This week’s Best Picture-winning archive pick takes us back to May 2018, when Adam and Josh returned to The Shire for a LORD OF THE RINGS reckoning. The original episode (#681) also includes a Top 5 Lord of the Rings Scenes.

For full access to the show archive, Filmspotting Discord, ad-free + bonus episodes, and more, ⁠join the Filmspotting Family⁠⁠.

This week&rsquo;s Best Picture-winning archive pick takes us back to May 2018, when Adam and Josh returned to The Shire for a LORD OF THE RINGS reckoning. The original episode (#681) also includes a Top 5 Lord of the Rings Scenes.
For full access to the show archive, Filmspotting Discord, ad-free + bonus episodes, and more,&nbsp;<a href="https://filmspotting.supportingcast.fm/join?sc_promo=FS20" data-encore-id="textLink" data-slate-node="element" data-slate-inline="true">⁠join the Filmspotting Family⁠⁠</a>.

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

New and classic movie reviews and top 5 lists.

Filmspotting

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Review | Archive

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/647bc0e8-52be-44a0-b994-b40a00234907/transcript

With the new Oasis doc Don't Look Back in Anger coming soon to theaters—and inspiring this month's ⁠Movie Death Match⁠ (The Last Waltz vs. Stop Making Sense)—we're sharing Adam and Josh's Top 5 Music Docs from 2023.

With the new Oasis doc Don't Look Back in Anger coming soon to theaters&mdash;and inspiring this month's <a href="http://filmspotting.net/episodes-archive/2026/9/7-mdm-stop-making-sense-last-waltz" data-encore-id="textLink" data-slate-node="element" data-slate-inline="true">⁠Movie Death Match⁠</a> (The Last Waltz vs. Stop Making Sense)&mdash;we're sharing Adam and Josh's Top 5 Music Docs from 2023.

Top 5 Music Docs | Archive

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/7d7bbecb-7bd8-4951-b4fe-b4bf013d6ac8/transcript

From the writer/directors of Game Night and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, Apple TV’s Cold War comedy Mayday was a promising title on the 2026 streaming movie calendar. Unfortunately, Matt and Jordan agree that the film isn’t the equal to those earlier films (no thanks to a phoned-in performance from Ryan Reynolds), despite a clever premise and the presence of Kenneth Branagh, who is having the time of his life. Matt digs into Branagh’s strange career in the Rec Seg, suggesting an early Branagh effort (as both director and star) as an alternative, and Jordan answers with a film that finds Christian Bale as a fighter pilot caught behind enemy lines. Plus, Bran-agh Flakes!, a Jordan-hosted game.

(Timecodes will not be precise with ads.)

Intro (00:00:00–00:05:43)

Mayday (00:05:44–00:26:32)

Rec Seg! (00:26:33–00:44:40)

Game: Bran-agh Flakes (00:44:41–01:02:24)

New to Streaming / Credits (01:02:25–01:11:29)

