Slate's Spoiler Specials

Hey, Spoiler Specials listeners, Dana Stevens here. If you haven’t heard the Slate podcast Decoder Ring yet, I urge you to check it out. Hosted by our friend Willa Paskin, each episode cracks a different cultural mystery by examining its history and why it still matters today. In their new season they look at how men’s razors went from one...to two...to five blades! They explore how "method acting" became so misunderstood—there’s more to it than just Jared Leto behaving badly.

And now, we present their latest which I loved. It follows the unlikely path of a 2004 indie flick from director Alexander Payne...off the screen and onto our restaurant menus. Decades later, the American wine industry is still under the influence of “The Sideways Effect." Make sure to subscribe to Decoder Ring wherever you listen, and I hope you enjoy this episode!

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This week’s Spoiler Specials takes on The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. Film critic Dana Stevens is joined by Keith Phipps to spoil this action-packed comedy, starring Nicolas Cage as a struggling actor who is desperate to get back on the A list. Nicolas Cage plays Nick Cage, with Tiffany Haddish, Pedro Pascal, and Neil Patrick Harris co-starring. Dana and Keith tell listeners if this self-referential romp went deep enough.

Read Dana’s review of the movie. 

Note: As the title indicates, this podcast contains spoilers galore.

Email us at [email protected].

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis.

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On this week’s Spoiler Specials, Slate’s Marissa Martinelli and Rebecca Onion spoil season 2 of the Netflix hit Bridgerton. It’s wedding season again, and this time, it’s Lord Anthony Bridgerton’s (Jonathan Bailey) turn to marry. But for the Viscount, finding a wife is more about one’s duty to the family line than love. And Lord Bridgerton thinks he’s found the perfect match in Edwina Sharma (Charithra Chandran). But will her sister Kate (Simone Ashley) approve? With all the drama that unfolds, how will Lady Whistledown keep up with this season’s shenanigans?

Read Rebecca’s review of the second season. 

Note: As the title indicates, this podcast contains spoilers galore.

Email us at [email protected].

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week’s Spoiler Specials, Slate’s movie critic Dana Stevens is joined by Slate’s Jeffrey Bloomer and Dan Kois to spoil Deep Water. 

The film opens with marital unease between Vic Van Allen (Ben Affleck) and his wife Melinda (Ana de Armas). Melinda has constant flirtations that Vic moodily tolerates … until he doesn’t. 

Note: As the title indicates, this podcast contains spoilers galore.

Email us at [email protected].

Podcast production by Cleo Levin

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On this week’s Spoiler Specials, Slate movie critic Dana Stevens and former Slate staff writer Karen Han spoil Turning Red, directed by Domee Shi. When 13-year-old Meilin (Rosalie Chiang) starts to experience puberty, she turns into a giant red panda. Little does she know that the matriarchal side of her family has a connection to this mythical creature. Her mother, Ming (Sandra Oh), also has a story about turning into a giant bear when she experiences intense emotions. Will this new revelation bring Meilin and Ming closer? And what will the teenager’s friends think when they find out about her new gift?

Read Dana’s review of the movie. 

Note: As the title indicates, this podcast contains spoilers galore.

Email us at [email protected].

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week’s Spoiler Specials, Slate movie critic Dana Stevens and senior editor Sam Adams spoil The Batman. 

After a high-ranking Gotham City politician is murdered in his apartment by a masked figure, Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson) investigates the crime alongside police detective James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright). It turns out that the murderer is the Riddler (Paul Dano), who is determined to expose the corruption in Gotham’s government by any means necessary. Will the Riddler succeed, or will his plan fall apart? 

How does Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne compare to the others? And was it necessary for this movie to be three hours long? 

Read Dana’s review of the movie. 

Note: As the title indicates, this podcast contains spoilers galore.

Email us at [email protected].

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week’s Spoiler Specials, Slate movie critic Dana Stevens and staff writer Heather Schwedel spoil the new rom-com Marry Me. 

Superstar Kat Valdez (Jennifer Lopez) decides to marry her fiancé Bastian (Maluma) in front of a live audience after their successful song “Marry Me” becomes a hit. Before they can say “I do,” things are turned upside down and Kat learns that Bastian isn’t as faithful as he seems. In a plot twist, Kat decides to marry concert attendee Charlie (Owen Wilson) after spotting him in the crowd. Is this marriage real, and could it possibly last? 

You can read Dana’s review of the movie here. 

Note: As the title indicates, this podcast contains spoilers galore.

Email us at [email protected].

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week’s Spoiler Specials, Slate staffers Jeffrey Bloomer, Sam Adams, and Josh Levin spoil the latest Scream movie. 

After high-schooler Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega) is attacked and hospitalized by Ghostface, her estranged sister Sam (Melissa Barrera) comes back to town with her boyfriend Ritchie (Jack Quaid). The reunion causes a surprising family secret to be revealed. More mayhem ensues as old characters return to the Scream fold. Who is the new Ghostface—and is this franchise dead?

CORRECTION: After this episode was taped, Jeffrey Bloomer realized that he had misspoken about the familial connections of a key character in Scream 4: That person was Sidney’s cousin, not her niece.

You can read Bloomer’s review of the movie here.

Note: As the title indicates, this podcast contains spoilers galore.

Email us at [email protected].

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week’s Spoiler Specials, Slate staffers Allegra Frank and Rebecca Onion spoil The Lost Daughter. 

Leda Caruso (Olivia Colman) is a college professor on a sunny holiday in Greece. When she meets Nina (Dakota Johnson) and her young daughter on the beach, her observations prompt dark memories of her own early motherhood.

Note: As the title indicates, this podcast contains spoilers galore.

Produced by Asha Saluja and Jasmine Ellis.

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On the Spoiler Special podcast, Slate critics discuss movies, the occasional TV show, and, once in a blue moon, another podcast, in full spoiler-filled detail. This week, Slate staffers Allegra Frank and Sam Adams spoil Spider-Man: No Way Home. Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is grappling with being identified as Spider-Man. This not only has consequences for him, but also his girlfriend, Michelle “MJ” Jones-Watson (Zendaya), and his best friend Edward “Ned” Leeds (Jacob Batalon) who are rejected from MIT. This inspires Peter to approach Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) for help. But what happens when it all goes sideways? 

You can read Allegra Frank and Sam Adams’s guide to the movie here.

Note: As the title indicates, this podcast contains spoilers galore.

Email us at [email protected].

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.