Podcasts by Filmspotting: Reviews

#861: Kimi / Encanto from 2022-02-18T06:00

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, starrin...

#860: Top 5 Sondheim Screen Moments from 2022-02-11T06:00

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...

#859: The Godfather at 50 from 2022-02-04T06:00

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 ...

#858: 2022 Movie Preview from 2022-01-28T06:00

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....

#857: Best Scenes of 2021 / Golden Brick Award from 2022-01-21T06:00

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 ...

#856: The Matrix Resurrections / The Tragedy of Macbeth from 2022-01-14T06:00

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, t...

#855: Top 10 Films of 2021 (Pt. 2) from 2021-12-31T06:00

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 ...

#854: Top 10 Films of 2021 (Pt. 1) from 2021-12-24T06:00

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...

#853: Best Performances of 2021 / Licorice Pizza / Nightmare Alley from 2021-12-17T06:00

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 ...

#852: The Power of the Dog / Campion Oeuvre-view Awards from 2021-12-10T06:00

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 ...

#851: West Side Story / Red Rocket from 2021-12-03T06:00

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 a...

#850: House of Gucci / tick, tick... BOOM! / Spencer / Golden Brick Noms from 2021-11-26T06:00

'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), t...

#849: Passing / Eternals / Bright Star (Campion #7) from 2021-11-12T06:00

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...

#848: Last Night in Soho / In the Cut (Campion #6) from 2021-11-05T05:00

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...

#847: The French Dispatch / Rushmore (Sacred Cow Revisited) from 2021-10-29T05:00

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 als...

#846: Dune / Holy Smoke (Campion #5) from 2021-10-22T05:00

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 s...

#845: No Time To Die / Lamb / The Portrait of a Lady (Campion #4) from 2021-10-15T05:00

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...

#844: The Piano (Campion #3) / Chicago Int'l Film Festival Preview from 2021-10-08T05:00

“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 Ca...

#843: Titane / An Angel at My Table (Campion #2) from 2021-10-01T05:00

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 ...

#842: Casino Royale at 15 / Sweetie (Campion #1) from 2021-09-24T05:00

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 Ja...

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#841: Top 5 Films of 1971 / The Eyes of Tammy Faye from 2021-09-17T05:00

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 ...

#840: The Card Counter / Wong Kar Wai Marathon Awards from 2021-09-10T06:00

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...

#839: Fall Movie Preview / Shang-Chi / Candyman from 2021-09-03T05:00

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...

#838: In the Mood for Love at 20 / Nine Days / Top 5 Romantic Gestures (Revisited) from 2021-08-27T05:00

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...

#837: Annette / Respect / Happy Together (Wong Kar Wai #5) from 2021-08-13T05:00

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" sho...

#836: The Green Knight / The Suicide Squad / Fallen Angels (Wong Kar Wai #4) from 2021-08-06T05:00

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. L...

#835: Pig / Old / Chungking Express (Wong Kar Wai #3) from 2021-07-30T05:00

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 reeli...

#833: A Clockwork Orange at 50 / Roadrunner / As Tears Go By (Wong Kar Wai #1) from 2021-07-16T05:00

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, A...

#832: Black Widow / Summer of Soul / No Sudden Move / Zola from 2021-07-09T05:00

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 (...

FS Revisited: Raiders of the Lost Ark / Top 5 Films of 1981 from 2021-07-02T05:00

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 ...

#831: F9 / Top 5 Fast & Furious Moments from 2021-06-25T05:00

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 cr...

#830: Pixar's Luca / 7 From '76 Awards / The Sparks Brothers from 2021-06-18T05:00

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 Ros...

#829: In The Heights / Car Wash (7 From '76) from 2021-06-11T05:00

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 p...

#828: Undine / Harlan County U.S.A. (7 From '76) from 2021-06-04T05:00

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 Rog...

#827: A Quiet Place Part II / Top 5 Quiet Scenes from 2021-05-28T05:00

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 be...

#826: Summer Movie Preview / Shiva Baby / "The Savages" ('40s Noir Awards) from 2021-05-21T05:00

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 Jo...

#825: The Underground Railroad / White Heat ('40s Noir #6) from 2021-05-14T05:00

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 ...

#824: Top 5 '70s Movie Moms / Wrath of Man / News From Home (7 From '76) from 2021-05-07T05:00

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...

#823: Together Together / Oscars / The Lady From Shanghai ('40s Noir #5) from 2021-04-30T05:00

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...

#822: Oscars Special with Michael Phillips from 2021-04-16T05:00

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 fo...

#821: Rocky (7 From '76) / Detour ('40s Noir #4) / '80s Madness Champ from 2021-04-09T05:00

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 peop...

#820: Godzilla ('54) vs. Kong ('33) from 2021-04-02T05:00

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 t...

