1:23:32 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
As goes Bond, so goes the rest of the movie year. With Bond 25 "No Time To Die" recently moving to October - along with several other high-profile spring '21 releases - the new movie year is getting off to a disappointing start. But with lots of holdovers from 2020 - "Dune"! "Maverick"! "Ghostbusters"! - and some very promising new titles on the horizon, it is, at the very least, an exciting year to contemplate. Adam and Josh preview 2021 with their Top 5 Movie Questions of the Year — and lay out current plans for this year's Marathons, Sacred Cows, Oeuvre-view and the '70s edition of the Best Movie Year Ever series. 0:00 - Billboard 1:12 - 2021 Preview Lin-Manuel Miranda, “In The Heights” 31:17 - 2021 Show Plans 47:30 - Next Week / Notes 52:33 - Massacre Theatre 59:15 - 2021 Preview, cont. 1:18:04 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It goes without saying that the best movies also have their share of great movie moments, so this year’s Wrap Party allows Adam and Josh to share more thoughts about some of their favorite 2020 films. But it also gives them a chance to celebrate memorable moments in movies that didn’t crack their Top 10s - like “Promising Young Woman,” “Da 5 Bloods,” “On The Rocks” and “Borat Subsequent Movie Film.” Plus the winner of the 2020 Golden Brick Award. Welcome to the party. “Silly Games” sing-a-long at midnight. 0:00 - Billboard 1:08 - Opening Scenes / Funniest Scenes / Moving Moments Tsegue-Maryam Guebrou, “Mother’s Love” 48:12 - 2020 Golden Brick Award 59:01 - Brickspotting: “Identifying Features” 1:02:39 - Next Week / Poll / Notes 1:08:02 - Music Moments / Scenes of the Year 1:37:10 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
For the first proper show of the new year, the Chicago Tribune's Michael Phillips joins Josh for reviews of a couple of late-2020 releases: the Tom Hanks western NEWS OF THE WORLD and Patty Jenkins' WONDER WOMAN 1984. While Josh and Michael agree that neither film quite fulfills its potential, they both prove to be great fodder for debate. 0:00 - Billboard 1:27 - Review: "News of the World" 34:28 - Next Week/Notes 44:01 - Review: "Wonder Woman 1984" 54:40 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Any other year that gave us new films from Kelly Reichardt and David Fincher, Sofia Coppola and Charlie Kaufman, two from Spike Lee and five from Steve McQueen, would have been considered a great one. Alas, 2020 will forever be remembered as The Worst Year Ever—that also happened to be a great year for some of our best filmmakers. The Chicago Tribune's Michael Phillips and Tasha Robinson from Polygon and The Next Picture Show podcast re-join Adam and Josh for the second half of their conversation about the Top 10 films of the year, including their consensus pick for the best film (or films?) of 2020. 0:00 - Billboard 1:13 - Top 10 of 2020, Pt. 2 Janet Kay, "Silly Games" 51:05 - Top 10 of 2020, Pt. 2, cont. 2:17:58 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
True to the year that kept us apart, the Filmspotting Top 10 roundtable did not meet in its usual configuration in 2020. However, the Chicago Tribune's Michael Phillips and Next Picture Show's Tasha Robinson do make an appearance sharing their 10-6 picks before Zoom-ing into the ether with promises to return next week offering their #1 picks. In a part one heavy on docs, Adam and Josh also make room for films from veteran filmmakers such as Charlie Kaufman and David Fincher, as well as newcomers Kitty Green and Radha Blank. Plus, the finalists for this year's Golden Brick Award. 0:00 - Billboard 1:09 - Top 10 of 2020, Pt. 1 Branford Marsalis, "Levee's Song" 1:06:08 - Golden Brick Finalists / Notes 1:11:21 - Top 10 of 2020, Pt. 1, cont. 1:33:47 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
With the deadline looming for Adam and Josh to submit their ballots for the 2020 Chicago Film Critics Association Awards, they turned their homework into this week's show, sharing their favorite performances of the year - including Carrie Coon's delicious turn in Sean Durkin's "The Nest" and the final film performance from Chadwick Boseman ("Ma Rainey's Black Bottom") - along with picks for best editing, cinematography and more. 0:00 - Billboard 1:14 - Best Supp. / Editing / Cinematography 47:45 - Next Week/Notes 1:00:16 - Massacre Theatre 1:09:41 - Best Leads / Breakthrough Directors and Performers 1:41:30 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
No two Frances McDormand performances are alike, but they're all rooted in the actor's no-nonsense directness and fierce intelligence. From scene-stealing supporting turns to Oscar-winning lead performances, McDormand has been doing memorable - and frequently iconic - work since the '80s. With her latest performance - in Chloé Zhao's ("The Rider") soon to be released NOMADLAND - earning her yet more acclaim, Adam and Josh devote this week's show to a career-spanning consideration with their Top 5 McDormand Performances. 0:00 - Billboard 1:05 - Top 5: Frances McDormand Performances 31:41 - Next Week / Polls / Notes 53:50 - "Nomadland" 1:02:40 - Top 5, cont. 1:19:38 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
David Fincher's big-screen exploration of Hollywood's "Golden Age" will, unfortunately, be a small-screen experience for most (it comes to Netflix this weekend), but Adam and Josh agree that MANK, his biopic about "Citizen Kane" scribe Herman Mankiewicz, still offers lots of pleasures, including Oldman's title performance and a stacked supporting cast. Another top-notch ensemble can be found in George C. Wolfe's adaptation of August Wilson's MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM, with an electrifying final performance from the late Chadwick Boseman alongside the always reliable Viola Davis. Adam also throws the new SOUND OF METAL into the mix for Golden Brick consideration. 0:00 - Billboard 1:15 - Review: "Mank" 24:57 - Fincher Ranked / Top 5 Performances 30:03 - Golden Brickspotting: "Sound of Metal" 34:42 - Next Week / Notes 47:58 - Massacre Theatre 54:02 - Review: "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" 1:14:49 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Previous winners of the Filmspotting Golden Brick Award - Sean Baker's "Tangerine," Bing Liu's "Minding the Gap," Anna Rose Holmer's "The Fits" - didn't just tell compelling stories; they told stories in vivid and surprising ways. It's what Adam and Josh have come to look for in a Brick nominee and it's a quality that all eleven of this year's nominees display—in ways as various as their styles and genres: a time-bending documentary, a retro sci-fi flick, a pair of intricately directed and timely dramas, a Coen Brothers-style thriller, a little of the old ultra-violence - and more. Plus, Adam and Josh revisit their review of Sean Durkin's THE NEST, which is available to rent on digital after playing in limited release. 0:00 - Billboard 1:17 - 2020 Golden Brick Nominees Michigander, "Let Down" 47:12 - Next Week/Notes 56:51 - Polls ('80s Directing Debuts, Christmas Movie Death Match) 1:06:51 - Review: "The Nest" 1:34:07 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This year's 8 From '84 series - the sequel to last year's 9 From '99 - gave Adam and Josh a chance to revisit some nostalgic favorites ("Ghostbusters," "This is Spinal Tap," "Beverly Hills Cop"), fill in some blind spots (Leone's "Once Upon a Time in America," Coppola's "The Cotton Club") and complete a director's filmography (David Lynch's "Dune," check). This week, they wrap up the series with the film that launched the career of indie auteur Jim Jarmusch, STRANGER THAN PARADISE, and share their picks for the best performances, scenes and surprises from the 13-film series. Josh also recommends the latest from Cartoon Saloon and director Tomm Moore, WOLFWALKERS. 0:00 - Billboard 1:20 - 8 From '84: "Stranger Than Paradise" Screamin' Jay Hawkins, "I Put A Spell On You" 29:34 - Josh recommends "Wolfwalkers" 32:50 - Next Week/Notes 44:05 - Massacre Theatre 51:09 - 8 From '84 Awards 1:36:24 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
David Lynch's '84 adaptation of Frank Herbert's DUNE ended the director's flirtation with mainstream Hollywood, but it remains a singular - and still Lynchian - vision. (And oh so spice-y.) Six years later, Lynch achieved cult legend status with the massively popular network TV series TWIN PEAKS. The movie-length pilot episode celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Thanks to ArmorLock for supporting Filmspotting. Go to Getarmorlock.com to learn more and purchase yours. 0:00 - Billboard 1:23 - 8 From '84: "Dune" Angelo Badalamenti, "Falling" (feat. Julee Cruise) 34:05 - Next Week/New Poll ('80s Directing Debuts) 40:40 - Notes/Poll Results (Movie failures you defend) 53:18 - Review: "Twin Peaks Pilot" 1:19:41 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The remaining months of the year won't have the same volume of buzzy festival pictures, star-studded Oscar bait or holiday blockbusters, but that doesn't mean there isn't lots to look forward to—if you know where to look. This week, Adam and Josh have their Top 5 Questions About the Fall(ish) Movie Season. Plus, the final film in the Overlooked Auteurs Marathon, Julie Dash's DAUGHTERS OF THE DUST, along with the Marathon-ending awards. 0:00 - Billboard 1:13 - Fall Movie Preview Andrew Bird, "Alabaster" 45:03 - Next Week/Notes 50:55 - R.I.P. Sean Connery 1:03:50 - Massacre Theatre 1:10:57 - Overlooked Auteurs #6: "Daughters of the Dust" 1:31:00 - Overlooked Auteurs Awards ("The Burnt Potatoes") 1:51:17 - Outro / Outtake Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Justin Simien, director of 2014's "Dear White People," has followed up that campus-set comedy with another, much bloodier, satire: BAD HAIR (currently streaming on Hulu). The film - about image and ambition in late '80s L.A. - features a homicidal weave with a mind of its own, making it a great example of a high-concept plot. Josh shares his Top 5 High Concept-Horror Movies and Adam - going high-concept himself - shares the five high-concept horror movies he most wants to see. Listeners come to his rescue. Plus Vampire v Zombie poll results and Adam recommends the Halloween-friendly THE WOLF OF SNOW HOLLOW. 0:00 - Billboard 1:08 - Review: "Bad Hair" 15:59 - Top 5: High-Concept Horror PUP, "Bloody Mary, Kate and Ashley" 40:50 - New Poll ("Movie Failures You Champion") 47:58 - Next week / Notes 56:36 - Poll results (Vampires v Zombies) 1:00:13 - AK recommends "The Wolf of Snow Hollow" 1:04:55 - Top 5: High-Concept Horror, cont. 1:24:04 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Is there such a thing as too much Bill Murray? Seems like heresy to suggest such a thing, but it's a question Josh dares to ask during the review of Sofia Coppola's latest, ON THE ROCKS—a film Adam sees as a spiritual sequel to her Oscar-nominated breakout film, "Lost in Translation." Along with that, thoughts on the new BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM and the Sundance-winning doc TIME; plus, a split take on Lina Wertmüller's provocative 1975 film SEVEN BEAUTIES, part of the Overlooked Auteurs Marathon. 0:00 - Billboard 1:14 - Review: "On the Rocks" Wilder Embry, "Over It" 23:01 - Reviews: "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm," "Time" 35:26 - Next Week/Notes 45:49 - Massacre Theatre 52:44 - Overlooked Auteurs #5: "Seven Beauties" 1:15:26 - Outro/Outtake Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
With the pandemic forcing this year's Chicago International Film Festival (Oct. 14-25) to go almost all virtual, Adam and Josh's CIFF Preview will be a helpful guide to the fest wherever you happen to be. (More details about the fest lineup and how to purchase tickets here.) Also this week, reviews of David Byrne's AMERICAN UTOPIA, Aaron Sorkin's THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 and Cooper Raiff's SHITHOUSE. Plus, Josh watched HUBIE HALLOWEEN so you don't have to. 0:00 - Billboard 1:30 - Top 5: Chicago Film Fest Must-Sees David Byrne, "Once in a Lifetime" ("American Utopia") 31:51 - Josh on "Hubie Halloween" 36:13 - Polls / Notes 50:05 - Reviews: "American Utopia" / "Chicago 7" / "Shithouse" 1:26:36 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
You need music that's transcendent, soaring, or touched by God? Mozart is your man. This week, Adam and Josh share their Top 5 Mozart Movie Moments, featuring memorable deployments of the composer's music in films directed by Terrence Malick, Barry Jenkins, Ridley Scott and others. Plus, an 8 From '84 review of the Best Picture-winning AMADEUS, and Massacre Theatre goes to the opera house. 0:00 - Billboard 1:12 - Top 5: Mozart Movie Moments Andrew Wilkowske, "Deh, vieni alla finestra" ("Don Giovanni") 53:56 - Next Week/Notes 1:03:15 - Massacre Theatre 1:13:57 - 8 From '84: "Amadeus" 1:43:43 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When veteran documentary cinematographer Kirsten Johnson transitioned to directing with 2016's "Cameraperson," which was assembled from hundreds of hours of b-roll footage Johnson had shot over the years, it was unclear what a follow-up from her would look like. What we got - the new DICK JOHNSON IS DEAD - is a project both harrowing and whimsical: Johnson inviting her beloved father, showing early signs of dementia and failing health, to stage (and re-stage) his own death. Adam and Josh agree that the film is "a miracle." Also something of a miracle is Barbara Loden's first - and only - film, the verité-style WANDA from 1970, the next film in the Overlooked Auteurs Marathon. 0:00 - Billboard 1:07 - Review: "Dick Johnson is Dead" Tim Heidecker, "Fear of Death" 27:21 - Next Week/Notes 37:30 - Polls 45:32 - Overlooked Auteurs #4: "Wanda" 1:08:24 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Gregory Crewdson's large-scale, cinematic photos have been compared to the work of filmmakers such as Alfred Hitchcock and David Lynch. His latest exhibition - "An Eclipse of Moths" - is currently on display in L.A. Inspired by Crewdson's work, Adam and Josh - along with Crewdson himself - share their Top 5 Landscapes as Characters. Plus, thoughts on Miranda July's latest, KAJILLIONAIRE. 0:00 - Billboard 1:16 - Top 5: Landscapes as Characters The Flaming Lips, "At the Movies on Quaaludes" 51:08 - Review: "Kajillionaire" 1:01:35 - Next week / Notes 1:16:03 - Massacre Theatre 1:25:37 - Top 5 cont. 1:54:24 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When the tense marriage drama THE NEST debuted earlier this year at Sundance, there was understandable excitement about the return of director Sean Durkin, who hadn't directed a feature since 2011's "Martha Marcy May Marlene" (a Filmspotting Golden Brick nominee). Durkin doesn't disappoint in his return, giving his movie a pervasive sense of unsettling dread—but the real fireworks belong to stars Carrie Coon and Jude Law. In addition to that review, Josh recommends the divisive new horror thriller ANTEBELLUM starring Janelle Monae, and Adam shares thoughts on the not entirely successful THE DEVIL ALL THE TIME, directed by the very talented Antonio Campos and starring Tom Holland and Robert Pattinson. Plus, the Overlooked Auteurs Marathon continues with Chantal Akerman's JEANNE DIELMAN, which Adam and Josh both found more than deserving of its masterpiece status. 0:00 - Billboard 1:08 - Review: "The Nest" Noga Erez, "You So Done" 30:52 - Josh on "Antebellum" 35:01 - Adam on "Devil All the Time" 38:37 - Next Week / Notes 51:24 - Polls 1:01:13 - Overlooked Auteurs #3: "Jeanne Dielman" 1:25:15 - "Jeanne Dielman" Spoilers 1:34:34 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When Ennio Morricone passed away back in July at 91, Adam and Josh were quick to commit to a Top 5 Scores from the master film composer. From his early iconic work on Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns to Oscar-nominated collaborations with Terrence Malick, Brian De Palma and Quentin Tarantino, Morricone's best work reflects the astonishing breadth - and wild inventiveness - of his talent. Adam and Josh pair their Morricone Top 5 with 1984's ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA, Leone's epic gangster tale—the director's final collaboration with Morricone, and final film. 0:00 - Billboard 1:12 - Top 5: Morricone Scores Ennio Morricone, "Ninna Nanna Per Adulteri" 50:25 - Next Week/Notes 1:08:10 - Massacre Theatre 1:15:51 - 8 From '84: "Once Upon a Time in America" 1:55:04 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Christopher Nolan's TENET. The film that inspired our recent Nolan Oeuvre-view - the film that the entire movie theater industry has been resting its hopes on - was bound to disappoint some. Unfortunately, some of those disappointed moviegoers include Adam and Josh, who both found Nolan's film to be more style than substance. But there is considerable style, and its clever, if perplexing, time inversion plot offers a fascinating counter-point to Nolan's breakthrough "Memento." They also get a mental workout from Charlie Kaufman's latest, I'M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS, which hit Netflix this weekend. Rising star Jessie Buckley is a young woman whose identity comes into question when she takes a road trip with her boyfriend to visit his parents. Plus, Adam recommends the new BILL & TED sequel and the new doc FEELS GOOD MAN. 0:00 - Billboard 1:18 - R.I.P. Chadwick Boseman 6:54 - Review: "Tenet" Dehd, "Desire" 36:48 - AK recommends: "Bill & Ted Face the Music," "Feels Good Man" 47:56 - Notes 58:00 - Polls: Kaufman Movie Performances, Long Movies 1:03:16 - Review: "I'm Thinking of Ending Things" 1:21:24 - "Ending Things" Spoilers 1:29:59 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Adam and Josh have no disagreement about the charismatic powers of THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD star Dev Patel—but they do butt heads over the effectiveness of director Armando Iannucci's farcical and fast-paced take on the Dickens novel. That review, plus the second film in the Overlooked Auteurs Marathon: Czech New Wave pioneer Vera Chytilová's DAISIES, which has Adam and Josh competing to find the perfect way to describe the irreverent antics of the film's Marie I and II (Groucho Marx, Bugs Bunny or... Harley Quinn?) 0:00 - Billboard 1:11 - Review: "Personal History Of David Copperfield" Justin Townes Earle, "Give Me Some Money" 28:00 - Next Week/Notes 37:37 - Massacre Theatre 44:06 - Overlooked Auteurs #2: "Daisies" 1:02:01 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
"That's what I love doing more than anything: really getting to know people and let them tell their story." That's legendary documentary filmmaker Barbara Kopple from her interview with Adam on this week's show. Kopple's latest doc - DESERT ONE - opens in limited release this weekend. Kopple talks about how she came to make a film about the failed 1980 mission to rescue American hostages in Iran—and humors Adam by letting him ask her questions about one of his favorite docs, 1977 Oscar-winner "Harlan County, USA." Plus, Kopple plays along with The Filmspotting 5. Also on the show: Adam and Josh kick off their Overlooked Auteurs Marathon with films from Ida Lupino and experimental director Maya Deren. 0:00 - Billboard 0:56 - Interview: Barbara Kopple ("Desert One") Land of Talk, "Footnotes" 27:56 - Next Week/Notes 45:20 - Polls: August Releases, Charlie Kaufman 51:24 - Overlooked Auteurs #1: "Meshes of the Afternoon" / "At Land" / "Ritual in Transfigured Time" + "The Hitch-Hiker" 1:26:31 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
While the world waits for the release of blockbusters like "Tenet" and "Mulan," smaller films continue to appear on the regular and on a variety of platforms. This week, Adam and Josh recommend a few of them: Amy Seimetz's SHE DIES TOMORROW, Beyoncé's BLACK IS KING, Kris Rey's I USED TO GO HERE and the Sundance Grand Jury Prize-winner BOYS STATE. 0:00 - Billboard 1:05 - Review: "She Dies Tomorrow" 29:22 - "She Dies Tomorrow" Spoilers Beyoncé, "BLACK PARADE" 37:48 - Next Week/Notes 49:33 - Massacre Theatre 57:25 - "I Used To Go Here," "Boys State," "Black Is King" 1:15:30 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Back in 2017, Christopher Nolan's DUNKIRK made both Adam and Josh's Top 10 of the year. (It was Josh's #1.) For this revisit - the final film in their Nolan "Oeuvre-view" - they praise the film's masterful technique and the way it offers a distillation of the director's obsessions—with time, professionalism, guilt and redemption. Plus, their Nolan Awards - "The Polaroids" - with Adam and Josh naming their favorite performances, scenes and 'Nolan moments' from the retrospective including their final rankings of Nolan's filmography. (edited) 0:00 - Billboard 1:14 - Nolan #8: "Dunkirk" Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, "Dreamsicle" 41:25 - Next Week/Notes / Poll 50:01 - Nolan "Oeuvre-view" Awards 1:33:14 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Kelly Reichardt's FIRST COW opened in limited release in March—and less than two weeks later the COVID-19 pandemic shut theaters down. The film, which Adam and Josh both named the #1 movie of the year back in June, finally arrived on demand earlier this month. In their conversation with Reichardt, Adam and Josh ask the director about her relationship with nature (she's "not a camper") and about her choice to shoot in a 4:3 aspect ratio ("the most flattering ratio for closeups"). 0:00 - Billboard 1:08 - Interview: Kelly Reichardt Angelica Garcia, "It Don't Hinder Me" 24:01 - Next Week/Notes 27:30 - Massacre Theatre 32:38 - Review: "First Cow" (from March 2020) 58:54 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In Christopher Nolan's INTERSTELLAR, Matthew McConaughey's Cooper battles the forces of quantum physics (and regular old physics) to save humanity. In the new existential romantic comedy PALM SPRINGS, Andy Samberg and Chritin Milioti have to navigate some quantum physics themselves (the Groundhog Day variety)—to save themselves and find some meaning in existence. Reviews of both films, plus Josh's recommendation of the new horror film RELIC. 0:00 - Billboard 1:07 - Nolan #7: "Interstellar" The Beths, "Don't Go Away" 44:53 - Polls 53:58 - Notes 59:44 - Josh recommends "Relic" 1:04:13 - Review: "Palm Springs" 1:18:55 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The biggest movie event of the summer isn't even a movie, but the debut - 18 months ahead of schedule - of Broadway phenomenon HAMILTON on Disney+. This week, Adam and Josh - both of whom saw the production on stage - talk about the groundbreaking musical's transition to the small screen. Plus, Adam recommends the new-to-Netflix THE OLD GUARD from director Gina Prince-Bythewood and an 8 From '84 review of Francis Ford Coppola's THE COTTON CLUB. 0:00 - Billboard 1:02 - Review: "Hamilton" 28:59 - Adam recommends: "The Old Guard" Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong, "Drop Me Off In Harlem" 35:46 - Next Week/Notes 44:40 - Massacre Theatre 51:02 - 8 From '84: "The Cotton Club Encore" 1:19:12 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
