From the outlaw poetry of Badlands to the cosmic spirituality of The Tree of Life, this week's Archive episode has Adam and Josh counting down the five most indelible moments from one of cinema's most elusive auteurs. Expect plenty of hushed voiceovers and magic-hour cinematography.

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

From the outlaw poetry of Badlands to the cosmic spirituality of The Tree of Life, this week's Archive episode has Adam and Josh counting down the five most indelible moments from one of cinema's most elusive auteurs. Expect plenty of hushed voiceovers and magic-hour cinematography.
Unlock the full archive, Filmspotting Discord, ad‑free + bonus episodes, and more when you ⁠join the Filmspotting Family⁠.

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

Top 5 Terrence Malick Scenes | Archive

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/5aff0855-c449-4b0b-a584-b44801604e32/transcript

From the suffocating tension of open-ocean survival and alcohol-fueled marital warfare, to the isolated terrors of demonic cabins and haunted bedrooms, Adam and Josh break down their Top 5 Single Location Movies.

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

From the suffocating tension of open-ocean survival and alcohol-fueled marital warfare, to the isolated terrors of demonic cabins and haunted bedrooms, Adam and Josh break down their Top 5 Single Location Movies.
Unlock the full archive, Filmspotting Discord, ad‑free + bonus episodes, and more when you <a href="https://filmspotting.supportingcast.fm/">⁠join the Filmspotting Family⁠</a>.

Top 5 Single Location Movies | Archive

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/4158f648-dbee-4f2c-afc7-b456013ac99d/transcript

Matt and Jordan punch their tickets to an alternate reality to review Ladies First, the new Netflix comedy starring Sacha Baron Cohen and Rosamund Pike. They break down the film's (mostly good!) relentless barrage of gags, its terrifyingly plausible marketing pitches, and whether it successfully navigates the edgy tightrope of workplace comedy.

But before they talk Ladies First, they have to talk about leaving the couch. Matt recounts his mind-bending, leaf-in-the-face trip to the Las Vegas Sphere watching The Wizard of Oz, while Jordan counters with an equally dramatic story about his allergy-inflicted screening ofThe Mandalorian and Grogu at his local AMC.

For Rec Seg!, the multiversal madness continues as the duo pairs Ladies First with Jet Li martial arts mayhem and surrealist cinema from Fellini. Plus, a listener writes in looking for a sleek, under-the-radar romantic thriller, prompting two very different caper recommendations. Finally, Producer Sam takes over the board as "Dungeon Master" to premier a brand-new, slow-teasing visual trivia game called Strip Poster. (Ep. #173)

(Timecodes/chapters may not be precise with ads.)

Intro, Wizard of Oz at Sphere, The Mandalorian & Grogu (00:00:00–00:15:05)

Ladies First (00:15:06–00:35:26)

Rec Seg! (00:35:27–00:50:23)

Personalized Recs (00:50:24–01:02:16)

Game (01:02:17–01:16:36)

New to Streaming / Credits(01:16:37–01:29:00)

Notes:

Matt on “The Wizard of Oz” at Sphere

https://screencrush.com/wizard-of-oz-sphere-review/

Now Streaming on Bazooga - A Filmspotting: SVU Archive

⁠⁠https://letterboxd.com/samvanhallgren/list/now-streaming-on-bazooga-a-filmspotting-svu/⁠⁠

Matt's book "Funny Business: The Old-School Wedding Crashers and Knocked-Up Virgins Who Changed Comedy Forever" comes to bookstores everywhere on October 6th. Pre-Order now! ⁠⁠https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/790241/funny-business-by-matt-singer/⁠⁠

The Flop House Podcast: “The One”

https://www.flophousepodcast.com/2025/11/episode-467-the-one-with-michael-shanks/

Feedback: -Email us at feedback@filmspottingSVU.com⁠⁠

Follow:

⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/superpulse/⁠⁠

⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/FilmspottingSvu⁠⁠

⁠⁠https://letterboxd.com/superpulse/⁠⁠

⁠⁠https://letterboxd.com/jhoffman6/⁠⁠

⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/mattsinger.bsky.social

Matt and Jordan punch their tickets to an alternate reality to review Ladies First, the new Netflix comedy starring Sacha Baron Cohen and Rosamund Pike. They break down the film's (mostly good!) relentless barrage of gags, its terrifyingly plausible marketing pitches, and whether it successfully navigates the edgy tightrope of workplace comedy.
But before they talk Ladies First, they have to talk about leaving the couch. Matt recounts his mind-bending, leaf-in-the-face trip to the Las Vegas Sphere watching The Wizard of Oz, while Jordan counters with an equally dramatic story about his allergy-inflicted screening ofThe Mandalorian and Grogu at his local AMC.
For Rec Seg!, the multiversal madness continues as the duo pairs Ladies First with Jet Li martial arts mayhem and surrealist cinema from Fellini. Plus, a listener writes in looking for a sleek, under-the-radar romantic thriller, prompting two very different caper recommendations. Finally, Producer Sam takes over the board as "Dungeon Master" to premier a brand-new, slow-teasing visual trivia game called&nbsp;Strip Poster. (Ep. #173)
(Timecodes/chapters may not be precise with ads.)
Intro, Wizard of Oz at Sphere, The Mandalorian &amp; Grogu (00:00:00&ndash;00:15:05)
Ladies First (00:15:06&ndash;00:35:26)
Rec Seg! (00:35:27&ndash;00:50:23)
Personalized Recs (00:50:24&ndash;01:02:16)
Game (01:02:17&ndash;01:16:36)
New to Streaming / Credits (01:16:37&ndash;01:29:00)
Notes:
Matt on &ldquo;The Wizard of Oz&rdquo; at Sphere
<a href="https://screencrush.com/wizard-of-oz-sphere-review/">https://screencrush.com/wizard-of-oz-sphere-review/</a>
Now Streaming on Bazooga - A Filmspotting: SVU Archive
⁠⁠<a href="https://letterboxd.com/samvanhallgren/list/now-streaming-on-bazooga-a-filmspotting-svu/">https://letterboxd.com/samvanhallgren/list/now-streaming-on-bazooga-a-filmspotting-svu/</a>⁠⁠
Matt's book "Funny Business: The Old-School Wedding Crashers and Knocked-Up Virgins Who Changed Comedy Forever" comes to bookstores everywhere on October 6th. Pre-Order now! ⁠⁠<a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/790241/funny-business-by-matt-singer/">https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/790241/funny-business-by-matt-singer/</a>⁠⁠
The Flop House Podcast: &ldquo;The One&rdquo;
<a href="https://www.flophousepodcast.com/2025/11/episode-467-the-one-with-michael-shanks/">https://www.flophousepodcast.com/2025/11/episode-467-the-one-with-michael-shanks/</a>
Feedback: -Email us at feedback@filmspottingSVU.com⁠⁠
Follow:
⁠⁠<a href="https://www.instagram.com/superpulse/">https://www.instagram.com/superpulse/</a>⁠⁠
⁠⁠<a href="https://www.facebook.com/FilmspottingSvu">https://www.facebook.com/FilmspottingSvu</a>⁠⁠
⁠⁠<a href="https://letterboxd.com/superpulse/">https://letterboxd.com/superpulse/</a>⁠⁠
⁠⁠<a href="https://letterboxd.com/jhoffman6/">https://letterboxd.com/jhoffman6/</a>⁠⁠
⁠⁠<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/mattsinger.bsky.social">https://bsky.app/profile/mattsinger.bsky.social</a>

The new Netflix comedy is a solid base hit.

Ladies First: Sacha Baron Cohen Takes on the Matriarchy | SVU

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/b01fea5f-a64e-4099-a3a3-b45201336af7/transcript

Adam sits down with legendary actor Tony Leung (In the Mood for Love, Chungking Express) to discuss his brilliant career and his new starring role in Ildiko Enyedi’s Silent Friend. Then Adam and Josh share their thoughts on the meditative multi-era drama itself, followed by reviews of Alberto Vasquez’s Spanish animated feature Decorado and Olivier Assayas's The Wizard of the Kremlin, which features Jude Law's terrifyingly charismatic portrayal of Vladimir Putin. Plus, 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.

