Filmspotting show

Filmspotting

Summary: Weekly film podcast/WBEZ radio show from Chicago featuring in-depth reviews, top 5 lists and interviews. Hosted by Adam Kempenaar and Josh Larsen.

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  • Artist: Filmspotting | Panoply
  • Copyright: Telegraph Road Productions, 2005-

Podcasts:

 New Argentine Cinema #2 - Castro | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 1865

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.  

 #645: The Trip to Spain / Safdie Bros. (Good Time) / The Glass Castle | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 6777

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 - Billboard1:53-31:37 - Review: "The Trip to Spain"John Mark Nelson, "Little Notions"35:10-54:07 - "Whose Streets?" / Notes / Polls54:07-59:35  - "The Glass Castle"John Mark Nelson, "Where Does That Leave Us Now"1:00:21-1:09:38 - Donations1:09:38-1:38:57 - 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.

 New Argentine Cinema #1 - Extraordinary Stories | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 1604

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.

 FS Revisited: Reservoir Dogs / Top 5 Films of 1992 | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 5025

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 - Billboard1:32-40:58 - Sacred Cow: "Reservoir Dogs"Sandy Rogers, "Fool for Love"41:47-1:17:42 - Top 5: Films of 19921:17:42-1:19:00 - Close

 #644: Detroit / Top 5 Films of 1967 | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 6116

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 - Billboard1:23-30:27 - Review: "Detroit"Simon & Garfunkel, "Mrs. Robinson"33:01-53:33 - Notes / Massacre Theatre53:33-58:58 - Donations58:58-1:36:23 - Top 5: Films of 19671:36:23-1:39:11 - Close / Outtake

 #643: Valerian / Top 5 Alien Worlds | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 5196

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 - Billboard1:48-29:20 - Review: "Valerian and the City..."B-52s, "Planet Claire"32:31-35:25 - Donations35:25-46:18 - Notes / Polls46:18-1:20:28 - Top 5: Alien Worlds1:20:28-1:24:52 - Close

 #642: Dunkirk / Top 5 Films of 2017 (So Far) / War For The Planet of the Apes | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 6286

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 - Billboard2:03-47:54 - Top 5: Films of 2017 (So Far)Pieta Brown, "Stopped My Horse"51:22-1:08:24 - Notes / Massacre Theatre1:08:24-1:16:52 - 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 

 #641: Spider-Man: Homecoming / Baby Driver / A Ghost Story | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 5694

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 / Donations4:30-31:17 - Review: "A Ghost Story"John Spencer Blues Explosion, "Bellbottoms"34:07-58:30 - Notes / Polls58:30-1:12:33 - Review: "Baby Driver"Queen, "Brighton Rock"1:15:51-1:31:53 - Review: "Spider-Man: Homecoming"1:31:53-1:35:10 - Close

 #640: The Beguiled / Top 5 Sofia Coppola Scenes | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 4558

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 - Billboard1:25-28:25 - Review: "The Beguiled"Siouxsie & The Banshees, "Hong Kong Garden"29:30-38:46 - Notes / Massacre Theatre38:46-1:07:41 - Top 5: Sofia Coppola Scenes1:07:41-1:11:13- Close / Outtake

 Kumail Nanjiani ("The Big Sick") | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 2820

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.

 Ana Lily Amirpour ("The Bad Batch") | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 1991

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.

 #639: It Comes At Night / Top 5 Movies About Grief | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 6406

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 - Billboard3:57-31:42 - Review: "It Comes At Night"Angelica Garcia, "The Devil Can Get In"34:12-40:18 - Adam Recommends: "Band Aid"40:18-52:27 - PollsAngelica Garcia, "Orange Flower"54:30-56:33 - Donations56:33-1:41:45 - Top 5: Movie About Grief1:41:45-1:46:31- Close 

 #638: Wonder Woman / Top 5 Movie Religious Experiences / Trey Shults | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 7527

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 - Billboard1:56-31:17 - Review: "Wonder Woman"Secret Sisters, "You Don't Own Me Anymore"34:06-46:43 - Notes / Massacre Theatre46:43-1:14:27 - Interview: Trey ShultsSecret Sisters, "Tennessee River Runs Deep"1:17:36-2:03:20 - Top 5: Movie Religious Experiences2:03:20-2:05:55 - Close

 #637: War Machine / Top 5 Movie Military Leaders | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 6225

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 - Billboard2:42-28:15 - Review: "War Machine"Black Sabbath, "War Pigs"30:42-46:42 - Cannes / Notes46:42-55:57 - PollsMalcolm Arnold, "Bogey's March"58:33-1:00:36 - Donations1:00:36-1:40:07 - Top 5: Movie Military Leaders1:40:07-1:44:02 - Close     

 #636: Top 5 Films of 1984 / The Terminator | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 6463

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 - Billboard2:21-35:28 - Sacred Cow: "The Terminator"The Ramones, "Too Tough To Die"37:07-55:28 - Notes / Massacre Theatre55:28-1:01:43 - Listener FeedbackKenny Loggins, "Footloose"1:02:21-1:04:58 - Donations1:04:58-1:42:21 - Top 5 Films of 19841:42:21-1:44:43 - Close  

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