#819: Oscars Homework (Pieces of a Woman / U.S. vs Billie Holiday / My Octopus Teacher) from 2021-03-26T05:00

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...

#818: Network (7 From '76) / Oscar Nominations / Laura ('40s Noir #3) from 2021-03-19T05:00

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 seri...

#817: Top 5 Movie Meals / WandaVision / The Truffle Hunters from 2021-03-12T06:00

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 r...

#815: Top 5 Anthony Hopkins Performances / The Father / Madness Rd. 1 from 2021-02-26T06:00

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 fa...

#814: The Silence of the Lambs (30th Ann.) / Madness Play-Ins from 2021-02-19T06:00

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 a...

#813: Judas and the Black Messiah / The Letter ('40s Noir #1) from 2021-02-12T06:00

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)...

#812: All The President's Men (7 From '76) / Malcolm & Marie from 2021-02-05T06:00

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...

#811: 2021 Movie Preview from 2021-01-29T06:00

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 gettin...

#810: Best Scenes of 2020 / Golden Brick Award from 2021-01-22T06:00

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 fil...

#809: News of the World / Wonder Woman 1984 from 2021-01-15T06:00

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...

#808: (Pt. 2) Top 10 Films of 2020 from 2021-01-01T06:00

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 o...

#807: (Pt. 1) Top 10 Films of 2020 from 2020-12-25T06:00

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 Tash...

#806: Best Performances (and More) of 2020 from 2020-12-18T06:00

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 pe...

#805: Top 5 Frances McDormand Performances / Nomadland from 2020-12-11T06:00

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 per...

#804: Mank / Ma Rainey's Black Bottom / Sound of Metal from 2020-12-04T06:00

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, ...

#803: 2020 Golden Brick Nominees / The Nest from 2020-11-27T06:00

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 stor...

#802: Stranger Than Paradise / Wolfwalkers / 8 From '84 Awards from 2020-11-20T06:00

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"), f...

#802: Stranger Than Paradise (8 From '84) / Wolfwalkers / 8 From '84 Awards from 2020-11-20T06:00

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"), f...

#801: Dune (8 From '84) / Twin Peaks Pilot (30th Anniv.) from 2020-11-13T06:00

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 yea...

From Chicago, this is Filmspotting. from 2020-11-12T17:00

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From Chicago, this is Filmspotting. from 2020-11-12T17:00

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#800: Fall Movie Preview / Daughters of the Dust (Overlooked Auteurs) from 2020-11-06T06:00

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...

#799: Top 5 High-Concept Horror / Bad Hair / The Wolf Of Snow Hollow from 2020-10-30T05:00

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...

#798: On the Rocks / Borat 2 / Seven Beauties (Overlooked Auteurs) from 2020-10-23T05:00

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...

#797: American Utopia / Trial of the Chicago 7 / Chicago Film Fest Preview from 2020-10-16T05:00

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...

#796: Top 5 Mozart Moments in Movies / Amadeus (8 From '84) from 2020-10-09T05:00

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'...

#795: Dick Johnson Is Dead / Wanda (Overlooked Auteurs #4) from 2020-10-02T05:00

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...

#794: Top 5 Landscapes as Characters w/Gregory Crewdson / Kajillionaire from 2020-09-25T05:00

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 ...

#793: The Nest / Antebellum / Jeanne Dielman (Overlooked Auteurs #3) from 2020-09-18T05:00

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'...

#792: Top 5 Ennio Morricone Scores / Once Upon a Time in America (8 From '84) from 2020-09-11T05:00

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 weste...

#791: Tenet / I'm Thinking of Ending Things / Feels Good Man from 2020-09-04T05:00

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. Unfort...

#790: Personal History of David Copperfield / Daisies (Overlooked Auteurs #2) from 2020-08-28T05:00

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 Iannucc...

#789: Barbara Kopple / Ida Lupino + Maya Deren (Overlooked Auteurs #1) from 2020-08-21T05:00

"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 thi...

#788: She Dies Tomorrow / Boys State from 2020-08-14T05:00

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 f...

#787: Dunkirk (Nolan #8) / Nolan Awards from 2020-07-31T05:00

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 m...

#786: Kelly Reichardt / First Cow from 2020-07-24T05:00

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 y...

#785: Interstellar (Nolan #7) / Palm Springs / Relic from 2020-07-17T05:00

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 SPRIN...

#784: Hamilton / The Old Guard / The Cotton Club (8 From '84) from 2020-07-10T05:00

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 p...

#783: Top 5 Films of 2020 (So Far) / Inception (Nolan #6) from 2020-07-03T05:00

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...

#782: Jaws (45th Anniversary) / Power Ranking Spielberg from 2020-06-19T05:00

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 ...

Introducing Truth vs Hollywood from 2020-06-12T17:00

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 ...

