Filmspotting

Latest Episodes:

Home Sweet Homer, Pt. 1 — O Brother, Where Art Thou? | Next Picture Show Jul 23, 2026

Show notes

Considering The Odyssey is one of the most famous and influential stories of all time, there had been relatively few attempts to directly translate Homer’s epic poem to the big screen until Christopher Nolan came along to do it at a blockbuster scale. It’s been more common for filmmakers, such as Joel and Ethan Coen, to use it as the loose framework for a flawed hero’s journey home, such as the one undertaken by Ulysses Everett McGill in O Brother, Where Art Thou?, a Depression-era musical comedy that maps on to Homer’s version only in the broadest of strokes. But revisiting O Brother through the lens of its stated source material, as we’re doing this week, is a revealing lesson in the malleability of adaptation, as well as the Coens’ ability to make even one of the most familiar tales in all of storytelling uniquely theirs. Then in Feedback, we finally break our silence on the indie-horror phenomenon that is Obsession.

Please share your thoughts about O Brother, Where Art Thou?, The Odyssey, 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.

The Prestige | Archive Jul 22, 2026

Show notes

As part of 2020’s Christopher Nolan Oeuvre-view, Adam and Josh revisited The Prestige (2006), which – alongside his current The Odyssey – is among the rare Nolans adapted from existing material.

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.

Budget Multi-Verse: Hulu's Redux Redux | SVU Jul 21, 2026

Show notes

Matt and Jordan give Hulu’s new multiverse revenge thriller Redux Redux a spin, crediting Kevin and Matthew McManus’s film for its low-budget stylishness and its central performance (by another McManus, sister Michaela). Then some Redux-inspired streaming recommendations, answers to a listener request for off-the-grid heist movies, and a game (“Multi-Box Letter-Verse”) hosted by Producer Sam.

Intro / The Odyssey (00:00:00–00:11:36)

Redux Redux (0:11:37–00:28:27)

Rec Seg (00:28:28–00:45:35)

Listener Request Recs: Off-the-Grid Heist Movies (00:45:36–01:02:42)

Game: Multi-box Letter-verse (01:02:43–01:29:32)

New to Streaming / Credits (01:29:33–01:38:12)

Show Notes

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

Pre-Order Matt's book "Funny Business: The Old-School Wedding Crashers and Knocked-Up Virgins Who Changed Comedy Forever" (Coming October 6th):⁠ https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/790241/funny-business-by-matt-singer/⁠

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.

11 Rules for Box Office Appeal with Amy Nicholson | The Movie Racket Jul 20, 2026

Show notes

Film critic Amy Nicholson joins host Michael Phillips to test a set of unofficial Hollywood axioms: Preston Sturges’ 11 Rules for Box Office Appeal.
Written (or so the story goes) in the early 1940s, the list is equal parts joke and provocation, a series of blunt, sometimes baffling claims about what makes movies work. But taken together, the rules point toward something more coherent: a theory of cinema built on movement, rhythm, and the constant opening of possibilities.
Amy and Michael dig into what still holds up and what these rules reveal about the way comedy — and movies — create momentum. Is Sturges simply being playful? Or is there real wisdom hiding inside the punchlines?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Sorrow and the Pity: Dismantling the Gaullist Myth | Dissident Cinema Jul 18, 2026

Show notes

The Dissident Cinema Marathon continues with Marcel Ophuls’s towering 1969 documentary The Sorrow and the Pity, which challenged the so-called “Gaullist myth” that the French people had largely resisted Nazi occupation.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Top 5 Films of 2026 (So Far) | #1073 Jul 17, 2026

Show notes

Adam and Josh take stock of the movie year with their Top 5 Films of 2026 (So Far), making picks that reflect the strength of of the year’s genre offerings, comedies, and intimate dramas. Plus: Massacre Theatre, and Best of ‘26 poll results.

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/chapters may not be precise with ads.)

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

Top 5 of 2026 (00:03:04-00:32:36)

Filmspotting Family: ‘20s/’30s Madness (00:32:37-00:40:52)

Poll: Best of ‘26 (So Far) (00:40:53-00:49:36)

Top 5 of 2026, cont.(00:49:37-01:17:26)

RIP Sam Neill / Massacre Theatre (01:17:27-01:26:54)

Credits / Releases (01:26:55-01:28:56)

Links:

Alison Willmore on Blue Heron | Vulture

https://www.vulture.com/article/review-the-masterful-blue-heron-uses-cinema-as-a-sance.html

Feedback:

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Lady Justice, Pt. 2 — Supergirl | The Next Picture Show Jul 16, 2026

Show notes

A good chunk of Supergirl’s DNA can be traced back to True Grit by way of the comics miniseries the film is adapting, which is why we paired it with Joel and Ethan Coen’s 2010 version of that story. But as our discussion of Craig Gillespie’s new entry in James Gunn’s revamped DC Universe details, Supergirl often feels less indebted to its space-western source material than to several other superhero films that preceded it, including some of Gunn’s. That makes it tough to balance a film we all consider okay-at-best against a stone-cold Coens classic, but we attempt to anyway in Connections as we consider these two films’ shared interest in vengeance, western tropes, and really, really bad guys with murky motivations. Then in Your Next Picture Show, we honorTrue Grit’s star-making performance with a recommendation for another Hailee Steinfeld film that’s a favorite of this podcast, The Edge of Seventeen.

Please share your thoughts about True Grit, Supergirl, 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: Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey and The Coen Brothers’ (yes, again) O Brother, Where Art Thou?

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 Movie Tattoos (That We'd Get) | Archive Jul 15, 2026

Show notes

For this week's Archive episode, we go back to 2014 for the Top 5 Movie Tattoos (That We'd Get). The "we" being Adam and Josh. 16 years later... no tats yet. But they're sticking by (most) of their picks.

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.

The State of Streaming: Tubi | SVU Jul 14, 2026

Show notes

Matt and Jordan deep-dive into the free, ad-supported streaming platform Tubi. They evaluate the platform across five distinct categories: library; playback/interface; reliability; originals; and price. Plus, recommended titles to watch on Tubi, and a recommendations for a listener who is looking for a hangout comedy like semi-obscure 2005 comedy. And Producer Sam hosts this week’s game: Tubi or Not Tubi.

The State of Streaming: Tubi (00:00:00–00:49:36)

Rec Seg: Watch on Tubi (00:49:37–01:01:23)

Listener Request Recs: Hangout Comedies (01:01:24–01:17:23)

Game: Tubi or Not Tubi (01:17:24–01:38:35)

New to Streaming / Credits (01:38:36–01:45:49)

Show Notes

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

Alissa Quart’s “Hyperlink Cinema” in Film Forum

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/549355e2e4b0a309c8cef596/t/556ca8c0e4b0ca905b2d74ef/1433184448821/QuartonHyperlink%281%29.pdf

Hyperlink Cinema, a Letterboxd List
https://letterboxd.com/sc_elly/list/hyperlink-films/

Handmade Films, a Letterboxd List

https://letterboxd.com/studio/handmade-films/

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.

"Every film about war ends up being pro-war" with Michael Shannon | The Movie Racket Jul 13, 2026

Show notes

Welcome to The Movie Racket, a new Filmspotting production hosted by Michael Phillips.

Each week, we’ll test a so-called "law" of cinema — a bit of received wisdom about how movies work, or don’t. For our debut episode, actor Michael Shannon joins the show to examine a provocative claim from François Truffaut: that every film about war ends up being pro-war.

Is it true that a movie about combat, survival, and heroism can never escape the pull of spectacle and the way cinema inevitably renders violence compelling? Shannon reflects on that inherent tension and revisits his experience working on Michael Bay’s Pearl Harbor, a film that presents this question of representation head-on.

So: was Truffaut right? Or does cinema allow for something more complicated than a binary verdict? Join the conversation at movieracket@filmspotting.net.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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