After a cold open wherein Phil sets the stage, the show gets started in mid-conversation as frequent contributor Jon Lawlor shares some of his thoughts about Aziz Ansari’s Good Fortune. The topic then turns to Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2002 film Punch-Drunk Love with particular emphasis paid to the way Anderson used music while shooting the film. This leads to Dean explaining the ways on-set music would be used in the silent film era, and how something called “click tracks” would be used in animation. In 2022 the great actor Stellan Skarsgard suffered a stroke and yet has been able to continue acting. The ways this has been achieved get discussed. The current heist picture The Mastermind from master filmmaker Kelly Reichardt is foremost in Phil’s thoughts, specifically why, despite universal critical praise, the film is being mostly hated by moviegoers, most of whom have seen it in multiplexes. Phil also shares with Dean and Jon the new set of questions he asks himself, and answers in writing, each night before bed.

Your friends in podcasting celebrate summer and the traditional “summer movie season” with a show full of great movie directors. First, Dean and Phil remember three groundbreaking directors in “Celebrity Deaths” – one of whom directed some of the best box office hits of the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, one of whom was a key figure in underground cinema and one of whom directed one of the greatest American movies of all time! Such titans of international cinema as Francois Truffaut and Sweden’s Roy Andersson get their turns in the spotlight as well. Then, it turns out one of the greatest filmmakers of our era has purchased one of greatest movie theaters in the world. Dean and Phil discuss what this portends for the future of movie-going. Finally, one brand new movie release from Oscar-winner Steven Soderbergh and one classic Australian film from Bruce Beresford get appraised, before a long-promised Aussie-themed edition of our Vintage Movie Ad game gets played!