The Spiel

Emmy Winning writer (Last Week Tonight with John Oliver) and very funny standup comedian (People Pleaser) Josh Gondelman returns to The Spiel to talk about a film that most people probably forgot was produced by Steven Spielberg: 2010's True Grit starring Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, and Hailee Steinfeld in her first major role. Based on the Charles Portis novel, previously adapted as a starring vehicle for John Wayne, True Grit is about a young girl who hires a drunk and haggard Marshall to hunt down the man who killed her father. The Coen Bros wrote and directed this incredibly entertaining and highly quotable flick and Vespe and Gondelman delight in going back through the story, finding their favorite moments, and figuring out why the movie is so damn good, even if Spielberg had almost nothing to do with it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Macon Blair (The Toxic Avenger, I Don't Feel At Home In This World Anymore) joins Vespe to talk about one of the most impactful films of Steven Spielberg's career, Twilight Zone: The Movie. They dip into the tragedy, of course, but there's more to this anthology than the controversy. This film brings together some of the best filmmakers of the era in John Landis, Joe Dante, Spielberg, and George Miller and they're all given room to go as bonkers as they want to as storytellers. While not totally successful, it remains a highly entertaining film and a juicy conversation starter for movie nerds. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aaron Sagers is not only a pop culture journalist, he's also a well-known paranormal investigator. He's the founder of ParanormalPopCulture.com and you've seen him on-camera for Travel Channel's Paranormal Paparazzi and Paranormal Caught on Camera, and Netflix's 28 Days Haunted. In short, he knows a lot about movies and the spiritual world, so he was the natural choice to come in and talk about Poltergeist, written and produced by Steven Spielberg. We focus on the portrayal of the paranormal in Poltergeist, see what cases it might have borrowed from, what famous paranormal investigators it very well might have taken influence from, and try to figure out exactly what the hell The Beast is in the context of that first movie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Steven Spielberg's documentarian Laurent Bouzereau returns to The Spiel to discuss Vespe's favorite movie, Jaws, and his great new deep dive documentary made in conjunction with Amblin and Nat Geo called Jaws @ 50. There's a lot to talk about in terms of the legacy of Jaws, the impact it had for good and ill on both the film industry and the fishing industry, as well as where it fits into the lexicon of cinema greats 50 years after release. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Legendary film producer, director, and documentarian Frank Marshall is my guest on the show today to talk about his working relationship with Steven Spielberg, a creative partnership that goes back to Raiders of the Lost Ark and continues on to this day. Marshall co-founded Amblin with Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy. We talk about what necessitated Spielberg creating his own production company, how they split up their duties to produce some of the best geeky flicks of the '80s, and eventually get to the new entry into the Jurassic franchise, Jurassic World Rebirth, which opens in theaters July 2nd. This chat covers a ton of ground, from Peter Bogdanovich to Robert Zemeckis, killer spiders to hungry dinosaurs, and even how a plate of pasta helped convince Spielberg he should call this guy to help produce Raiders of the Lost Ark. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Frequent Steven Spielberg collaborator David Koepp is our guest this week. Koepp is the screenwriter behind Jurassic Park, The Lost World, War of the Worlds, and Spielberg's upcoming UFO/UAP flick as well as the director of the criminally underrated Stir of Echoes. Koepp also penned the script for the upcoming Jurassic World Rebirth, which hits cinemas July 2nd. We talk about his work in the Jurassic realm, the Spielberg phone call that got him back into the franchise for the new movie, and the childhood inspirations that fed into some of the new film's biggest and most thrilling set pieces. We also talk about his other work with Spielberg, going back to adapting the very first Jurassic Park from Michael Crichton's original book and even a little about breaking into the industry with the B-movie classic I Come In Peace (aka Dark Angel). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Director Jonathan Entwistle (Karate Kid: Legends, The End of the F***ing World, I Am Not Okay With This) joins Vespe to talk about the incredibly divisive Spielberg film, Hook. Spielberg's Hook is a bonafide classic for a whole generation, but if you're not part of that younger Millennial generation it has the reputation of leaving you cold. The story is about a world where Peter Pan is real and he grew up to be Robin Williams. Peter marries Wendy's granddaughter and starts his own family, forgetting all about his Neverland adventures until he's forced back into fantasy when the very real Hook shows up and snatches his kids. Turns out there's a lot for two grown up nerds to dissect with this movie, not the least of which is why it feels like a couple of different films smashed together. We didn't know when we sat down to talk about this one that we'd get so introspective, but that's what even a complicated Spielberg flick can do. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It might come as a surprise to some folks that Steven Spielberg directed the pilot for Columbo, titled Murder By The Book, but that he did and it turned out to be one of the most important projects of his early career as his success with this episode is what got him the gig directing Duel. If you're going to talk about Columbo and Spielberg then you're going to need a guest who knows their whodunnits and howcatchems. Writer/Director Rian Johnson has made a name for himself in the murder mystery realm with his Knives Out films and the currently airing Poker Face, a sort of modern day take on the Columbo formula. We discuss the differences between a whodunnit and a howcatchem, the stengths and weaknesses in both forms of mystery storytelling, and what Spielberg's cinematic eye brings to this pilot that helped him stand out as a young, upstart 24 year old trying to make his mark in the industry that he loves. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Spiel co-host, Josh Robert Thompson, is stepping away from the show, but before he leaves to pursue his own creative endeavors he and Vespe take a look back at his time on the show, discuss our favorite episodes, guests, and experiences while he was behind the mic. You'll hear plenty of behind the scenes stories, more Spielberg, Lucas, and Morgan Freeman impressions, some Scott Wampler anecdotes and even a rant about Uwe Boll being terrible. In short, it's a hell of a send off for Josh Robert Thompson as he ends his reign at The Spiel. So, sit back, relax, and get ready to laugh as Vespe and JRT look back at the last year of nerdy Steven Spielberg discussions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Veronica Cartwright joins The Spiel hosts to talk about her incredible career, from The Twilight Zone to The Birds to Alien and Witches of Eastwick, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and, yes, even Scary Movie 2. Cartwright also shares her thoughts on Steven Spielberg's career, including an incredible anecdote of watching Jaws for the first time with Richard Dreyfuss. There are so many great stories packed into this chat that it's hard to hint at them all, but you will get her memories on working with Hitchcock, Ridley Scott, George Miller, and so much more. Her new film, The Ruse, hits theaters across the country May 16th. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Charles Soule (author of the Star Wars: The High Republic series as well as some of the best Star Wars comic books) joins the show to talk all about one of the most controversial and heavily debated Steven Spielberg films: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. We all know co-host Josh Robert Thompson goes to bat for this one, but does Soule? We dive into the George Lucas of it all, a topic that Soule has a lot of insight into considering how closely he has studied Lucas's output while he plays in that massive Star Wars sandbox. There's a healthy range of opinion on this title and you're going to get some unfiltered opinions that range from "are you crazy?" to "don't be so mean" as three self-identified Indiana Jones nerds break down the fourth installment (and final Spielberg-directed entry) of this iconic series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Incredible composer Bear McCreary (God of War, Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Battlestar Galactica, Happy Death Day) knows a thing or two about composing badass scores. Vespe challenged him to come up with top 5 favorite John Williams/Steven Spielberg collaborations and the resulting episode sees McCreary putting his Top 5 against Vespe' Top 5. Originally only available on the show's Patreon, this wonderfully nerdy chat is now available for all to hear. What comes out on top? Does Jurassic Park beat out ET? What about Jaws or Schindler's List? Certainly Indiana Jones has to enter the conversation at some point, right? You'll only know if you listen! If you want to support the show and sign up for the Patreon to get access to bonus episodes like this one on the regular, then head over to The Spiel's Patreon page and sign up! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Spiel welcomes Anthony Breznican, Vespe's Kingcast co-host and entertainment reporter extraordinaire at Vanity Fair, to talk about Amblin's Innerspace. This weird-ass movie was directed by Joe Dante and produced by Spielberg and is all about a shrunk down Dennis Quaid getting injected into Martin Short's butt and that's just the start of this crazy '80s flick. Bond-esque villains, mini-Kevin McCarthy, a pissed off screenwriter and a who's who of very famous people that almost made this movie. Innerspace is a trip and a hell of a lot of fun to revisit. If you dig The Spiel, consider joining The Spiel's Patreon. Throw us a few bucks a month and you'll not only directly support the show, you'll also get bonus episodes and access to the Discord. