Filmspotting

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.

Primetime is a far-from-straightforward take on a true story, using the mid-aughts TV phenomenon To Catch a Predatorand 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 Reckoningand David Fincher's The Social Network.

This episode is presented by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Regal 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.

Alexander Ullom's It Ends is a daring little piece of microbudget drama about four friends at transition points in their lives, who find themselves in a place where life and death no longer hold any meaning. Whether it’s a film about despair, about the afterlife, about the human condition, or all of the above, is up for discussion this week, as well as how It Ends fits into this current moment in independent horror cinema. After that, we bring Andrei Tarkovsky’s Solaris back in for Connections to discuss these two films’ respective existential journeys, the baggage their characters are bringing with them, and how each movie uses its genre premise to explore a big central metaphor. Then for Your Next Picture Show, we take a quick look at how Steven Soderbergh’s 2002 version of Solaris compares to Tarkovsky’s.

Please share your thoughts about Solaris, It Ends, 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: Padraic McKinley’s The Weight and William Friedkin’s Sorcerer

This episode is presented by⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Regal 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.

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/⁠

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/⁠

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

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.