With our PROJECT HAIL MARY review coming Friday, we’re revisiting a Filmspotting blast from beyond: 2014’s Top 5 Things From Space (That Came to Destroy Us). B-movies, classic sci-fi, and Arnold Schwarzenegger all make the cut.

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Why does STAND BY ME still resonate 40 years later? Adam and Josh revisit Rob Reiner’s classic, reflecting on its friendships, its wistfulness, and River Phoenix’s unforgettable performance. Plus: a review of Maggie Gyllenhaal’s THE BRIDE and a look at the Round 1 matchups of Filmspotting '40s Madness.

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This episode is presented by⁠ Regal Unlimited⁠⁠, the all-you-can-watch movie subscription pass that pays for itself in just two visits. Use code FILMSPOT26 to take 15% off.

(Timecodes/chapters may not be precise with ads.)

Intro (00:00:00-00:02:53)
Stand by Me (00:02:54-00:49:35)
Filmspotting Family (00:49:36-00:57:12)
The Bride (00:57:13-01:02:59)
Notes / Save the Date (01:03:00-01:08:22)
'40s Madness Rd. 1 (01:08:23-01:24:03)
Credits / New Releases (01:24:04-01:25:53)

Correction:

-Yes, Adam realizes that he said "Jesus, does anybody" – twice! – not "anyone." He regrets the error.

Notes/Links:

-Filmspotting Madness
https://www.filmspotting.net/madness

-Stephen King: Why I Hugged Rob Reiner After Watching ‘Stand by Me’
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/opinion/culture/stephen-king-rob-reiner-stand-by-me.html

Feedback:

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Inspired by the upcoming release of PROJECT HAIL MARY, Adam and Josh beam back to October 2015 when they suited up for THE MARTIAN — Ridley Scott’s brainy, big‑hearted sci‑fi rescue mission starring Matt Damon.

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Adam, Josh, and Michael Phillips size up the Oscars with their annual rundown of who will win, who should win, and who was unfairly overlooked — plus the Filmspotting Madness: Best of the 1940s Play‑Ins.

This episode is presented by Regal Unlimited⁠⁠, the all-you-can-watch movie subscription pass that pays for itself in just two visits. Use code FILMSPOT26 to take 15% off.

(Timecodes/chapters may not be precise with ads.)

Intro (00:00:00-00:02:16)

Supp. Actress (00:02:17-00:22:03)

Supp. Actor (00:22:04-00:40:56)

Lead Actor (00:40:57-00:56:52)

Lead Actress (00:56:53-01:05:37)

Director (01:05:38-01:15:57)

Picture (01:15:58-01:37:53)

Family / Next Week / Notes (01:37:54-01:47:21)

Filmspotting Madness: Play-Ins (01:47:22-2:07:41)

Credits / New Releases (2:07:42-02:09:531)

Notes/Links:

-Filmspotting Madness

https://www.filmspotting.net/madness/

-Michael Phillips on WFMT

https://radionetwork.wfmt.com/people/hosts/michael-phillips/ 

Feedback:

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Support:

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This week’s Best Picture-winning archive pick takes us back to May 2018, when Adam and Josh returned to The Shire for a LORD OF THE RINGS reckoning. The original episode (#681) also includes a Top 5 Lord of the Rings Scenes.

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This week’s Top 5 explores cinema’s most unreliable narrators, characters who bend, twist, or completely invent the truth. Adam and Josh pair the list with a fresh look at Kurosawa’s RASHOMON, the film that set the template for them all – and a potential 2026 Pantheon inductee. 

This episode is presented by⁠ Regal Unlimited⁠⁠, the all-you-can-watch movie subscription pass that pays for itself in just two visits. Use code FILMSPOT26 to take 15% off.

(Timecodes/chapters may not be precise with ads.)

Intro (00:00:00-00:03:18)

Top 5 Unreliable Narrators (00:03:19-01:05:17)

Filmspotting Family (01:05:18-01:11:08)

Next Week, Notes, Poll (01:11:09-01:18:16)

Pantheon Project: Rashomon (01:18:17-01:56:39)

Credits / New Releases (01:56:40-01:59:51)

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This week’s Best Picture-winning archive pick takes us back to October 2016 and Adam’s conversation with MOONLIGHT director Barry Jenkins and star Naomie Harris. Then, hear the show's original review from that same episode.

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Adam and Josh share their Top 5 Catherine O’Hara Characters, revisiting the brilliance and range she brought to every role — from Delia and Cookie to Moira Rose and Mickey. A heartfelt tribute to a performer whose presence defined some of cinema and TV’s most hilarious moments.

This episode is presented by⁠ Regal Unlimited⁠⁠, the all-you-can-watch movie subscription pass that pays for itself in just two visits. Use code FILMSPOT26 to take 15% off.

(Timecodes/chapters may not be precise with ads.)

Intro (00:00:00-00:02:59)

Top 5 Catherine O’Hara Characters (00:02:59-01:08:17)

Filmspotting Family (01:08:18-01:14:18)

Next Week, Notes (01:14:19-01:21:07)

Massacre Theatre (01:21:08-01:29:08)

Credits / New Releases (01:29:08-01:32:37)

Notes/Links:

-O’Hara On the “Wiser Than Me” Podcast
https://lemonadamedia.com/podcast/julia-gets-wise-with-catherine-ohara/

-Catherine O’Hara’s 10 Best Roles | Consequence of Sound
https://consequence.net/list/catherine-ohara-10-best-roles/after-hours/

Feedback:

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Oscar‑winning filmmaker Morgan Neville joins Adam to discuss his intimate archival portrait of Paul McCartney’s turbulent and creatively explosive 1970s. Neville reflects on his own documentarian origin story, his lifelong connection to the Beatles and Wings, how he built the film from audio‑only conversations with Paul, and why McCartney’s post‑Beatles decade feels like a sequel to Get Back.

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In honor of the late Robert Duvall, we share Adam and Josh's March 2021 review of Sidney Lumet's Best Picture-nominated NETWORK, which was part of the show's ⁠7 From '76 series⁠.

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Emerald Fennell follows up her earlier provocations with one aimed at lovers of literature, "WUTHERING HEIGHTS." Marya E. Gates ("Cinema Her Way") joins Adam and Josh to unpack it all. Then, a Pantheon Project review of John Ford’s Best Picture-winning HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY, and listeners advocate for the best '90s movie soundtrack.

This episode is presented by⁠ Regal Unlimited⁠⁠, the all-you-can-watch movie subscription pass that pays for itself in just two visits.

(Timecodes/chapters may not be precise with ads.)
Intro (00:00:00-00:02:12)
Wuthering Heights with Marya E. Gates (00:02:13-00:48:41)
Filmspotting Family (00:48:42-00:52:32)
Robert Duvall, Frederick Wiseman (00:52:33-01:01:56)
Next Week, Notes (01:01:57-01:05:16)
Polls (01:05:17-01:19:39)
How Green Was My Valley (01:19:40-01:52:17)
Credits / New Releases (01:52:18-01:55:51)

Notes/Links:

-Filmspotting Pantheon
https://www.filmspotting.net/pantheon

Feedback:

-Email us at [email protected]⁠⁠

-⁠⁠⁠⁠Ask Us Anything⁠⁠⁠⁠ and we might answer your question in bonus content.

Support:

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.