It's been six (mostly) wonderful years of Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit, but on this episode, Matt and Alison say goodbye. First, in honor of JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER, which they talked about in their first episode (yup) back in 2012, they take a look at a movie that owes a lot to that documentary — Lonely Island's POPSTAR: NEVER STOP NEVER STOPPING. Then they devote the rest of the podcast to answering listener questions about everything from the future of the film industry to THE AD...
Jul 03, 2018•2 hr 46 min•Ep 167•Transcript available on Metacast Remember how when we were kids we battled a nightmare clown terrorizing our small town and devouring children? No? Maybe it was just us then. On this episode of Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit, Matt and Alison take a look at the 1990 TV miniseries version of Stephen King's IT, now available on Hulu, and then recommend some other clown movies, scary and otherwise, available to rent or stream right now. They also share some important (and sad) news about the future of the podcast. Listener's Ch...
Jun 19, 2018•1 hr 9 min•Ep 166•Transcript available on Metacast Get your skates straight and put out that cigarette, because on this week's show, Matt and Alison are talking 2017's Tonya Harding biopic I, TONYA, which was recently added to Hulu. Then, inspired by the sport that made Harding famous (before The Incident made her infamous), they recommend some other movies (and one television series) that feature ice skating, all available to rent or stream. Listener's Choice Review: "I, Tonya" Queue Shots: Movies (And One TV Show) Involving Ice Skating Behind ...
Jun 05, 2018•1 hr 16 min•Transcript available on Metacast Is John Woo's latest movie a return to form for the director, or something closer to self-parody? On this episode of Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit, Matt and Alison debate the merits of MANHUNT, Woo's 2017 thriller, which was recently released as a Netflix original. Then, despite MANHUNT taking place in Japan, they use Woo's place as an influential force in Hong Kong film to recommend some other Hong Kong action movies, all available to rent or stream. Listener's Choice Review: "Manunt" Queu...
May 22, 2018•1 hr 5 min•Ep 164•Transcript available on Metacast There comes a time when a young girl blossoms into a woman, and sometimes that woman turns out to possess terrifying powers that are some kind of allegory for the female sexuality. On this episode, Matt and Alison take a wander through the genre of the supernatural coming of age story, recommending some titles to rent or stream right now. It's all the better to accompany their main review of Joachim Trier's 2017 THELMA, about a teenager from a strict, repressed background who discovers a lot abo...
May 08, 2018•1 hr 18 min•Transcript available on Metacast "People come to the Oasis for all the things they can do, but they stay for all the things they can be." Presuming, that is, those things are licensable bits of IP. On this episode, Matt and Alison use Steven Spielberg's latest, READY PLAYER ONE, as an excuse to talk about all sorts of movies that turn up in the reference-heavy dystopian adventure, including their main review of Brad Bird's beloved 1999 THE IRON GIANT. And as always, the titles they talk about are all available for rental or str...
Apr 24, 2018•1 hr 11 min•Ep 162•Transcript available on Metacast On this episode, Matt and Alison talk cults versus communes, xenophobia, sexual liberation, immigration fraud, religious freedom, and also putting beavers into blenders in order to use the resulting goo to taint the water supply. Yes, they're going deep into WILD WILD COUNTRY, Netflix's stranger-than-fiction docuseries about the 1980s clash between the followers of the Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and the locals in Oregon area where they attempted to build a utopian community. Then, as a n...
Apr 10, 2018•2 hr 30 min•Transcript available on Metacast Pour a row of martinis and ready your finest 1930s repartee, because on this episode of Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit, Matt and Alison sample THE THIN MAN, available via TCM's new partnership with FilmStruck. And, in honor of Nick and Nora Charles making constant alcohol consumption look so good, they spend the second half of the episode recommending some other movies about drinking that are available to rent or stream right now. Listener's Choice Review: "The Thin Man" Queue Shots: Movies ...
Mar 27, 2018•2 hr 30 min•Transcript available on Metacast Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome — in this episode of Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit, Matt and Alison pay a visit to Weimar-era Berlin by way of the German period drama BABYLON BERLIN, co-created by Tom Tykwer and streaming on Netflix. Then they talk about how the city tends to be portrayed on screen, recommending some other Berlin-set titles that are available to rent or stream. Listener's Choice Review: "Babylon Berlin" Queue Shots: Berlin Movies Behind the 8-Ball: 3 New Streaming Releases 2...
Mar 13, 2018•1 hr 25 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's no sleep 'til Rego Park, Queens, in this episode of Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit, in which Matt and Alison consider the uneasy charms of the Safdie brothers' New York set-thriller GOOD TIME, starring Robert Pattinson and currently streaming on Amazon. Then they recommend some other staying-up-all-night movies that are available to rent or stream, from the romantic to the nostalgic to the dystopian. Listener's Choice Review: "Good Time" Queue Shots: Movies That Take Place In One Night ...