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I think we can all agree that Steven Spielberg knows how to end a movie. He's got some all-timer endings in his filmography, but he also has some divisive endings. We're talking about War of the Worlds, A.I., Munich, and more. Noted filmmaker, podcaster, entertainment host, and professional geek Clarke Wolfe (Malum, Torn Hearts, Sending in the Wolfe podcast) joins JRT and Vespe to examine some of these endings and, surprise surprise, there isn't always agreement about how well these more divisive endings work. This episode was originally released at The Spiel's Patreon and if you want to hear episodes like this before anybody else, throw the show a few bucks over at www.patreon.com/thespielpodcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Goonies is an important movie for folks of a certain generation, including the absolute madman who is this week's guest. You know him from Pitch Perfect 2, The Suicide Squad, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Silicon Valley and now he's here to talk about The Goonies, Richard Donner's coming-of-age adventure story produced by Steven Spielberg. We bounce around a lot in this episode, going from behind-the-scenes trivia to random Arnold Schwarzenegger impressions to a serious discussion about the authorship of this movie. We even have some great ideas for the poor bastards tasked with writing The Goonies 2 that may or may not involve casting Flula as the new Sloth who speaks only through his butthole. As always, if you dig the show and want to get extra bonus episodes how about heading over to our Patreon (www.patreon.com/TheSpielPodcast) and throwing us a few bucks? We'll make it worth your while! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Leave it to Vespe and JRT to turn a conversation about the 1995 Amblin family adventure story CASPER into a lewd, R-rated talk about ghost titties. In our defense, bad influence (and James Beard award-winning author) Mallory O'Meara is our guest and despite all of our best efforts when we three get together things get chaotic and talk quickly turns to horniness. Does Casper hold up? Which of the three Uncle ghosts do you most relate to? Is it possible that '90s Bill Pullman and '80s Alec Baldwin are the same person? Did Amblin think twice about making a family comedy about a dead child? We ask all these important questions and much more. If you want to support the show and want access to a bunch of cool bonus episodes, make sure to sign up for our Patreon at www.patreon.com/TheSpielPodcast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Celebrated genre author Stephen Graham Jones (The Indian Lake Trilogy, Mongrels, I Was A Teenage Slasher) is a huge fan of both Twister and Twisters, produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment, and shows up this week ready to talk about what made him laugh, cry, and jump for joy in both the 1996 original film and its 2024 sequel. Topics include: An all new patented crazy wildlife story from Mr. Jones, how scary mother nature is, the frequent references to The Shining in Spielberg's work, how rad Bill Paxton was as a performer and a human being, and what pitfalls we all felt the sequel managed to avoid. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Spielberg has been working towards making a musical for his entire career, so it shouldn't be a surprise that when he finally got to make an all-out musical he brought not only his A-game, but also his deep love and understanding of Old Hollywood musicals with him. This resulted in 2021's West Side Story, an incredibly smart and charming reinterpretation of the Robert Wise film and the Stephen Sondheim original stage play starring Rachel Zegler, Ansel Elgort, Ariana DeBose, and the original's Rita Moreno. Joining us for this discussion is none other than Bill S. Preston Esq. himself, Mr. Alex Winter. He's a bonafide cinephile, a writer and director himself, and brings all that insight into this conversation about Spielberg's legacy and how West Side Story shows that the master is still at the top of his game. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week's topic: 1985's Amazing Stories, an NBC anthology series overseen by Steven Spielberg himself. Not only did he produce the whole thing, but he also directed two episodes. Those two episodes are the focus of the show as we welcome director Josh Ruben (this weekend's rom-com slasher HEART EYES). We talk a bit about marrying those two radically different genres into one super fun movie before we dive into Spielberg's episodes of Amazing Stories. The episodes are titled Ghost Train and The Mission, the former about a spectral locomotive with a schedule to keep even if a nice family has built their farmhouse in its path, and the latter a WW2 tale about the poor ball joint gunner trapped in his position as his friends and crew try to figure out a way to free him before they crash land back on base. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's a heavy topic, but we somehow found the perfect guest to balance a serious topic with a little humor in noted critic, pop culture journalist, and author Jordan Hoffman (Vanity Fair, New York Daily News, The Times of Israel). Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List tells the story of Oskar Schindler, a German Industrialist who worked from within the Nazi party to save over 1100 Jews from the concentration camps under the guise of needing their labor. Spielberg's movie was a massive hit, won tons of Oscars, and remains a crucial piece in the preservation of documentation of the Holocaust. It also led to the Shoah Foundation, which works as a living testament to the atrocities that happened during WW2 and beyond. This episode covers the movie itself, the impact it has had on the world, and how it is potentially received by today's kids. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices