Filmspotting

Anticipation was high back in 2012 when director Ridley Scott returned to the "Alien" franchise with “Prometheus.” Despite a somewhat mixed response from audiences and critics, the 79-year-old Scott finds himself back aboard a doomed spacecraft with ALIEN: COVENANT. The return of the xenomorphs to the big screen is also the inspiration for this week’s Top 5: Alien Attacks. 0:00-2:28 - Billboard2:28-33:12 - Review: "Alien: Covenant"Deep Purple, "Space Truckin'"36:29-59:17 - Notes 59:17-1:07:29 - PollsElla Fitzgerald, "Two Little Green Men In a Flying Saucer"1:11:43-1:47:03 - Top 5: Alien Attacks1:47:03-1:49:42 - Close 

When the great Jonathan Demme passed away in April, he left behind one of the most acclaimed and diverse filmographies in American cinema. Demme will always be remembered for the Oscar-winning "Silence of the Lambs," but his 1986 cult road trip comedy SOMETHING WILD may be an even better representative of what made him so special. This week, Adam and Josh catch up with that Demme blindspot and – with a little help from some friends – share their Top 5 Jonathan Demme Moments.    0:00-4:42 - Billboard4:42-32:23 - Blindspotting: "Something Wild"David Byrne, "Loco de Amor"34:06-53:41 - Notes / Massacre TheatreTalking Heads, "Once in a Lifetime"54:32-1:39:10 - Top 5: Demme Moments1:39:10-1:42:12 - Close 

Adam and Josh wrap up their Agnes Varda Marathon with a conversation about the director's cinema- and life-affirming 2008 memoir THE BEACHES OF AGNES, followed by "The Cleos" - their awards for the series' best performances, scenes, picture and more.0:00-17:23 - Review: "The Beaches of Agnes"17:23-38:07 - The Cleos

Summer used to have a monopoly on superheroes, fast cars and stuff you bring your kids to, but "Beauty and the Beast," "Fate of the Furious" and "Logan" have already come and made their millions. So what do we have to look forward to when we need to escape the heat? Well, first up, it's GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2. Adam and Josh review the James Gunn-directed sequel, and preview their most anticipated movies of the season with their Top 5 Summer Movie Questions.0:00-2:01 - Billboard2:01-26:37 - Review: "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2"Sam Cooke, "Bring It On Home To Me"28:06-41:07 - Notes41:07-50:22 - PollsELO, "Mr. Blue Sky"47:08-1:24:51 - Summer Movie Preview1:24:51-1:28:52 - Close

The movies have taken us on great adventures over the years, both real and imagined: through the deepest jungle, across perilous oceans, to distant planets - and beyond. But which of those cinematic adventures would you actually participate in if given the chance? This week, the Top 5 Movie Expeditions Adam and Josh would sign up for, along with their review of James Gray’s new movie adventure THE LOST CITY OF Z. Plus, Steve Prokopy drops by to preview the Chicago Critics Film Festival.0:00-2:00 - Billboard2:00-27:15 - Review: "The Lost City of Z"Fionn Regan, "The Meetings of the Waters"28:55-39:25 - Notes / Massacre Theatre39:25-51:10 - Chicago Critics Film FestFionn Regan, "Book of the Moon"56:58-1:24:35 - Top 5: Movie Expeditions (We'd Sign Up For)1:24:35-1:30:41 - Close / Outtake 

French New Wave pioneer Agnes Varda has long displayed a curiosity about people who live on society's fringes. In her 2000 doc "The Gleaners and I," the director focuses her camera on communities (and some memorably eccentric individuals) that belong to the French tradition of gathering up what's left behind after a harvest. Documenting the various gleaners, pickers and dumpster-divers becomes a meditation on the creative process itself as Varda becomes a subject of her own film.On Filmspotting #632 (Friday, April 27): James Gray's THE LOST CITY OF Z and the Top 5 Movie Expeditions (We'd Sign Up For).