Feb 27, 2018•1 hr 28 min•Ep 158•Transcript available on Metacast What is the future for original movies on the world's largest streaming service? In this episode of Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit, Matt and Alison wonder where Netflix is headed as they take longer looks at two recent acquisitions — the Hungarian Best Foreign Language Film nominee ON BODY AND SOUL and the studio-discard-turned-Super-Bowl-stunt movie THE CLOVERFIELD PARADOX. Listener's Choice Review: "On Body and Soul" A Special Occasion Second Longer Review: "The Cloverfield Paradox" Behind...
Feb 13, 2018•1 hr 13 min•Transcript available on Metacast Sometimes you've got to talk your pain and frustration out — and sometimes you've got to punch a car. In this episode of Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit, Matt and Alison consider a film that tries to do both — S. Craig Zahler's brawny, wry, brutal Vince Vaughn-goes-to-prison drama BRAWL IN CELL BLOCK 99. Then they offer some recommendations of other movies that could also be considered neo-exploitation, all available to rent or stream right now. Listener's Choice Review: "Brawl in Cell Block ...
Jan 30, 2018•1 hr 10 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ghosts — not just good for scares! In this episode of Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit, Matt and Alison take a look at A GHOST STORY, David Lowery's exploration of grief, time, and the afterlife as represented by a sheet with two eye holes cut in it. Then they run with the theme to recommend some other good ghost stories, spooky and otherwise, that are currently available to rent or stream right now. Listener's Choice Review: "A Ghost Story" Queue Shots: Ghostly Movies Behind the 8-Ball: 3 New...
Jan 16, 2018•1 hr 11 min•Transcript available on Metacast Orcs, elves, fairies, and racial allegories — on this episode of Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit, Matt and Alison delve into the deceptively muddled waters of BRIGHT, Netflix's first homegrown attempt at a blockbuster. Then, in honor of the film's (human) lead, they look at the hit-laden career of BRIGHT star Will Smith, highlighting titles you can rent or stream right now, from early obscurities to the big successes that may or may not hold up. Listener's Choice Review: "Bright" Queue Shots:...
Jan 02, 2018•1 hr 13 min•Ep 154•Transcript available on Metacast 2017. It was... quite a year. But at least there were some good films? On this episode of Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit, Matt and Alison look back at the past 12 months of movies by way of their annual, unconventional, and highly personal year-end awards. Yes, it's the SVUvies, in which the cinematic year gets broken down by way of categories like "We Didn't Get It," "Best Music Moment," and, of course, "Best Film of 2017." Then Matt and Alison offer up some recommendations of titles that a...
Dec 19, 2017•2 hr 44 min•Transcript available on Metacast Alison gets to take a break this time around as Matt makes his triumphant return by stepping up to the (live) mic for a very special episode recorded on stage at the inaugural Brooklyn Podcast Festival on November 18. Matt is joined by Dan McCoy and Stuart Wellington of The Flop House to create a hideous one-night-only mutant movie-talking creation — Flopspotting: SVU! And, for this momentus occasion, they’ve settled on a feature worthy of the talents of two podcasts — TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNI...
Dec 06, 2017•2 hr 32 min•Transcript available on Metacast Eric Kohn of IndieWire and the Screen Talk podcast joins Alison while on the road in the Florida Keys to discuss Dee Rees’ Netflix original MUDBOUND. Matt is still off on paternity leave, so this episode of Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit has turned the responsibility for picking the main review to our guest host. In addition to talking Rees’ ensemble period drama (an Oscar contender with an outside chance of making history) Eric and Alison recommend other films directed by black women availa...
Nov 21, 2017•1 hr 9 min•Ep 151•Transcript available on Metacast While Matt is off on paternity leave, this episode of Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit turns the responsibility for picking the main review to our guest host, who opts for the Netflix original movie THE MEYEROWITZ STORIES (NEW AND SELECTED). Then, in honor of the complicated relationship between the half-siblings played by Adam Sandler and Ben Stiller in the film, they offer up some streaming recs about what happens when brothers grow up. Guest Critic's Choice Review: "The Meyerowitz Stories" ...
Nov 07, 2017•1 hr 29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Freshmeeeeen! On this episode of Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit, Matt and Alison haze each other with drunken parties and rabbit kidneys in preparation for talking Julia Ducournau’s body horror/coming of age movie RAW. Then they reminisce about their long-ago undergrad years with some recs of other college movies and TV series, (mostly) available to stream or rent. Listener's Choice Review: "Raw" Queue Shots: College Movies In Theaters: "The Snowman" Behind the 8-Ball: 3 New Streaming Releas...
Oct 24, 2017•1 hr 13 min•Transcript available on Metacast On this episode of Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit, Matt and Alison run off to the desert to start their own Keanu Reeves-centric rave cult in preparation for their discussion of Ana Lily Amirpour’s dystopian drama THE BAD BATCH. Then, in honor of THE BAD BATCH’s truly disturbing scenes of human flesh-consumption (set to Ace of Base!), they recommend some other movies in which cannibalism is featured — as an allegory, a total gross-out, or both. And, of course, they’re all available to stream...
Oct 10, 2017•1 hr 14 min•Transcript available on Metacast On this episode of Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit, Matt and Alison talk moral compromises and modern Romania in their review of Cristian Mungiu’s GRADUATION. Then, having entirely failed to find the time to watch more streaming Romanian New Wave films, as was the original plan, they instead delve into the Toronto International Film Festival. Yes, Matt and Alison both recently returned from the event that typically kicks off awards season, and each are ready to offer their top five highlights...
Sep 26, 2017•1 hr 22 min•Transcript available on Metacast Anthology television series mean you can have a brand new cast and story in each new installment. Alas, when it comes to listening to Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit, you’ll have to settle for Matt and Alison every time. On this episode of Filmspotting: SVU, they discuss the British series INSIDE NO. 9, a collection of standalone episodes ranging from comedy to horror, but all set at a location numbered “9.” Then they talk about how episodic anthology series are a kind of intersection between...
Sep 13, 2017•1 hr 18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Shall we begin? On this episode of Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit, Matt and Alison dissect Adam Wingard’s Netflix original movie DEATH NOTE, based on the popular manga and anime series. After despairing at there ever being a great American anime adaptation, they offer up four anime features available to rent or stream at home right now — a kind of anime movie starter pack. Listener's Choice Review: "Death Note" Queue Shots: Anime Starter Kit Behind the 8-Ball: 3 New Releases 2 Listener Recom...
Aug 29, 2017•1 hr 15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Would you like to swing on a star? How about listen to Bruce Willis sing pop standards while stealing artifacts? On this episode of Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit, Matt and Alison consider 1991’s notorious HUDSON HAWK and whether it deserves its reputation as an epic disaster. Then they talk vanity projects and what makes a film deserve that designation, recommending some fascinating failures available to rent or stream at home right now. Opening Break: "Alien" Covenant" "Chuck" "Unleashed" ...
Aug 15, 2017•2 hr 31 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the era of Peak TV, it’s become increasingly common to see filmmakers crossing over to work on the small screen. But what about when it’s the other way around? This week, Matt and Alison look at the film debuts of some famous television creators and talk about how well their approach ends up translating. It’s all inspired by their main review, of Netflix’s original movie TO THE BONE, the directorial debut of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Unreal"'s Marti Noxon. Opening Break: "Colossal" "The...
Aug 01, 2017•1 hr 24 min•Transcript available on Metacast To think what people could accomplish, were it not for the pesky families they love! On this episode of the Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit podcast, Matt and Alison talk ambition, sacrifice, and James Gray’s THE LOST CITY OF Z. Then, in honor of Charlie Hunnam’s career-best turn as the dashing Percy Fawcett, they recommend some other movies about explorers (of various sorts), all available to rent or stream right now. Opening Break: "A Cure For Wellness" "Kong: Skull Island" "The Last Face" L...
Jul 18, 2017•1 hr 21 min•Transcript available on Metacast What do you call a fictional animal that’s adorable, intelligent, and looks like a giant pig crossed with a hippo? In the world of Bong Joon-ho’s OKJA: lunch. On this episode, Matt and Alison discuss the South Korean director’s continent-crossing, genre-defying Netflix original, and what it signals for the streaming giant’s future in movie-making. Then they recommend some other multilingual movies available to rent or stream right now. Opening Break: "Song to Song" "Certain Women" "A Quiet Passi...
Jul 04, 2017•1 hr 27 min•Transcript available on Metacast Wo, oh, what we want to know, are you willing to watch a nearly four-hour documentary about the Grateful Dead? Matt and Alison did, and talk all about it on this episode of SVU, which takes on both Amir Bar-lev’s Amazon original doc LONG STRANGE TRIP and the larger question of what makes a music doc worthwhile for audiences beyond the hardcore fans. Then they recommend some other music docs worth checking out, all available to rent or stream right now. Opening Break: "T2 Trainspotting" "Life" "J...
Jun 20, 2017•1 hr 24 min•Transcript available on Metacast With TWIN PEAKS back on the air after 26 years, Matt and Alison start this episode of SVU by taking a look at the film with which TWIN PEAKS last left off — prequel FIRE WALK WITH ME, which was booed at Cannes back in 1992, but has since been reevaluated as a David Lynch classic. Then, in honor of the way FIRE WALK WITH ME gives the spotlight to Laura Palmer, TWIN PEAKS’ murder victim, they discuss the not-always-grand tradition of the beautiful dead girl on screen, offering examples that establ...
Jun 06, 2017•1 hr 22 min•Transcript available on Metacast Does Hulu’s THE HANDMAID’S TALE deserve the hype it’s been getting as the most frighteningly timely series on streaming? In this episode of SVU, Matt and Alison discuss the new Margaret Atwood adaptation and how it attempts, via its visuals, to depict its horrors as experience rather than spectacle. Then, in honor of the show’s main director, cinematographer-turned-filmmaker Reed Morano, they recommend work featuring other female cinematographers, all of it available to rent or stream right now....
May 23, 2017•1 hr 23 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
