On this week’s show, the hosts begin by reviewing one of Netflix’s hottest movies at the moment, Rebel Ridge. Written and directed by Jeremy Saulnier, Rebel Ridge is a revenge thriller that tackles the very real issue of civil asset forfeiture. And while the film’s cleverness is up for debate, the panel agrees on one thing: the star of Rebel Ridge, Aaron Pierre, is fantastic (“each of his eyes deserves a special Oscar nod,”‌ describes Steve.)‌ Then, the trio explores His Three Daughters, a tear-jerking death-watch drama that follows three estranged sisters trapped in a claustrophobic New York City apartment. The film is written and directed by Azazel Jacobs and stars Natasha Lyonne, Elizabeth Olsen, and Carrie Coon. Finally, musician and Friend of the Pod Franz Nicolay joins to discuss his new book, Band People:‌ Life and Work in Popular Music. 

In the exclusive Slate Plus bonus episode, the panel is joined by Slate staff writer Nitish Pahwa to discuss the fate of the Internet Archive and controlled digital lending. 

Email us at culturefest@slate.com. 

Endorsements:

Dana: Inspired by today’s Plus conversation, Dana endorses the Media History Digital Library, “a conservation and access project for historical printed materials related to cinema, broadcasting and recorded sound,” hosted on the Internet Archive.

Julia:‌‌ An actually good protein bar:‌ Papa Steve’s No Junk Protein Bar.

Steve:‌ Colm Tóibín’s essay on James Baldwin for The New York Review, “The Pitch of Passion.”

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