It's been an unusual year for movies – and for everything else – but there was great stuff to see if you knew where to look. This week, Adam and Josh share their Top 5 Films of 2020 (So Far), along with a 10th anniversary, split-take revisit of INCEPTION, the sixth film in the Christopher Nolan "Oeuvre-view." ("Adam, I love you," says Josh at one point, "but you have no idea what you're talking about.") 0:00 - Billboard 1:04 - Top 5 Films of 2020 So Far Phoebe Bridgers, "ICU" 47:35 - Listener Feedback (Jaws, Spielberg's Best Decade) 1:03:34 - Next Week / Notes 1:21:04 - Nolan #6: "Inception" (10th Anniversary) 2:01:52 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
A blowhard anti-science mayor ignoring the threat of a murderous invisible menace because it threatens the economy? What could JAWS possibly have to offer us 45 years later? Adam and Josh give the Spielberg classic the Sacred Cow treatment. And they consider the director's nearly half-century of movie-making by Power Ranking the five decades of Spielberg's output. 0:00 - Billboard 1:04 - Review: "Jaws" at 45 Wyatt Waddell, "Fight" 41:29 - AK on "The King of Staten Island" 46:29 - Next Week / Notes 1:05:08 - Top 5: Power Ranking Spielberg 1:40:42 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Introducing the newest Audioboom original podcast, Truth vs Hollywood. Join Film lovers David Chen and Joanna Robinson as they do a deep dive into well known films and discuss how similar they are to the actual story. Truth vs Hollywood premieres 6/12. Subscribe to Truth vs Hollywood on Apple Podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
While it's true that there's never a bad time for a new Spike Lee Joint, right now just happens to be an especially good time to be getting a new film from a master director who has spent the last three-and-a-half decades challenging us to consider the ways that racism defines American life. New to Netflix this weekend, Lee's DA 5 BLOODS doesn't disappoint. Adam and Josh debate the effectiveness of a key performance, and some of Lee's - always bold - aesthetic choices, but they agree that it's one of the year's essential films. Plus, a revisit of 2018's Top 5 Spike Lee Shots. 0:00 - Billboard 1:04 - Review: "Da 5 Bloods" Marvin Gaye, "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)" 32:47 - Poll Results: Spike's Best 39:02 - Notes 47:11 - Massacre Theatre 54:51 - Top 5: Spike Lee Shots 1:41:14 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
When a Minneapolis police officer killed unarmed black man George Floyd last week, protests broke out across the U.S. On this week's show, Adam and Josh – and Filmspotting listeners – reflect on how the movies helped them come to terms with the ways that racism shapes American life. 0:00 - Billboard 1:12 - Top 5: Movies That Educated Us About Racism John Boyega, "We are a physical representation of our support for George Floyd" 34:57 - Next Week/Notes 44:03 - Top 5, cont. 1:08:46 - Outro LINKS -Poet Ross Gay reads "A Small Needful Fact" -How to Support the Struggle Against Police Brutality -Campaign Zero Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Made between "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight," Christopher Nolan's THE PRESTIGE was only a modest success back in 2006, but the twisty feuding magicians drama is, for some, one of the director's very best. In their spoiler-filled review, Adam and Josh agree that, if it's not his best, it's arguably the most Nolan movie. Plus, "Brickspotting" recommendations for the new VAST OF NIGHT and THE PAINTER AND THE THIEF. 0:00 - Billboard 1:06 - Nolan "Oeuvre-view" #5: "The Prestige" Melenas, "3 segundos" 46:44 - Next Week/Notes 55:14 - Massacre Theatre 1:04:46 - Reviews: "The Vast of Night" "The Painter and the Thief" 1:20:30 - Outro / Outtake Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
With Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon taking their fourth and final trip abroad with the new TRIP TO GREECE, Adam and Josh consider the series' most memorable reflections on mortality, family obligations, career insecurity—oh yeah, and all those hilarious impressions. Plus, thoughts on the late Lynn Shelton. 0:00 - Billboard 1:02 - Top 5: Trip Series Scenes Brett Shady, "Let Your Burden Be" 26:37 - RIP Lynn Shelton 36:01 - Next Week / Notes 43:46 - Polls 58:00 - Review: "The Trip to Greece" 1:06:33 - Trip Series Scenes, cont. 1:30:46 - Outro / Outtake Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
After scoring $2B and change at the box office and near-universal praise from audiences and critics, the only black mark on Christopher Nolan's DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY is its dubious influence on the superhero movies that followed in its wake. For the fourth installment of the Nolan "Oeuvre-view," Adam and Josh revisit the trilogy, starting with a 15th anniversary consideration of "Batman Begins." Plus, Massacre Theatre and a new Golden Brick nominee: Lara Gallagher's "Clementine." 0:00 - Billboard 1:11 - "Batman Begins" The Jam, "Batman Theme" 30:34 - JL recommends "Clementine" 34:01 - Next Week/Notes 42:10 - Massacre Theatre 49:06 - "The Dark Knight" / "Dark Knight Rises" 1:30:18 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Back in '84, GHOSTBUSTERS was a bigger hit than GREMLINS (#2 and #4 at the box office, respectively), and it's got the more memorable cast—and quotes ("dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria!"); but is it the more interesting film? Adam and Josh agree that Joe Dante's darkly funny creature feature works as a clever satire of consumerism and American exceptionalism, disagreeing only over the movie's aesthetic, which Adam at one point refers to as "rinky dink." (Josh is having none of it.) And the Bette Davis Marathon comes to a conclusion with 1942's NOW, VOYAGER, starring Davis as a deeply repressed Boston woman with serious mommy issues ("Psycho" meets "She's All That" according to Adam). Plus, "The Peepers," the Davis Marathon Awards.
0:00 - Billboard
1:11 - 8 From '84: "Ghostbusters" v "Gremlins"
Ray Parker, Jr., "Ghostbusters"
55:48 - Next Week/Notes/Poll
1:07:33 - Davis #4: "Now, Voyager" / Davis Awards
1:47:56 - Outro
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With movie theaters shuttered and many of us housebound, Adam and Josh look back over a lifetime of going to the movies with their Top 5 Moviegoing Experiences—from big screen introductions to Han and Indy to formative encounters with the works of Spike Lee, Tarantino and the Coen Brothers. Listeners, too, contribute their own favorite moviegoing memories.
0:00 - Billboard
1:00 - Top 5: Moviegoing Experiences
The Drifters, "Saturday Night at the Movies"
46:17 - Next Week/Notes
52:34 - Massacre Theatre
1:00:34 - Top 5: Moviegoing Experiences, cont.
1:27:08 - Outro
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Expectations were high back in 2002 for Christopher Nolan's INSOMNIA, the follow-up to his mind-bending breakthrough "Memento." But despite solid reviews and decent box office, the film has been largely forgotten by Nolan fans—including Adam and Josh. They revisit the director's third feature this week as part of their Nolan Oeuvre-view, finding a film with lots of familiar Nolan touches—and a somewhat divisive lead performance by Al Pacino.
Plus, reviews of three new films: Justin Kurzel's TRUE HISTORY OF THE KELLY GANG, Tayarisha Poe's SELAH AND THE SPADES, and Danielle Krudy & Bridget Savage Cole's BLOW THE MAN DOWN—one of which gets both Adam and Josh's blessing as a 2020 Golden Brick candidate.
0:00 - Billboard
1:06 - Reviews: "Kelly Gang," "Selah and the Spades," "Blow the Man Down"
Disq, "Daily Routine"
26:28 - Next Week/Notes
50:20 - Nolan Oeuvre-view #3: "Insomnia"
1:18:54 - Outro
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With Adam and Josh cooped up at home and spending lots (and lots) of quality time with their families in front of the tv, this week's Top 5 is devoted to highlights from their Adventures in Streaming. Plus the third film in their Bette Davis Marathon, 1939's DARK VICTORY.
0:00 - Billboard
1:09 - Top 5: Things We're Streaming During Quarantine
"Give Me Time For Tenderness" (from "Dark Victory")
57:15 - Next Week/Notes
1:09:01 - Massacre Theatre
1:11:35 - Bette Davis Marathon #3: "Dark Victory"
1:31:07 - Outro
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Eliza Hittman's second feature, "Beach Rats," got the director some attention in 2017, but her latest - NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS - came out of Sundance this year as one of the fest's most celebrated titles. In their review, Adam and Josh talk about the movie's patience and attention to detail along with the subtle brilliance of star Sidney Flanigan's performance. Christopher Nolan's breakout film was also a Sundance hit. 2001's MEMENTO, the director's second feature, went on to become a box office success and an Oscar nominee. Continuing their Nolan "Oeuvre-view," Adam and Josh revisit the film that put the director on the map and find it just as surprising and astonishing as they did almost 20 years ago. Plus, the winner of this year's Filmspotting Madness: Best of the 2010s.
0:00 - Billboard
1:33 - Review: "Never Rarely Sometimes Always"
Waxahatchee, "Can't Do Much"
30:40 - Next Week / Notes
35:22 - Filmspotting Madness: Champion
50:31 - Patreon / New Poll
1:02:12 - Nolan "Oeuvre-view" #2: "Memento"
1:41:21 - Outro
1:42:57 - "Never Rarely..." Spoilers
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Christopher Nolan’s films are events—smart, ambitious and original. But before he made "Interstellar," "Dunkirk" or his "Dark Knight" trilogy—even before "Memento"—Nolan made the 70-minute indie thriller FOLLOWING. This week, Adam and Josh start their Nolan "Oeuvre-view" with Nolan's '99 debut, which gives tantalizing clues of the director he'll become and the stories he'll go on to tell. Bette Davis won a much-deserved Oscar for her performance in 1938's JEZEBEL. The William Wyler-directed drama set in ante-bellum New Orleans is the second film in our Davis Marathon. Plus, Filmspotting Madness: Best of the 2010s comes down to the final two.
0:00 - Billboard
1:07 - Nolan "Oeuvre-view" #1: "Following"
Ernie Hendrickson, "Dystopian Dreams"
32:39 - Next Week/Notes
35:08 - Filmspotting Madness Finals
55:37 - Bette Davis #2: "Jezebel"
1:31:10 - Outro
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PURPLE RAIN was one of the highest-grossing films of 1984, but Prince's semi-autobiographical screen debut hasn't aged as well as its music has. The opposite is true of THIS IS SPINAL TAP and STOP MAKING SENSE, which were only modestly successful at the time of their release but have become two of the most celebrated rock films of all time. Adam and Josh continue their 8 From '84 series with a look at the rock trio—plus Filmspotting Madness: Best of the 2010s gets down to the Final 4.
0:00 - Billboard
1:12 - Filmspotting Madness Final 4
20:25 - 8 From '84: "Stop Making Sense" "This Is Spinal Tap"
Prince, "Purple Rain"
40:28 - Next Week/Notes
43:46 - 8 From '84: "Purple Rain"
1:13:14 - Outro
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Chaplin, Cagney, Garbo and Grant all make Adam and Josh's 1930s "Starter Pack," 10 films to introduce you – or get you better acquainted with – arguably the greatest movie decade. Plus, the first film in our four-film Bette Davis Marathon, 1934's OF HUMAN BONDAGE, and the Elite 8 of Filmspotting Madness: Best of the 2010s.
0:00 - Billboard
1:04 - Top 5: 1930s Starter Pack
Fred Astaire, "Cheek to Cheek"
43:40 - Notes
52:28 - Filmspotting Madness Elite 8
1:06:51 - Bette Davis Marathon #1: "Of Human Bondage"
1:26:33 - Outro / Outtake
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This episode is presented by the Academy Award-Winning film 1917. Available now on Digital streaming and on Blu-ray and DVD March 24th.
Sam Mendes' acclaimed WWI film was a hugely ambitious undertaking for all involved, including Oscar-winning visual effects supervisor Guillaume Rocheron ("Ad Astra," "Life of Pi"). In this edition of Filmspotting: The Process, Rocheron describes the unique challenges that the film's "single-shot" approach created, and how his VFX team collaborated with Mendes and cinematographer Roger Deakins to bring some of the film's most memorable scenes to life.
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With FIRST COW, Kelly Reichardt returns to the 19th century Oregon Territory of her most acclaimed film, "Meek's Cutoff." An early film of the year candidate, Adam and Josh praise Reichardt's parable about capitalism and self-invention for its detail, its performances and its mouth-watering "oily cakes."
Plus: where Pixar's ONWARD lands in a ranking of the studio's features; Filmspotting Madness continues with a (Coen-less) Sweet 16; and the next Filmspotting Marathon is announced.
0:00 - Billboard
0:59 - Review: "First Cow"
U.S. Girls, "4 American Dollars"
30:15 - Next Week/Notes
42:00 - Filmspotting Madness, Sweet 16
1:03:53 - Review: "Onward"
1:17:52 - Outro
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PTA. Wes. Malick. The Coens. Of course they made the cut. But who else? This week, Adam and Josh complete a task a decade in the making with their top 10 films of the decade. Plus, quick reviews of THE INVISIBLE MAN and WENDY, and Rd. 2 of Filmspotting Madness: Best of the 2010s.
0:00 - Billboard
1:13 - #6-10 Films of the 2010s
15:59 - Filmspotting Madness, Rd. 2
39:13 - Notes
Nicholas Britell, "The Middle of the World"
49:01 - Reviews: "The Invisible Man," "Wendy"
1:03:24 - #1-5 Films of the 2010s
1:55:27 - Outro
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Work from Abbas Kiarostami, Sofia Coppola, Spike Lee – and a couple of former Golden Brick winners – all make the cut as Adam and Josh start their countdown of the top 20 films of the last decade. Plus, Filmspotting Madness 2020: Best of the 2010s kicks off with 32 ("How dare you!!!" "Why???") first-round matchups.
0:00 - Billboard
1:06 - Films of the 2010s – #16-20
22:06 - Filmspotting Madness Rd. 1
43:18 - Notes
Nicholas Godin, "What Makes Me Think Of You"
59:52 - Films of the 2010s – #11-15
1:49:43 - Outro
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It was the decade we discovered Jennifer Lawrence, Adam Driver and Lupita Nyong'o. The decade we watched actors like Scarlett Johansson and Joaquin Phoenix realize their full potential. The decade we continued to be blessed by the existence of Tilda Swinton. As a prelude to their Top 20 films of the decade, Adam and Josh consider their Top 10 Performers of the 2010s.
0:00 - Billboard
1:11 - Top 10 Performers of the Decade
Beach Bunny, "Cuffing Season"
46:12 - Next Week/Notes
1:03:07 - Top 10 Performers of the Decade, cont.
1:52:45 - Outro
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Filmspotting celebrated its 15th anniversary over the weekend with a 35mm-screening of Howard Hawks' RIO BRAVO at Chicago's venerated Music Box Theatre. After singing the praises of Dude, The Duke, Feathers and Stumpy during their post-film talk, Adam and Josh, along with Michael Phillips and producer Sam Van Hallgren, took questions from the audience that ranged from the practical to the philosophical.
Also on the show, Josh recommends the "rotten cotton candy" aesthetic of the new HARLEY QUINN: BIRDS OF PREY and Adam praises the sinister hush of THE ASSISTANT. Plus, thoughts on "Parasite's" big night at the Oscars.
0:00 - Billboard
1:11 - "Parasite's" historic night
12:33 - JL: "Birds of Prey" / AK: "The Assistant"
Dean Martin & Ricky Nelson "My Rifle, My Pony & Me"
25:21 - Kirk Douglas / Notes
38:20 - Filmspotting Madness 2020: Play-In Round
53:26 - Live in Chicago
2:10:00 - Outro
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Since his breakout in 1971's "The Last Picture Show," Jeff Bridges has been nominated for seven Oscars and won one. Among his credits is one of the most beloved film characters of the past couple of decades ("The Dude"). And yet, do we still underappreciate him? On this week's show, Adam and Josh consider the incredible variety of the actor's work through the lens of their Top 5 Bridges Scenes. And they kick off the 8 From '84 series with John Carpenter's STARMAN, featuring the Best Actor-nominated Bridges and Karen Allen.
Filmspotting has launched on Patreon
0:00 - Billboard
1:07 - 8 From '84 Review: "Starman"
Jeff Bridges, "Hold On You" (from "Crazy Heart")
32:01 - Filmspotting on Patreon
46:59 - Next week / Notes
56:40 - Polls [Best of '84 / 2010s Acting Duos]
1:07:03 - Top 5: Jeff Bridges Scenes
1:51:09 - Outro
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Will the Academy choose to remember 2019 as the year of PARASITE, MARRIAGE STORY and LITTLE WOMEN – or of 1917 and JOKER? The Chicago Tribune's Michael Phillips joins Adam and Josh for a preview of the 2020 Oscars, with picks for who will win, who should win and who should have been nominated.
0:00 - Billboard
1:12 - Oscar picks: Supporting / Screenplays
Jessie Buckley, "Glasgow (No Place Like Home)"
1:00:04 - Next Week/Notes
1:08:48 - Massacre Theatre
1:12:00 - Donations
1:12:51 - Oscar picks: Lead / Director / Picture
1:51:07 - Outro / Outtakes
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We ignore rumor and speculation and confine our 2020 Movie Preview to the current movie year (see you in 2021, Joel Coen's "Macbeth"!). New stuff from Christopher Nolan, Denis Villeneuve, Wes Anderson and other high-profile directors will – we hope – help us deal with a relative lack of 2019 MVPs Adam Driver and Florence Pugh. And we announce the follow-up to last year's 9 From '99 series: 8 From '84.
0:00 - Billboard
1:14 - 2020 Preview
Bombay Bicycle Club, "Is It Real"
29:43 - 8 From '84 / Notes
43:16 - 2020 Preview cont.
1:30:18 - Outro
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It's tradition here on Filmspotting to devote the first episode of the new year to all the stuff we loved about last year. It's the annual Wrap Party, with Adam and Josh sharing their picks for the best opening scene, the funniest and most moving scene, the best music moment and scene of the year.
Plus, reaction to this week's Oscar nominations, Josh's thoughts on the new anime film WEATHERING WITH YOU, and the winner of the 2019 Golden Brick Award.
0:00 - Billboard
1:22 - Opening Scene / Funniest Scene
Michael Nyman, "Musique à Grand Vitesse: 1st Region"
26:42 - Oscar Nominations
34:41 - Next week / Notes
40:27 - Josh recommends: "Weathering With You"
42:48 - Golden Brick Winner
52:52 - Donations
54:16 - Moving Moment / Music Moment / Scene of the Year
1:40:41 - Outro
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Was the last year of the decade also its best? Martin Scorsese's THE IRISHMAN. Terrence Malick's A HIDDEN LIFE. Quentin Tarantino's ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD. All works that rate among those directors' best. No slouch himself, Noah Baumbach arguably made the best film of his career with MARRIAGE STORY. Greta Gerwig and Jordan Peele – the breakout directing stars of 2017 – returned with sophomore efforts, LITTLE WOMEN and US, that somehow managed to not just meet but exceed expectations. And no amount of hype prepared audiences (including critics) for Korean auteur Bong Joon-ho's PARASITE.
Yeah. 2019 was a good year.
On this week's show, Adam and Josh along with Michael Phillips and Tasha Robinson talk through their consensus picks for the best of 2019, including their choices for the best film of the year. (Consensus except for some fighting over Tarantino.)
0:00 - Billboard
1:06 - Top 10 of 2019: Consensus Picks
Sturgill Simpson, "The Dead Don't Die"
1:01:50 - Top 10 of 2019: Consensus cont.
2:11:25 - Outro
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The Chicago Tribune's Michael Phillips and Tasha Robinson from The Next Picture Show are back for this year's Best of '19 roundtable, and in part one it's the panel's "outlier" picks – films which only made a single Top 10. And with divisive titles like James Gray's "Ad Astra" and Taika Waititi's "Jojo Rabbit" making the cut, there's plenty of lively debate to go along with the praise.
0:00 - Billboard
1:18 - Top 10 of 2019: The Outliers
Randy Newman, "What I Love About Charlie" (Marriage Story)
1:16:07 - Notes
1:19:43 - Top 10 of 2019: Outliers, cont.
