On this week’s show, the panel falls for Anora, a new movie from writer-director Sean Baker (Tangerine, The Florida Project) that’s as arrestingly tender as it is sexy, funny, and unpredictable. The whirlwind Cinderella story won the Palme d’Or at Cannes this year, and will likely become an Oscar frontrunner due to its star-making performances and humanistic depiction of life on the margins and sex work. One host calls it “the best American movie in the past 25 years.” 

Then, the three discuss Matlock, a gender-swapped reboot on CBS starring Kathy Bates. With huge viewership numbers and decent critical success, is the quirky legal procedural proof that network television is so, so back?‌‌ Finally, our trio turns their attention to Hearing Things, a new site for independent music journalism run (and owned by) a group of former Pitchfork writers.

In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the hosts explore their thoughts and feelings about Halloween costumes. 

Email us at culturefest@slate.com. 

Endorsements:

Steve:‌ “Two Don Quixote Lyrics”‌ by W. H. Auden.

Julia:‌‌ Hampton Heights, an excellent novel by Supreme Friend of the Pod (SFOP)‌ Dan Kois.

Dana:‌ In honor of her new oven, a recipe for Roasted Cod and Potatoes. Also in honor of Dana’s recent appliance upgrade, an oven recipe from Julia and Stephen respectively:‌ Sheet-Pan Sausages and Brussels Sprouts With Honey Mustard and Roasted Kale and Sweet Potatoes With Eggs.

Podcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong. 

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