Filmspotting

Latest Episodes:

The Exorcist (1973) | Archive Oct 28, 2026

Show notes

For Halloween week, we're going deep into the Archive for Adam and Josh's 2013 Sacred Cow review of William Friedkin's The Exorcist.

Unlock the full archive, Filmspotting Discord, ad‑free + bonus episodes, and more when you ⁠join the Filmspotting Family⁠.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Campy and Creeping Dread Horror, plus The Movies That (De)Formed Us | SVU Oct 27, 2026

Show notes

For the final episode in Spook-tober, Jordan and Matt share the defining scares of their childhoods and respond to listener requests for campy and creeping dread horror movies. And then — the horror! — Jordan takes a turn hosting America’s fastest growing game show: Portmanteau-To-Toe.

Intro (00:00:00–00:03:07)

The Movies That (De)Formed Us (00:03:08–00:39:56)

Listener Request Seg: Campy and Creeping Dread Horror Movies (00:39:57–01:09:09)

Notes / Game: Portmanteau-To-Toe (01:09:09–01:24:09)

New to Streaming / Credits (01:24:10–01:32:31)

Show Notes

Now Streaming on Bazooga - A Filmspotting: SVU Archive⁠ https://letterboxd.com/samvanhallgren/list/now-streaming-on-bazooga-a-filmspotting-svu/⁠

Order Matt's book "Funny Business: The Old-School Wedding Crashers and Knocked-Up Virgins Who Changed Comedy Forever" (available now!):⁠ https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/790241/funny-business-by-matt-singer/⁠

Matt’s book tour!

matt-singer.net

Bazooga jingle by Andy Wilkowske

https://www.andrewwilkowske.com/

Feedback: Email us at feedback@filmspottingSVU.com

Follow Matt on Blue Sky: @mattsinger.bsky.social

Follow Jordan on Blue Sky: @jhoffman.bsky.social

Follow the Show:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/superpulse/⁠⁠ https://www.facebook.com/FilmspottingSvu⁠

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"There is a distinct difference between suspense and surprise" with Bilge Ebiri | The Movie Racket Oct 26, 2026

Show notes

Film critic Bilge Ebiri (Vulture, New York Magazine) joins Michael Phillips to test one of Alfred Hitchcock's most famous assertions: "There is a distinct difference between suspense and surprise."

Drawing on Hitchcock classics including Sabotage, Rear Window, Notorious, and Psycho, Michael and Bilge explore why the 'Master of Suspense' believed audiences should dread an explosion more than simply be startled by one. They discuss Hitchcock's notorious "grave error" in Sabotage, the enduring power of the night-vision sequence in The Silence of the Lambs, the unresolved terror of Zodiac, and what contemporary filmmakers such as Jordan Peele and Zach Cregger have learned from Hitchcock's approach.

Join the conversation by emailing ⁠themovieracket@filmspotting.net⁠.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sense & Sensibility (2026), plus Fatherland and Whalefall | #1086 Oct 23, 2026

Show notes

How do you reimagine a beloved novel like Jane Austen’s Sense & Sensibility without losing what people love — and expect — from an Austen adaptation? Whatever it is, director Georgia Oakley appears to have figured it out. Adam and Josh praise Oakley’s earthy and unfussy film. Plus, a recap of their weekend at the Chicago International Film Festival, which included a screening of Pawel Pawilkowski’s Fatherland, and — for Josh — a 30th anniversary screening of Cheryl Dunye’s Watermelon Woman. Also, Josh’s review of Whalefall, and listeners rank the most anticipated movies of the fall.

This episode is presented by⁠ Regal Unlimited⁠⁠, the all-you-can-watch movie subscription pass that pays for itself in just two visits. Use code FILMSPOT26 to take 15% off.

(Timecodes will not be precise with ads.)

Intro (00:00:00-00:03:08)

Sense & Sensibility (00:03:09-00:25:34)

Filmspotting Family (00:25:35-00:30:35)

Sense & Sensibility, cont. (00:30:36-00:46:38)

Fatherland (00:46:39-01:07:00)

Watermelon Woman, Whalefall (01:07:01-01:13:34)

Polls (01:13:35-01:25:35)

Credits / New Releases (01:25:36-01:31:25)

Notes:

-Refocus Film Festival

https://refocusfilmfestival.org/

Feedback:

-Email us at feedback@filmspotting.net⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠-⁠Ask Us Anything⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and we might answer your question in bonus content.

Support:

-Join the Filmspotting Family for bonus shows, archive access, and more.

http://filmspottingfamily.com

-Filmspotting Shop for T-shirts and more.

⁠https://www.filmspotting.net/shop⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow:

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⁠Letterboxd⁠ | ⁠Instagram⁠ |⁠ Facebook⁠ | ⁠Bluesky

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Zuck Dynasty, Pt. 1 — The Social Network Oct 22, 2026

Show notes

Aaron Sorkin has said his new The Social Reckoning is not a sequel so much as a companion piece to David Fincher’s The Social Network, which Sorkin also scripted. Whatever you call it, though, these two films are undeniably linked, not just by Sorkin’s involvement, but especially by their interest in the tech-bro enigma that is Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. So this week we’re returning to 2010 and The Social Network to consider how the film’s depiction of Facebook’s then-recent origin story plays from our social-media-saturated present; how Sorkin’s script and Jesse Eisenberg’s performance as Zuckerberg find humanity, and maybe even sympathy, in a pointedly unlikable protagonist; and how Fincher made it all work on screen, from the instant-classic Facemash montage to a final shot we’ll be forever refreshing in our minds. Then in Feedback, a longtime friend of the show shares some thoughts prompted by our recent episode on William Friedkin’s Sorcerer.

Please share your thoughts about The Social Network, The Social Reckoning, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email or voice memo to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

This episode is presented by⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Regal Unlimited⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, the all-you-can-watch movie subscription pass that pays for itself in just two visits. Use code NEXTPIC26 for 15% off.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Top 5 Sofia Coppola Scenes | Archive Oct 21, 2026

Show notes

Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette is back in theaters this week for its 20th anniversary. In 2017, along with a review of Coppola's The Beguiled, Josh and guest host Angelica Jade Bastien shared their Top 5 Sofia Coppola Scenes.

Unlock the full archive, Filmspotting Discord, ad‑free + bonus episodes, and more when you ⁠join the Filmspotting Family⁠.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apple TV’s Matchbox The Movie Is a Movie For No One, plus Slow-Burn Horror Movies | SVU Oct 20, 2026

Show notes

From none of the people who brought you Barbie comes a new film inspired by (or mandated by?) the Mattel corporation. It’s Matchbox: The Movie! And it stinks. But in what ways exactly does it stink? The answers may surprise you. Matt and Jordan discuss. Plus, Jordan’s thoughts on the conclusion of Prime Video’s Carrie limited series, which was reviewed on last week’s show; a Rec Seg featuring titles — one adapted from a video game, the other from a toy — that fare better than Matchbox; a listener request for slow-burn horror movies; and the return of Portmanteau-to-Toe: a Movie Trivia Game.

Intro / Carrie recap (00:00:00–00:08:41)

Matchbox: The Movie (Apple TV)(00:08:42–00:33:42)

Rec Seg! (00:33:43–00:47:41)

Listener Request Seg: Slow-Burn Horror Movies (00:47:42–01:05:33)

Game: Portmanteau-To-Toe (01:05:34–01:24:55)

New to Streaming / Credits (01:24:56–01:34:08)

Show Notes

Jordan: “What 6 Different Versions of This Sex Comedy Say About the Countries That Made Them”

https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/09/04/review-the-invite-film-international-versions/

Now Streaming on Bazooga - A Filmspotting: SVU Archive⁠ https://letterboxd.com/samvanhallgren/list/now-streaming-on-bazooga-a-filmspotting-svu/⁠

Matt’s book tour!

matt-singer.net

Feedback: Email us at feedback@filmspottingSVU.com

Follow Matt on Blue Sky: @mattsinger.bsky.social

Follow Jordan on Blue Sky: @jhoffman.bsky.social

Follow the Show:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/superpulse/⁠⁠ https://www.facebook.com/FilmspottingSvu⁠

