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Hey, film Spotters, Josh and Adam Here. Wednesdays are when we usually drop something in the feed from the Film Spotting archive. You know, twenty years worth of shows we can dig into, so we do that from time to time. This week, however, we're going to share some of the bonus show that we shared with the members of the film Spotting family this month. Ask us anything we do this from time to time. Open it up the mail bag segment if you will, and yeah, touched on some
fun stuff. I was asked about this master's I'm pursuing right now in Scotland. We learned a little bit more about how Adam ended up teaching in Iowa and the moment that you know, film Spotting became something more than Adam and producer Sam, who always joins us for these shows initially planned. So that's just some of the good stuff we dig into on this ask Us Anything.
Yeah, there's several more questions that the entire Film Spotting Family gets to listen to. That's one of the benefits of being a Film Spotting Family member is getting those November bonus shows. I loved that question. I think that's the one we ended with because I had no idea what Sam was going to say, and we ended up having very different answers. So you can check that out. You're going to get a taste of it here. I believe it depends what producer Sam has decided to excerpt
for you, and that's what you get to hear. Now, Hello, film Spotting Family, it is time for ask Us Anything, your November bonus content. And yes, you're probably hearing this after episode ten forty where we talked about the Running Man and Nouvelle Vague and I'm sure I said this, I sound a little froggy. We recorded this actually before that episode and it's head cold season at least for me. Sounding perfect as always are Josh Larsen and Sam van Halgren. Josh how are you doing?
I am dodging all the coughing going around me on Is this how universities are? Adam, Like everyone seems to be sick. Like everyone in my cohort is coughing. No one wants to skip a seminar, you know, and look bad. So far I've managed to avoid it. But now I've probably just cursed myself.
Okay, you're good right now, though, Sam, how are you doing? Yeah?
I'm just saying just this, just this talk. I don't want to hear this. I just feel like we've cursed everyone that's listening right Just you've made me aware and grateful that I am feeling one hundred percent healthy this very moment.
We put out the call to the film Spotting family about a week ago, maybe less, and said, hey, it's ask us anything time, send us in some questions. We need to replenish the mail bag, and wow, do they deliver it. I didn't even get a chance to transfer all of them. You haven't even seen the complete list. So many came in, so many we want to answer. We only have about forty minutes to get as many in as possible. And for us, the way we talk, and there's so many there are so many good questions.
We might only get to like four of them because they're so good and we can't stop chattering. But well, we'll see what we can do. Let's go ahead and jump right in. We are going to start with this one from Zach Brooks, who wants to know as we get closer to twenty twenty six, do you have any film related New Year's resolutions? And as we close out twenty twenty five, are there any movie objectives you'd like to complete before the clock strikes midnight?
Guys?
Objectives? Resolutions? Are you movie resolutions?
Guys?
I am not a resolution guy of any kind, really not opposed to it. That just I have enough tasks in my life. I don't need to make them up. But you know, this question prompted me to think about it. And funnily enough, Zach, I was just in discussion with Michael Phillips because I'm hoping to finagle a way to get to the Venice Film Festival next fall, and he, of course, we just got a report from him this
past fall from his time there. He's been going for a number of years and it will line up, I think when I am going to have to be closing out my master's program, so I'll have to be back here in Saint Andrew's, Scotland right around the time. And I'm thinking, why not try to, you know, put those two things together and actually attend the Venice Film Festival. So that's maybe more of a bucket list item for me next year, but I hope to make it happen.
Yeah, I feel like I need to make the same resolution we made when we started film spotting at him just.
A movie a week?
Could I just get a movie a week in that isn't a movie that I'm just happened to be watching with my kids, which I love.
I love to do that.
My eleven year old is always wanting to watch something some kind of nonsense, but it's it's a joy, it's a pleasure to watch with her. But it's not necessarily the kind of movies I'm trying to check off my list.
Are you in charge of programming in Spring Green? I mean, aren't you programming in two different venues at this point? I mean you would seem to have some controls three venues.
Now. I just had a great meeting.
Oh my gosh, we're doing because yeah, we was programming so tally Essen. Right, we had this series of tally Essen. Franklin writes tally Essen in their old playhouse. We screened three films this summer, a great Hitchcock series. Just had the meeting a couple days ago about next summer, it's going to be sick films. We're gonna do screwball comedy. We're gonna do classic movie homes, Citizen Kane, Sunset Boulevard. Rebecca manderlay, I'm so excited at Talis and you kidding me.