2:13:26 - Outro
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With the critically adored but audience-divisive "Last Jedi" behind them, JJ Abrams and his team set out to deliver a Star Wars finale that satisfied everyone. And according to Adam and Josh at least, they mostly pulled it off. Fresh from their screening, Adam and Josh give THE RISE OF SKYWALKER a "still processing" review – plus some end-of-show spoiler talk. Also on the show: the four finalists for the 2019 Golden Brick Award and Adam's interview with Josh and Benny Safdie, writer/directors of the new UNCUT GEMS starring Adam Sandler.
0:00 - Billboard
1:07 - Review: "The Rise of Skywalker"
The Voidz, "Did My Best"
29:52 - Golden Brick Finalists
34:03 - Next week / Notes / Massacre Theatre
39:55 - Interview: Josh and Benny Safdie ("Uncut Gems")
1:08:45 - Outro / "Rise of Skywalker" Spoiler Talk
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A long-time defender of the Star Wars prequels, Josh has rarely been given a platform on the show to actually do the work of defending them. That changes this week as he and Adam revisit THE PHANTOM MENACE, the final film in the 9 From '99 series. Plus, Adam and Josh award "The Plastic Bags," their favorite performances, scenes and surprises from the series.
0:00 - Billboard
1:12 - Review: "Star Wars, Episode I - The Phantom Menace"
John Williams, "Duel of Fates"
34:41 - Next Week/Notes
47:58 - 9 From '99 Awards
1:28:22 - Outro
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Costume dramas, biopics, elite directors and their passion projects: the prestige movie season is upon us. But if Greta Gerwig's new LITTLE WOMEN adaptation and Marielle Heller's Fred Rogers biopic A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD could be considered Oscar bait, they are also among the best films of the year according to Adam and Josh. And they've got praise to spare for Rian Johnson's star-studded – and politically potent – whodunit KNIVES OUT.
0:00 - Billboard
0:57 - Review: "Little Women"
Haim, "Hallelujah"
27:51 - Next Week/Notes
35:06 - Best of '19 Poll / Massacre Theatre
46:06 - Reviews: "Knives Out," "A Beautiful Day..."
1:15:55 - Outro / Outtake
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Adam and Josh talk through the shortlist for this year's Golden Brick award, plus conversations with the creators behind two Brick nominees: Joe Talbot and Jimmie Fails ("The Last Black Man in San Francisco") and Riley Stearns ("The Art of Self Defense").
0:00 - Billboard
1:09 - Interview: Joe Talbot and Jimmie Fails ("Last Black Man...")
Anna of the North, "Thank Me Later"
33:40 - 2019 Golden Brick Nominees
50:06 - Interview: Riley Stearns ("Art of Self-Defense")
1:16:36 - Outro
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Noah Baumbach has grown up. The director's last movie about divorce - 2005's The Squid and the Whale - took the perspective of the kids. For his latest - the acclaimed Marriage Story - Baumbach explores the bitter remains of a once loving partnership. Adam and Josh debate whether the film plays favorites, but praise the performances from leads Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson and an ensemble featuring memorable turns from Alan Alda, Laura Dern, Julie Hagerty, and Ray Liotta.
Plus, the wisdom we can glean from the Top 5 Movies About Marriage.
0:00 - Billboard
1:12 - Review: "Marriage Story"
Chanele McGuinness, "Powerless"
31:33 - Next Week/Notes
35:27 - Polls [Hanks / 9 From '99 Performances]
46:15 - Top 5: Movies About Marriage
1:30:18 - Outro
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Paul Thomas Anderson followed up his breakout hit "Boogie Nights" with 1999’s MAGNOLIA, a 3+-hour ensemble film featuring a treatise on coincidence and frogs falling from the sky. It was nominated for three Oscars, but in the 20 years since, it has earned a reputation in some quarters as messy, melodramatic and overlong (an opinion that PTA himself appears to share). This week on the show, Adam and Josh are much more forgiving of Anderson's ambitious third film when they revisit it for its 20th anniversary, part of the 9 From '99 series.
Also on the show, a review of Taika Waititi's JOJO RABBIT and Adam's thoughts on David Michôd's THE KING and THE REPORT with Adam Driver. Plus, the Contemporary Chinese Cinema Marathon Awards.
0:00 - Billboard
1:08 - 9 From '99 Review: "Magnolia"
Aimee Mann, "Save Me"
42:19 - Next Week/Notes
48:21 - Massacre Theatre
54:42 - Adam on "The Report"
59:52 - Review: "Jojo Rabbit"
1:08:19 - Adam recommends "The King"
1:13:20 - Chinese Cinema Marathon Awards
1:36:26 - Outro
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A new film from Martin Scorsese is always an event, but THE IRISHMAN is one that, for many, won’t happen at a movie theatre. After a short theatrical run in select cities, Scorsese's latest - which reunites the director with Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci, and adds Al Pacino to the mix - will show up on Netflix. Adam and Josh, fresh from their own theatrical screening, consider the film in the context of Scorsese's work, specifically his career-spanning gangster movies. Plus, a review of Jia Zhangke's ASH IS PUREST WHITE (2019), the fourth and final film in the Contemporary Chinese Cinema Marathon.
0:00 - Billboard
1:09 - Review: "The Irishman"
Steve Earle, "The Last Gunfighter Ballad"
32:52 - Donations
35:36 - Next Week / Notes
41:27 - Polls [Scorsese / Hanks]
53:48 - Chinese Cinema #4: "Ash Is Purest White"
1:15:15 - Outro
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In 2014, director Robert Eggers brought 17th century Puritan New England to frighteningly vivid life in THE WITCH. For his follow-up - THE LIGHTHOUSE - Eggers skips ahead to the late 19th century and the results are no less unnerving. Adam and Josh debate the effectiveness of Eggers' formal gambits - black and white photography, immersive sound design, boxy aspect ratio - and the all-in performances from stars Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson. Plus, the Contemporary Chinese Cinema Marathon continues with 2017's OUR TIME WILL COME, a historical drama set in WWII-era Hong Kong.
0:00 - Billboard
1:19 - Review: "The Lighthouse"
30:45 - “Lighthouse” Spoilers
Jamie Drake, "When The Tide Comes In"
37:41 - Next Week/Notes
44:02 - Massacre Theatre
50:40 - Chinese Cinema #3: "Our Time Will Come"
1:12:27 - Outro / Outtake
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Steering clear of plot details for one of the most praised films of the year is no easy task, but Adam and Josh managed to pull it off ahead of their screening of Bong Joon-ho's PARASITE. The subject of rave reviews since its Palme d'Or-winning debut at the Cannes Film Festival back in May, Bong's film tackles class warfare as only Bong can – with social commentary mixing freely with black comedy and even a little horror.
That review and the second film in the Contemporary Chinese Cinema Marathon, 2014's THE MIDNIGHT AFTER from Hong Kong's Fruit Chan.
0:00 - Billboard
1:42 - Review: "Parasite"King Grizzard and the Lizard Wizard, "Mars for the Rich"
31:35 - Josh recs: "Pain and Glory"
35:20 - Next week / Notes
39:28 - Polls [Movie Mentors / Favorite Scorsese]
49:52 - Chinese Marathon #2: "The Midnight After"
1:15:22 - Outro / Credits
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Back in '99, the trailers and movie posters for AMERICAN BEAUTY implored us to "look closer." For their 9 From '99 review, Adam and Josh give the divisive Best Picture winner the closer look it asked for, but they don't always like what they see. Is the movie hypocritical and mean-spirited? Is it merely an overwrought sitcom? Or is it redeemed by its sincerity and the strength of its supporting cast?
Also on the show, Adam's conversation with Godfrey Cheshire, author of the new book "Conversations with Kiarostami." Cheshire's book is a companion to a 25-film Abbas Kiarostami retrospective currently touring the U.S.
And the first film in the Contemporary Chinese Cinema Marathon, 2010's LET THE BULLETS FLY, a furiously paced action comedy directed by Jiang Wen.
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Between its late-August premiere at the Venice Film Festival (where it won the festival's top prize) and its release in theaters here in the States, Todd Phillips' JOKER has provoked every possible response, with some calling it among the best films of the year and others calling it the absolute worst – not to mention the much-discussed fears that the movie was "dangerous." No surprise then that when Adam and Josh finally got around to seeing it, they split – not just on the film itself, but on everything from the film's score to star Joaquin Phoenix's take on the iconic villain.
That review, plus listeners weigh in on their favorite Phoenix performances and a preview of the upcoming Chicago International Film Festival.
0:00 - Billboard
1:00 - Review: "Joker"
Dehd, "Pushing the Crowd"
36:13 - Next week / Notes
42:00 - Polls (J. Phoenix Performances / 2010s Movie Mentors)
50:43 - Preview: Chicago International Film Festival
1:03:07 - Close
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It's always good news when an acclaimed director announces a new project, but it's somehow especially thrilling when that project is set in space. We started 2019 with two highly anticipated space missions: Claire Denis' HIGH LIFE with Robert Pattison (reviewed back on ep. 724) and James Gray's AD ASTRA, which has Brad Pitt traveling across the solar system to locate his missing father - and save the planet. In their review, Adam calls it the best film of the year, while Josh calls it "the most visually arresting session of talk therapy you can imagine." That's good... right?
Also on the show, a celebration of Chicago theater with the Top 5 Steppenwolf Member Movie Performances. 2019 marks the 45th anniversary of the founding of the venerable Chicago company, whose ensemble boasts the likes of John Malkovich, Laurie Metcalf, Gary Sinise and Joan Allen, among many others. Also inspiring the Top 5 is a newly published oral history of Chicago theater - Ensemble - by Chicago writer Mark Larson.
0:00 - Billboard
1:17 - Review: "Ad Astra"
Greg Felden, "Take You Back Home"
27:20 - Next week / Notes
36:11 - Massacre Theatre
41:26 - Donations
42:45 - Top 5: Steppenwolf Member Performances
1:27:35 - Close
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50 years after Judy Garland's death at the tragically young age of 47, the movie musical legend is largely remembered for one iconic film role - Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz. But Garland appeared in - and often starred in - nearly 40 films in her 30-year career; a career Adam and Josh attempt to come to terms with - along with the Chicago Tribune's Michael Phillips - for their Top 5 Judy Garland Moments.
Plus, Adam and Michael spend a few minutes on HUSTLERS starring Jennifer Lopez and Constance Wu. And listeners weigh in with their picks for the directors who need to follow in the footsteps of High Life's Claire Denis and Ad Astra's James Gray and make their own space movie.
0:00 - Billboard
1:18 - Top 5: Judy Garland Moments
Judy Garland, "Americana"
35:21 - Review: "Hustlers"
43:34 - Next Week / Notes
55:52 - Polls [Space Movies / Joaquin Phoenix]
1:06:39 - Top 5 Judy Garland Moments, cont.
1:46:29 - Close
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Back in 1999, it was hard to watch EYES WIDE SHUT without thinking about Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman as a real-life married couple participating in some sadistic form of therapy. Twenty years later, it's maybe still a little distracting, but it's easier to see the pair's performances in the greater contexts of their respective careers – and, in particular, how effective the casting of the cocky, entitled Cruise is as Dr. Bill Harford, a man who sees his confidence reduced to rubble by the end of the film. For their 9 From '99 review of Kubrick's final, controversial masterpiece, Adam and Josh talk about the brilliance of Kidman's few, powerful scenes, and the film's subtle formal brilliance. And how about that orgy scene, huh?
Plus, Adam finally gets to share his Top 5 Kubrick Scenes six years after a late-breaking case of dysphonia kept him from joining Josh and Michael Phillips for their Kubrick picks (back on episode #459).
0:00 - Billboard
1:17 - 9 From '99: "Eyes Wide Shut"
Chris Isaak, "Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing"
54:36 - Next Week / Notes
1:05:30 - Massacre Theatre
1:12:11 - Donations
1:13:56 - Top 5 Kubrick Scenes
1:33:42 - Close
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Adam and Josh left 2017's blockbuster IT at least mildly curious for more, but is the sequel film's almost three-hour running time and the addition of A-listers like Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy and Bill Hader enough to satisfy that curiosity? This week, Filmspotting returns to Derry and to director Andy Muschietti's epic - or at least epic in length - IT CHAPTER TWO. Plus, the Fall Movie Preview in the form of Adam and Josh's Top 5 Questions About the Fall Movie Season.
0:00 - Billboard
1:21 - Review: "It: Chapter 2"
Bleached, "Hard to Kill"
22:38 - Next Week / Notes
30:02 - Polls [TIFF / Unlikely Space Movies]
40:06 - Fall Movie Preview
1:21:09 - Close / Outtake
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In 1999, BEING JOHN MALKOVICH marked the auspicious debut of two geniuses: screenwriter Charlie Kaufman ("Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," "Synecdoche, NY") and director Spike Jonze ("Where the Wild Things Are," "Her"). 20 years later, the movie remains surprising and innovative, and its concerns - artistic fulfillment and artistic exploitation - feel as current as ever. Adam and Josh revisit MALKOVICH as part of their 9 From '99 series, and wrap up their Marlene Dietrich-Josef von Sternberg Marathon with 1934's (preposterous? preposterous on purpose?) THE SCARLET EMPRESS and the marathon awards, "The Boas."
0:00 - Billboard
1:26 - 9 From '99: "Being John Malkovich"
Jay Som, "Nighttime Drive"
35:16 - Next Week / Notes
38:45 - Josh on "Honeyland" / Adam on "American Factory"
47:19 - Massacre Theatre
54:31 - Donations
57:05 - Dietrich-Von Sternberg #4: "The Scarlet Empress"
1:20:41 - Dietrich-Von Sternberg Awards
1:44:09 - Close
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Initial critical response to Richard Linklater's WHERE'D YOU GO, BERNADETTE was not great, earning some of the worst reviews of his 30-year career. But Adam and Josh find plenty to recommend in both Linklater's direction and star Cate Blanchett's performance. Listener feedback has them crunching numbers to determine this decade's defining actress, plus a look ahead to September's Toronto International Film Festival and the third film in the Marlene Dietrich-Josef von Sternberg Marathon, 1932's SHANGHAI EXPRESS.
0:00 - Billboard
1:13 - Review: "Where'd You Go, Bernadette"
Lillie Mae, "You Got Other Girls For That"
27:39 - Next Week / Notes / Peter Fonda
41:21 - Polls (Decade-Defining Actress / TIFF)
56:40 - Dietrich-Von Sternberg #3: "Shanghai Express"
1:23:02 - Close
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Making a film that details the violence – specifically, the sexual violence – that colonialism wrought in places like Tasmania in the early 19th century is an honorable endeavor that also makes for a very difficult viewing experience. Adam and Josh find lots to admire in Kent's THE NIGHTINGALE, but question whether the director's decision to make the film so explicit makes it a better one. That review, plus Dietrich in drag and some tough notes for a young Gary Cooper in 1930's MOROCCO, the second film in the Marlene Dietrich/Joseph von Sternberg Marathon.
0:00 - Billboard
1:04 - Review: "The Nightingale"
Marlene Dietrich, "When Love Dies"
33:40 - Next Week / Notes
41:59 - Massacre Theatre
50:01 - Dietrich/Von Sternberg Marathon #2
1:17:41 - Close
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Benefiting from an ingenious viral marketing campaign, THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT wasn't just a massive hit at the box office in 1999, it was a cultural phenomenon – two things that made it difficult to reckon with as a work of art at the time. But 20 years later, the myth that shrouded the movie has lifted, and Adam and Josh discuss the merits of a film that relies on some of our most fundamental fears to generate its scares. That review part of the 9 From '99 series.
Plus, the first film in our Marlene Dietrich/Josef von Sternberg Marathon: 1930's THE BLUE ANGEL, with Dietrich as a cabaret temptress, and silent movie veteran Emil Jannings as the scolding professor who falls for her.
0:00 - Billboard
1:20 - 9 From '99: "The Blair Witch Project"
Marlene Dietrich, "Falling in Love Again"
43:54 - D.A. Pennebaker / Facets' Milos Stehlik
48:52 - Next Week / Notes
54:10 - Polls [MCU Phase 4 / Decade-Defining Actresses]
1:06:00 - Dietrich-Von Sternberg #1: "The Blue Angel"
1:38:02 - Close
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The Fast & Furious franchise has come a long, long way since its street-racing origins, and its latest entry, HOBBS & SHAW (from "John Wick" co-director David Leitch), continues the series' evolution into a James Bond/Jason Bourne/Avengers hybrid. And Adam and Josh are mostly on board for Jason Statham's and Dwayne Johnson's comic bickering and Idris Elba's "Black Superman." But when the movie makes a play for sentimentality late in the film, one host feels the movie comes to a screeching halt and never recovers.
That review, plus a revisit of 2015's Top 5 Fast & Furious Moments.
0:00 - Billboard / Donations
2:35 - Review: "Hobbs & Shaw"
The Beths, "You Wouldn't Like Me"
27:50 - AK Recommends: "Love, Antosha" and "Between Me and My Mind"
32:32 - Next Week / Notes
38:09 - Massacre Theatre
44:59 - Top 5: Fast & Furious Moments
1:27:03 - Close / Outtake
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Why am I Mr. Pink?
Adam and Josh sift through the rogues' gallery of memorable QT creations for their Top 10 Tarantino Characters and discuss the director's latest, the surprisingly melancholic ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD.
0:00 - Billboard
1:23 - Review: "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood"
Nancy Sinatra, "Bang Bang"
36:07 - Next week / Notes
46:45 - Poll results ("Favorite Tarantino") / New Poll ("MCU Phase 4")
1:00:27 - Top 10: Tarantino Characters
1:49:58 - Close
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THE ART OF SELF-DEFENSE is director Riley Stearns' second film. His first - 2014's FAULTS - concerned a man (Leland Orser) hired to de-program a young woman (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) after she joins a cult. SELF-DEFENSE continues Stearns' fascination with groupthink and charismatic leaders by moving the action to a karate dojo led by Alessandro Nivola's eccentric sensei. Jesse Eisenberg and Imogen Poots also star.
Stearns talks about his own experience with martial arts and the importance of being able to laugh at yourself. And he submits to the Filmspotting 5, the interview-concluding Q&A.
0:00 - Intro
1:42 - Interview: Riley Stearns
27:29 - Outro
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Guest critics Tasha Robinson (The Next Picture Show, The Verge) and Angelica Jade Bastién (Vulture) join Josh for a lively debate over of Ari Aster's MIDSOMMAR (or is that MidsommAR?) and the Top 5 Horror Movie Performances.
0:00 - Billboard
1:44 - Review: "Midsommar"
28:58 - "Midsommar" Spoilers
Magnet, "Maypole"
38:20 - Review: "The Farewell"
43:52 - Next Week / Notes
46:34 - Massacre Theatre
53:56 - Next Picture Show / Best of the Year So Far
58:55 - Top 5: Horror Movie Performances
1:45:29 - Close / Outtake ("Jag ar doden")
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Whether used ironically or to provide insight - or just to make characters look really, really cool - classic rock has been memorably employed by some of the best directors of the rock era. Joining Adam and Josh for their Top 5 Classic Rock Moments in Movies is writer and critic Steven Hyden, author of the book "Twilight of the Gods: A Journey to the End of Classic Rock."
0:00 - Billboard
1:07 - Top 5: Classic Rock Moments
Donovan, "Atlantis"
25:02 - Top 5: Classic Rock Moments cont.
1:02:03 - Close
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Back in 2012, Josh was only a couple months into his role as new co-host, when Adam suggested the Best of '94 Top 5. The reconsideration of PULP FICTION was an after-thought - and something new: the first Sacred Cow review. Adam and Josh agree that Tarantino's iconic sophomore effort is the best film of '94, but quibble over whether there's any real substance to the film's dazzling style.
0:00 - Billboard
1:10 - Sacred Cow: "Pulp Fiction"
The Statler Brothers, "Flowers on the Wall"
30:35 - Top 5 of 1994
57:30 - Close
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Marvel is – again – dominating the box office with "Avengers Endgame" and "Captain Marvel," but for the Top 5 Films of 2019 So Far, Adam and Josh dig a little deeper. Plus, a (spoilers!) mini-battle over Woody's soul and the ending of "Toy Story 4," a terrible accents edition of Massacre Theatre edition and more.
This episode is presented by CNN's Original Series The Movies. Tune in starting Sunday, July 7 at 9 pm.
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With Josh on vacation,, Adam recruits Toy Story super-fan Griffin Newman (Blank Check podcast, Amazon's "The Tick") for a review of the Forky-tastic TOY STORY 4 and the Top 5 Toy Story Scenes. Plus, some Best of the Year (So Far) talk, and Griffin shows off his acting chops in Massacre Theatre.
0:00 - Billboard
1:12 - Review: "Toy Story 4"
32:38 - Spoilers: "Toy Story 4"
Robert Goulet, "You've Got a Friend in Me"
50:20 - Next Week / Notes
58:04 - Griffin talks "Blank Check"
1:05:59 - Polls (Toy Story + Best of the Year So Far)
1:13:29 - Top 5: Toy Story Scenes
2:07:51 - Close / Outtake ("Forky")
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Jim Jarmusch has made a surreal, existential western ("Dead Man"), a Zen samurai/mobster movie ("Ghost Dog") and a meditation on art disguised as a vampire movie ("Only Lovers Left Alive"). And now... zombies. With his new THE DEAD DON'T DIE, Jarmusch again exploits genre conventions as a means to explore his fears and obsessions. And this time, those fears and obsessions are pretty explicitly America in the age of Trump.