Just how big a deal is the "Furious" franchise? The 8th film in the street-racing saga managed to break an opening weekend box office record previously held by "The Force Awakens." So yeah: it’s big. So big, we're devoting the whole show to Alpha Dom and his ever-expanding crew. The Next Picture Show's Tasha Robinson and Genevieve Koski join Adam for a review of THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS, plus a replay of Adam and Josh's Top 5 Fast & Furious Moments from 2015.​0:00-1:43 - Billboard1:43-33:25 - Review: "The Fate of the Furious"Lil Uzi Vert, "Go Off"35:53-37:02 - Notes37:02-1:13:36 - Top 5: Fast & Furious Moments (2015)1:13:36-1:16:51 - Close 

Wes Anderson’s RUSHMORE was a minor indie hit during its initial run starting in late 1998, but it marked the arrival of a significant new directing talent, and established a brilliant new stage of Bill Murray’s career. Adam and Josh – who joins the show from Ebert Interruptus in Boulder, CO - give Anderson's film the Sacred Cow treatment and unveil your 2017 Filmspotting Madness champion. Also, Adam's interview with Charlie Siskel, co-director the Oscar-nominated "Finding Vivian Maier" and director of the new doc AMERICAN ANARCHIST. Siskel also shares his Top 5 Most Influential Docs.0:00-1:29 - Billboard1:29-35:09 - Sacred Cow: "Rushmore"Cat Stevens, "The Wind"38:33-1:00:22 - FS Madness Champion / PollThe Rolling Stones, "I Am Waiting"1:01:18-1:35:22 - Interview: Charlie Siskel1:35:22-1:37:55 - Close   

In 2014, first-time writer/director Charlie McDowell made a big impression (on Adam, anyway) with THE ONE I LOVE, a movie about a troubled marriage with surreal, Charlie Kaufman-esque flourishes. McDowell’s follow up - THE DISCOVERY, which stars Rooney Mara, Jason Segel and Robert Redford, also has a provocative sci-fi premise, this one about the consequences of scientists proving the existence of an afterlife. The film debuted to some acclaim this January at Sundance and is now being distributed exclusively on Netflix. This week on the show, Adam and Josh mostly agree about the movie's failings, but still manage to get into a fight over Jesse Plemons. Plus, Filmspotting Madness Final Four results (The Godfather v 2001! Pulp Fiction v Empire Strikes Back!) and the Agnes Varda Marathon continues with the director's 1985 masterpiece VAGABOND.0:00-1:16 - Billboard1:16-29:08 - Review: "The Discovery"Alt-J, "3WW"30:08-53:20 - Notes / FS Madness53:20-1:16:55 - Varda #4: "Vagabond"1:16:55-1:27:55 - Close / Hot Mics

CASABLANCA is one of the most enduring and beloved films of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Three-quarters of a century after its 1942 release, its famous lines, songs and faces have retained their power. But what does the film itself have to offer 21st-century audiences? (Spoiler: quite a lot actually.) In honor of its 75th anniversary, Adam, guest host Michael Phillips and film professor Katharine Fusco revisit the WWII-era classic with a Sacred Cow review. Plus, Michael mocks and then kinda sorta recommends Terrence Malick's "Song to Song," and the Filmspotting Madness Final Four is revealed.0:00-2:01 - Billboard2:01-42:32 - Sacred Cow: "Casablanca"Dooley Wilson, "As Time Goes By"43:58-51:15 - MP Review: "Song to Song"51:15-1:11:26 - Filmspotting Madness1:11:26-1:16:57 - Close / Outtake

Kristen Stewart went from child actress to reticent star of the hugely successful TWILIGHT series to… well, we’ll see. But with strong work in a couple of notable indies and European films recently, her cult of fans is expanding. With Stewart's latest Oliver Assayas collaboration (PERSONAL SHOPPER) now in limited release, Adam and Josh devote this week’s Top 5 to a few of the actress's best moments on screen, plus a conversation with director Stephen Cone about his powerful response to "Shopper". Also, Filmspotting Madness Sweet 16 results, your Elite 8 matchups, and Agnes Varda's ONE SINGS, THE OTHER DOESN'T (1977).0:00-2:05 - Billboard3:44-15:16 - "Personal Shopper" w/ Stephen Cone15:16-44:50 - Top 5 Kristen Stewart ScenesMitski, "Your Best American Girl"51:10-1:18:50 - Filmspotting MadnessMitski, "Once More To See You"1:21:12-1:25:47 - JL Review: "Beauty and Beast" (2017)1:25:47-1:50:02 - Varda #3: "One Sings, The Other Doesn't" 1:50:02-1:54:32 - Close / Outtake

