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On this week’s episode, our critics discuss the life and legacy of film critic Roger Ebert and his place in the hearts of movie lovers everywhere. Then, after watching National Geographic Channel’s miniseries The ‘80s: The Decade That Made Us, they reflect on the gnarliest decade of them all. Finally, the Culturefesters talk about the Great British Class Survey, which claims to reveal England’s real class system.

Here are links to some of the things we discussed this week:

• Dana’s remembrance of Roger Ebert in Slate.
• Roger Ebert’s letter to the aspiring film critic Dana Stevens.
• The Pot and How to Use It: The Mystery and Romance of the Rice Cooker, by Roger Ebert.
• Ebert’s writing, including his contributions to Slate, his fire hose-like Twitter feed, and his memoir Life Itself.
• Matt Zoller Seitz on Roger Ebert for Vulture.
• “Roger Ebert: End of Message,” by Ali Arikan, for Indiewire’s Press Play.
• Wesley Morris on Ebert for Grantland.
• Politico’s chief political writer Roger Simon on Ebert’s influence on his life and career.
• “Roger and Me,” by Alan Zweibel for The New Yorker.
• David Carr on Roger Ebert for the New York Times.
• Some of Dana’s favorite writing by Ebert: “ 'Who’s Gonna Get Me a Beer?’ An Interview With Lee Marvin,” (1970); “Nil By Mouth,” (2010); “Roger Loves Chaz,” (2012); “My Name Is Roger, and I’m an Alcoholic,” (2009); “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles,” (2000); “Robert Mitchum: ‘One of the Greatest Movie Stars Was Rin Tin Tin. It Can’t Be Too Much of a Trick.’ ”, (1993).
• “Explore the ’80s,” an interactive site by National Geographic Channel.
• The Great British Class Survey.
• The Guardian’s Martin Kettle on social class and party politics in England.

Endorsements:

Dana: The newly redesigned RogerEbert.com.

June: The novel Lionel Asbo: State of England, by Martin Amis.

Stephen: Mucinex and Fear of Falling: The Inner Life of the Middle Class, by Barbara Ehrenreich

Outro: “I Wanna Be Rich” by Calloway

You can email us at culturefest@slate.com.

This podcast was produced by Julia Furlan. Our intern is Sally Tamarkin.

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