Filmspotting

Filmspotting

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

Episodes

January 23, 2026 136 mins

It’s Filmspotting’s 2026 Movie Preview Draft, with Adam and Josh vie for new films from Christopher Nolan, Greta Gerwig, Steven Spielberg, and more! Plus, Vulture critic Roxana Hadadi joins Adam for a review of 28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE.

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

(Timecodes and chapter starts may not be pr...

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Coming soon, Adam and Josh look ahead to the new movie year with a 2026 Preview Draft. Likely to go early in that draft: Christopher Nolan's THE ODYSSEY. So, we're sharing our 2020 review of Nolan's MEMENTO, a film that screened at the Sundance Film Festival 25 years ago this month.

For full access to the Filmspotting Archive, consider joining the Filmspotting Family. Membership also gives you an exclusive feed to ad-free and month...

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The year’s best movie moments: opening, funniest, most moving, and music, plus Adam and Josh’s picks for Scene of the Year. Also, the winner of the 17th annual Golden Brick Award.  

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

(Timecodes and chapter starts may not be precise with ads.)

Intro (00:00:00-00:02:46)

Opening (00:02:47...

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January 14, 2026 26 mins

Later this week, Adam and Josh share their favorite scenes of 2025 and announce the winner of the Golden Brick Award. For this archive review, it's 2022 Brick winner AFTERSUN, which went on to become the hosts' shared #1 film of the year.

For full access to the Filmspotting Archive going back to 2005, ⁠⁠join the Filmspotting Family⁠⁠. Membership includes monthly bonus shows, a weekly newsletter, access to the Filmspotting Discord, ...

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Back from the New Year’s break, Adam and Josh go long on the majesty - and some of the shortcomings - of Josh Safdie’s MARTY SUPREME. Plus, Josh is positive on the new AVATAR, and Adam recommends Gus Van Sant’s DEAD MAN’S WIRE and Kaouther Ben Hania’s THE VOICE OF HIND RAJAB. 

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

(Timeco...

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January 7, 2026 27 mins

With Adam and Josh's MARTY SUPREME review coming later this week, we're sharing Adam's December 2019 "Uncut Gems" interview with the Safdie Brothers.

For full access to the Filmspotting Archive going back to 2005, join the Filmspotting Family. Membership includes monthly bonus shows, a weekly newsletter, access to the Filmspotting Discord, and more.

Use the promo code "supreme" for 20% off thru Jan. 31.

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For the first show of the New Year, we’re sharing a couple of previously unaired live conversations: Adam with Matt Singer about Jeff Nichols’s TAKE SHELTER, recorded at Filmspotting Fest; and Adam with Michael Phillips about John Sayles’s 1996 western noir LONE STAR at the City of Chicago’s Siskel & Ebert at 50 celebration.

This episode is presented by Regal Unlimited⁠⁠, the all-you-can-watch movie subscript...

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For the second part of their Top 10 Films of 2025 conversation with Michael Phillips and Vulture critic Alison Willmore, the roundtable gets to the films that made at least two and, in one case, all four of their individual lists. Plus, thoughts on Rob Reiner’s passing, and film-of-the-year picks from Aisha Harris, Scott Tobias, Keith Phipps, Tasha Robinson, Marya E. Gates, David Chen, C...

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Adam and Josh’s Top 10 Films of 2025 conversation with Michael Phillips and Vulture critic Alison Willmore went so long that it had to be split into two parts. In this offering, the roundtable shares their "outlier" choices, and we hear film of the year picks from Matt Singer⁠, Amy Nicholson⁠, Roxana Hadadi, Mitchell Beaupre⁠, and more. Plus, the finalists for the 2025 Golden Brick Award⁠.

...

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December 17, 2025 27 mins

Something for the holidays special from the Filmspotting Archive: Adam and Josh's ⁠9 From '99⁠ review of Stanley Kubrick's EYES WIDE SHUT.

For full access to the archive going back to 2005, plus monthly bonus shows, a weekly newsletter, access to the Filmspotting Discord, and more, join the ⁠⁠Filmspotting Family⁠⁠.