I'm living the dream.
Uh so you programmed, but you don't.
I don't watch.
I'm there for the intros usually, But I have certainly made to Zach's question, I have made resolutions in the past. I remember, I think it was about ten years ago, and this is how long it's been probably since I made my last resolution where I was like, you know, I was in that sweet spot where on Saturday mornings everyone was sleeping a little bit late, and I'm like, I have got to start seeing more movies that are like big, big movies that many of them on the
Criterion Channel. I'm going to get up early and I'm going to watch I'm going to watch a movie by myself Criterion Channel. I remember like there were like three weekends I watched like Red Shoes, which I hadn't seen in a long time. I saw only angels have wings. I saw the young girls of Roche for. I remember distinctly these three beautiful Saturday mornings that I had these ecstatic experiences with.
It never happened again, and I had a.
Point now in my life where I'm just like, it seems even more impossible to imagine starting a resolution following through one one. So no, Zach, No, there are no resolutions, but here's porn one out for all failed resolutions in the past.
Yeah, I think I have one similar to you, Josh, not a resolution. I'm not resolved to do this, but there have been some conversations about possibly fulfilling one of my longtime movie related dreams, which is going to the can Film Festival, and that happens in May, usually right after the spring semester ends. So if I can get my grades turned in, I could actually potentially be a free man and could go to the can Film Festival.
So I'm hoping. I'm hoping that could happen. This might be the first year of twenty twenty six.
I tell you how it's going to happen, Adam.
Yeah, the way it's going to happen is I'm going to make a film that's going to screen at.
The can Film Festival.
Okay, and you're going to be sitting in the audience at the premiere shaking your head that this is the only way you made it.
And when am I going to make my film? And this film is going.
To yes, exactly, yes, See Josh doesn't know, Josh know what we're talking about.
So still you still can't see it. I'm crueless, but you know, let me know how that goes, Adam. I'm halfway there already, so that's true. I'll be I'll be in the neighborhood. Uh next spring, Okay.
Before we get to the next question, I promise I'm not going to take time with this, but I think listeners might appreciate this. So I'm going to throw it out there, and of course, if you, if you do have any Josh, Sam, go ahead and chime in. But just earlier today, about three hours ago, my daughter, my oldest daughter aka film spotting Pa, Sophi Kempanar, sent me
a text out of the blue. She sent me a text, and it said, this film spotting things I say in my regular life as if they are widely understood, And I again, I think our family members could possibly relate. So if they have any like this, send them to us feedback a film spotting dot net, and maybe we can feature them on the show or at least in a future edition of Ask Us Anything. The three she sent me were blind Spotting, over Review, and on air
production Meeting. Curiously, no one knows what she's talking about when she says those three things. So do you have any of those? I'm asking you, I suppose, but also I'm asking the listening public here, do you have any of those that you say? And you realize that the person you're talking to has no idea of which you speak.
I'm glad to hear Overview has lodged itself that strong. Yeah, I feel like it had its moment and then it kind of faded away. And so yeah, for it to persist, for Sophie's encouraging absolutely blind spotting and frequently, I don't know, I feel like I'm at about a sixty percent rate of people. I think they can put it together. I think it's enough even without reference to the show, they understand what you're getting at. So, yeah, I use that
one all the time, A blind spot, blind spot. I have to do some blind spot, you know.
Yeah, yeah, I get it. I think I say Sacred Cow a lot and then really have to explain what that is. So throwing that out there again. Feedback at filmspotting dot Net. Fern Joseph's wants to know for each of you, what's the best thing personally that's come out of doing the podcast? How hard is that? I'm not going first.
I feel like, Sam, you need to take this one first.
Okay.
You know, it makes me think of a lot of ways to answer this question. You know, we often talk about how it's just one show after another. We rarely get to pick our heads up out of the sand and get any perspective like what Fern is getting at. So I start there with my head in the sand, and I just have to say, it really is the creative outlet. This is a creative endeavor, and I love it, you know, I really really enjoy it. And I have to say I've brought this up a couple of times
when we have a chance to talk to listeners. I don't care how many people are watching the video version of the show. I love doing the video version of the show. I did not anticipate that at all. I really really enjoy it. I'm making my own movie every week a little bit, I know, just it feels like, you know, flexing that.
