The Incomparable Superfeed

Our Book Club convenes for its final set of shortlisted novels, including “The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi,” “The Water Outlaws,” and the Nebula-winning “Saint of Bright Doors.” Plus: What are we reading?

2024 Awards Book Club, Part 3

Jason Snell with Scott McNulty, Erika Ensign, Aleen Simms and Heather Berberet

What are we reading?

Scott:

Erika:

Heather:

Aleen:

Jason:

Forgive a film noir detour during our international vacation season. This is episode 100, and so I’ve picked a movie I love, and that feels right in the collective LTS wheelhouse. James M. Cain’s story of betrayal and murder was directed by Billy Wilder, and stars Barbara Stanwyck (natch), Fred McMurray and Edward G. Robinson. This film is full of dynamite lines, crazy sexual chemistry, and noir lighting for days.

Double Indemnity

Shelly Brisbin with David J. Loehr, Nathan Alderman, Micheline Maynard, Annette Wierstra and Randy Dotinga

Get in touch with the show at [email protected] or on the socials.

The Movie: review/commentary on a single classic film

The Self-Referential LTS

**Next time, we’ll talk to the author of a new film book!

An old Rabbi friend of Higgins arrives in Hawaii, but his historic Torah has been stolen! Vic McCool and Dick Ling may be involved, as well as the owner of Shelby’s Fine Meats. Magnum’s Tigers hat works as a yarmulke! Honoring the sabbath can be very, very good for your health! And remember, when a light switch turns on, the darkness turns off… or something like that.

Jason Snell, Philip Michaels and David J. Loehr

The epic battle (finally!) reaches its climax! Who will survive?

Dog & Pony Show VII, Part 12

Tony Sindelar with Aleen Simms, Dan Moren, Erika Ensign, Jane Ritt and Mikah Sargent

Edited by Erika Ensign.

Get ready Squee Fans, we’ve got a lot of happy ground to cover! Heather and Stacy get into Bridgerton (sex and costumes!), queer women’s voices, like Billie Eilish and Chappell Roan, and then bring it all together for our favorite episode of Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor thus far…ROGUE! In fact, we’ve got a wee timey-wimey adventure of our own right in the episode. There is so much squee, we recommend listening alllll the way to the end of the episode. ;)

Bridgerton, Billie Eilish & Doctor Who, Oh My!

Stacy Watnick and Heather Berberet

Corrections/other notes: we have some sound variation in this ep, as we recorded across time and relative dimensions in space, and Francesca of Bridgerton fame does not have that love-struck response to John Stirling’s sister, but rather, to his cousin Michaela.

Stacy comes up with our episode titles and it hurts to only pick one…so we’ve decided to give you ALL our titles, just for fun!

Alternative Titles

Hit Me Hard and Soft, Indeed!,

The event that started it all!

Billie’s new album

This week we’re going back in time with X-Men Days of Future Past. Join us as we jump our brains back into the taut, toned, and bone clawed body of a younger Logan as he tries to prevent the rise of The Sentinels. Meanwhie, in the future, there’s an awful lot of fight, fight, fight.

Dan Moren, John Moltz and Guy English

Is “truffle mushroom tea” just a soup? Did a fancy New York restaurant play a trick on Listener David and his wife? And what is tea, really?

John Siracusa and Jason Snell

Speaking of people who don’t get recognized for their work…

The Fall Guy

Joe Rosensteel and Dan Sturm

The Fall Guy (2024) - IMDb

The Fall Guy (2024) - IMDb

Our Summer of the Planet of the Apes reaches its exciting conclusion with “War for the Planet of the Apes,” which starts out as a war movie but continues mutating into different genres as it goes. We really enjoyed our walk through this underrated trilogy of 2010s action movies, and we hope you did too!

"War for the Planet of the Apes"

Jason Snell with Brian Warren, John Moltz, Annette Wierstra and David J. Loehr

It’s the top of the fourth, and grizzled veteran catcher Dan Moren is trying to corral wild pitcher Lex “Wild Thing” Friedman as they watch 1989’s Major League. Hot topics include a terrible romance based on stalking, a surprising lack of comedy, and how exactly a team this offensive lasted so long.

Programming Note: In addition to this capsule episode, which contains our discussion before and after the film, members can watch along with Lex and Dan in a full-length commentary track, available in the members-only First Class feed. If you’re not already a member, why not sign up? And if you are, now’s a great time to update your membership allocations and maybe throw a little support in the direction of Not Playing. Thanks!

Lex Friedman and Dan Moren