Intro (00:00:00-00:04:34)
Interview: Tony Leung (00:04:35-00:18:33)
Filmspotting Family (00:18:34-00:23:59)
Silent Friend (00:24:00-00:48:25)
Decorado (00:48:26-01:02:23)
The Wizard of the Kremlin (01:02:24-01:10:40)
Massacre Theater (01:10:41- 01:19:31)
Credits/New Releases (01:19:32- 01:23:48)

Note:

-Gary Jules, of course, performs a cover of Tears for Fears' “Mad World” in Donnie Darko.

Links:

-Filmspotting Fest II: June 27-28, 2026
https://www.filmspottingfest.com

-Josh's photo of the holm oak at University of St. Andrews: https://www.instagram.com/p/DYXUjKgjcPt/?img_index=1

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 episodes and archive access. https://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

Adam sits down with legendary actor Tony Leung (In the Mood for Love, Chungking Express) to discuss his brilliant career and his new starring role in Ildiko Enyedi&rsquo;s Silent Friend. Then Adam and Josh share their thoughts on the meditative multi-era drama itself, followed by reviews of Alberto Vasquez&rsquo;s Spanish animated feature Decorado and Olivier Assayas's The Wizard of the Kremlin, which features Jude Law's terrifyingly charismatic portrayal of Vladimir Putin. Plus, 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. <a href="https://experience.regmovies.com/join-unlimited?utm_source=podcast&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=filmspotting">Use code FILMSPOT26 to take 15% off</a>.
Intro (00:00:00-00:04:34) Interview: Tony Leung (00:04:35-00:18:33) Filmspotting Family (00:18:34-00:23:59) Silent Friend (00:24:00-00:48:25) Decorado (00:48:26-01:02:23) The Wizard of the Kremlin (01:02:24-01:10:40) Massacre Theater (01:10:41- 01:19:31) Credits/New Releases (01:19:32- 01:23:48)
Note:
-Gary Jules, of course, performs a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jS3SxWnSbtY">cover of Tears for Fears' &ldquo;Mad World&rdquo;</a> in Donnie Darko.
Links:
-Filmspotting Fest II: June 27-28, 2026 <a href="https://www.filmspottingfest.com">https://www.filmspottingfest.com</a>
-Josh's photo of the holm oak at University of St. Andrews:<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DYXUjKgjcPt/?img_index=1"> https://www.instagram.com/p/DYXUjKgjcPt/?img_index=1</a>
Feedback:
-Email us at <a href="mailto:feedback@filmspotting.net">feedback@filmspotting.net⁠⁠</a>.
⁠⁠⁠-⁠<a href="https://forms.gle/Bm7jULnbk7ASK647A">Ask Us Anything</a>⁠⁠⁠⁠ and we might answer your question in bonus content.
Support:
Join the Filmspotting Family for bonus episodes and archive access. https://filmspottingfamily.com Filmspotting Shop for T-shirts and more. https://www.filmspotting.net/shop⁠⁠⁠
Follow:
-Watch Filmspotting on YouTube:
<a href="https://youtube.com/filmspotting">https://youtube.com/filmspotting</a>
-Adam/Filmspotting:
Letterboxd |<a href="https://instagram.com/filmspotting%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0"> Instagram</a> |<a href="https://facebook.com/filmspotting%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0"> Facebook</a> | Bluesky
-Josh/LarsenOnFilm:
<a href="https://letterboxd.com/larsenonfilm%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0%E2%81%A0">Letterboxd</a> | Instagram |<a href="https://facebook.com/larsenonfilm"> Facebook</a> | Bluesky

How the “In The Mood For Love” legend prepared for his new role.

Tony Leung Talks Silent Friend, Plus Decorado and The Wizard of the Kremlin | #1065

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/4b4c58ac-ad49-409f-9621-b4510165e6bd/transcript

Top 5 Terrence Malick Scenes | Archive

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