Muscle a little bit. So it's super fun.
But then occasionally, and it's something like film Spotting Fest, or it's an email we get out of the blue from a listener we've never heard from that has been listening for twenty years or whatever it is, and you're just like, what an honor it is to be a part of this, this community that has come out of this show. I mean, just a completely unintended, beautiful consequence of working on the show. It really is just like being on the discord and I don't feel like I'm
interacting with listeners of film Spotting. These are like friends of mine or whatever, you know, and it's just like, I feel like these are people I know, and some every once in a while it kind of clicks that that's what's happening, that's what has happened.
So a lot of pleasures associated with the show.
But yeah, yeah, as you were talking about it being a creative endeavor sam my mind before even said it went to the video aspect, which I'm not all that involved in, but I know, just from talking about it with you, have seen how it's kind of not that you need to be rejuvenated but charged you in a way to get to explore that way of putting together a show like this, So that that's been exciting to see. Yeah, for me, it's absolutely related to what you were just
talking about. It's the relationships because I don't know that I would consider myself naturally a people person. And what I mean by that is like I'd be perfectly happy just you know, watching movies, thinking about them, writing about them, and maybe even you know, talking about them without forming
any you know, long lasting relationships beyond that. But I think about the circles of relationship that this show has afforded that you know, the one of us here that the people who work weekly on it, so us here Joe Toso, you know, and then and then others who are you know, more regularly involved, from our production assistants
over the time to Michael Phillips. But you know, there are other film critics who I've been able to connect with on just a personal level because of the show and then what you said, Sam too, like the listeners, there has always been an avenue, whether it was when I first joined the message board, you know, I was, I was not on message boards at all, and then got thrown in and met so many people that way, some of whom are still now on Discord And yeah,
so I think for me, it's definitely definitely about the relationships, because it's not something I would have sought or been able to have fostered myself to.
Go to the superficial stuff just for a second. We
never would have imagined. We never did imagine, of course when the show started that we would have opportunities to interview the filmmakers we've interviewed, to go to the festivals we've gone to, just to partake in some of these film critic opportunities quite frankly, to be considered film critics, to be listened to regularly, and to have people really trust and value not just our opinions, but really want want to just hear what we have to say, want
to be part of the conversation with us. All of that. That's why it's so hard to pick an answer. And I wondered if if you would say what you said, And of course I was going there too, But I don't think it's just us saying the right answer. It is the right answer. The community part of it, the relationship part of it, and I was going to be even more specific with it. I think it's the larger community.
But beyond that, you know, when I asked Josh if he wanted to appear as a guest on the show, and maybe I don't know if he had an inkling or not, but he may not have. He certainly didn't know all the details that he was actually auditioning for the show. I had never even spoken to him before. We had no interaction, It's true, like zero, I think maybe i'd seen him at a couple of screenings, but otherwise we Yeah, I.
Think we'd chatted back and forth a little.
On social problem, but otherwise it was we'd never met in person, like actually met. So now having this thirteen plus year relationship is pretty remarkable. And Sam, I was just thinking about this because of this question that we were in introduced because of Kevin. We obviously got to know each other very quickly and became friends very quickly, and because of email at the time, and because of the blog that I started way back in the early days of blogging, you and I were doing what we
do right now. We were talking about movies. We were having a conversation about movies over a blog. But the whole reason we started film spotting, as you alluded to earlier, was to force us. We've always said it was to force ourselves to watch one movie a week, but it was more than that. It was it was actually it was to force us to have to watch one movie a week so we could get together, at least for me, so we could get together in the same room and have a conversation about it.
Right and I would think separately be watching a different movie, it was watching the same movie.
So we could do this.
And so I think about it now, about twenty five years later from the time we met for the first time, and without film Spotting, I think we would we would still be friends with each other, but there's no way we would be in communication with each other as regularly as we are. We would not have hung out even remotely with each other as many times as we have over the years, like our friendship would not be remotely what it is without film Spotting. So that relationship life part of it too.
It's half exactly, It's exactly half our life. Wow, we didn't have to talk quick math.
Yeah, let's it'll only become more a percentage of my life as we move forward from here.
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