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Hot on the heels of submitting their Chicago Film Critics Association ballots, Adam and Josh share their favorite performances of the year, plus some thoughts on Rian Johnson’s WAKE UP DEAD MAN and Chloe Zhao’s HAMNET.

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

(Timecodes and chapter starts may not be precise with ads.)

Intro...

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December 10, 2025 20 mins

For this week's archive drop, we're sharing Adam and Josh's 2019 review of Rian Johnson's KNIVES OUT. The third film in the series, WAKE UP DEAD MAN, is currently in theaters and comes to Netflix on Dec. 12.

For full access to the archive going back to 2005, plus monthly bonus shows, a weekly newsletter, access to the Filmspotting Discord, and more, join the Filmspotting Family.

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Back in October, Michael Phillips joined Adam at Iowa City’s Refocus Film Festival for a live recording of the Top 5 Movies Adapted From Iowa Writers. The town is home to the University of Iowa’s famed Writers’ Workshop, so picks were not confined to "Field of Dreams" and "The Music Man" (but those get shout-outs, too).

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

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December 4, 2025 18 mins

For November's Filmspotting Family bonus episode, Adam, Josh, and Producer Sam fielded a wide variety of questions from listeners, including how Josh ended up in Scotland, how Adam ended up (back) in Iowa, and the very second, circa 2005, when Sam knew that Filmspotting was something bigger than he and Adam imagined it would be.

Monthly bonus episodes are just one of the benefits of becoming a Filmspotting Family member, along wit...

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Josh (a fan of last year’s "Wicked") and Adam (not a fan) review the sequel and try to get to the bottom of why it fails where the stage musical (mostly) succeeds. Plus, raves for Clint Bentley’s TRAIN DREAMS, and the Golden Brick longlist.

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

(Timecodes and chapter starts may not be pre...

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November 21, 2025 111 mins

Director Edgar Wright’s latest, THE RUNNING MAN, is an update of the Schwarzenegger-starring ‘87 sci-fi action film (and the ‘82 Stephen King novella). Josh finds just enough to recommend it, but Adam has a hard time finding the Wright in it all. And Michael Phillips joins Adam for a review of Richard Linklater’s Paris ‘59-set NOUVELLE VAGUE, with both agreeing that the director’s making-of-”Breathless” is “charming as hell.” Plus ...

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November 19, 2025 87 mins

We celebrate our sister podcast's milestone by sharing their recently published 500th episode, which has hosts Scott Tobias, Tasha Robinson, Genevieve Koski, and Keith Phipps reflecting on their 10 years of podcasting. Plus, a special one-off review of their namesake film, Peter Bogdanovich's THE LAST PICTURE SHOW.

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For their fourth film together, Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone get weird and go bald in BUGONIA with Jesse Plemons as Stone’s conspiracy-obsessed kidnapper. Adam and Josh discuss, along with reviews of Lynne Ramsay’s DIE MY LOVE starring Jennifer Lawrence, Kelly Reichardt’s THE MASTERMIND with Josh O’Connor, and film-of-the-year candidate IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT, the latest from Jafar Panahi. 

This episode is presented by ...

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With BUGONIA in theaters – and our review dropping soon – we're sharing archive reviews of Lanthimos and Stone's first two collaborations, 2018's THE FAVOURITE and 2023's POOR THINGS.

For more information about joining the Filmspotting Family, which gives you access to the archive going back to 2005, plus monthly bonus shows, a weekly newsletter, and an invite to join the Filmspotting Discord, visit filmspottingfamily.com.

Learn mo...

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Adam and Josh split on Guillermo del Toro’s FRANKENSTEIN, but praise its star – not Oscar Isaac as the mad doctor, but Jacob Elordi’s soulful Creature. Also, reviews of Nia DaCosta’s Ibsen update HEDDA, the Sydney Sweeney-starring boxing biopic CHRISTY, and Ira Sachs’s PETER HUJAR’S DAY.  

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

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