Also on the show, a conversation with Joe Talbot and Jimmie Fails, the director and star of Sundance award-winner – and early Golden Brick frontrunner – THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO. Plus, Adam weighs in on ROCKETMAN.
0:00 - Billboard
1:20 - Review: "The Dead Don't Die"
Bill Callahan, "Young Icarus"
24:58 - Adam on "Rocketman"
34:57 - Next Week / Notes / Madness 2020
46:46 - Massacre Theatre54:02 - Interview: Joe Talbot and Jimmie Fails
1:28:02 - Close
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FIGHT CLUB, the third film in our 9 From '99 series was initially met with lukewarm critical and box office response but developed a cult following on home video and is now pretty widely considered one of the best films of the '90s. That reputation has a lot to do with David Fincher, who has spent the last couple of decades cementing his reputation as one of the best working directors. A skilled craftsman and legendary perfectionist, Fincher's films are always a pleasure to look at, but for their Top 5 Fincher Scenes, Adam and Josh focus on the ways in which the director's style – even at its flashiest – serves the story and his characters.
0:00 - Billboard
1:15 - 9 From '99: "Fight Club"
Pixies, "Where Is My Mind"
31:37 - Next week / Passes / Meetups / Notes
48:32 - Polls
56:26 - Top 5: David Fincher Scenes
1:49:37 - Close
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A raunchy/sweet comedy in the "Superbad" mold, Olivia Wilde's BOOKSMART mixes genre clichés and clever updates as it follows its high-achieving heroines on a one-night odyssey to shed their by-the-book images and make it to The Year's Biggest Party. Adam and Josh have lots of praise for leads Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever and the talented ensemble – and for some of the formal inventiveness that Wilde brings to her directing debut.
And then Adam and Josh go on the run with Thelma and Louise for the Top 5, assembling an all-star crew of the movies' best female pals along the way.
0:00 - Billboard
1:20 - Review: "Booksmart"
Leikeli47, "Bad Gyal Felx"
26:01 - Next week / Notes
34:58 - Massacre Theatre
42:52 - Top 5: Female Friendships
1:21:30 - Close
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Of the films celebrating 40th anniversaries in 2019, only Francis Ford Coppola's "Apocalypse Now" can really compete with ALIEN's critical stature and influence, but Adam and Josh make the case for several more films from '79 that deserve to be remembered with this week's Top 5 – including films from directors Andrei Tarkovsky, Carol Ballard, Woody Allen... and Jim Henson. Plus, a revisit of their 2016 Sacred Cow review of Ridley Scott's sci-fi/horror classic.
0:00 - Billboard
1:21 - Top 5: Films of 1979
Peter Allen, "Everything Old Is New Again"
1:03:08 - Next week / Notes
1:07:19 - New Poll
1:11:35 - Sacred Cow: "Alien"
1:47:09 - Listener Feedback ("Alien")
1:54:43 - Close
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The Tao of Whoa.
Whether you love or hate the JOHN WICK franchise - or even if you're completely indifferent to it - it has given us all the chance to appreciate the particular genius of Keanu Reeves. For those of us who grew up watching him, the former duuude and earnest action star has matured into an actor of depth and vulnerability with a singular sense of physical grace. Whether Keanu's talents are put to their best use in the new JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 - PARABELLUM is up for debate, which Adam and Josh do in their review. Then it's the TOP 5 KEANU MOMENTS, a career-spanning appreciation of The One, from Ted "Theodore" Logan to Mr. Wick himself.
Plus Massacre Theatre and Josh's recommendation of the new doc "Our Time Machine," which is currently playing the Chicago Critics Film Festival.
0:00 - Billboard
1:09 - Review: "John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum"
Josh Ritter, "Old Black Magic"
28:25 - Donations
30:32 - Josh recs: "Our Time Machine"
34:03 - Next week / Notes
40:27 - Massacre Theatre
48:03 - Top 5: Keanu Moments
1:28:42 - Close / Outtake
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May's week-long CCFF doubles as a shortlist for potential Golden Brick candidates.
Now in its 7th year, the Chicago Critics Film Festival prides itself on bringing the best of the fest circuit to Chicago. With 15 or so features that have played the likes of Toronto, Sundance and SXSW, the week-long fest is a chance for Chicago audiences to catch up with some of the most buzzed-about independent films of the year. It's also a great chance for Filmspotting to put some titles on its Golden Brick radar. Adam and Josh share their Top 5 Most Anticipated CCFF Movies and get additional insight into the fest from Chicago critic - and CCFF programmer - Steve Prokopy.
Also on the show: Adam on KNOCK DOWN THE HOUSE and the final film in the Stanley Donen Marathon, 1967's TWO FOR THE ROAD. Plus, "The Fizzies" - the Donen Marathon Awards.
0:00 - Billboard
1:13 - Preview: Chicago Critics Film Festival
Henry Mancini, "Two for the Road"
24:20 - Adam recs: "Knock Down the House"
30:53 - Next week / Notes
39:48 - Polls: Summer Preview / Best of '79
48:57 - Donen #4: "Two for the Road"
1:06:38 - "The Fizzies": Donen Awards
1:32:53 - Close
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Spidey & Wick & Hobbs & Shaw. And Pikachu.
Marvel burnout. "Booksmart" hype. Will Smith's genie. Detective Pikachu. And of course the astonishingly worded "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw." These subjects and more all come up in Adam and Josh's Top 5 Summer Movie Questions. Plus, Adam on Robert "Born to Be Blue" Budreau's STOCKHOLM and doc director Penny Lane's HAIL SATAN? And... fizzy and charming or frivolous and artificial? Adam and Josh debate the third film in their Stanley Donen Marathon, 1963's CHARADE.
0:00 - Billboard
1:18 - Summer Movie Preview
Henry Mancini, Charade (Main Theme)
33:39 - Adam recommends: "Stockholm" / "Hail Satan?"
43:19 - Next week / John Singleton / Notes
49:31 - Massacre Theatre
57:02 - Donen #3: "Charade"
1:20:54 - Close
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Can the MCU mothership stick the landing?
After earning a probably undeserved reputation for being hard on the MCU, Adam and Josh return from their ENDGAME screening speaking the language of converts: the final chapter of this decade-in-the-making MCU story not only manages to tie up its multiple story threads, but does so in an entertaining and, yes, moving way. Adam and Josh also make time to recommend Beyoncé's new HOMECOMING concert doc and Sam Rockwell and Michelle Williams in FOSSE/VERDON. Plus, the second film in the Stanley Donen Marathon, 1957's FUNNY FACE with Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire.
Timestamps do not account for ads and may not be exact
1:12 - Review: "Avengers: Endgame"
23:02 - "Endgame" spoiler talk
Beyoncé, "Freedom" (Live at Coachella)
50:59 - Josh recs: "Homecoming"
55:26 - Adam recs: "Fosse/Verdon"
58:42 - Next week / Notes
59:54 - Polls (MCU / Summer Preview / Madness '20)
1:12:05 - Donen #2: "Funny Face"
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In Alex Ross Perry's HER SMELL, Elisabeth Moss gives a performance that, for Adam and Josh, evokes Gena Rowlands' iconic work in "A Woman Under the Influence" and a punk-rock Lady Macbeth. Moss's Becky Something is the drug-addled, manic and abusive lead singer of a '90s-era rock band that's fallen on hard times. It's also, according to Adam, the best film of the year so far.
Also on the show: 1949's ON THE TOWN, the first in a four-film Stanley Donen Marathon. Plus, Josh's report from this year's Ebert Interruptus.
0:00-1:07 - Billboard
1:07-26:13 - Review: "Her Smell"
26:37-38:17 - Spoilers: "Her Smell"
On the Town, "On the Town"
38:58-39:45 - Donations
39:45-53:07 - Next week / Ebert Interruptus / Notes
53:07-55:28 - Massacre Theatre
55:28-1:18:46 - Donen #1: "On the Town"
1:18:46-1:21:31 - Close
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The 70 year-old French director of "Beau Travail," "35 Shots of Rum" and last year's "Let the Sunshine In" is having a moment. After 30 years of critically-acclaimed work, Claire Denis remains largely unknown in the U.S. That could change with her latest, HIGH LIFE, an existential sci-fi film starring Robert Pattinson and Juliette Binoche. Denis was in Chicago for a recent screening of the film, giving Adam and guest host Scott Tobias a rare chance to sit down with Denis and talk about how "High Life" fits into her sensuous and provocative body of work and how, among other things, Stephen Hawking's writing contributed to the universe she created on screen. She also plays along with the Filmspotting Five, where she admits to loving ok-maybe-not-your-least-favorite-Wes-Anderson-movie-but-few-people's-favorite (not even Josh's).
Also on the show: Adam and Scott join the chorus of critics - and moviegoers - who have found themselves surprisingly charmed by the DCEU's SHAZAM. Plus, the crowning of the 2019 Filmspotting Madness champion.
0:00-1:17 - Billboard
1:17-28:22 - Interview: Claire Denis
Bad Bad Hats, "Wide Right"
29:04-32:53 - Next week / Notes
32:53-48:48 - Madness: Champion / Polls
48:48-55:56 - Review: "Shazam"
Bad Bad Hats, "Dunno Why"
56:49-1:15:08 - Review: "High Life"
1:15:08-1:19:00 - Close
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As the 2019 edition of Filmspotting Madness comes to a close, Adam and Josh share some favorite titles that didn't make the 64-film bracket. Their Top 5 Overlooked Films of the 2000s features some under-seen comedies starring Jack Black, Seann William Scott and Mark Duplass; docs and "docu-fantasias" from Steve James and Guy Maddin; and less familiar titles from A-list directors like Ridley Scott and Robert Zemeckis. Plus, the Madness championship matchup is revealed, and a Sacred Cow review of Andrew Dominik's 2007 meditative western THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD.
0:00-1:16 - Billboard
1:16-39:11 - Review: "Assassination of Jesse James..."
Hembree, "Culture"
39:53-49:48 - R.I.P Agnes Varda / Next week / Notes
49:48-1:02:52 - Madness: Final 4 Results / Championship
Hembree, "Almost"
1:03:35-1:07:31 - Donations
1:07:31-1:54:22 - Top 5: Overlooked Movies of the 2000s
1:54:22-1:58:22 - Close
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Big Top Tim Burton remakes the Disney classic.
With Adam out of town, Michael Phillips joins Josh for a review of the new DUMBO, plus Filmspotting Madness Final 4 matchups and the Top 5 Movie Circus Acts. Also, Michael shares thoughts on HOTEL MUMBAI, and Josh has 2019's first Golden Brick recommendation: A.T. White's STARFISH.
0:00-1:08 - Billboard
1:08-27:30 - Review: "Dumbo"
Betty Noyes, "Baby Mine"
28:11-32:43 - Next week / Notes
32:43-36:10 - Michael on "Hotel Mumbai"
36:10-38:21 - Josh recommends: "Starfish"
38:21-47:40 - Madness: Elite 8 Results / Final 4
David Bromberg, "Sharon"
48:38-1:21:02 - Top 5: Movie Circus Acts
1:21:02-1:24:17 - Close
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Jordan Peele is not done scaring us.
Peele's "Get Out" was one of the defining films of 2017. A huge box office success early in the year, it went on to be nominated for Best Picture, and won Peele an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. So if that’s your directing debut... how exactly do you follow that up? With US, Peele sticks with horror and proves that his talent for juggling scares with comedy and social commentary was no fluke. Adam and Josh talk about Peele's mastery of horror craft and his film's stellar cast, in particular Lupita Nyong'o as a trauma survivor whose family becomes the target of a home invasion. And if you've seen the film, stick around for an extended SPOILER conversation about US.
Also on the show: Filmspotting Madness Best of the 2000s Sweet 16 results and Elite 8 matchups; the final film in the John Cassavetes Marathon (1977's OPENING NIGHT); and "The Blue Hats," the Cassavetes Marathon Awards.
0:00-1:05 - Billboard
1:05-21:02 - Review: "Us"
21:02-42:07 - Spoilers: "Us"
Karen O and Dangermouse, "Turn The Light"
43:02-48:57 - Next week / Notes
48:57-1:08:10 - Madness: Sweet 16 Results / Elite 8
Le Tigre, "What's Your Take On Cassavetes"
1:03:37-1:27:59 - Cassavetes #4 - "Opening Night"
1:27:59-1:55:12 - Cassavetes Awards
1:55:12-1:57:27 - Close
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The director of 2014's "Phoenix" returns with a boldly enigmatic thriller.
German director Christian Petzold’s “Phoenix” was a “Vertigo”-inspired thriller set in the aftermath of the Holocaust. It received some of the best reviews of 2014. For his latest, TRANSIT, Petzold evokes Kafka, Orwell and Kielslowski for another wartime thriller that isn't afraid to disorient and perplex. In the third round of Filmspotting Madness - Best of the 2000s - the effect is less disorienting and more enraging, with listeners threatening to leap into the Madness Incinerator (tm) with beloved films that have been forced to exit the tournament. And the third film in the John Cassavetes Marathon - 1976's (and 1978's!) THE KILLING OF A CHINESE BOOKIE.
0:00-1:09 - Billboard
1:09-22:05 - Review: "Transit"
Lizzo, "Cuz I Love You"
23:01-29:36 - Next week / Notes
29:36-1:02:44 - Madness: Rd. 2 Results / Sweet 16 Matchups
Lizzo, "Good As Hell"
1:03:37-1:34:05 - Cassavetes #3 - "The Killing of a Chinese Bookie"
1:34:05-1:37:38 - Close
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Marvel's first female-led feature is also one its best.
Indie duo Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck ("Half Nelson," "Sugar") were a surprising choice to lead a Marvel movie, especially one with so much riding on its success. But Adam and Josh agree that the pair's CAPTAIN MARVEL is a mostly effective marriage of effects-driven action, empathetic character-building and clever scripting. The movie also benefits from some ace supporting performances - performances so good that Brie Larson's Captain Marvel can occasionally seem overmatched. That review, plus Josh loses his faith in humanity (or at least the humanity of Filmspotting listeners) when he hears first-round results of Filmspotting Madness - Best of the 2000s. Things don't get any easier with the Rd. 2 matchups.
0:00-1:03 - Billboard
1:03-26:39 - Review: "Captain Marvel"
Teen, "Popular Taste"
27:35-33:36 - Adam recommends: "Apollo 11"
33:36-40:06 - Next Week / Notes
40:06-1:11:03 - Madness: Rd. 1 Results
Teen, "Only Water"
1:12:06-1:28:55 - Madness: Rd. 2 Matchups
1:28:55-1:30:58 - Close
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64 films. Only one survives. Welcome to the Madness.
In the 2018 edition of Filmspotting Madness – Best of the 90s – the championship round had "Fargo" facing off against "Pulp Fiction." The Coen Brothers' "Fargo" pulled out a surprise victory over Tarantino's decade-defining masterpiece. So what surprises await us in this year's contest? The Coens are back with another strong entry – 2007's Best Picture-winning "No Country for Old Men" – but will their primary competitor be Tarantino again ("Kill Bill," "Inglourious Basterds")? Or maybe Paul Thomas Anderson ("There Will be Blood")? Or Christopher Nolan ("The Dark Knight")? And maybe don't rule out Michel Gondry's Charlie Kaufman-penned "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind."
This week on the show, Adam and Josh talk through this year's bracket with their Top 5 Easiest and Hardest First-Round Madness votes. Plus, the second film in the John Cassavetes Marathon, 1974's "A Woman Under the Influence."
0:00-1:10 - Billboard
41:53-42:34 - FS Madness: Rd. 1 Matchups
Strand of Oaks, "Ruby"
51:56-59:24 - Next Week / Notes
45:22-52:36 - Stanley Donen / Oscars Recap
52:36-1:15:15 - FS Madness: Rd. 1 Matchups, cont.
Strand of Oaks, "Goshen '97"
1:16:16-1:47:37 - Cassavetes #2: "A Woman Under..."
1:47:37-1:50:51 - Close / Outtake
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Worse than a coven of witches? The 'Burbs.
"Suspiria" star Jessica Harper has appeared in over 20 films since the mid-'70s, but she's also had a career as a singer-songwriter and children's book author. Her latest venture has her turning to memoir in the form of a 10-part podcast called "Winnetka," named for the Chicago suburb where she and her five siblings came of age in the '50s and '60s. Harper's podcast tells the story of that suburban upbringing, in particular the darkness and secretiveness that existed below the picture-perfect appearances. Harper discusses "Winnetka," and joins Adam and Josh for the Top 5 Movies About Suburbia. Plus - 13 years in the making - the Cassavetes Marathon gets underway with 1968's "Faces," starring Gena Rowlands, John Marley and Oscar-nominees Lynn Carlin and Seymour Cassel.
0:00-1:26 - Billboard
1:26-51:02 - Top 5: Movies About Suburbia
Sharon Van Etten, "Seventeen"
51:56-59:24 - Next Week / Notes
59:24-1:04:42 - Massacre Theatre
1:04:42-1:27:19 - Cassavetes Marathon #1: "Faces"
1:27:19-1:29:59 - Close
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Taking the red pill 20 years later.
For the second film in their "9 From '99" series, Adam and Josh reconsider the Wachowski Sisters' seminal sci-fi film, which, while a popular and critical success in its release year, has only grown in estimation both as a film and as a way of thinking and talking about reality. Plus: Christopher Nolan, Todd Haynes, Rian Johnson and Lars von Trier make the Top 5 Slow-Motion Scenes (Since "The Matrix"); Best of '99 poll results; and Adam and Josh announce the matchups for the play-in round of Filmspotting Madness 2019: Best of the 2000s. (Vote here!)
0:00-1:08 - Billboard
1:08-33:02 - 9 From '99 #2: "The Matrix"
Ex Hex, "Cosmic Cave"
33:49-40:00 - Poll Results: Best of '99
40:00-47:07 - Next week / Notes
47:07-1:00:12 - Filmspotting Madness: Play-In Round
Ex Hex, "Tough Enough"
1:01:07-1:36:52 - Top 5: Slow-Motion Scenes
1:36:52-1:41:53 - Close / Outtake
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Jokes and gender politics in the new Lego sequel.
"The Lego Movie" was Josh's #1 film of 2014. Dan Gilroy's "Nightcrawler" made Adam's Top 10 of the same year. Five years later, Emmet Brickowski and the rest of the master builders return for THE LEGO MOVIE 2 - and Gilroy is back, too, with the art scene satire VELVET BUZZSAW, another darkly satirical take on a Los Angeles subculture. Also on the show: Josh's thoughts on Catherine Hardwicke's MISS BALA, Massacre Theatre and an announcement about the next Filmspotting Marathon.
0:00-1:17 - Billboard
1:17-15:19 - Review: "The Lego Movie 2"
Beck, "Super Cool" (feat. Robyn and The Lonely Island)
15:46-25:13 - Next Week / Notes
25:13-35:50 - Massacre Theatre
Ken Nordine, "Sound Museum"
36:32-41:00 - Donations
41:00-59:56 - Review: "Velvet Buzzsaw"
59:56-1:06:51 - Spoilers: "Velvet Buzzsaw"
1:06:51-1:09:35 - Close
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That thing where your superpower is seeing dead people.
On this week's show, a double-dose of divisive auteur M. Night Shyamalan, whose new film GLASS is either "profoundly dumb" or "like opening a brand new comic book for the first time and not knowing what you're going to get." And then later, Adam and Josh kick off their "9 from '99" series with Shyamalan's blockbuster THE SIXTH SENSE, which they mostly agree has held up pretty well, thanks in large part to the Oscar-nominated performances by Toni Collette and Haley Joel Osment. Plus, a new poll question and news about the next Filmspotting Marathon (which you can help us choose).
0:00-1:11 - Billboard
1:11-28:48 - Review: "Glass"
28:48-39:01 - "Glass" Spoilers
Michel Legrand, "Generique" (from "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg")
39:32-49:06 - Next Week / Notes
49:06-52:03 - New Poll: Best of 1999
Michel Legrand, "Twin Song" (from "The Young Girls of Rochefort")
53:00-1:25:27 - 9 from '99 #1: "The Sixth Sense"
1:25:27-1:27:53 - Close / Outtake
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The new movie year is all promise and possibility.
Adam and Josh pose their Top 5 Questions About 2019. Plus the good, the bad and the bewildering of this week's Oscar nominations.
0:00-1:13 - Billboard
1:13-13:57 - 2019 Movie Preview
King Princess, "1950"
14:48-15:42 - Donations
15:42-33:15 - Oscar Nominations
33:15-38:53 - Next Week / "9 From '99" / Notes
38:53-43:45 - Massacre Theatre
43:45-48:08 - Poll results: 2019 Most Anticipated
King Princess, "Femme Fatale"
49:09-52:06 - Donations
52:06-1:18:47 - 2019 Movie Preview, cont.
1:18:47-1:21:27 - Close
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The laughs, the tears, the rhapsodies and the shallows that made 2018 such a memorable movie year.
Michael Phillips and Tasha Robinson - and a full house at Chicago's Logan Center for the Arts - join Adam and Josh for the Live 2018 Wrap Party, celebrating the 2018 movie year with their favorite moments from the last twelve months.
