Phil is back from New York City. Dean is preparing to travel to Tokyo. They have a lot to discuss on this week’s installment. Phil talks about a live show he saw in New York, about the work of an all-time great stone-cutter, about Columbus Day, and about Indigenous Peoples Day. Dean talks about the fish market he can’t wait visit, and the “Venice of Japan”, and previews the drawings he will do while far out and far east. “Hogan’s Heroes” gets discussed, because, y’know … Dean! Apple TV + is foremost on the mind of Phil – both its dominance of episodic television and its failure at feature filmmaking. One classic film (1962’s The Manchurian Candidate), one action film from Taiwan (The Pig, The Snake and The Pigeon) and two recent releases (Wolfs, The Bikeriders) get deep dive analysis, while Guy Maddin’s latest and the new “Joker” film get previewed. All that plus Phil offers personal recollections of a true genius in the history of film, film criticism and film preservation, Robert Rosen, who died at 84.

This week’s show begins with a correction about the great Death Race 2000 (discussed two episodes back) and about the talented filmmakers behind it. Then, in “What We’re Reading”, Dean discusses the Beatrice Hyde-Clare Mysteries and Phil reveals his thoughts inspired by Brian Greene’s The Hidden Reality. These thoughts, in turn, lead to stories about UCLA great Bill Walton, who died this past week, and the Integratron, which Phil visited before last week’s show. After discussions of Multiverse theory, sound baths, and the wit and wisdom of John Wooden, focus shifts to a staggering array of movies and television shows. The movies include Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the Egyptian comedy Voy Voy Voy, the Canadian vampire film Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person, and the great Céline Sciamma’s Petite Maman. The television shows are “The Mandalorian”, (followed by a deep dive into the entire Star Wars small screen universe), “Star Trek: Discovery”, (followed by an examination of a fatal flaw that has doomed “Star Trek” at various points in its history), and the genre mash-up Colin Farrell vehicle “Sugar” (for Apple TV +). After that, a question from a loyal listener like you (yes, YOU!) leads to a discussion about the large screen format ScreenX. Finally, in “Celebrity Deaths”, Phil quizzes Dean about a convicted felon-turned-actor and a two-time Oscar Winner for Best Picture!

Two weeks shy of their 17th anniversary show, Dean is in Washington D.C. and Phil is in “The Hub of Silicon Valley”, and via the magic of podcasting and broadcasting, they bring you this week’s show, featuring discussions about silent film classics, the Japanese art of the Benshi, a ground-breaking and star-studded new production of “MacBeth”, current iterations of “Star Wars” and “Star Trek” on the small screen, a genre-bending private detective series on Apple TV+, and hilarious stories about airports and Dean’s efforts to give his dogs an Instagram presence.