New York Times critic Dwight Garner says “The Slate Culture Gabfest is one of the highlights of my week.” The award-winning Culturefest features critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens, and Julia Turner debating the week in culture, from highbrow to pop. For more of Slate’s culture podcasts, check out the Slate Culture feed. Get more Culture Gabfest with Slate Plus! Join to unlock weekly bonus episodes—plus ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe from our show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Or visit slate.com/cultureplus to get access wherever you listen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Money On Film: Spirited Away
Spirited Away (2001) · Mar 27, 2026
Money On Film: Materialists
Materialists (2025) · Mar 24, 2026
Money On Film: Margin Call
Margin Call (2011) · Mar 20, 2026
Heathcliff, It’s Me Cathy Edition
Heathcliff: The Movie (1986) · Feb 18, 2026
Is Hamnet this Year’s Oscar Villain? Edition
Hamnet (2025) · Jan 28, 2026
The Timothée Chalamet vs. the Blue Aliens Edition
Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025) · Jan 7, 2026
Guillermo del Toro Can Take Frankenstein Off His Bucket List Edition
Frankenstein (2024) · Oct 22, 2025
Daddygang Rage Virus Edition
28 Years Later (2025) · Jun 25, 2025
Can Materialists Revive the Rom-com Edition
Materialists (2025) · Jun 18, 2025
Can Materialists Revive the Rom-com Edition
Titan: The OceanGate Submersible Disaster (2025) · Jun 18, 2025
Noah Wyle Lures Us Into The Pitt
September 5 (2024) · Feb 5, 2025
Babygirls and Nickel Boys
Nickel Boys (2024) · Jan 15, 2025
The Strange Lionization of Luigi Mangione
Nightbitch (2024) · Dec 11, 2024
Steve McQueen’s Blitz: Dud or Hit?
Blitz (2011) · Dec 4, 2024
Demi Moore Gives Substance to The Substance
The Substance (2024) · Oct 2, 2024
Blake Lively Brings Melodrama Back
Time Bandits (1981) · Aug 14, 2024
Blake Lively Brings Melodrama Back
It Ends with Us (2024) · Aug 14, 2024
Civil War: What Is It Good For?
Civil War (2024) · Apr 17, 2024
Mr. & Mrs. Smith: Remarried
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005) · Feb 21, 2024
Why Zone of Interest Is Dividing Critics
The Zone of Interest (2023) · Feb 7, 2024
Life and Art, from FT Weekend: Comfort Watch: Something’s Gotta Give (2003)
Something's Gotta Give (2003) · Feb 2, 2024
American Fiction, Oscar Contender?
American Fiction (2023) · Jan 31, 2024
True Detective’s Coldest Case Yet
Origin (2023) · Jan 24, 2024
Much Ado About Anyone But You
The Boy and the Heron (2023) · Jan 10, 2024
Much Ado About Anyone But You
Anyone but You (2023) · Jan 10, 2024
Encore: Barbenheimer Blockbuster Bonanza
Barbie (2023) · Dec 27, 2023
Encore: Barbenheimer Blockbuster Bonanza
Oppenheimer (2023) · Dec 27, 2023
Scorsese’s Killer Epic
Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) · Oct 25, 2023
Closed Captions: On or Off?
Past Lives (2023) · Jun 14, 2023
The Spider-Verse Proliferates
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) · Jun 7, 2023
Beau is Afraid and Ari Aster is Unwell
Beau Is Afraid (2023) · Apr 19, 2023
Women Are Talking, But Is the Academy Listening?
Women Talking (2022) · Jan 25, 2023
Can a Video Game Really Be Turned Into a TV Show?
Saint Omer (2022) · Jan 18, 2023
Can a Video Game Really Be Turned Into a TV Show?
The Last of Us (2022) · Jan 18, 2023
Avatar: Glorious or Racist Schlock?
Avatar (2009) · Dec 21, 2022
Will Elon Musk Ruin Twitter?
Aftersun (2022) · Nov 2, 2022
Jolly Green Lawyer
Moonage Daydream (2022) · Sep 21, 2022
Rings of Power, Wads of Cash
Breaking (2022) · Sep 7, 2022
Go Extinct Faster!
Jurassic World Dominion (2022) · Jun 15, 2022
Go Extinct Faster!
Fire Island (2022) · Jun 15, 2022
Need for Speed
Need for Speed (2014) · Jun 1, 2022
Whose Woods Are These?
