Filmspotting

Jordan Peele is not done scaring us. Peele's "Get Out" was one of the defining films of 2017. A huge box office success early in the year, it went on to be nominated for Best Picture, and won Peele an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. So if that’s your directing debut... how exactly do you follow that up? With US, Peele sticks with horror and proves that his talent for juggling scares with comedy and social commentary was no fluke. Adam and Josh talk about Peele's mastery of horror craft and his film's stellar cast, in particular Lupita Nyong'o as a trauma survivor whose family becomes the target of a home invasion. And if you've seen the film, stick around for an extended SPOILER conversation about US. Also on the show: Filmspotting Madness Best of the 2000s Sweet 16 results and Elite 8 matchups; the final film in the John Cassavetes Marathon (1977's OPENING NIGHT) ; and "The Blue Hats," the Cassavetes Marathon Awards.          0:00-1:05 - Billboard 1:05-21:02 - Review: "Us" 21:02-42:07 - Spoilers: "Us" Karen O and Dangermouse, "Turn The Light" 43:02-48:57 - Next week / Notes 48:57-1:08:10 - Madness: Sweet 16 Results / Elite 8 Le Tigre, "What's Your Take On Cassavetes" 1:03:37-1:27:59 - Cassavetes #4 - "Opening Night" 1:27:59-1:55:12 - Cassavetes Awards  1:55:12-1:57:27 - Close Learn more about your ad choices. Visit

The director of 2014's "Phoenix" returns with a boldly enigmatic thriller. German director Christian Petzold’s “Phoenix” was a “Vertigo”-inspired thriller set in the aftermath of the Holocaust. It received some of the best reviews of 2014. For his latest,  TRANSIT, Petzold evokes Kafka, Orwell and Kielslowski for another wartime thriller that isn't afraid to disorient and perplex. In the third round of Filmspotting Madness - Best of the 2000s - the effect is less disorienting and more enraging, with listeners threatening to leap into the Madness Incinerator (tm) with beloved films that have been forced to exit the tournament. And the third film in the John Cassavetes Marathon - 1976's (and 1978's!) THE KILLING OF A CHINESE BOOKIE.    0:00-1:09 - Billboard 1:09-22:05 - Review: "Transit" Lizzo, "Cuz I Love You" 23:01-29:36 - Next week / Notes 29:36-1:02:44 - Madness: Rd. 2 Results / Sweet 16 Matchups Lizzo, "Good As Hell" 1:03:37-1:34:05 - Cassavetes #3 - "The Killing of a Chinese Bookie" 1:34:05-1:37:38 - Close Learn more about your ad choices. Visit

Marvel's first female-led feature is also one its best. Indie duo Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck ("Half Nelson," "Sugar") were a surprising choice to lead a Marvel movie, especially one with so much riding on its success. But Adam and Josh agree that the pair's CAPTAIN MARVEL is a mostly effective marriage of effects-driven action, empathetic character-building and clever scripting. The movie also benefits from some ace supporting performances - performances so good that Brie Larson's Captain Marvel can occasionally seem overmatched. That review, plus Josh loses his faith in humanity (or at least the humanity of Filmspotting listeners) when he hears first-round results of Filmspotting Madness - Best of the 2000s. Things don't get any easier with the Rd. 2 matchups.  0:00-1:03 - Billboard 1:03-26:39 - Review: "Captain Marvel" Teen, "Popular Taste" 27:35-33:36 - Adam recommends: "Apollo 11" 33:36-40:06 - Next Week / Notes 40:06-1:11:03 - Madness: Rd. 1 Results Teen, "Only Water" 1:12:06-1:28:55 - Madness: Rd. 2 Matchups 1:28:55-1:30:58 - Close Learn more about your ad choices. Visit

64 films. Only one survives. Welcome to the Madness. In the 2018 edition of Filmspotting Madness – Best of the 90s – the championship round had "Fargo" facing off against "Pulp Fiction." The Coen Brothers' "Fargo" pulled out a surprise victory over Tarantino's decade-defining masterpiece. So what surprises await us in this year's contest? The Coens are back with another strong entry – 2007's Best Picture-winning "No Country for Old Men" – but will their primary competitor be Tarantino again ("Kill Bill," "Inglourious Basterds")? Or maybe Paul Thomas Anderson ("There Will be Blood")? Or Christopher Nolan ("The Dark Knight")? And maybe don't rule out Michel Gondry's Charlie Kaufman-penned "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind." This week on the show, Adam and Josh talk through this year's bracket with their Top 5 Easiest and Hardest First-Round Madness votes. Plus, the second film in the John Cassavetes Marathon, 1974's "A Woman Under the Influence." 0:00-1:10 - Billboard 41:53-42:34 - FS Madness: Rd. 1 Matchups Strand of Oaks, "Ruby" 51:56-59:24 - Next Week / Notes 45:22-52:36 - Stanley Donen / Oscars Recap 52:36-1:15:15 - FS Madness: Rd. 1 Matchups, cont. Strand of Oaks, "Goshen '97" 1:16:16-1:47:37 - Cassavetes #2: "A Woman Under..." 1:47:37-1:50:51 - Close / Outtake Learn more about your ad choices. Visit

Worse than a coven of witches? The 'Burbs. "Suspiria" star Jessica Harper has appeared in over 20 films since the mid-'70s, but she's also had a career as a singer-songwriter and children's book author. Her latest venture has her turning to memoir in the form of a 10-part podcast called "Winnetka," named for the Chicago suburb where she and her five siblings came of age in the '50s and '60s. Harper's podcast tells the story of that suburban upbringing, in particular the darkness and secretiveness that existed below the picture-perfect appearances. Harper discusses "Winnetka," and joins Adam and Josh for the Top 5 Movies About Suburbia. Plus - 13 years in the making - the Cassavetes Marathon gets underway with 1968's "Faces," starring Gena Rowlands, John Marley and Oscar-nominees Lynn Carlin and Seymour Cassel.  0:00-1:26 - Billboard 1:26-51:02 - Top 5: Movies About Suburbia Sharon Van Etten, "Seventeen" 51:56-59:24 - Next Week / Notes 59:24-1:04:42 - Massacre Theatre 1:04:42-1:27:19 - Cassavetes Marathon #1: "Faces" 1:27:19-1:29:59 - Close Learn more about your ad choices. Visit