0:00-0:43 - Intro
0:43-23:50 - Opening Scenes
23:50-47:22 - Music Moments w/Michael Phillips
47:22-1:04:24 - Funniest Scenes w/Tasha Robinson
1:04:24-1:18:59 - Moving Moments
The Mountain Goats, "This Year"
1:19:51-1:24:57 - Golden Brick Award
1:24:57-1:44:46 - Scenes of the Year w/Michael & Tasha
1:44:46-1:52:08 - Massacre Theatre / Close
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Two of our favorite 2018 conversations.
Adam talks to Ethan Hawke about parenting, raising daughters, falling in love, the illusion of fear - oh, and his very good 2018 film BLAZE, about Texas singer-songwriter Blaze Foley. Plus, Adam's interview with EIGHTH GRADE director Bo Burnham, who reflects on what makes star Elsie Fisher so great and what motivated the successful comic to make his debut film.
0:00-1:00 - Intro
1:00-27:16 - Interview: Ethan Hawke
Blaze Foley, "Clay Pigeons"
28:08-58:29 - Interview: Bo Burnham
58:29-59:52 - Close
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You can't have consensus without a little misguided dissent. True of climate change research - and of the films discussed on part two of Filmspotting's Top 10 of 2018 roundtable. Adam, Josh and guests Michael Phillips (Chicago Tribune) and Tasha Robinson (The Next Picture Show) debate Paul Schrader's FIRST REFORMED (three yays, one hard nay), Alfonso Cuarón's ROMA (three yays, one "I wish I was a yay"), Spike Lee's BLACKKKLANSMAN and more, including - more dissent! - four unique #1 films of the year.
0:00-1:21 - Intro
1:21-52:49 - Top 10: Consensus Picks
Kaoru Watanabde, "Taiko Drumming"
53:16-1:00:05 - Poll results: Best of '18
1:00:05-1:23:27 - Top 10: Consensus Picks, cont.
1:23:27-1:28:17 - Close
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Indie horror, broad comedy and, yes, Marvel, all among the "outlier" picks in part one.
With guests Michael Phillips and Tasha Robinson filling out the roundtable, Adam and Josh start their conversation about the best films of 2018 with their "outlier" picks - films that, for the most part, only made one of their lists. Plus, Best of '18 voicemails from the directors of two of last year's best films, and the three finalists for the 2018 Golden Brick Award are announced.
0:00-1:11 - Intro
1:11-46:53 - Top 10: The Outliers
Mowg, "Burning"
47:33-48:33 - Donations
48:33-53:17 - Notes
53:17-1:02:40 - Golden Brick Finalists
1:02:40-1:32:34 - Top 10: The Outliers, cont.
1:32:34-1:37:02 - Close
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Barry Jenkins' follow-up to "Moonlight" has the lush romanticism of "In the Mood for Love."
In the absurd rush to catch up with the best of the year before the end of the year, it's nice when a film forces you into its own patient rhythm. Even better when it looks and sounds as good as IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK, the latest from director Barry Jenkins. Along with that, Adam and Josh have a review of the Palme d'Or-winning SHOPLIFTERS from Japan's Hirokazu Kore-eda, and recommendations for Golden Brick-worthy films from directors Alice Rohrwacher ("Happy as Lazzaro"), Jennifer Fox ("The Tale"), Sandi Tan ("Shirkers") and Jim Cummings ("Thunder Road"). Plus, Massacre Theatre and Adam's thoughts on the new SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE.
0:00-1:05 - Billboard
1:05-22:53 - Review: "If Beale Street Could Talk"
Nicholas Britell, "Eden (Harlem)"
23:29-24:11 - Donations
24:11-40:36 - Next Week / Notes
40:36-51:38 - Golden Brickspotting
51:38-59:27 - AK Recommends: "Into the Spider-Verse"
59:27-1:06:11 - Massacre Theatre
1:06:11-1:15:58 - CFCA Awards
1:15:58-1:18:38 - Close
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Seeing the Fellini in Cuarón and the Kubrick in Lanthimos.
Adam and Josh break out the high praise for their reviews of Alfonso Cuarón's ROMA and Yorgos Lanthimos's THE FAVOURITE – both films in the conversation for the best of 2018, and both departures of sorts for the directors. For "Roma," Cuarón returns to his native Mexico for the first time since 2001's "Y Tu Mama Tambien," while taking on writing, directing, shooting and co-editing jobs to tell the personal story of his middle class upbringing in early '70s Mexico City. Lanthimos, who has spent his career so far making chilly and darkly funny contemporary fables, time travels to early 18th century England and the reign of Queen Anne for his latest, a costume drama that proves to be a perfect playground for the director's bleak wit and gimlet-eyed view of humanity. Those reviews, plus Josh on Golden Brick contender HALE COUNTY THIS MORNING, THIS EVENING and the Best of 2018 listener poll.
0:00-1:10 - Billboard
1:10-20:14 - Review: "The Favourite"
Nino Rota, "Roma" (Theme)
20:53-21:37 - Donations
21:37-24:26 - Next Week / Notes
24:26-35:26 - Golden Brickspotting: "Hale County This Morning..."
35:26-39:47 - Polls [Best of 2018, Cuaron's Best]
39:47-1:00:40 - Review: "Roma"
1:00:40-1:03:43 - Close
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The 15th best film the Coens have ever made. Or maybe the 12th best. Possibly higher.
When news first broke about the new Coen brothers project for Netflix, it looked like it was going to be a limited-run series and not a proper film. This was all perfectly well and good, but how would that work with existing rankings of the Coens' filmography? Turns out we needn't have worried. THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS is not a series, but an anthology film made up of six distinct stories, all set in the 19th century American west, all peppered with the Coens' trademark wordplay and all deeply concerned with death. Adam and Josh debate whether the anthology's morbid preoccupation is ultimately nihilistic or hopeful, but they agree that the film is leavened by moments of grace (and some really good jokes). Plus, Adam on CREED II and a review of Lee Chang-dong's BURNING.
0:00-1:14 - Billboard
1:14-33:46 - Review: "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs"
Willie Watson & Tim Blake Nelson, "When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings"
34:44-35:14 - Donations
35:14-38:59 - Next Week / Live Show
38:59-43:37 - In Memoriam: Roeg, Bertolucci, Jay
43:37-52:29 - Polls [Oscar Follow-Ups, Alfonso Cuaron]
52:29-58:49 - Adam Recommends: "Creed II"
58:49-1:10:38 - Review: "Burning"
1:10:38-1:13:45 - Close / Outtake
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With year-end fast approaching, Adam and Josh talk through the current crop of nominees for the show's Golden Brick Award, which goes to the overlooked or underseen film of the year. Also on the show, Adam's conversation with Bing Liu, Joshua Altman and Diane Moy Quon – the director, editor and one of the producers – of one of those Brick nominees, MINDING THE GAP. Adam and Josh also revisit their review from earlier this year of Chloe Zhao's THE RIDER, another nominee and, like "Gap," one of the standout films of the year.
0:00-1:16 - Billboard
1:16-31:56 - "Minding the Gap" Premiere Q&A
Baker Man, "Approach"
32:44-39:44 - Golden Brick Preview
39:44-55:16 - Review: "The Rider"
55:16-58:39 - Close
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Queen Viola. Queen Carey. And... Queen.
Oscar-winner Viola Davis heads the ace ensemble for Steve McQueen's ("12 Years A Slave") new Chicago-set heist thriller WIDOWS, writer Gillian Flynn's adaptation of a BBC miniseries from the 80s. Adam and Josh dig McQueen's take on a corrupt Chi-town, but debate his handling of some of the performances. They're in more agreement on actor Paul Dano's assured directing debut, WILDLIFE, which stars the always-great-but-maybe-never-greater Carey Mulligan along with Jake Gyllenhaal. And while Adam can't argue with the critical consensus on the new Queen biopic BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY, he can recommend the band's legendary 1985 Live Aid performance... which is available in all its glory online.
0:00-2:40 - Billboard
4:14-34:45 - Review: "Widows"
Queen, "Killer Queen"
35:25-45:31 - Next Week / Movie Passes / Notes
45:31-52:37 - Massacre Theatre
52:37-1:00:11 - Adam on "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Queen, "I Want To Break Free"
1:00:50-1:03:15 - Donations
1:06:11-1:22:27 - Review: "Wildlife"
1:22:27-1:25:50 - Close / Outtake
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This episode is sponsored by the color red.
For his remake of the Dario Argento cult horror classic SUSPIRIA, Luca Guadagnino ("Call Me By Your Name") keeps the '70s German dance academy setting, but adds a lot of real-world political upheaval to the original's bloody witches' brew. Adam and Josh debate the effectiveness of Guadagnino and company's intellectual approach to the story's giallo origins. Plus: there are color movies and then there are movies that have color. Giants of world cinema Kurosawa, Bergman and Hitchcock knew how to flaunt it, but so do an emerging class of young filmmakers who make savvy use of the cinematic palette.
0:00-1:57 - Billboard
3:25-30:01 - Review: "Suspiria"
Thom Yorke, "Suspirium"
30:54-41:16 - Next Week / Notes
41:16-48:59 - Polls (Musical Biopics / Best Picture Follow-ups)
Kay Thompson, "Think Pink" (from "Funny Face")
49:38-51:38 - Donations & Thank Yous
53:50-1:29:23 - Top 5: Uses of Color
1:29:23-1:33:02 - Close / Outtake
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With his thoughtful takes on the revenge and violent thriller genres, "Blue Ruin" and "Green Room" director Jeremy Saulnier has emerged as one of most exciting young directors of the last decade. His latest, HOLD THE DARK, is an enigmatic thriller set in a remote Alaskan village. Skipping theaters entirely, it debuted on Netflix in September. Likewise, director Tamara Jenkins teamed with the streaming service for the long-awaited follow-up to her acclaimed 2007 film, "The Savages." Adam and Josh find much to recommend in both films, along with thoughts on the latest from Nicole Holofcener (THE LAND OF STEADY HABITS, also on Netflix), Marielle Heller (CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?) and Frederick Wiseman (MONROVIA, INDIANA).
0:00-2:09 - Billboard
3:54-21:44 - Review: "Hold The Dark"
21:44-35:49 - "Hold The Dark" Spoilers
Billie Eilish, "You Should See Me In A Crown"
36:36-48:33 - Next Week / Notes
48:33-55:37 - Massacre Theatre
55:37-1:10:23 - Recommendations: "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" "The Land of Steady Habits" "Monrovia, Indiana"
Billie Eilish, "Copycat"
1:11:03-1:26:19 - Review: "Private Life"
1:26:19-1:28:55 - Close
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For their Sacred Cow review of John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN, Adam and Josh took another look at a film about which they're both already on record: there's Josh's 2007 first encounter, which resulted in one of only four negative reviews logged on Rotten Tomatoes. And then there's Adam's 2005 watch, which was part of the second ever Filmspotting Marathon. He named it the best film of that eight-part Horror Marathon, which included titles like "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and Dario Argento's "Suspiria." All these years later, they both had had some quibbles with those earlier takes.
Also on the show, thoughts on David Gordon Green's new "Halloween" sequel, plus the Filmspotting poll and more.
0:00-2:30 - Billboard
3:44-34:00 - Review: "John Carpenter's Halloween"
John Carpenter, "Laurie's Theme"
34:32-43:47 - Next Week / Notes
43:47-50:48 - Polls [Horror Remakes / Music Biopics]
50:48-1:06:54 - Review: "Halloween" (2018)
1:06:54-1:09:29 - Close
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Wunderkind director Damien Chazelle follows up his Oscar-winning "La La Land" with FIRST MAN, a Neil Armstrong biopic that avoids easy mythologizing to tell the story of an obsessive, grieving everyman who made history. This week on the show, Adam and Josh have a review of Chazelle's film and share their Top 5 Movie Flights - scenes that capture the thrill and terror (and chorus girls!) of aviation.
0:00-2:41 - Billboard
4:19-35:07 - Review: "First Man"
Phosphorescent, "Beautiful Boy"
38:24-43:52 - Next Week / Notes
43:52-51:40 - Massacre Theatre
Phosphorescent, "C'est la vie"
52:53-59:30 - Donations
59:30-1:40:08 - Top 5: Movie Flights
1:40:08-1:44:15 - Close / Hot Mics
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Bradley Cooper's A STAR IS BORN is the fourth adaptation of the tale - fifth if you count 1932's George Cukor-directed "What Price Hollywood." The story of a hard-drinking industry veteran discovering and grooming a young starlet (or singer) also has a strong awards pedigree, with those previous incarnations accumulating a total of 19 Oscar nominations. For his directing debut, Cooper isn't dabbling, and it seems like the gamble has paid off. Early reviews have been strong, including for Cooper's star: acting novice (if legit superstar) Lady Gaga. On this week's show, Adam and Josh join the new Star's fan club, but do they love it enough to satisfy the movie's most ardent fans? Also: the Chicago Tribune's Michael Phillips comes aboard for a preview of the Chicago Int'l Film Festival (Oct 10-21) and the Filmspotting Top 5: Movie Duets.
0:00-1:41 - Billboard
2:57-38:40 - Review: "A Star Is Born"
Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, "Shallow"
42:51-56:07 - Next Week / Notes
56:07-1:05:00 - Polls [Musical Dramas / Horror Sequels & Remakes]
1:05:00-1:23:09 - Preview: Chicago Int'l Film Festival
Bugs Bunny & Elmer Fudd, ""What's Up Doc?"
1:23:54-2:32:05 - Top 5: Movie Duets
2:32:05-2:37:55 - Close
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In 2003, Sofia Coppola's sophomore effort was a surprise box office hit, making over $119 million worldwide. It was nominated for Best Picture and Best Director, and won Coppola a Best Original Screenplay Oscar. By criteria that are more difficult to measure, Bob and Charlotte's platonic Tokyo romance is just really meaningful to a lot of people. While Josh takes another look and what has long been his favorite Coppola, Adam brings a fresh pair of eyes to a film that underwhelmed him a decade and a half ago. That Sacred Cow review of LOST IN TRANSLATION and a review of the new THE SISTERS BROTHERS, featuring the dream pairing of Joaquin Phoenix and John C. Reilly as a pair of outlaw brothers in a film directed by Jacques Audiard ("A Prophet"). Plus, Josh's hearty recommendation for TEA WITH THE DAMES, and Adam's report on his rousing screening of INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE in 70mm.
0:00-1:04 - Billboard
2:45-28:39 - Review: "The Sisters Brothers"
Caroline Rose, "Money"
29:27-35:28 - Next Week / Notes
35:28-42:26 - Massacre Theatre
42:26-45:11 - JL Recommends: "Tea With the Dames"
45:12-51:01 - AK Recommends: "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" (in 70mm)
Roxy Music, "More Than This"
51:52-1:21:09 - Sacred Cow: "Lost In Translation"
1:21:09-1:24:41 - Close
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A new 70mm print of David Lean's 1963 Best Picture-winning epic just wrapped up a run at Chicago's Music Box Theatre. Having survived their recent "4D" screening (temperamental A/C on a blisteringly hot late-summer day), Adam and Josh return from Lean's "Arabia" in awe of the director's widescreen compositions, his revelatory transitions and the film's complicated take on hero worship and British exceptionalism. That Sacred Cow review, plus more praise for Lean with the Filmspotting Top 5: David Lean Moments.
0:00-1:26 - Billboard
2:25-30:37 - Sacred Cow: "Lawrence of Arabia"
Maurice Jarre, "Main Title" (Lawrence of Arabia)
31:49-37:19 - Next Week / Notes
37:19-47:25 - Polls (Historical Epics / Musical Dramas)
Maurice Jarre, "Then It's a Gift (End Title)" (Dr. Zhivago)
47:59-51:26 - Donations
51:26-1:27:09 - Top 5: David Lean Moments
1:27:09-1:30:01 - Close
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As long as there are people to remember Burt Reynolds, they're most likely to recall the goofy, charismatic, hard-driving star of movies like "Smokey and the Bandit" and "Cannonball Run," and the benevolent despot of the late-'70s porn scene in his Oscar-nominated role in "Boogie Nights." But it's possible that none of those Reynolds performances would have existed without his star-making turn in 1972's DELIVERANCE. Reynolds' death gives Adam and Josh a chance to catch up with John Boorman's Best Picture-nominated film in a 'Blindspotting' review. Plus, a 'funny voices' edition of Massacre Theatre, and a review of the new THE PREDATOR. written and directed by Shane Black ("Kiss Kiss Bang Bang," "The Nice Guys").
0:00-2:26 - Billboard
5:26-23:55 - Review: "The Predator"
Mountain Man, "Rang Tang Ring Toon"
25:35-31:10 - Next Week / Notes
31:10-42:50 - Massacre Theatre
44:50-1:23:04 - Burt Reynolds Tribute: "Deliverance"
1:23:04-1:26:15 - Close
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With the critical reappraisal of Ethan Hawke in full swing after a career-best performance in Paul Schrader's "First Reformed," Adam and Josh commemorate "The Hawkessance" with a consideration of the actor's long and varied career, from Todd Anderson's "sweaty-toothed madman" to Rev. Toller's existential despair (and all those Sunrises and Sunsets in between). Joining Adam and Josh for the Top 5 Ethan Hawke Moments is Keith Phipps, Next Picture Show co-host and author of his own recent reconsideration of Hawke. Plus, Adam's interview with Hawke, who talks about BLAZE, his new biopic about Texas singer-singwriter Blaze Foley, and also about the importance of letting your kids make their own mistakes.
0:00-1:39 - Billboard
2:29-35:30 - Interview: Ethan Hawke
Blaze Foley, "Clay Pigeons"
37:10-48:18 - Next Week / Notes
48:18-57:13 - Polls (Hawke's best / Historical Epics)
Nina Simone, "Just in Time"
1:00:02-2:05:47 - Top 5: Ethan Hawke Moments
2:05:47-2:09:05 - Close
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With a lull in the late-summer movie schedule, Adam and Josh play catch-up on a few acclaimed new indie features - and Filmspotting Golden Brick candidates - including the Kartemquin Films-produced doc MINDING THE GAP, director Josephine Decker's Sundance hit MADELINE'S MADELINE and the experimental sports doc JOHN MCENROE: IN THE REALM OF PERFECTION. Plus, Josh's thoughts on the Brick-worthy NIGHT COMES ON and the critically-reviled puppet noir THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS. Also, Massacre Theatre and a clarification on that confusing Ethan Hawke poll question.
0:00-2:00 - Billboard
3:13-31:19 - Review: "Minding the Gap"
Taylor Janzen, "Pretend That It's Not There"
33:05-36:39 - Golden Brickspotting: "Night Comes On"
36:39-46:03 - Next Week / Notes
46:03-53:48 - Massacre Theatre
53:48-59:58 - Josh on "Happytime Murders"
Taylor Janzen, "Waiting Room"
1:01:14-1:07:23 - Donations
1:07:23-1:35:53 - Reviews: "Madeline's Madeline," "Realm of Perfection"
1:35:53-1:39:53 - Close / Outtake
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In anticipation of the show's 700th episode, Adam and Josh - and fellow podcast veteran Dave Chen from the /Filmcast - consider what a decade-plus podcasting about movies has taught them. (In short: gratitude, humility, and getting by on less sleep.) Dave also joins the conversation about the new CRAZY RICH ASIANS, a hit at the box office and the first Hollywood studio-backed film in 25 years to feature a predominantly Asian and Asian-American cast.
0:00-1:51 - Billboard
1:51-30:20 - Review: "Crazy Rich Asians"
Ruby Ibarra, "Us"
34:00-46:21 - Next Week / Notes
46:21-54:19 - Polls (Happytime Murders / Ethan Hawke)
Ruby Ibarra, "Here"
56:37-1:50:47 - Top 5: Things We've Learned Podcasting (About Movies)
1:50:47-1:54:16 - Close
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Master filmmaker, trickster, provocateur, Spike Lee has been making bold and timely films for over three decades now. And with his latest, BLACKkKLANSMAN, he's also made one of his best. On this week's show, Adam and Josh give Lee the career retrospective treatment with the Filmspotting Top 5: Spike Lee Shots, along with a review of the outstanding and thought-provoking KLANSMAN. Plus, a special wish-fulfillment edition of Massacre Theatre and some listener feedback on episode 689's Top 5 Struggling Movie Adolescents.
0:00-3:10 - Billboard
4:48-45:53 - Review: "Blackkklansman"
Crooklyn Dodgers, "Crooklyn"
49:54-58:25 - Next Week / Notes
58:25-1:06:21 - Massacre Theatre / Listener Feedback
Public Enemy, "He Got Game"
1:09:01-1:51:50 - Top 5: Spike Lee Shots
1:51:50-1:54:00 - Close
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THE DARK KNIGHT turns ten this summer, and in the years since it won critical raves and dominated the 2008 box office, its reputation, influence and iconic status have only grown. But what does it look like after a decade of superhero movies made in its shadow? Adam and Josh give the Sacred Cow treatment to Christopher Nolan's film and - with the help of listeners - engage in a spirited debate about which film deserves the title of "Best Superhero Movie Ever." Plus, Adam's conversation with the writer and stars of HBO's SHARP OBJECTS.