TRAINSPOTTING wasn't a huge hit in its day, but the 1996 film made an impression on a generation of young film fans thanks to its visual flair, memorable soundtrack and quartet of talented stars. That quartet - lead by Ewan McGregor - is making a surprise comeback 20 years later with the release of T2 TRAINSPOTTING. Also back: director Danny Boyle. This week on the show, Boyle sits down with Adam to talk about how he approached the sequel, and contributes his own Top 5 Danny Boyle Characters. (Spoiler: they're all women.) Plus, a surreal chat with Tim Heidecker and Gregg Turkington from Adult Swim's "On Cinema," Filmspotting Madness Round 2 results and Film Comment's Violet Lucca drops in for week 2 of the Agnes Varda Marathon.0:00-2:00 - Billboard3:45-39:01 - Top 5 Danny Boyle CharactersYoung Fathers, "Only God Knows"40:37-1:01:17 - T2 / Boyle Characters, cont.1:01:17-1:13:35 - Tim Heidecker and Gregg Turkington1:13:35-1:42:55 - Filmspotting MadnessYoung Fathers, "Low"1:49:17-2:00:31 - Filmspotting Madness, cont.2:00:31-2:25:44 - Varda #2: "The Creatures"2:25:44-2:30:22 - Close

The tale of the once-great gunslinger forced out of retirement for one more job is a familiar one, but not one we’ve seen adopted by the superhero genre – until now. Marvel’s LOGAN is one part “Shane,” one part “Unforgiven," and if last weekend’s box office is any indication, we may see more like it. Adam and Josh share their mixed review, plus Round 1 results from Filmspotting Madness and the first film in the Agnes Varda Marathon - 1955's LA POINTE COURTE.0:00-2:12 - Billboard3:54-27:59 - Review: "Logan"Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives, "Lost In the Desert"29:56-39:34 - Notes39:34-1:20:54 - Filmspotting MadnessCorinne Marchand, "Sans Toi" ("Cleo From 5 to 7")1:23:50-1:41:37 - Varda #1: "La Pointe Courte"1:41:37-1:44:15 - Close / Outtake

Who needs to be told how great The Godfather is? Or Citizen Kane? Or, um... Midnight Run? That was the logic back in the early days of the show - in 2005 - when Adam and original co-host/current producer/Midnight Run-lover Sam established the Filmspotting Pantheon: an eccentric mix of movie greats and personal favorites. For the show’s 12th anniversary, Adam and Josh dust off the Pantheon for Filmspotting Madness - a month-long tournament that will leave only one film reigning supreme. That, plus a review of surprise box office hit GET OUT.0:00-1:49 - Billboard1:49-43:42 - Top 5 Pantheon ContendersSpoon, "Can I Sit Next To You"46:51-1:03:10 - Notes1:03:10-1:24:29 - Filmspotting MadnessSpoon, "Can I Sit Next To You"1:25:42-1:30:59 - Donations1:30:59-1:47:53 - Review: "Get Out"1:47:53-2:00:38 - Filmspotting Madness, cont.2:00:38-2:03:51 - Close / Outtake

Luis Bunuel's puckish sensibility did not fail him in his old age. For the director's final film - 1977's THAT OBSCURE OBJECT OF DESIRE (made when he was 80) - Bunuel famously cast two actresses in the same role. The conceit allows him to explore some of his favorite themes - obsession, repression, desire, hypocrisy. It's also one of his funniest films. Adam and Josh have that review and wrap-up the marathon with 'Those Obscure Objects of Desire' - the Bunuel Marathon Awards. It's Catherine Deneuve v Jeanne Moreau! Fernando Rey v The Eyeball!A special 12th anniversary episode of Filmspotting comes later in the week, with the 2017 Filmspotting Madness Selection Special and Adam and Josh's Top 5 Pantheon Contenders.