#781: Da 5 Bloods / Top 5 Spike Lee Shots from 2020-06-12T05:00

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 ...

#780: Top 5 Movies That Educated Us About Racism from 2020-06-05T05:00

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 ho...

#779: The Prestige (Nolan #5) / Vast of Night / Painter and the Thief from 2020-05-29T05:00

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...

#778: Top 5 Trip Series Scenes / Trip to Greece from 2020-05-22T05:00

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 obligation...

#777: The Dark Knight Trilogy (Nolan #4) from 2020-05-15T05:00

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 s...

#776: Ghostbusters v Gremlins (8 From '84) / Bette Davis #4 - Now, Voyager from 2020-05-08T05:00

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!...

#775: Top 5 Moviegoing Experiences from 2020-05-01T05:00

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 ...

#774: Insomnia (Nolan #3) / Blow the Man Down / True History of the Kelly Gang from 2020-04-24T05:00

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 la...

#774: Insomnia (Nolan #3) / Blow the Man Down / True History of the Kelly Gang from 2020-04-24T05:00

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 la...

#773: Top 5 Things We're Streaming During Quarantine / Bette Davis #3 - Dark Victory from 2020-04-17T05:00

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 Streami...

#772: Never Rarely Sometimes Always / Nolan #2 - Memento / Madness Champion from 2020-04-10T05:00

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 cele...

#771: Following (Nolan #1) / Bette Davis #2 - Jezebel / Madness Finals from 2020-04-03T05:00

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 th...

#771: Nolan #1 - Following / Bette Davis #2 - Jezebel / Madness Finals from 2020-04-03T05:00

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 th...

#770: Purple Rain - Spinal Tap - Stop Making Sense (8 From '84) / Madness Final 4 from 2020-03-27T05:00

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 ...

#769: 1930s Starter Pack / Bette Davis #1 - Of Human Bondage / Madness Elite 8 from 2020-03-20T05:00

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 f...

The Process: Guillaume Rocheron (1917) from 2020-03-18T14:00

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 und...

#768: First Cow / Onward / Madness Sweet 16 from 2020-03-13T05:00

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 parab...

#767: Top 20 Films of the 2010s (Pt. 2) / Invisible Man / Madness Rd. 2 from 2020-03-06T06:00

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...

#766: Top 20 Films of the 2010s (Pt. 1) / Madness Rd. 1 from 2020-02-28T06:00

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. ...

#765: Top 10 Performers of the 2010s from 2020-02-21T06:00

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 ...

#764: Live in Chicago / Oscars / Birds of Prey / The Assistant from 2020-02-14T06:00

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,...

#763: Top 5 Jeff Bridges Scenes / Starman (8 From '84) from 2020-02-07T06:00

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 o...

#762: 2020 Oscars Special with Michael Phillips from 2020-01-31T06:00

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...

#761: 2020 Movie Preview from 2020-01-24T06:00

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 Ander...

#760: Best Scenes of 2019 / Oscar Nominations / Golden Brick Winner from 2020-01-17T06:00

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...

#759: (Pt. 2) Top 10 Films of 2019 from 2020-01-02T06:00

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 di...

#758: (Pt. 1) Top 10 Films of 2019 from 2019-12-26T22:00

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 ...

#757: The Rise of Skywalker / Safdie Brothers ("Uncut Gems") from 2019-12-20T06:00

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 lea...

#756: The Phantom Menace at 20 / 9 From '99 Awards from 2019-12-13T06:00

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 PHANTO...

#755: Little Women / Knives Out / A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood from 2019-12-06T06:00

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...

#754: 2019 Golden Brick Nominees from 2019-11-29T06:00

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 ...

#754: 2019 Golden Brick Nominees from 2019-11-29T06:00

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 ...

#753: Marriage Story / Top 5 Movies About Marriage from 2019-11-22T06:00

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 exp...

#752: Magnolia at 20 / Jojo Rabbit / The Report / The King from 2019-11-15T06:00

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 ...

#751: The Irishman / Contemporary Chinese #4 - Ash Is Purest White from 2019-11-08T06:00

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...

#750: The Lighthouse / Contemporary Chinese #3 - Our Time Will Come from 2019-11-01T14:25:10

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 a...

#749: Parasite / Pain and Glory / Contemporary Chinese #2 - The Midnight After from 2019-10-25T05:00

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 subje...

#748: American Beauty at 20 / Contemporary Chinese Cinema #1 - Let The Bullets Fly from 2019-10-18T05:00

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 ask...

#747: Joker / Chicago International Film Festival Preview from 2019-10-10T21:00

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...

#746: Ad Astra / Top 5 Steppenwolf Member Movie Performances from 2019-09-27T05:00

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 ...

#721: Us / Elite 8 Madness / Cassavetes #4 - Opening Night from 2019-03-22T05:00

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...