Filmspotting

Filmspotting

Adam Kempenaar and Josh Larsen review new and classic movies, offering "affable, insightful film analysis since 2005" (NY Times).

Episodes

July 6, 2026 90 mins

Welcome to the sophomore installment of Movie Death Match. Host Chris Klimek presides as two Christopher Nolan films go head to head in anticipation of The Odyssey. Arguing for Inception is Bilge Ebiri (Vulture), while Abigail James (@popculturescientist) advocates for Interstellar.

Which film offers the more emotionally resonant lead performance and better captures Nolan’s vision of time — its dilation and psychologica...

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Teddy Pendergrass was a legendary singer and songwriter from the 60s and 70s that attracted the attention of women world wide. But when one of the closest women to him is murdered, and then he suffers a near fatal accident years later.. Are people wrong to suggest that the two may be connected? JOIN US as we discuss Teddy Pendegrass and the murder of Taaz Lang.
RIP to the victims 💔

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Adam and Josh celebrate the holiday weekend with a "Blind Cow" review of Independence Day, the #1 movie at the box office back in '96. Thirty summers after its release, Adam catches up with Roland Emmerich's alien-invasion spectacle, and Josh (originally a fan) sees if it holds up.

Plus, a summer-themed edition of Massacre Theatre and a recap of last weekend's 2nd annual Filmspotting Fest, which featured appearances from Trey Edwar...

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July 1, 2026 42 mins

As part of their 2020 Christopher Nolan "Oeuvre-view," Adam and Josh revisited 2014's Interstellar, a film they'd split on six years earlier. 

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

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Matt and Jordan check out Julian Schnabel’s In The Hand of Dante, a rare midsummer Netflix prestige picture with a stacked cast that includes Oscar Isaac, Al Pacino, Gerard Butler, John Malkovich, Jason Momoa, and Martin Scorsese as a bearded medieval sage. Despite the talent and the reliably gorgeous cinematography, Schnabel’s film might be the worst thing Matt and Jor...

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Is Toy Story 5 an inspired reorienting of the venerable Pixar franchise, or a tired rehash? Adam and Josh offer differing takes. Plus, Adam reviews Michael Sarnoski's bleak but intriguing The Death of Robin Hood, Josh recommends Mark Jenkin’s Rose of Nevada, an avant-garde ghost story set in a UK fishing village, and an "evil genius" ‘90s blockbuster poll question.

This episode is presented by⁠ Regal Unlimited⁠⁠, the al...

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When the fourth Toy Story installment came to theaters in the summer of 2019, Adam invited the Blank Check podcast's Griffin Newman to join him for the Top 5 Toy Story Scenes. 

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

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Matt and Jordan review Netflix’s generically titled but surprisingly witty Office Romance. Co-written by and starring Brett Goldstein alongside JLo, the workplace rom-com rises just above the streaming giant’s usual output by delivering actual jokes, real talent, and a surprising level of NSFW content. Plus, some deep-cut streaming recommendations, this week’s streaming releases, and a new game courtesy of Matt ca...

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Adam and Josh review Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day, praising star Emily Blunt and the impeccably staged action while questioning whether Spielberg and screenwriter David Koepp’s spiritual sequel to Close Encounters of the Third Kind captures the same sense of wonder. Then, Adam (finally) reviews the hit live-action/CGI hybrid The Sheep Detectives, plus Massacre Theatre.

This episode is presented by⁠ Regal Unlimited⁠...

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In 2020, Adam and Josh used the 45th anniversary of Jaws to Power Rank the Spielberg Decades — from the Close Encounters ’70s to the Lincoln 2010s. With the release of Disclosure Day, the question now is whether it’s already time to do it again and include the 2020s.

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

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Matt and Jordan review HBO’s Sundance acquisition Miss You Love You. And while Jordan finds it to be a handsome, moving, and well-acted "filmed play", Matt finds too modest and predictable.

For Rec Seg, Matt revisits the grueling, ice-cold dread of corporate culture with a 2019 workplace thriller, while Jordan counters with a classic 1982 Sidney Lumet thriller packed with more twists, turns -- and smooches!

Finally, Jordan ta...

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Adam and Josh reach a definitive milestone in Filmspotting’s Dissident Cinema Marathon with Costa-Gavras’s Oscar-winning 1969 masterpiece, Z. A thinly veiled account of a political assassination and subsequent government cover-up in Greece, the film stands as a foundational text for the modern paranoid thriller.

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Adam and Josh catch up with the summer's surprise hit Obsession, the “monkey’s paw” update from YouTube creator turned first-time feature-director Curry Barker. Then, it’s John Carney’s Power Ballad, with Paul Rudd as a down-on-his-luck wedding singer who has a chance encounter with a former boy band star played by Nick Jonas. Plus, poll results and li...

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June 10, 2026 37 mins

From amps cranked up to eleven, to the sweet, soulful harmonies of a dynamic rhythm and blues revival, Adam and Josh count down their Top 5 (Fictional) Movie Bands.

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

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Matt and Jordan review Netflix's massive true crime tabloid horror hit, The Crash, a direct-to-streaming look at the tragic Mackenzie Sherilla case. Jordan walks away feeling like he needs a shower for his soul, while Matt thanks his lucky stars that social media didn't exist when he was a youngster.

For Rec Seg, Matt challenges the "drek" of the true crime genre by recommending an Oscar-nominated Netflix doc and Jordan counters wi...

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Adam and Josh continue Filmspotting’s Dissident Cinema Marathon with Akira Kurosawa’s 1946 drama No Regrets for Our Youth. Released in the immediate aftermath of WWII, the film stands out as a blatantly political entry in Kurosawa's catalog — and notably, his only film featuring a sole female protagonist.

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Adam and Josh step into the uncanny world of eerie, empty spaces to ask whether 2026 is the year of liminal horror. First up: YouTube curiosity turned box office phenom Backrooms. Then, Exit 8, an inspired video game adaptation from Japan that’s equal parts Groundhog Day and The Shining. Plus, Massacre Theatre.

This episode is presented by⁠ Regal Unlimited⁠⁠, the all-you-can-watch movie subscription pass that pays for itself ...

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June 3, 2026 33 mins

From the manic, diaper-stealing chaos of the American Southwest, to the timeless charm of a classic fairy tale, Adam and Josh count down their Top 5 Films of 1987.

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

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Matt and Jordan review Prime Video’s Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War, a straight-to-streaming title they are branding "movie Toferky." For Rec Seg, the duo finds comfort in the Paramount Plus vaults, with Jordan revisiting the Tom Clancy masterpiece that started it all, and Matt countering with a series sequel featuring Harrison Ford's bookworm Boy Scout desk-jockey.

Then, a personalized recommendation request from li...

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In anticipation of Disclosure Day, Steven Spielberg’s two most beloved alien films face off in the inaugural Filmspotting Movie Death Match. Representing Close Encounters of the Third Kind is Dr. Margaret A. Weitekamp, Chair of Space History at the National Air and Space Museum. Making the case for E.T. the Extra‑Terrestrial is longtime critic and author Jen Chaney. Host Chris Klimek presides.

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