0:00-2:09 - Billboard
3:05- 45:56 - Sacred Cow: "The Dark Knight”
Black Puma, "Black Moon Rising"
49:02-1:08:31 - Next Week / Polls / Best Superhero Movie
1:08:31-1:46:47 - Interview: Gillian Flynn, Patricia Clarkson, Chris Messina
1:46:47-1:49:22 - Close / Outtake
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The "M:I" franchise is over 20 years old, with its sixth installment - MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - FALLOUT - currently in theaters. But ageless star Tom Cruise and his collaborators show no signs of slowing down when it comes to being a reliable source for action movie spectacle. Adam and Josh consider the near maniacal insistence on verisimilitude of writer/director Christopher McQuarrie and his star, and whether "Fallout's" focus on humanizing Ethan Hunt makes them regret Hunt didn't get more acclaim on their Top 5 Tom Cruise Performances.
0:00-3:07 - Billboard / Donations
3:08- 27:10 - Review: "Mission: Impossible - Fallout”
Carolina Story, “We Were Young Once Too"
28:23-31:39 - Next Week / Polls [Best Superhero Movie]
31:40-1:27:45 - Top 5: Cruise Performances (Revisited)
1:27:45-1:32:37 - Close
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At the halfway point of the year in movies, Adam and Josh agree on their two favorite movies, but share some surprising and diverse picks to round out their Top 5 Films of 2018 (So Far). Plus, listeners weigh in with their picks for the best of the year so far, and the new Filmspotting poll gives you just two options for best superhero movie... of all time.
0:00-4:34 - Billboard
5:19-36:33 - Top 5: Films of 2018 (So Far)
Chance the Rapper, "Work Out"
37:53-44:47 - Next Week / Notes / New Poll
44:47-1:11:39 - Top 5: Films of 2018 (So Far), cont.
1:11:39-1:13:44 - Close
*Correction: Simon Russell Beale plays Lavrenti Beria in "The Death of Stalin" not Nikita Kruschev (who is played by a very good Steve Buscemi).
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When Bo Burnham's EIGHTH GRADE debuted at Sundance in January, the response was mostly ecstatic - but also a little perplexed. How had a 27 year-old male stand up comic pulled off such a sincere and moving depiction of a teenage girl's middle school anxiety? How - and why? This week on the show, Adam gets to ask that very question in his interview with Burnham, as the two talk about the value of seeing human stories on the big screen and the genius of the film's star, newcomer Elsie Fisher. Plus, Adam's thoughts on the new Eugene Jarecki doc THE KING and his interview with fellow Iowan Andrew Sherburne, co-director of the new doc SAVING BRINTON. All that and this week's Filmspotting Top 5: Struggling Adolescents.
0:00-1:57 - Billboard
1:57-36:11 - Interview: Bo Burnham
36:11-42:36 - Reaction: "Eighth Grade"
Zac Clark, "Drugs"
43:38-55:31 - Next Week / Notes
55:31-1:01:51 - Massacre Theatre
1:01:51-1:07:12 - AK Recommends: "The King"
1:07:12-1:19:46 - Interview: Andrew Sherburne ("Saving Brinton")
Zac Clark, "Love You Later"
1:21:12-1:23:45 - Donations
1:23:45-2:01:21 - Top 5: Struggling Adolescents
2:01:21-2:04:06 - Close
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Comedy, social satire, dystopian nightmare: rapper, producer, political activist Boots Riley's debut film SORRY TO BOTHER YOU has a lot on its mind. And that's a good thing. Adam and guest Michael Phillips have a review of Riley's film, including some spoiler talk on the movie's divisive ending. Plus, Michael's thoughts on ANT MAN AND THE WASP, a review of director Debra Granik's LEAVE NO TRACE, the long-awaited follow-up to her 2010 film "Winter's Bone," and a Top 5 first: two picks come from the same movie (bold move, Phillips). It's the Top 5 Worst Movie Jobs.
0:00-2:54 - Billboard
2:54-33:25 - Reviews: "Ant Man," "Sorry to Bother You"
33:25-41:46 - "Sorry" Spoiler Talk
Caleborate, "Soul" (feat. Big K.R.I.T.)
42:42-1:00:05 - Next Week / Polls [Best Performances/Films of '18 (So Far)]
1:00:05-1:13:28 - Review: "Leave No Trace"
Caleborate, "Bankrobber"
1:14:15-1:17:46 - Donations
1:17:46-1:57:48 - Top 5: Worst Movie Jobs
1:57:48-2:00:59 - Close
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1984 was a banner year for crane kicks, mogwais and bustin' ghosts, but it also saw the debut of Arnold Schwarzenegger's T-800, better known as THE TERMINATOR. On this episode from May 2017, Adam and Josh give James Cameron's seminal sci-fi thriller the Sacred Cow treatment, resulting in a heated split review. Plus, the Top 5 Films of 1984.
0:00-1:14 - Billboard
1:14-34:18 - Sacred Cow: "The Terminator"
The Ramones, "Too Tough To Die"
35:16-1:12:47 - Top 5: Films of 1984
1:12:47-1:13:58 - Close
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Sure, movie westerns are mostly about dudes on horseback quick-drawing pistols in small, dusty cow-towns, but some of the best films in the genre feature memorable turns by actresses in key roles, like Grace Kelly and Katy Jurado in "High Noon," Angie Dickinson in "Rio Bravo" - and Madeline Kahn in "Blazing Saddles." This week on the show, Josh and the AV Club's Katie Rife share their Top 5 Women in Westerns along with a review of DAMSEL, the oddball new western from the Zellner Brothers ("Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter"), starring Robert Pattinson and Mia Wasikowska.
0:00-2:12 - Intro
2:55-18:56 - Review: "Damsel"
18:56-24:29 - "Damsel" Spoilers
Nikki Lane, "Companion"
27:12-33:30 - Next week / Passes / Meetups
33:30-40:39 - Massacre Theatre
42:38-1:22:17 - Top 5: Women in Westerns
1:22:17-1:25:47 - Close
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It isn't enough that we've been blessed with four hunky dudes named Chris, all with solid acting chops and charisma to spare - we had to go ahead and rank them. On this week's show, Adam and Josh battle over the relative merits of Evans, Hemsworth, Pine and Pratt - and welcome another age-appropriate Chris to the club - as they offer a very special "Power Ranking" Top 5: Actors (between the ages of 35 and 39) Named Chris. Plus. a review of the Pratt-starring JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM, directed by J.A. Bayona ("The Orphanage." "The Impossible").
0:00-1:36 - Intro
2:19-23:20 - Review: "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom"
U.S. Girls, "A Rage of Plastics"
29:47-38:50 - Next week / Passes / Meetups / SVU
38:50-42:53 - Poll (Best Performances of 2018 So Far)
U.S. Girls, "Pearly Gates"
44:50-48:34 - Donations
48:34-1:25:08 - Top 5: Movie Chrises
1:25:08-1:27:00 - Close
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Pixar has done a lot of things right over the past 23 years (note the studio's 80% average Metacritic rating), but among its greatest accomplishments is its consistently inspired voice casting. Tom Hanks' Woody works so well not just because of the actor's familiarity, but because Woody also taps into the decency, good humor - and occasional comic hysteria - that define Hanks's on-screen persona. On this week's show, Adam and Josh celebrate that genius ear for casting with their Top 5 Pixar Performances, along with a review of the new INCREDIBLES 2. Plus, Josh's thoughts on the new indie horror film HEREDITARY, the "Ocean's 11 spin-off" OCEAN'S 8 and Golden Brick nominee "THOROUGHBREDS."
0:00-2:26 - Intro
1:11-27:06 - Review: "Incredibles 2"
Neko Case, "Bad Luck"
29:50-45:37 - Next week / Notes / Massacre Theatre
45:37-53:58 - Larsen Recommends: "Hereditary," "Ocean's 8," "Thoroughbreds"
Neko Case, "Hell-On"
56:23-1:35:21 - Top 5: Pixar Performances
1:35:21-1:37:31 - Close
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Whether used ironically or to provide insight - or just to make characters look really, really cool - classic rock has been memorably employed by some of the best directors of the rock era. Joining Adam and Josh for their Top 5 Classic Rock Moments in Movies is writer and critic Steven Hyden, author of the new book "Twilight of the Gods: A Journey to the End of Classic Rock."
0:00-1:40 - Intro
3:15-26:07 - Top 5: Classic Rock Moments in Movies
Donovan, "Atlantis"
29:05-31:14 - Notes
31:14-1:07:44 - Top 5: Classic Rock Moments in Movies, cont.
1:07:44-1:09:42 - Close
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With rock writer and cultural critic Steven Hyden dropping by to discuss his new book, "Twilight of the Gods: A Journey to the End of Classic Rock," Adam and Josh decided it was as good a time as any to revisit rock-critic-turned-filmmaker Cameron Crowe's ode to '70s rock ALMOST FAMOUS. As a meditation on criticism and the critic's relationship with artists, Adam and Josh agree that the movie is as authentic, moving and funny today as it was almost 20 years ago. They also agree on some minor quibbles with the film, but save their biggest debate for Billy Crudup's enigmatic guitarist Russell Hammond. Was Crowe right to pick a good actor over a good musician? Hyden makes it clear where he stands on the issue when he joins the conversation and also talks about the past, present and future of Classic Rock.
And if you're wondering what happened to this week's top 5 list? It's coming. Sides 3 and 4 of this Filmspotting double album will drop next week when Hyden returns for the Top 5 Classic Rock Moments in Movies.
0:00-2:28 - Intro
3:11-49:33 - Sacred Cow: "Almost Famous"
Elton John, "Tiny Dancer"
52:35-1:02:25 - Notes / Polls (Replacing an icon / Best of Pixar)
1:02:25-1:36:18 - Interview: Steven Hyden
1:36:18-1:45:10 - Close / Hot Mics
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40 (movie) years after Han Solo first boasted about his 12-parsec Kessel Run, the new SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY finally lets us take the ride. But is it enough to justify the movie's existence? And what if your new Han isn't among the five best things about his own movie? Yes, Adam and Josh have issues with "Solo," but also some praise for the excellent supporting cast, at least one great action set-piece and Chewbacca, of course. Also on the show, recommendations for DEADPOOL 2 and the new doc CHOSEN: CUSTODY OF THE EYES, plus an interview with legendary writer/director Paul Schrader ("Taxi Driver," "Raging Bull," "Affliction"), whose new film, FIRST REFORMED with Ethan Hawke, is earning him some of the best reviews of his long and storied career. (Come for Schrader's brilliant insights into "slow cinema," stay for the anecdote about his intro to Ingmar Bergman at an Ann Arbor porn theater and the movie of his that he refers to as "a piece of juvenilia and an F.U. to my dad and his religion.")
0:00-2:05 - Intro
2:51-32:01 - Review: "Solo: A Star Wars Story"
Mokoomba, "Mokole"
35:15-46:26 - Next Week / Notes / Corrections
46:26-53:09 - Massacre Theatre
53:09-1:01:49 - ]"Chosen: Custody of the Eyes," "Deadpool 2"
1:01:49-1:11:21 - Feedback: "Avengers: Infinity War"
Mokoomba, "Njawane"
1:15:55-1:17:48 - Donations
1:17:48-1:53:49 - Interview: Paul Schrader
1:53:49-1:56:24 - Close / Outtake
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Released in consecutive Decembers beginning in 2001, Peter Jackson’s colossal adaptation of Tolkien’s LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy reached its conclusion in 2003 with "The Return of the King" which went on to win 11 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director. Despite enjoying the first installment just fine, Adam never made time for "Two Towers" or "Return," which didn't stop him from spending much of the last fifteen years taking digs at the films and the people who loved them (people like Josh). But with 2019's Filmspotting Madness (Best of the 2000s) on the horizon - just past the Misty Mountains, in fact - Adam agreed to knock out his Hobbity blindspots with an epic (re)consideration of the trilogy in which he and Josh discuss the horror elements in the trilogy, the care with which Jackson depicts the cost of war and the greatness of Ian McKellen (and the rest of the brilliantly cast ensemble). Plus a Top 5 Scenes from the trilogy that illustrates how Jackson, in bringing the trilogy to life, was just as attentive to the subtle, quiet moments as he was the epic battle scenes.
0:00-2:32 - Intro
3:08-41:51 - "The Lord of the Rings"
Howard Shore, "The End of All Things"
44:07-51:32 - Next Week / Notes
51:32-59:43 - Polls (Best of Brolin / Taking Over an Iconic Role)
Howard Shore, "The Prophecy"
1:01:54-1:42:39 - Top 5: "Lord of the Rings" Scenes
1:42:39-1:46:55 - Close / Outtake
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"It's the most terrifying day in your life, the day the first one is born." Bill Murray bringing the truth in Sofia Coppola's "Lost in Translation" - just one of the films referenced in this week's Top 5: Too-Real Parenting Moments. As real-life parents of four (Adam) and two (Josh), this week's list has a more confessional quality to it than most. And it's all inspired by TULLY, the very good new film from Diablo Copy and Jason Reitman, previous collaborators on "Juno" and "Young Adult."
0:00-2:20 - Intro
2:56-38:05 - Review: "Tully"
Bat Fangs, "Rock the Reaper"
39:29-57:09 - Next Week / Notes
57:09-1:04:04 - Massacre Theatre
Bat Fangs, "Wolfbite"
1:07:44-1:46:45 - Top 5: Too-Real Parenting Moments
1:46:45-1:51:26 - Close / Outtake
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The massive success of "Black Panther" and "Avengers: Infinity War" may have made the concept of a “summer” blockbuster season irrelevant, but there will still be summer and there will still be summer movies. And despite Marvel's early box office dominance, big movies await in the form of high profile sequels for "Jurassic World," "Deadpool" and "The Incredibles." Oh, and a little "Star Wars Story" about Han Solo arriving on Memorial Day. For their look ahead at the upcoming slate of releases, Adam and Josh ignore (almost) all of those to pose their Top 5 Summer Movie Questions, with queries about the Pope, Mister Rogers and maybe this year's "Lady Bird"?
Plus, reviews of Lynne Ramsay's YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE with Joaquin Phoenix and Chloe Zhao's acclaimed THE RIDER, and Adam recommends the new reality-is-stranger-than-fiction doc THREE IDENTICAL STRANGERS.
0:00-1:46 - Intro
2:42-42:19 - Summer Movie Preview
Lucy Dacus, "Yours & Mine"
45:22-41:03 - Next Week / Notes
41:03-55:20 - Poll: Best of Brolin
56:30-1:27:30 - Review: "You Were Never...," "The Rider"
1:27:30-1:31:26 - Adam recommends: "Three Identical Strangers"
1:31:26-1:35:25 - Close
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With the first decade of the MCU coming to a close with AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR (and its 2019 sequel), Adam and Josh are forced to reckon with the fact that 19 films into Marvel's uneven series, they've developed some affection for many of its Chrises, er, characters. And, oh my, are there so many characters. And while Josh at various points refers to the film as "exhausting" and "a long con," Adam defends directors Anthony and Joe Russo ("Captain America: Civil War") for bringing discipline and sound storytelling to their massive undertaking. Also on the show, the Top 5 "Filmspotting Avengers," which has Adam and Josh assembling their own teams of cinematic heroes. (Yes, of course this Top 5 has inspired a t-shirt design contest.)
0:00-2:07 - Intro
2:44-27:25 - Review: "Avengers: Infinity War"
Waxahatchee, "No Question"
30:04-36:14 - Next Week / Notes
36:14-42:16 - Massacre Theatre
Waxahatchee, "Recite Remorse"
43:57-46:34 - Donations
46:34-1:14:55 - Top 5: Filmspotting's Avengers
1:14:55-1:17:46 - Close
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UK writer-director Andrew Haigh has spent the first part of his career quietly defying expectations. With his feature breakout "Weekend," he crafted an intimate tale about two young gay men spending a weekend getting to know each other. For his 2015 follow-up, "45 Years," Haigh turned his focus to an aging husband and wife haunted by the past. (Charlotte Rampling was nominated for an Oscar for her performance.) And now Haigh's latest takes another surprising turn, with his adaptation of the Willy Vlautin novel LEAN ON PETE, which chronicles the relationship between a displaced teen and a past-his-prime race horse. But true to Haigh's work to date, PETE is a clear-eyed, unsentimental piece of work that - like his other films - is still capable of delivering a punch to the gut.
On this week's show, Adam and Josh have a review of LEAN ON PETE and, in the tradition of inspired Top 5 topics like Bicycle Scenes and Movie Redheads, they share their Top 5 Horse Scenes (horses on stage! horses in the jungle! ship-wrecked horses!). Plus Chicago critic Steve Prokopy drops by to share some details about the upcoming Chicago Critics Film Festival (May 4th-10th).
0:00-2:05 - Intro
2:43-34:21 - Review: "Lean On Pete"
Hurray for the Riff Raff, "Hungry Ghost"
38:13-49:28 - Milos Forman / Notes
49:28-59:20 - Filmspotting Madness Recap
59:20-1:15:24 - Preview: Chicago Critics Film Festival
The Osmonds, "Crazy Horses"
1:17:54-1:51:53 - Top 5: Horse Scenes
1:51:53-1:55:29 - Close / Josh Recommends: Pizza Ranch
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After working through six films spanning nearly two decades in the career of Vincente Minnelli, Adam, Josh and guest Nathaniel Myers roll out the red carpet for "The Garlands," the best of the marathon awards, including their favorite Supporting and Lead Performances, Scene, "Minnelli Moment" and Picture.
For the full Minnelli lineup and conversations, visit the Marathons page at filmspotting.net.
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It's a little surprising to see nice guy "Office"-alum John Krasinski directing a monster movie, but Adam and guest-host Michael Phillips agree that his A QUIET PLACE is a tense, finely-crafted film that feels a little like a Western and a well-observed family drama – even as it's scaring the pants off you. Krasinksi's movie also exploits its smart premise to potent effect: its monsters hunt by sound, so everyone - including the audience - is on aural high alert. For this week's Top 5, Adam and Michael look to films from icons like Kubrick, Hitchcock, Coppola and Spielberg for scenes that make effective use of silence. Plus, your 2018 Filmspotting Madness Champion.
0:00-1:42 - Intro
2:26-32:07 - Review: "A Quiet Place"
Wye Oak, "The Louder I Call, the Faster It Runs"
34:10-41:52 - Notes / Next Week
41:52-56:20 - Filmspotting Madness Champion
56:20-1:11:45 - Top 5: Quiet Scenes
Dave Shire, "The Conversation" (Main Theme)
1:13:43-1:36:01 - Top 5: Quiet Scenes cont.
1:36:01-1:39:57 - Close
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Guest-host Michael Phillips says of Minnelli that no one shot better wide-screen Cinemascope compositions and calls the director's SOME CAME RUNNING - based on James Jones's 1957 novel - "one of the great adaptations of a truly lousy book." (RUNNING is based on James Jones's follow-up to "From Here To Eternity.") In the film, which was nominated for 5 Oscars, Frank Sinatra plays a slumping novelist back in his small Indiana hometown for the first time in 16 years. He's torn between two women - call girl Shirley MacLaine and sophisticated English teacher Martha Hyer. Along for the ride is Dean Martin as Sinatra's gambler pal. Michael admits to being "in the bag" for Minnelli's masterfully shot melodrama. But can Adam see his way past the movie's retrograde sexual politics?
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Is there a four-hour cut of READY PLAYER ONE? Adam and guest host Tasha Robinson (TheVerge.com, Next Picture Show) have no idea, but it would help explain some of the narrative shortcuts in Spielberg's visually impressive adaptation of the Ernest Cline bestseller. The good news about the story's leap to the big screen is an improvement on the fun, but slight source material and some electrifying moments of nostalgia-fueled fun. Adam and Tasha also go on an Easter Egg hunt of sorts, with their Top 5 Movie Homages (that is, movies referencing other movies), including a movie-length Tarantino homage that gobsmacks Adam when Tasha points it out. All that, plus the championship round of Filmspotting Madness.
0:00-2:44 - Intro
3:30-41:25 - Review: "Ready Player One"
The Blow, "Get Up"
44:30-49:41 - Next Week / Notes
49:41-58:56 - Filmspotting Madness: Final
58:56-1:23:04 - Top 5: Movie Homages
The Blow, "The Greatest Love of All"
1:25:06-1:57:43 - Top 5: Movie Homages, cont
1:57:43-2:01:03 - Close
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Vincente Minnelli's 1956 Van Gogh biopic starring Kirk Douglas as the tortured artist is as bold and emotionally vivid as one of the painter's visionary canvases. Which is to say that, yeah, it lacks a bit of subtlety now and then. But Douglas gives an intense and painfully vulnerable performance as Van Gogh, alongside memorable turns by James Donald as Vincent's long-suffering but loyal brother Theo, and Oscar-winner Anthony Quinn as a belligerent, larger-than-life Paul Gaugin.
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In 2007, Wes Anderson took his act overseas to India for "The Darjeeling Limited," and was accused by some of cultural insensitivity. Anderson's latest - the stop-motion animated ISLE OF DOGS - is set in Japan, and some of those same criticisms have resurfaced. While acknowledging its critics, Josh deems the setting "crucial" to the film's power and anoints it an early front-runner for his film of the year. But does (relative) Anderson-skeptic Adam follow his co-host's lead? A review of "Dogs," Josh and Michael Phillips' Top 5 Wes Anderson Scenes (from 2014) and the Filmspotting Madness: Best of the '90s Final Four revealed.
