With THE FABLEMANS, what appeared to be Steven Spielberg’s portrait of the filmmaker as a young man turns out to be a more complicated autopsy of a family coming apart at the seams—that happens to have a budding filmmaker there to document it. Adam and Josh have lots of praise for Spielberg, his co-conspirator/co-screenwriter Tony Kushner, and the film’s cast, but a few minor issues may reflect a weakness that appears more broadly in the director’s work. Director Joanna Hogg has worked almost exclusively in an autobiographical vein: her acclaimed 2019 film “The Souvenir” and last year’s sequel “The Souvenir, Part II,” had Hogg revisiting and re-examining her film student days. Her latest, THE ETERNAL DAUGHTER, continues the director’s audacious self-reflexivity, this time casting Tilda Swinton in a double role as Hogg surrogate Julie and also as Julie’s mother, Rosalind. Hogg’s film is both a meta-meditation on what it means to be an artist—and a ghost story. Plus, Adam recommends Sr., a new doc about filmmaker - and Robert Downey Jr.’s dad - Robert Downey, Sr.
1:06 - Review: "The Fablemans"
36:35 - Next Week / Notes
43:44 - Polls
51:22 - Review: “The Eternal Daughter"
1:03:01 - Review (AK): “Sr.”
1:08:41 - Outro
Spielberg aces his musical directing debut and the latest from Sean Baker (“The Florida Project”).
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The technical brilliance - and bracing relevance - of Spielberg's early masterpiece.
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Tarantino, Spike Lee and Pixar all make appearances on this week's Top 5. Plus, Spielberg's fun, flawed new creation.
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Ridley Scott's seminal sci-fi noir gets the Sacred Cow treatment.
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Josh and guest host Tricia Bobeda from WBEZ's Nerdette Podcast review Spielberg's THE BFG and share their Top 5 Children's Book Adaptations.
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Josh and guest host Michael Phillips (Chicago Tribune) are visited by the 'Ghost of Fights over Guillermo del Toro Movies Past' for their divisive review of CRIMSON PEAK. Plus, their takes on Steven Spielberg's BRIDGE OF SPIES and the Top 5 Cold War Movies.
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Michael Phillips drops by to select the Top 5 Spielberg Scenes and review the director's latest, "Lincoln." Plus, cook up those mashed potatoes for a Sacred Cow discussion of 1977’s "Close Encounters of the Third Kind."
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Michael Phillips (Chicago Tribune) plays the role of Belloq for this 'Sacred Cow' discussion of Steven Spielberg's action-adventure classic "Raiders of the Lost Ark."
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Guest hosts Matt Singer and Alison Willmore debate whether it's more appropriate to yell "barracuda" or "shark" as they reveal their Top 5 Steven Spielberg Scenes, and discuss Spielberg's holiday double feature, "War Horse" and "The Adventures of Tintin."
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