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"I wonder what percent of people ever actually encounter a work of art that changes them" with Manohla Dargis | The Movie Racket Oct 19, 2026

Show notes

Can a movie change your life? In a 1960s interview, Stanley Kubrick posed a deceptively simple provocation: "I wonder what percent of people ever actually encounter a work of art that changes them."
This week, New York Times Chief Film Critic Manohla Dargis joins Michael Phillips to test this proposition against a lifetime of moviegoing. Together, they reflect on films that expanded their sense of what cinema could do — from Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless and Every Man for Himself to Kubrick's own 2001: A Space Odyssey — and discuss the difference between a movie that alters your life and one that offers you a profound experience.
Join the conversation by emailing themovieracket@filmspotting.net.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fall Movie Preview and The Social Reckoning | #1085 Oct 16, 2026

Show notes

With the fall film festival season (mostly) in the rearview and release dates set through the end of the year, Adam and Josh hold a Fall Movie Preview Draft that sees them largely ignoring obvious picks like Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part Three in favor of battling over some of the most intriguing indies still to come. Plus, a review of Aaron Sorkin's The Social Reckoning and Massacre Theatre.

This episode is presented by⁠ Regal Unlimited⁠⁠, the all-you-can-watch movie subscription pass that pays for itself in just two visits. Use code FILMSPOT26 to take 15% off.

(Timecodes will not be precise with ads.)

Intro (00:00:00-00:02:25)

‘26 Fall Preview Draft (00:02:26-0:25:19)

Filmspotting Family (0:25:20-00:31:25)

Preview Draft, cont. (00:31:26-1:02:41)

The Social Reckoning (1:02:42-01:30:58)

Massacre Theatre (01:30:59-01:36:46)

Credits / New Releases (01:36:47-01:44:01)

Notes:

-Yes, for some reason James Caan appeared on a Fall Preview cast list for “Cliff Booth” along with his son. No, it didn’t occur to Adam that he was dead. (He is.)

-”The Family Guy” has the famous “It insists upon itself” joke – not “The Simpsons.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYAi5aI_NPc

-Refocus Film Festival

https://refocusfilmfestival.org/

Feedback:

-Email us at feedback@filmspotting.net⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠-⁠Ask Us Anything⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and we might answer your question in bonus content.

Support:

-Join the Filmspotting Family for bonus shows, archive access, and more.

http://filmspottingfamily.com

-Filmspotting Shop for T-shirts and more.

⁠https://www.filmspotting.net/shop⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow:

-Watch Filmspotting on YouTube:

⁠https://youtube.com/filmspotting⁠

-Adam/Filmspotting

⁠Letterboxd⁠ |⁠ Instagram⁠ |⁠ Facebook⁠ | ⁠Bluesky⁠

-Josh/LarsenOnFilm

⁠Letterboxd⁠ | ⁠Instagram⁠ |⁠ Facebook⁠ | ⁠Bluesky

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trial By Media, Pt. 2 — Primetime | Next Picture Show Oct 15, 2026

Show notes

Primetime is a far-from-straightforward take on a true story, using the mid-aughts TV phenomenon To Catch a Predator and especially its host, Chris Hansen, for a darkly comic exploration of the morally murky place where ambition and justice overlap. It’s a tonal high wire act that gets a lot of mileage out of Lance Oppenheim’s expressively stylized direction and strong performances from Robert Pattinson, Merritt Wever, and Skyler Gisondo, but whether that all adds up to a satisfying film is up for debate this week. Then we bring 1957’s Sweet Smell of Success back in for Connections to discuss how it and Primetime both navigate protagonists who punch down from their moral high ground, and the bygone media environments that enable them, all while maintaining a sense of humor. Then, for anyone looking for a fuller picture of To Catch a Predator’s rise and fall, we offer a Your Next Picture Show for David Osit’s 2025 documentary Predators.

Please share your thoughts about Sweet Smell of Success, Primetime, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email or voice memo to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

Next pairing: Aaron Sorkin's The Social Reckoning and David Fincher's The Social Network.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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