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On this week’s episode, Julia, Dana, and Slate culture editor Dan Kois talk about the new movie adaptation of Lois Lowry’s dystopian schoolroom-staple The Giver. Can Jeff Bridges’ version outshine the Hunger Games juggernaut, or is The Giver’s anti-conformist message too outdated to be interesting? Next up, Slate’s own Amanda Hess has identified an interesting seam of Internet conversation: ironic misandry. Can a political joke ever truly be funny? Can a funny joke ever be effectively political? The gabbers decide whether or not to drink the male tears Kool-Aid. Finally, given the massive success of the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack, a conversation is in order: Our critics pronounce on great soundtrack albums, the marriages of celluloid and song you should know and love.

Links to some of the things we discussed this week follow:

• Lois Lowry’s The Giver Quartet
• L.V. Anderson’s review of the movie adaptation on Slate
• George Orwell’s 1984
• The Hunger Games movie trilogy
• Amanda Hess’ piece on the rise of ironic misandry on Slate
• Mallory Ortberg’s Lullabies for Misandrists on The Toast
• Women Ignoring Men as Art on The Toast
• Chris Wade takes down Awesome Mixtape Vol. 1
• A few of the gabbers’ favorite soundtracks:
• Morvern Callar
• Pulp Fiction
• Dirty Dancing
• Diner
• Boogie Nights
• Velvet Goldmine
• Adventureland
• Bottle Rocket
• The Breakfast Club
• Pretty in Pink

Endorsements:

Julia: Meryl Streep singing Shel Silverstein’s “I’m Checking Out” in Postcards From the Edge.

Dan: The Magician’s Land, the third installment of Lev Grossman’s Magicians Trilogy.

Dana: 1983’s Valley Girl, starring Nicolas Cage and Deborah Foreman.

Outro: The Streep edition of “I’m Checking Out.”

You can email us at culturefest@slate.com.

This podcast was produced by Ann Heppermann. Our intern is Josephine Livingstone.

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