Filmspotting

ScreenCrush critic, author, and Filmspotting SVU co-host Matt Singer joins Michael to test one of comedy’s most enduring mottos: comedy should punch up, not down. Drawing on comments from comedian George Carlin and a generation of screen comedies that pushed boundaries in every direction, they explore how the adage might apply to the movies Singer writes about in his latest book, Funny Business.

They discuss how comedy changed in the age of streaming, why theatrical comedies have become endangered, what separates a great comedy from a merely successful one, and whether movies can still bring broad audiences together in an increasingly fragmented culture.

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Adam and Josh finally get a chance to talk about the movie that everyone is talking about: Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s You Can See Everything. Along with some (well demarcated!) Spoiler Talk about the movie, they share poll results about the best docs of the 2020s (so far), and Josh weighs in on Laika’s Wildwood and the Palme d’Or-winning Fjord from Romania’s Cristian Mungiu.
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 (00:00:00-00:02:42)
You Can See Everything (00:02:43-00:27:11)
Filmspotting Family (00:27:12-00:33:27)
You Can See Everything cont. (00:33:28-00:54:31)
Spoiler Talk: You Can See Everything (00:54:31-00:1:17:22)
Wildwood (01:17:23-01:23:10)
Fjord (001:23:11-01:28:15)
Polls (01:28:16-01:39:10)
Credits / New Releases (01:39:11-01:43:16)
Notes:
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As co-director of You Can See Everything, Nathan Fielder is unusually present in front of the camera, arguably overshadowing the film’s ostensible subject, disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes. That’s just the start of the film’s unconventionalities, which we’ll get into more next week, but first we’re revisiting a 1979 comedy that predicts Fielder’s turn as the stealth protagonist of his own documentary. As a prototype of the mockumentary form, as well as a satire of the then-nascent genre of reality television, Albert Brooks’ deeply meta debut feature Real Life encourages the audience to recognize an essential fact about documentary filmmaking, which is that cameras inevitably affect the behavior of those in front of it. And this week in Feedback, we correct an oversight in our recent discussion of The Social Network, and touch on some of the other titles we considered for this pairing.
Please share your thoughts about Real Life, You Can See Everything, 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.
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 NEXTPIC26 for 15% off.
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What better way to kick off Noir-vember than with a Sacred Cow review of arguably the greatest noir ever made, Billy Wilder's 1944 classic Double Indemnity. Originally reviewed in 2022 as part of the Barbara Stanwyck Marathon.
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With Godzilla Minus Zero coming to theaters this weekend, Matt and Jordan took it upon themselves to brush up on the “King of the Monsters.” Helping them out is guest Aaron Neuwirth, co-host of the 2 Black Guys Talk Godzilla podcast. Between them, they recommend five Godzilla titles that are available to stream. Plus, a listener request for whimsical - but still informative! - documentaries. And Matt hosts this week’s game: Letterboxd-ing — Roland With the Punches Edition.
Intro (00:00:00–00:03:07)
Streaming Godzilla movies w/Aaron Neuwirth (00:03:08–01:00:34)
Listener Request Seg: Whimsical Docs (01:00:35–01:23:33)
Game: Letterboxd-ing — “Roland With the Punches Edition” (01:23:34–01:40:25)
New to Streaming / Credits (01:40:26–01:51:08)
Show Notes
2 Black Guys Talk Godzilla
https://2blackguystalkgodzilla.substack.com/
“Stomping Through “Godzilla” History: Where to Begin & What To Watch | Aaron Neuwirth
https://www.firstshowing.net/2019/stomping-through-godzilla-history-where-to-begin-what-to-watch/
Now Streaming on Bazooga - A Filmspotting: SVU Archive⁠ https://letterboxd.com/samvanhallgren/list/now-streaming-on-bazooga-a-filmspotting-svu/⁠
Order Matt's book "Funny Business: The Old-School Wedding Crashers and Knocked-Up Virgins Who Changed Comedy Forever" (available now!):⁠ https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/790241/funny-business-by-matt-singer/⁠
Matt’s book tour!
matt-singer.net
Bazooga jingle by Dave Van Hallgren
Feedback: Email us at feedback@filmspottingSVU.com
Follow Matt on Blue Sky: @mattsinger.bsky.social
Follow Jordan on Blue Sky: @jhoffman.bsky.social
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