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/⁠

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

From the writer/directors of Game Night and Dungeons &amp; Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, Apple TV&rsquo;s Cold War comedy Mayday was a promising title on the 2026 streaming movie calendar. Unfortunately, Matt and Jordan agree that the film isn&rsquo;t the equal to those earlier films (no thanks to a phoned-in performance from Ryan Reynolds), despite a clever premise and the presence of Kenneth Branagh, who is having the time of his life. Matt digs into Branagh&rsquo;s strange career in the Rec Seg, suggesting an early Branagh effort (as both director and star) as an alternative, and Jordan answers with a film that finds Christian Bale as a fighter pilot caught behind enemy lines. Plus, Bran-agh Flakes!, a Jordan-hosted game.
(Timecodes will not be precise with ads.)
Intro (00:00:00&ndash;00:05:43)
Mayday (00:05:44&ndash;00:26:32)
Rec Seg! (00:26:33&ndash;00:44:40)
Game: Bran-agh Flakes (00:44:41&ndash;01:02:24)
New to Streaming / Credits (01:02:25&ndash;01:11:29)
Show Notes
Now Streaming on Bazooga - A Filmspotting: SVU Archive<a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=https%3A%2F%2Fletterboxd.com%2Fsamvanhallgren%2Flist%2Fnow-streaming-on-bazooga-a-filmspotting-svu%2F">⁠ https://letterboxd.com/samvanhallgren/list/now-streaming-on-bazooga-a-filmspotting-svu/⁠</a>
Pre-Order Matt's book "Funny Business: The Old-School Wedding Crashers and Knocked-Up Virgins Who Changed Comedy Forever" (Coming October 6th):<a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.penguinrandomhouse.com%2Fbooks%2F790241%2Ffunny-business-by-matt-singer%2F">⁠</a><a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/790241/funny-business-by-matt-singer/%E2%81%A0"> https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/790241/funny-business-by-matt-singer/⁠</a>
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:<a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fsuperpulse%2F">⁠ https://www.instagram.com/superpulse/⁠</a><a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FFilmspottingSvu">⁠ https://www.facebook.com/FilmspottingSvu⁠</a>
Follow the Show:<a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fsuperpulse%2F">⁠ https://www.instagram.com/superpulse/⁠</a><a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FFilmspottingSvu">⁠ </a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/FilmspottingSvu%E2%81%A0">https://www.facebook.com/FilmspottingSvu⁠</a>

A Cold War comedy from the makers of "Game Night."

Kenneth Branagh Can’t Rescue Apple TV’s Mayday | SVU

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/a8737471-6e12-44ea-9795-b4be0151d367/transcript

Chris Klimek convenes a battle of the bands between two of the most acclaimed concert films ever made: Jonathan Demme's Stop Making Sense and Martin Scorsese's The Last Waltz.

One is a lean, propulsive document of Talking Heads at the height of their powers, transforming a live performance into something theatrical and strangely transcendent. The other is a star-studded farewell to The Band that expands beyond a single concert into a sweeping elegy for an era of rock and roll itself.

Arguing for The Last Waltz is Steven Hyden (Is This It: The Never-Ending Rise and Fall of The Strokes and Rock and Roll), who contends that Scorsese's film is more than a concert movie: it's the definitive cinematic statement on rock music and its mythology. Representing Stop Making Sense is Elizabeth Cantwell (Bright Wall/Dark Room), who makes the case that Demme's film remains the more immersive, inventive, and enduring work of cinema.

Is the greatest concert film about a band, or about rock and roll itself? Which movie best captures the power of live music on screen? Choose your winner at moviedeathmatch.com.

CHAPTERS

Intro / Meet the Advocates (00:00:00-00:09:55)

Rd. 1 The Movies in Their Time (00:09:56-00:45:03)

Rd. 2 The Movies in Our Time (00:45:04-01:14:53)

Rd. 3 The Movies for All Time (01:14:54-01:29:55)

The Verdict / Credits (01:29:56-01:35:42)

More From Elizabeth:

-One Must Imagine Talking Heads Happy

https://www.brightwalldarkroom.com/2025/07/11/stop-making-sense-one-must-imagine-talking-heads-happy/

-Bright Wall/Dark Room Podcast

https://www.brightwalldarkroom.com/podcast/

-Assault on Precinct 13 and Schrödinger's Cat

https://www.brightwalldarkroom.com/2026/06/15/assault-on-precinct-13-john-carpenter-schrodingers-cat/

More From Steven:

-Indiecast

https://art19.com/shows/indiecast

-Evil Speakers | Substack

https://stevenhyden.substack.com/

-There Was Nothing You Could Do

https://www.dacapopress.com/titles/steven-hyden/there-was-nothing-you-could-do/9780306832062/

-Your Favorite Band Is Killing Me

https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/steven-hyden/your-favorite-band-is-killing-me/9780316259156/

More From Chris:

Reviewing the opening of David Byrne’s 2008-9 Everything That Happens Will Happen Today tour for the Washington Post