0:00-2:05 - Intro
3:00-37:24 - Review: "Isle of Dogs"
Jack White, "Why Walk a Dog?"
39:58-49:07 - Next Week / Notes
49:07-1:01:11 - Filmspotting Madness: Final Four
1:01:11-1:16:39 - Top 5: Wes Anderson Scenes (2014)
The Ramones, "Judy Is a Punk"
1:17:24-1:36:48 - Top 5: Anderson Scenes cont.
1:36:48-1:39:04 - Close
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When Steven Soderbergh returned to feature filmmaking last year with the low budget heist caper "Logan Lucky," it was just another chapter in the mercurial director’s career. Blockbuster filmmaker. Indie auteur. Soderbergh has done it all. He shot his latest - the psychological thriller UNSANE featuring Claire Foy ("The Crown") - on an iPhone 7. Fresh from their screening, Adam and Josh offer up some "still processing" thoughts. Plus, results from the Sweet 16 matchups - "Fargo" v "Before Sunrise"? "Big Lebowski" v "Boogie Nights"? - of Filmspotting Madness: Best of the '90s.
0:00-2:01 - Intro
4:06-30:02 - Review: "Unsane"
Carter Burwell, "Fargo, North Dakota"
32:32-41:39 - Next Week / Notes
41:39-58:40 - FS Madness: Elite 8
58:40-1:00:00 - Close
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"Professor" Michael Phillips returns for a conversation about one of his favorite Minnelli films, the 1953 musical THE BAND WAGON. The plot has Fred Astaire as a washed up song and dance man who gets paired with Cyd Charisse's anxious ballerina for a doomed stage musical based on the Faust legend. With Astaire and Charisse and a script by the same duo that wrote "Singin' in the Rain," expectations were high. But despite a few stand-out numbers - go ahead and YouTube "Dancing in the Dark", and the film's noir-inspired "Girl Hunt" finale - Adam and Josh come up a little short of being able to say: "That's Entertainment."
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Note: your "Coen Brothers Ranked" lists may need some readjusting. Especially if you haven't seen - or haven't seen in a long while - the Coens densely plotted and impeccably cast third feature, MILLER'S CROSSING. The period gangster picture was a revelatory experience in Josh's early cinematic life, but it had been a couple decades since his last visit. Likewise for Adam. After getting unceremoniously bounced in the first round of the Best of the 90s Filmspotting Madness tournament, they decided to give "Crossing" another look and find it somehow an even greater achievement than those ecstatic first impressions. A couple decades watching Coen Brothers movies can, it seems, help you see even their earlier work more clearly. (And, oh man, that Carter Burwell score.) All that, plus Filmspotting Madness round two results and third-round matchups.
0:00-1:30 - Intro
3:54-41:52 - Sacred Cow: "Miller's Crossing"
Carter Burwell, "Miller's Crossing Theme"
45:40-50:39 - Next Week / Notes
50:39-1:03:36 - Filmspotting Madness: Sweet 16
Stealers Wheel, "Stuck In The Middle With You"
1:05:50-1:26:44 - Filmspotting Madness: Sweet 16, cont
1:26:44-1:29:13 - Close
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Take a quick look through Vincente Minnelli's directing credits and one thing becomes clear: he only worked with the best. In his 1952 Hollywood melodrama THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL, Minnelli gets a simultaneously charming and sinister performance from Kirk Douglas as a movie producer who'll do anything for his art. And - even better - Lana Turner as a starlet struggling with drink and depression.
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It's been a week since their review of "Annihilation," but it feels like Adam and Josh never quite escaped The Shimmer. Ava DuVernay's visually adventurous adaptation of the beloved (and "unfilmable") sci-fi/fantasy kids novel shares some of the apocalyptic themes of Alex Garland's film - as well as some of its ability to confound. While agreeing that DuVernay managed to make something personal out of her 100-million-dollar, effects-driven film, they disagree about just how successful that something is. Plus, Filmspotting Madness: Best of the '90s opening round results and second round matchups.
0:00-2:08 - Intro
4:42-22:13 - Review: "A Wrinkle in Time"
Shannon and the Clams, "The Boy"
24:53-32:05 - Oscars Recap / Next Week / Notes
32:05-50:15 - Filmspotting Madness: Round 2
Jonathan Richman, "There's Something About Mary"
51:29-1:21:36 - Filmspotting Madness: Round 2, cont
1:21:36-1:24:24 - Close / Hot Mics
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Vincente Minnelli's first collaboration with future wife Judy Garland was the 1903-set MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS, the second film in Filmspotting's six-film Minnelli Marathon. Coming a year after his 1943 debut "Cabin the Sky," the movie charts a year in the life of the Smith family, happily settled in the title city and eagerly anticipating the 1904 World's Fair. Despite its reputation as one of the great MGM musicals, Adam and Josh admit to some disappointment at the film's lack of stakes and its nostalgic embrace of the nuclear family as a platonic ideal. They admit to being charmed by Garland, though, along with a number of scenes that allow Minnelli to show off his technical brilliance.
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Adam and Josh exchange theories about "Ex Machina" director Alex Garland's latest mind-bender, ANNIHILATION, which continues Garland's sci-fi exploration of what it means to be human. (That's one theory, anyway.) After giving the movie a thorough, spoiler-free working over, they dive into some spoiler talk and discuss the movie's ending in detail. (Fear not! They give you plenty of warning - and a music break - before getting spoiler-y.) Then it's into the mouth of madness as they walk you through the 32 opening round matchups in this year's Filmspotting Madness: Best of the '90s Edition.
0:00-2:04 - Intro
2:58-29:39 - Review: "Annihilation"
29:39-43:25 - "Annihilation" Spoilers
Loma, "Relay Runner"
46:33-52:50 - Larsen Recommends: "Killer of Sheep"
52:50-1:08:49 - Next Week / Notes
1:08:49-1:37:05 - Filmspotting Madness: Opening Round
Danny Elfman, "Ice Dance" (Edward Scissorhands)
1:40:13-2:12:38 - Filmspotting Madness, cont
2:12:38-2:24:04 - Close / Hot Mics
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Filmspotting's six-film Minnelli Marathon kicks off with the director's 1943 debut CABIN IN THE SKY. Despite the folk musical's troubling racial characterizations, the all-black musical is redeemed by astonishing performances from Ethel Waters, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, and Lena Horne, along with memorable numbers for the likes of Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, John William "Bubbles" Sublett, and tap-dancer Bill Bailey. The movie also offers an early showcase of Minnelli's brilliant camerawork and gift for staging song and dance.
Next week: 1944's "Meet Me in St. Louis"
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"Pulp Fiction," "Goodfellas," "Fargo"... some ‘90s movies moved seamlessly from best of the year, to best of the decade, to best of all time. But as the '90s recede further into the past, lesser-known (but also great) films are at risk of being forgotten. In anticipation of this year's edition of Filmspotting Madness, Adam and Josh recommend some overlooked '90s movies from Jane Campion, Spike Lee, John Sayles and more, and split on their Sacred Cow review of James Cameron’s TITANIC.
0:00-2:20 - Intro
3:14-41:31 - Sacred Cow: "Titanic"
The Cardigans, "Lovefool"
44:18-47:05 - Next Week / Notes
47:05-58:38 - FS Madness Preview
The La's, "There She Goes"
59:29-1:05:27 - Donations
1:05:27-1:43:51 - Top 5: Overlooked '90s Movies
1:43:51-1:45:40 - Close
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The inspired pairing of Ryan Coogler and BLACK PANTHER has the hosts in pitch mode as Adam and Josh offer up the superhero projects they'd like to see on the big screen, including the directors - and stars - who should make them happen. Plus, the 4th annual Filmspotting Madness gets underway with the announcement of a handful of play-in matches.
0:00-1:24 - Intro
1:24-27:41 - Review: "Black Panther"
Kendrick Lamar, "Black Panther"
28:36-37:46 - Next Week / Notes
37:46-47:37 - Massacre Theatre
47:37-1:01:04 - Filmspotting Madness
Wings, "Magneto and Titanium Man"
1:01:55-1:46:43 - Top 5: Superhero-Director Combos (We'd Like To See)
1:46:43-1:56:18 - Close / Hot Mics
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In the 30 years since his turn as the temperamental Sid Vicious in Alex Cox's '86 punk biopic "Sid and Nancy," Gary Oldman has brought an intense commitment - sometimes flamboyant, theatrical level of commitment - to dozens of memorable roles. This week, Adam and Josh review Oldman's Oscar-nominated turn as Winston Churchill in Joe Wright's DARKEST HOUR and share a top 5 devoted to the chameleonic actor's most essential cinematic creations.
0:00-1:04 - Intro
1:04-30:00 - Review: "Darkest Hour"
The Sex Pistols, "God Save The Queen"
30:49-46:48 - Next Week / FS Madness
46:48-1:19:42 - Top 5: Gary Oldman Performances
1:19:42-1:28:19 - Close / Hot Mics
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1983 had De Palma's "Scarface," "Eddie Murphy in "Trading Places" (and "Delirious"!), four Tom Cruise movies and the final film in the original "Star Wars" trilogy, but for their Top 5 of '83, Adam and Josh look to auteurs from here and abroad - and Wally World, of course. Plus, a Blindspotting review of David Cronenberg's prescient techno-horror film, starring a sleazy James Woods along with Blondie's Debbie Harry. And stick around for "Bar-Hopping with Adam: Tampa Bay Edition" in the post-credits 'Hot Mics' segment.
0:00-1:19 - Intro
2:25-21:10 - Top 5: 1983
23:25-52:44 - Poll / Top 5: 1983, cont
Howard Shore, "Welcome to Videodrome"
57:54-1:03:19 - Next Week / Notes
1:03:19-1:09:55 - Massacre Theatre
1:09:55-1:34:31 - Blindspotting: "Videodrome"
1:34:31-1:45:43 - Close / Hot Mics
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With so much good news to celebrate with this year's Oscar nominations, Adam and Josh talk through the nominees for "the big six" awards, along with a few of their wish list and long-shot favorites that didn't make the cut. Listeners then chime in with their thoughts on THE LAST JEDI, with the hosts reflecting on their second helping of Rian Johnson's divisive entry into the Star Wars saga. Plus, Adam adds his voice to the chorus of praise for the consensus best film of the new year so far, PADDINGTON 2.
0:00-1:59 - Intro
3:53-30:18 - Oscar Nominations
Alexandre Desplat, "The Shape of Water"
32:21-42:32 - Next Week / Next Marathon
42:32-51:25 - Adam recommends: "Paddington 2"
John Williams, "The Supremacy" (The Last Jedi)
52:09-1:32:35 - Revisiting "The Last Jedi"
1:32:35-1:39:14 - Close / Hot Mics
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With the ink hardly dry on their year-end lists, Adam and Josh offer up a 2018 Preview in the form of their top 5 questions about the new movie year. Conspicuously absent from those best of '17 lists? Paul Thomas Anderson's PHANTOM THREAD. Fresh off a second viewing, the hosts give the film the lovingly in-depth review it deserves. Plus, Massacre Theatre, the return of Larsen Recommends and, in the post-credits "Hot Mics" segment, bonus thoughts on "I, Tonya" and "The Greatest Showman."
0:00-1:23 - Intro
2:18-39:29 - 2018 Movie Preview
Sufjan Stevens, "Tonya Harding"
42:50-48:44 - 2018 Preview, cont.
48:44-56:21 - Next Week / Larsen Recommends: "Mom and Dad"
56:21-1:06:09 - Massacre Theatre
Jonny Greenwood, "The House of Woodcock"
1:07:12-1:47:55 - Review: "Phantom Thread"
1:47:55-1:59:28 - Close / Hot Mics
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Despite staying in-studio this time, Adam and Josh continue the tradition of making the first show of the new year a celebratory, post-Top 10 "Wrap Party," with a blissful recounting of their favorite movie moments of 2017. In addition to sharing their favorite scenes of the year (along with opening scenes, funniest scenes, music and most moving moments), they also reveal the winner of the 2017 Golden Brick Award. And stick around for the post-credits "Hot Mics" segment for Adam's story about watching JANE with the in-laws.
0:00-1:19 - Intro
2:22-29:08 - Opening Scene / Funniest Scene
Dave Matthews Band, "Crash"
31:34-37:12 - Next Week / Notes
37:12-53:13 - Golden Brick Award
53:13-1:09:19 - Music Moment
John Denver, "Take Me Home, Country Roads"
1:10:13-1:13:29 - Donations
1:13:29-1:55:09 - Moving Moment / Scene of the Year
1:55:09-2:05:59 - Close / Hot Mics
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With their 'outlier' picks behind them, Adam and Josh - joined by guests Tasha Robinson (The Verge) and Michael Phillips (Chicago Tribune) - get down to business in part two of the Top 10 Films of 2017 countdown with their consensus choices for the best films of the year. Consensus, that is, with the exception of a pair of films that also happen to be among the most divisive films of '17. (Trigger warning for those of you who don't like to hear mommy and daddy fight.)
0:00-1:52 - Intro
2:49-52:17 - Top 10: Consensus Picks
Hans Zimmer & Benjamin Wallfisch, "Home" (Dunkirk)
56:14-1:03:32 - Notes / 2017 Golden Brick Finalists
1:03:32-1:48:51 - Top 10: Consensus cont.
1:48:51-1:51:32 - Close
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With Michael Phillips and Tasha Robinson joining Adam and Josh for the Top 10 Films of 2017 countdown, the roundtable devotes part one to 'The Outliers' - picks unique to each host's list. Before getting to next week's "Consensus" choices, find out who has a soft spot for body-swapping anime, who isn't afraid to put a rom-com in their top ten, and who has a thing for... rats.
0:00-1:58 - Intro
4:01-48:51 - Top 10: Outliers
Daniel Hart, "Little Notes" (A Ghost Story)
50:45-54:40 - Notes
54:40-1:02:17 - Poll: Best of 2017
1:02:17-1:37:56 - Top 10: Outliers cont.
1:37:56-1:43:36 - Close
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If 2015’s “The Force Awakens” was an explicit attempt to resurrect the rousing adventure and sly humor of the original Star Wars, then it was reasonable to assume that the latest installment in the franchise - Rian Johnson's THE LAST JEDI - might follow in the footsteps of the series’ darkest chapter: “The Empire Strikes Back.” On this week’s show, Adam and Josh discuss a film that finds clever ways to acknowledge what has come before, while making a mark as a fresh, stylish and distinct new entry in the saga. Plus, thoughts on two Golden Brick candidates, LADY MACBETH and LOVING VINCENT, and Luca Guadagnino's acclaimed new film CALL ME BY YOUR NAME.
0:00-1:17 - Intro
1:17-35:31 - Review: "The Last Jedi"
Big Thief, "Mythological Beauty"
36:33-45:57 - Brickspotting: "Lady Macbeth," "Loving Vincent"
45:57-53:57 - CFCA Nominations / Notes
53:57-1:00:15 - Massacre Theatre
1:00:15-1:14:29 - Review: "Call Me By Your Name"
1:14:29-1:16:39 - Close
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It’s not easy to make a good movie, never mind a great one. But it may be even harder to make a truly terrible movie. 2003’s "The Room" is one such terrible movie that is so bad it's become legend - and a favorite at midnight movie screenings. It's also the subject of the new James Franco-directed (and starring) film THE DISASTER ARTIST, which tells the story of how "The Room" came to be. This week, reviews of "Artist" and THE SHAPE OF WATER, a wondrous new Cold War-era fairy tale from Guillermo del Toro. Plus, the Top 5 Best Worst Movies with Rob Hill, author of "The Bad Movie Bible."
0:00-2:03 - Intro
3:28-34:13 - Review: "The Shape Of Water"
Ron Gallo, "Don't Mind The Lion"
36:09-38:47 - Next week / Notes
38:47-45:35 - Polls: "The Room" / Best of 2017
45:35-1:00:17 - Review: "The Disaster Artist"
Ron Gallo, "Young Lady You're Scaring Me"
1:01:40-1:06:31 - Donations
1:06:31-1:40:53 - Top 5: Best Bad Movies
1:40:53-1:44:11 - Close / Outtake
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Great movie years usually come down to a memorable Best Picture matchup. In 1939, it was "Gone With the Wind" versus "The Wizard of Oz." In '94, "Pulp Fiction" versus Forrest Gump." And a decade ago - in 2007 - it was the Coen Bros’ "No Country for Old Men" versus Paul Thomas Anderson’s THERE WILL BE BLOOD. On this week's show, Adam and Josh honor the 10th anniversary of '07 with a Sacred Cow review of the PTA masterpiece and share their own Top 5 Movie Years. (Have a seat, 1939, you and Scarlett are going to sit this one out.)
0:00-2:01 - Intro
3:09-39:53 - Sacred Cow: "There Will Be Blood"
Jonny Greenwood, "Prospector's Quartet"
42:57-45:57 - Next week / notes
45:57-56:28 - Massacre Theatre
56:28-1:03:37 - JL Recommends: "Coco" "Mudbound"
Michael Giacchino, "Dia de los Muertos Suite"
1:06:14-1:47:27 - Top 5: Movie Years
1:47:27-1:49:20 - Close
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Back in December 2015, Adam and Josh weren't even allowed to share the location of their "Force Awakens" screening. Stakes were high. Their review - posted just minutes after the critic's embargo was lifted - was overall positive, but notably non-specific. In anticipation of "The Last Jedi," they revisit the J.J. Abrams-directed film and that early review to see how they hold up. Plus, the show's interview with "The Last Jedi" director Rian Johnson recorded live at Filmspotting's 500th episode celebration in 2014. At the time, Johnson had just been announced as the writer/director of Episode VIII. He talks about how early pre-production was going, what order a Star Wars novice should watch the films in and more.
0:00-1:28 - Intro
1:28-33:29 - Review: "The Force Awakens"
33:29-1:14:25 - "Force Awakens" Feedback
John Williams, "Star Wars"
1:14:52-1:22:41 - 2017 Golden Brick Contenders
1:22:41-1:39:39 - Interview: Rian Johnson
1:39:39-1:41:44 - Close
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Back in 2010, actress Greta Gerwig was the loopy, optimistic lifeforce in Noah Baumbach’s otherwise bitter and cynical “Greenberg.” She went on to co-write and star in a pair of Baumbach films before making her own directing debut this fall with LADY BIRD. The autobiographical film is set in 2002 and stars Saoirse Ronan as the strong-willed Gerwig stand-in with Laurie Metcalf as her equally tough mom. Ronan's "Lady Bird" may be an iconoclast, but Adam and Josh are only too happy to conform to the critical consensus that Gerwig's film is one of the year's best. Plus, Josh's thoughts on the new JUSTICE LEAGUE and the Top 5 Female-Directed Debuts.
0:00-1:35 - Intro
2:23-27:42 - Review: "Lady Bird"
First Aid Kit, "It's A Shame"
29:31-35:22 - Josh on "Justice League"
35:22-44:43 - Next Week ("The Force Awakens") / Notes
44:43-53:30 - Massacre Theatre
53:30-1:01:16 - Adam on "Orient Express," "Wonderstruck"
First Aid Kit, "Postcard"
1:02:31-1:03:22 - Donations
1:03:22-1:36:07 - Top 5: Female-Directed Debuts
1:36:07-1:38:50 - Close
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With a deluge of great stuff heading to theaters over the next couple of weeks, Adam and Josh devote this week’s show to the latest from three great directors: Todd Haynes ("Carol," "Far From Heaven") brings his experimental rigor to the adaptation of Brian Selznick's novel-with-pictures WONDERSTRUCK; former Golden Brick-winner Yorgos Lanthimos delivers Kubrick-inspired horror with THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER; and the 89-year-old French New Wave pioneer Agnes Varda ends a decade-long hiatus with her joyous new doc FACES PLACES. Plus, results from the latest Filmspotting Death Match.
0:00-1:46 - Intro
2:36-26:29 - Review: "Faces Places"
Destroyer, "In the Morning"
30:53-36:55 - Larsen Recommends: "Wonderstruck"
36:55-43:22 - Notes
43:22-54:30 - Polls: Death Match / "The Room"
54:30-1:00:29 - "The Killing of a Sacred Deer"
1:00:29-1:10:46 - Close / Hot Mics
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With new superhero movies making their way to screens every couple of months, less devoted fans of the genre start to look for a more compelling reason to check out the latest installment. Like handing the reins of Marvel's new "Thor" movie to a director best known for a vampire mockumentary. On this week’s show, a review of director Taika Waititi’s THOR: RAGNAROK (long may you reign, Jeff Goldblum), and Adam and Josh go shopping for post-Halloween discounts with their Top 5 Superhero Costumes.
0:00-1:35 - Billboard
2:13-26:58 - Review: "Thor: Ragnarok"
Manowar, "Thor (The Powerhead)"
29:59-39:46 - Next Week / Movie Passes
39:46-44:01 - Massacre Theatre
James Newton Howard, "Green Lantern"
47:38-50:53 - Donations
50:53-1:32:38 - Top 5: Superhero Costumes
1:32:38-1:36:01 - Close
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In 1968, a Pittsburgh-based TV commercial director scrounged together a hundred thousand bucks and shot a quickie horror film that went on to gross $30 million over nearly five decades of re-releases. It also more or less invented a new movie monster. Yes, there were zombie movies before George Romero’s NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, but - important distinction - Romero’s were the first to feast on human flesh. This Halloween weekend, Adam and Josh revisit "Dead" for a Sacred Cow review and share their Top 5 Horror Debuts. Plus, listeners name the best horror film of the last decade.