Petite Maman (2021) · May 18, 2022
Drive My Batmobile
The Batman (2022) · Mar 23, 2022
Drive My Batmobile
Drive My Car (2021) · Mar 23, 2022
Licorice Dystopia
Licorice Pizza (2021) · Mar 16, 2022
Double, Double Rogan in Trouble
The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021) · Feb 2, 2022
We're All Going to F---ing Die
Don't Look Up (2021) · Jan 12, 2022
Buttery Soft Leggings
Cry Macho (2021) · Sep 29, 2021
One Year in the Dungeon
Coda (2020) · Aug 18, 2021
Heads Are Gonna Roll
Black Widow (2021) · Aug 4, 2021
Heads Are Gonna Roll
The Green Knight (2021) · Aug 4, 2021
Toppling Teddy Roosevelt
Center Stage (2000) · Jun 24, 2020
Toppling Teddy Roosevelt
Da 5 Bloods (2020) · Jun 24, 2020
Normal People?
Older Normal People (2020) · May 13, 2020
Will Restaurants Survive?
Sneakers (1992) · Apr 8, 2020
Viral Songs and Quarantine Culture
Spenser Confidential (2020) · Mar 18, 2020
Half for Me, Half for You
Honeyland (2019) · Jan 22, 2020
Live from Vancouver
The Irishman (2019) · Nov 20, 2019
Culture Gabfest: Hail Satan
Rosemary's Baby (1968) · Oct 30, 2019
Culture Gabfest: You Don't Get to Hate It
The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019) · Jun 19, 2019
Prosthesis Statement Edition
Vice (2018) · Jan 30, 2019
Dinner is Served! Edition
Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018) · Nov 14, 2018
Brain and Body Still Rebooting Edition
Private Life (2018) · Oct 17, 2018
Oopsie Jar Edition
A Simple Favor (2018) · Sep 19, 2018
Fortnite Kegel Storm Edition
Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018) · Aug 1, 2018
It's Hammer Time Edition
You Were Never Really Here (2017) · Apr 25, 2018
Apocalypse Mom Edition
A Quiet Place (2018) · Apr 18, 2018
Midnight at the OASIS Edition
Ready Player One (2018) · Apr 4, 2018
The Great Work Begins Edition
Love, Simon (2018) · Mar 28, 2018
10th Anniversary Edition
A Wrinkle in Time (2018) · Mar 14, 2018
Abrasive Toast Scrape Edition
Phantom Thread (2017) · Feb 7, 2018
Nobody Bonks Me On the Head With a Baguette Edition
Paddington 2 (2017) · Jan 24, 2018
Beauteous Sprout Edition
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) · Jan 3, 2018
Frantic Rabbity Burst Edition
I, Tonya (2017) · Dec 13, 2017
Do I Dare to Eat a Peach Edition
Call Me by Your Name (2017) · Nov 29, 2017
Priceless Moments Edition
The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) (2017) · Oct 18, 2017
Live From Toronto Edition
Mudbound (2017) · Sep 20, 2017
Crash! I Dropped a Vase Edition
Dunkirk (2017) · Aug 2, 2017
"Edwina, Bring Me the Anatomy Book" Edition
The Beguiled (2017) · Jul 6, 2017
Vicarious Nails Edition
It Comes at Night (2017) · Jun 21, 2017
Samba and Tapas Edition
Samba (2014) · Jan 4, 2017
Epistemological Meltdown Edition
Walking and Talking (1996) · Sep 14, 2016
Who Brought the Chardonnay Edition
Keanu (2016) · May 11, 2016
Live from Chelsea Edition
Everybody Wants Some!! (2016) · Apr 8, 2016
Steve Has a Hangover in Toronto Edition
Ex Machina (2015) · May 13, 2015
Fluffy Karaoke Chicken Bites Dog Edition
White God (2014) · Apr 1, 2015
Nice Singlet Edition
Foxcatcher (2014) · Feb 4, 2015
Rock, Paper, Scissors Edition
Wild (2014) · Dec 10, 2014
Mmmm...Simpsons Edition
The One I Love (2014) · Aug 27, 2014
Precision of Language Edition
The Giver (2014) · Aug 20, 2014
The Culturefest: Migrating Buns Edition
Boyhood (2014) · Jul 16, 2014
The Culture Gabfest: This is Sparta Edition
22 Jump Street (2014) · Jun 18, 2014
The Culture Gabfest: Re-Stephening Edition
Obvious Child (2014) · Jun 11, 2014
The Culture Gabfest: Sadness as the Bread Edition
The Normal Heart (2014) · May 28, 2014
The Culture Gabfest: I Dig Your Directionless Fury Edition
Locke (2014) · May 14, 2014
The Culture Gabfest: Wolfie is My Safe Word Edition
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) · Jan 1, 2014
The Culture Gabfest: We're Not Here to Fish Edition
Captain Phillips (2013) · Oct 16, 2013
The Culture Gabfest: Flirting with Vomit Edition
The World's End (2013) · Aug 28, 2013
The Culture Gabfest: The "Hurry Up with My Damn Croissants" Edition
Man of Steel (2013) · Jun 19, 2013