Pop Culture Happy Hour: David Byrne’s American Utopia

Chris Klimek convenes a battle of the bands between two of the most acclaimed concert films ever made: Jonathan Demme's Stop Making Sense and Martin Scorsese's The Last Waltz.
One is a lean, propulsive document of Talking Heads at the height of their powers, transforming a live performance into something theatrical and strangely transcendent. The other is a star-studded farewell to The Band that expands beyond a single concert into a sweeping elegy for an era of rock and roll itself.
Arguing for&nbsp;The Last Waltz is Steven Hyden (<a href="https://www.dacapopress.com/titles/steven-hyden/is-this-it/9780306836619/">Is This It: The Never-Ending Rise and Fall of The Strokes and Rock and Roll</a>), who contends that Scorsese's film is more than a concert movie: it's the definitive cinematic statement on rock music and its mythology. Representing Stop Making Sense is Elizabeth Cantwell (<a href="https://www.brightwalldarkroom.com/">Bright Wall/Dark Room</a>), who makes the case that Demme's film remains the more immersive, inventive, and enduring work of cinema.
Is the greatest concert film about a band, or about rock and roll itself? Which movie best captures the power of live music on screen? Choose your winner at&nbsp;<a href="http://moviedeathmatch.com">moviedeathmatch.com</a>.
CHAPTERS
Intro / Meet the Advocates (00:00:00-00:09:55)
Rd. 1 The Movies in Their Time (00:09:56-00:45:03)
Rd. 2 The Movies in Our Time (00:45:04-01:14:53)
Rd. 3 The Movies for All Time (01:14:54-01:29:55)
<p data-encore-id="text" data-slate-node="element" data-slate-fragment="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">The Verdict / Credits (01:29:56-01:35:42)
More From Elizabeth:
-One Must Imagine Talking Heads Happy
<a href="https://www.brightwalldarkroom.com/2025/07/11/stop-making-sense-one-must-imagine-talking-heads-happy/">https://www.brightwalldarkroom.com/2025/07/11/stop-making-sense-one-must-imagine-talking-heads-happy/</a>
-Bright Wall/Dark Room Podcast
<a href="https://www.brightwalldarkroom.com/podcast/">https://www.brightwalldarkroom.com/podcast/</a>
-Assault on Precinct 13 and Schr&ouml;dinger's Cat
<a href="https://www.brightwalldarkroom.com/2026/06/15/assault-on-precinct-13-john-carpenter-schrodingers-cat/">https://www.brightwalldarkroom.com/2026/06/15/assault-on-precinct-13-john-carpenter-schrodingers-cat/</a>
More From Steven:
-Indiecast
<a href="https://art19.com/shows/indiecast">https://art19.com/shows/indiecast</a>
-Evil Speakers | Substack
<a href="https://stevenhyden.substack.com/">https://stevenhyden.substack.com/</a>
-There Was Nothing You Could Do
<a href="https://www.dacapopress.com/titles/steven-hyden/there-was-nothing-you-could-do/9780306832062/">https://www.dacapopress.com/titles/steven-hyden/there-was-nothing-you-could-do/9780306832062/</a>
-Your Favorite Band Is Killing Me
<a href="https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/steven-hyden/your-favorite-band-is-killing-me/9780316259156/">https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/steven-hyden/your-favorite-band-is-killing-me/9780316259156/</a>
More From Chris:
<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/18/AR2008091803826.html">Reviewing the opening of David Byrne&rsquo;s 2008-9 Everything That Happens Will Happen Today tour for the Washington&nbsp;</a><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/18/AR2008091803826.html">Post</a><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/18/AR2008091803826.html"></a>
<a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/10/15/924012336/american-utopia-david-bryne-s-coming-to-my-house-via-hbo">Pop Culture Happy Hour: David Byrne&rsquo;s American Utopia</a>

Stop Making Sense vs. The Last Waltz | Movie Death Match

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/3535158b-918e-49b9-b1c0-b4bd0128bbcc/transcript

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Review | Archive

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