0:00-1:19 - Billboard
1:19-3:14 - Donations
3:14-41:44 - "Night Of The Living Dead" (1968)
Benjamin Wallfisch, "Every 27 Years" ("It")
43:11-52:47 - Next Week / Movie Passes / New Merch
52:47-1:09:47 - Polls: Decade's Best Horror / Death Match
Tobe Hooper & Wayne Bell, "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre"
1:10:44-1:45:24 - Top 5: Horror Debuts
1:45:24-1:58:41 - Close / Hot Mics
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The characters in writer/director Noah Baumbach’s films are neurotic, hyper-articulate and often have unresolved issues with their dads. It’s true of movies like "The Squid and the Whale" and "Margot at the Wedding," and it’s true of his latest, THE MEYEROWITZ STORIES, with Dustin Hoffman as the bad dad, and Ben Stiller, Adam Sandler and Elizabeth Marvel as his dysfunctional kids. Like the good dads they are, Adam and Josh dote on MEYEROWITZ and share their Top 5 Baumbach Characters. Plus, Massacre Theatre and a post-credits "Hot Mics" segment with Adam's reaction to "Blade Runner 2049."
0:00-1:15 - Billboard
2:00-31:50 - Review: "The Meyerowitz Stories"
Cherry Glazerr, "Told You I'd Be With The Guys"
34:27-43:30 - Next Week / Movie Passes / Notes
43:30-50:20 - Massacre Theatre
Cherry Glazerr, "Nurse Ratched"
51:16-1:21:30 - Top 5: Noah Baumbach Characters
1:21:30-1:37:54 - Close / Hot Mics
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One of the surprising success stories of 2015 was “Tangerine,” an indie shot on iPhones about a pair of transgender prostitutes who spend their Christmas Eve tracking down a disloyal pimp. Directed by Sean Baker, “Tangerine” went from Sundance sensation in January to critical darling by year’s end.
Baker’s new film, THE FLORIDA PROJECT, is set among the “Hidden Homeless” of Disney-adjacent Orlando. This week, Josh and guest Michael Phillips join the chorus of praise for FLORIDA and Adam sits down with Baker to discuss the film - and get his answers to our rapid-fire Q&A, "The Filmspotting Five."
0:00-1:08 - Billboard
1:08-23:17 - Review: "The Florida Project"
The Flat Five, "Florida"
24:09-1:00:18 - Interview: Sean Baker
1:00:18-1:03:04 - Close
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Thirty-five years after the original “Blade Runner” brought its influential tech-noir vision of the future to movie screens, the highly anticipated sequel has finally arrived. Michael Phillips joins Josh for a review.
0:00-3:58 - Billboard
3:58-34:21 - Review: "Blade Runner: 2049"
34:21-36:20 - Close
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Tom Cruise has been cranking out high-profile motion pictures at the rate of one a year for over three decades now. In his latest, AMERICAN MADE, he plays an ‘80s-era pilot who ends up working for the CIA - and a Columbian drug cartel. Adam and Josh are positive on the Doug Liman-directed film, and consider the star's long, impressive career with their Top 5 Cruise Performances.
0:00-1:52 - Billboard
1:52-26:10 - Review: "American Made"
John Williams, "End Credits" (Far & Away)
28:00-34:29 - Listener Feedback
34:29-50:51 - Polls: Cruise / Best Horror Since '07
Aimee Mann, "Save Me"
51:58-1:39:24 - Top 5: Tom Cruise Performances
1:39:24-1:42:02 - Close
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In 2015, the comic book adaptation “Kingsman: The Secret Service” opened to divisive - but mostly favorable - reviews. Some critics appreciated the movie’s hyper-violent reimagining of a Bond-esque spy agency; others found it sadistic and in poor taste. Adam and Josh... skipped it entirely. This week, they caught up with it for a review of the new sequel “Kingsman: The Golden Circle.” Plus, Adam's interview with Kogonada, director of "Columbus," the acclaimed new film starring John Cho (and some famous Modernist buildings).
0:00-4:02 - Billboard
4:02-30:30 - Review: "Kingsman: The Golden Circle"
Dead Pretties, "Confidence"
32:59-41:58 - Cruise Poll / Listener Feedback
41:58-53:02 - Massacre Theatre: Impenetrable Accent Edition
53:02-1:22:31 - Interview: Kogonada
1:22:31-1:25:58 - Close
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Damian Szifron's 2015 Oscar nominee "Wild Tales" proves to be a perfect - and entertaining - bookend to a marathon that started with Mariano Llinas' 2008 film "Extraordinary Stories." Though very different in style and tone, both films successfully juggle multiple narratives and show their young writer-directors to be promising talents to keep an eye on.
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Since his startling 1998 debut "Pi," Darren Aronofsky has used his intense, visceral style to tell stories about damaged and obsessive characters. Even his foray into big-budget filmmaking was no exception - Russell Crowe’s Noah battles some of the same demons as Natalie Portman’s ballet dancer in “Black Swan” (or Mickey Rourke's broken warrior in "The Wrestler"). This week, Josh and guest host Michael Phillips review of Aronofsky’s latest, the Jennifer Lawrence-starring psychological thriller “mother!”. Then Adam drops back in for the Top 5 Aronofsky Scenes. Plus, the Filmspotting Five with "Columbus" director Kogonada.
0:00-1:41 - Billboard
1:41-26:30 - Review: "mother!" (w/ Michael Phillips)
Feist, "Any Party"
28:17-44:41 - Next week / MT Music Fun / Crushing Linklater
44:41-55:50 - Polls: Aronofsky / Tom Cruise
55:50-1:03:43 - Filmspotting Five: Kogonada
Feist, "Pleasure"
1:05:15-1:06:55 - Donations
1:06:55-1:46:11 - Top 5: Aronofsky Scenes
1:46:11-1:48:34 - Close / Outtake
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In the spirit of Bunuel's surrealist critiques of the bourgeoisie, Lucrecia Martel's 2008 film continues her own indictment of Argentina's upper class with the story of a woman who may or may not have committed vehicular homicide. Adam and Josh discuss Martel's gift for inviting the audience to find empathy with an often unsympathetic figure.
Up next: Damián Szifrón's Oscar-nominated "Wild Tales."
And coming Friday, Sept. 15: Josh and Michael Phillips review Darren Aronofsky's "mother!" and the Top 5 Aronofsky Scenes with Josh and Adam.
Click to learn more about Filmspotting Marathons.
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Stephen King’s first book - “Carrie” - came out in 1974. Brian DePalma's film followed two years later. Then came Kubrick's "The Shining" in '80. Since then, there’s hardly been a year without a King movie adaptation, including two prominent ones this year - THE DARK TOWER and this weekend’s IT, featuring one of King’s most memorable creations: Pennywise the Clown. This week, fresh from a screening, Adam and Josh offer thoughts on IT, and share King-induced childhood traumas with their Top 5 Stephen King Movie Scares. Plus a (sort of) Musical Massacre Theatre and another new Golden Brick nomination - director Kogonada's COLUMBUS.
0:00-1:55 - Billboard
3:37-34:23 - Review: "It" (2017)
EMA, "I Wanna Destroy"
40:29-45:08 - Next week / Argentine Marathon / Correction
45:08-52:50 - Massacre Theatre
52:50-1:04:15 - Brickspotting: "Columbus"
EMA, "Blood and Chalk"
1:05:12-1:48:59 - Top 5: Stephen King Movie Scares
1:48:59-1:58:59 - Close / Hot Mics
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Attack ships on fire, glittering c-beams, an alien in a bike's basket passing over a full moon. We've seen some things, too, Roy Batty. The Chicago Tribune's Michael Phillips joins Adam and Josh for a Sacred Cow review of Ridley Scott's seminal sci-fi noir (we chose THE FINAL CUT," if you're curious) and the Top 5 Films of 1982. Plus, listeners weigh in on our '82 Death Match - Blade Runner vs E.T. - and Michael recalls seeing "An Officer and a Gentleman" with his college girlfriend (and her grandparents).
0:00-1:51 - Billboard
1:51-37:43 - Sacred Cow: "Blade Runner"
"End Credits", Vangelis (Blade Runner)
38:42-39:32 - Donations
39:32-45:10 - Brickspotting: "Lemon," "Brigsby Bear"
45:10-55:38 - Next week / Argentine Marathon / Listener Feedback
55:38-1:03:54 - Polls ("Blade Runner" v "E.T.")
1:03:54-1:20:28 - Top 5: Films of 1982
"Up Where We Belong," Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes
1:21:23-2:00:20 - Top 5 cont.
2:00:20-2:06:07 - Close / Hot Mics
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Following the inspired narrative flights of "Extraordinary Stories" and the fleet-footed absurdism of "Castro," the New Argentine Cinema Marathon takes Adam and Josh to The Swamp. Lucrecia Martel's celebrated debut film from 2001 abounds in fetid unease and the dread of impending catastrophe. They admire Martel's vision and control of tone, but question the effectiveness of the film's resolution.
Up next: Martel's "The Headless Woman" (2008)
And coming Friday, Sept. 1: Sacred Cow review of "Blade Runner" and the Top 5 Films of 1982 w/ Michael Phillips
Click to learn more about Filmspotting Marathons.
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With new films from George Clooney ("Suburbicon"), Taika Waititi ("Thor: Ragnarok") and Darren Aronofsky (the Jennifer Lawrence-starring "mother!") scheduled for release before Thanksgiving, Adam and Josh assemble their Top 5 Fall Movie Questions. Plus, a split review on Steven Soderbergh's new NASCAR-set heist movie, LOGAN LUCKY, and a slapstick edition of "Hot Mics."
0:00-1:05 - Billboard
2:04-27:03 - Review: "Logan Lucky"
Matt Pond PA, "Still Summer"
28:01-35:58 - Jerry Lewis / Notes
35:58-47:16 - Massacre Theatre
47:16-58:46 - Top 5: Fall Movie Preview
Matt Pond PA, "A Spark"
59:40-1:35:33 - Fall Preview, cont.
1:35:33-1:49:56 - Close / Hot Mics
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Jacques Tati and Hal Hartley are offered as possible reference points for Alejo Moguillansky's Samuel Beckett-inspired CASTRO from 2009, the second film in Filmspotting's New Argentine Cinema Marathon.
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Adam reveres the Coogan/Brydon "Trip" movies. Josh? Hadn't seen them. Until now. With Josh finally up to speed on Caine, Pacino, Connery and sixteen other* impersonations (along with Coogan and Brydon's career anguish and existential dread) - he and Adam review the third installment, THE TRIP TO SPAIN. Plus, Adam's interview with Josh and Benny Safdie, directors of the Robert Pattinson-starring GOOD TIME, and Josh's thoughts on WHOSE STREETS? and the new memoir-turned-movie THE GLASS CASTLE. Oh, and the return of "Hot Mics!"
0:00-1:53 - Billboard
1:53-31:37 - Review: "The Trip to Spain"
John Mark Nelson, "Little Notions"
35:10-54:07 - "Whose Streets?" / Notes / Polls
54:07-59:35 - "The Glass Castle"
John Mark Nelson, "Where Does That Leave Us Now"
1:00:21-1:09:38 - Donations
1:09:38-1:38:57 - Interview: Safdie Bros.
1:38:57-1:51:34 - Close / Hot Mics
See Charles Bramesco's "Ranking All the Impressions in The Trip* Trilogy" on Vulture.
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Adam and Josh kick off their New Argentine Cinema Marathon with Mariano Llinas's epic and intricately plotted 2008 film that's as much about storytelling as it is an achievement in storytelling itself. At over four hours and featuring dozens of characters, Llinas maintains incredible control over his unwieldy beast of a movie.
This episode is presented by MUBI.
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When RESERVOIR DOGS came out 25 years ago, Adam and Josh were movie geek teenagers. They were bound by their DNA to love it. But Does Quentin Tarantino’s debut still hold up? In this 2015 episode of the show, they reacquaint themselves with Mr. Blonde, Mr. Pink and the rest of the gang for a Sacred Cow review of DOGS, plus share their Top 5 Films of 1992.
0:00-1:32 - Billboard
1:32-40:58 - Sacred Cow: "Reservoir Dogs"
Sandy Rogers, "Fool for Love"
41:47-1:17:42 - Top 5: Films of 1992
1:17:42-1:19:00 - Close
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In "The Hurt Locker" and "Zero Dark Thirty," Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow explored the complexities of post-9/11 warfare. For her latest - DETROIT - she stays stateside but finds herself in another war zone. Looking back five decades to the summer of 1967, Bigelow's film documents the racial tensions and police violence that exploded into the Detroit riots. A review of DETROIT, plus news on a new Filmspotting Marathon and Adam and Josh share their Top 5 films of the landmark film year of '67.
0:00-1:23 - Billboard
1:23-30:27 - Review: "Detroit"
Simon & Garfunkel, "Mrs. Robinson"
33:01-53:33 - Notes / Massacre Theatre
53:33-58:58 - Donations
58:58-1:36:23 - Top 5: Films of 1967
1:36:23-1:39:11 - Close / Outtake
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You might be able to figure out your tolerance for the new VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS by the title alone. Got a soft spot for Flash Gordon and hallucinogenic drugs? This one might be for you. Directed by Luc Besson, the ambitious French filmmaker behind "The Fifth Element" and 2014's "Lucy," VALERIAN is the most expensive film ever made in France. The good news: the money is up there on the screen for all to see (for better and for worse). Don't know about hallucinogenic drugs, but one of your hosts does have a fondness for Flash Gordon, and finds enough in Valerian to recommend it. The other one is Josh. Flash, Ming the Merciless and Planet Mongo also make their way into this week's Top 5: Alien Worlds. Cue the Queen.
0:00-1:48 - Billboard
1:48-29:20 - Review: "Valerian and the City..."
B-52s, "Planet Claire"
32:31-35:25 - Donations
35:25-46:18 - Notes / Polls
46:18-1:20:28 - Top 5: Alien Worlds
1:20:28-1:24:52 - Close
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Christopher Nolan films are many things, but they are rarely straightforward (or short). So DUNKIRK - based on the legendary WWII rescue effort - comes as something of a surprise. Clocking in at a tidy hour 49 minutes, Nolan's latest is a lean, (sort of) old-fashioned war picture. Still vibrating from Hans Zimmer's score, Adam and Josh share their post-screening thoughts on the film and - live from a small town Wisconsin bookstore - reveal their Top 5 Films of 2017 (So Far). Plus, Josh's take on WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES, and we note the passing of George Romero and Martin Landau.
0:00-2:03 - Billboard
2:03-47:54 - Top 5: Films of 2017 (So Far)
Pieta Brown, "Stopped My Horse"
51:22-1:08:24 - Notes / Massacre Theatre
1:08:24-1:16:52 - Larsen Recs: "War for the Planet of the Apes"
Pieta Brown, "Once Again"
1:17:52-1:39:44 - Review: "Dunkirk"
1:39:44-1:43:16 - Close / Outtake
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Spidey’s back. Again. After suffering through a disappointing reboot in 2012 (and its 2014 sequel), the webslinger returns - this time under the guidance of Tony Stark. SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING finds Peter Parker in his natural habitat: high school - mostly to its benefit. Adam and Josh offer their review, plus some contrarian thoughts on Edgar Wright's BABY DRIVER and raves for David Lowery’s Sundance hit A GHOST STORY.
0:00-4:30 - Billboard / Donations
4:30-31:17 - Review: "A Ghost Story"
John Spencer Blues Explosion, "Bellbottoms"
34:07-58:30 - Notes / Polls
58:30-1:12:33 - Review: "Baby Driver"
Queen, "Brighton Rock"
1:15:51-1:31:53 - Review: "Spider-Man: Homecoming"
1:31:53-1:35:10 - Close
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Almost 15 years after its release, "Lost in Translation" remains Sofia Coppola’s best-known and best-loved film. But with the four films she's made since then, she's compiled one of the most distinctive filmographies of the 21st century. THE BEGUILED is a very Coppola remake of the 1971 Don Siegel/Clint Eastwood collaboration set during the Civil War at a Virginia girls' school. It stars Nicole Kidman, Elle Fanning, Colin Farrell and Coppola regular Kirsten Dunst, and it won Coppola the Best Directing Prize at Cannes back in May. This week, Coppola skeptic Angelica Jade Bastien (Vulture) joins Josh for a review of the film along with their Top 5 Sofia Coppola Scenes.
0:00-1:25 - Billboard
1:25-28:25 - Review: "The Beguiled"
Siouxsie & The Banshees, "Hong Kong Garden"
29:30-38:46 - Notes / Massacre Theatre
38:46-1:07:41 - Top 5: Sofia Coppola Scenes
1:07:41-1:11:13- Close / Outtake
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Kumail Nanjiani may be a familiar face to fans of HBO’s "Silicon Valley" or "Portlandia," but the very funny and surprisingly moving THE BIG SICK should make him a familiar face to many more. The film - co-written with Nanjiani's wife Emily V. Gordon - tells the story of their unusual courtship, which, along with family tensions and cultural differences, also included a life-threatening illness that struck Gordon while the two were dating.
Nanjiani talks about the art of co-writing a screenplay with your spouse (spoiler: it helps to have Judd Apatow mentor you), the most difficult scene he's ever had to shoot, and he shares his Top 5 Most Influential Movies. Plus, he and Adam chat about their college days - that they nearly spent together and answers the Filmspotting Five.
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Ana Lily Amirpour got lots of attention for her 2014 Iran-set vampire movie "A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night." She's back this year with "The Bad Batch," a Sergio Leone-inspired western with cannibals and a double-amputee for a protagonist (Suki Waterhouse). The new movie features a cast that includes Jim Carrey, Keanu Reeves and Jason Momoa. Adam and Amirpour talk the relativity of badness, the consequences of seeing inappropriate movies at an early age and their favorite Keanu performances.
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Writer/director Trey Edward Shults knocked a lot of us out last year with his indie debut KRISHA. This year, he comes to the multiplex with IT COMES AT NIGHT, an unnerving - and unconventional - horror film that has impressed critics and frustrated some audiences. Shults’ film is as much about loss as it is about scares, so along with a review of his film, Adam and guest host Michael Phillips share their Top 5 Movies About Grief. Plus thoughts on the late Glenne Headley and Adam's recommendation of the Sundance hit "Band Aid."
0:00-3:57 - Billboard
3:57-31:42 - Review: "It Comes At Night"
Angelica Garcia, "The Devil Can Get In"
34:12-40:18 - Adam Recommends: "Band Aid"
40:18-52:27 - Polls
Angelica Garcia, "Orange Flower"
54:30-56:33 - Donations
56:33-1:41:45 - Top 5: Movie About Grief
1:41:45-1:46:31- Close
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As the first superhero movie directed by and starring a woman, WONDER WOMAN went into its opening weekend with more baggage than its male-centric peers. It came out of the weekend with critical raves and record box office - and at least one member of the Larsen household practicing Diana-inspired high-kicks. On this week's show, Adam and Josh - bound by the Lasso of Hestia - share their takes, then confess their Top 5 Movie Religious Experiences. Plus, Adam's conversation with "Krisha" director Trey Shults, whose new film "It Comes At Night" opens this weekend.
0:00-1:56 - Billboard
1:56-31:17 - Review: "Wonder Woman"
Secret Sisters, "You Don't Own Me Anymore"
34:06-46:43 - Notes / Massacre Theatre
46:43-1:14:27 - Interview: Trey Shults
Secret Sisters, "Tennessee River Runs Deep"
1:17:36-2:03:20 - Top 5: Movie Religious Experiences
2:03:20-2:05:55 - Close
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Inspired by Gen. Stanley McChrystal's dramatic fall from grace in 2010 following an unflattering Rolling Stone profile, the new WAR MACHINE from Netflix puts a scowling Brad Pitt in McChrystal's boots for its Afghanistan-set satire. Despite an impressive ensemble cast, Adam and Josh agree that the film has a challenging time finding the right tone. But they also agree that a trio of actors best known for iconic work in the '80s make the most of their screen time. That review, plus the Top 5 Movie Military Leaders.
0:00-2:42 - Billboard
2:42-28:15 - Review: "War Machine"
Black Sabbath, "War Pigs"
30:42-46:42 - Cannes / Notes
46:42-55:57 - Polls
Malcolm Arnold, "Bogey's March"
58:33-1:00:36 - Donations
1:00:36-1:40:07 - Top 5: Movie Military Leaders
1:40:07-1:44:02 - Close
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1984 was a banner year for crane kicks, mogwais and bustin' ghosts, but it also saw the debut of Arnold Schwarzenegger's T-800, better known as THE TERMINATOR. Adam and Josh give James Cameron's seminal sci-fi thriller the Sacred Cow treatment, resulting in a surprisingly heated review. Plus, the Top 5 Films of 1984.
0:00-1:35 - Billboard
2:21-35:28 - Sacred Cow: "The Terminator"
The Ramones, "Too Tough To Die"
37:07-55:28 - Notes / Massacre Theatre
55:28-1:01:43 - Listener Feedback
Kenny Loggins, "Footloose"
1:02:21-1:04:58 - Donations
1:04:58-1:42:21 - Top 5 Films of 1984
1:42:21-1:44:43 - Close
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