The Culture Gabfest: Sprang Braake 4eva Edition
Slate's podcast about David Mamet’s Phil Spector biopic, Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers, and Ben-Hur author Lew Wallace.
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Listen to Culture Gabfest No. 236 with Dana Stevens, John Swansburg, and June Thomas with the audio player below:
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On this week’s episode, our critics discuss Phil Spector, David Mamet’s HBO movie about the music producer’s murder trial, from its soggy, static scenes to its intense wig action. The Culturefesters then ponder Spring Breakers: Does Harmony Korine’s latest movie offer ecstatic freedom and transcendence or merely a lecherous camera focused on bikini-clad gyrations? Finally, they discuss Lew Wallace, the disgraced Civil War general and author of the best-selling novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ.
Here are links to some of the things we discussed this week:
- Los Angeles Times reporter Harriet Ryan on HBO’s Phil Spector.
- Troy Patterson for Slate on Phil Spector.
- Dana Stevens’ Slate review of Spring Breakers.
- The movies of writer/director Harmony Korine.
- The rapper RiFF Raff.
- Spring Breakers’ costume designer Heidi Bivens on selecting wardrobe for the movie.
- John Swansburg on “The Passion of Lew Wallace” for Slate.
- The 1880 book Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ, by Lew Wallace, and its 1959 film adaptation Ben-Hur.
Endorsements:
June’s pick: The British soap opera Coronation Street, which has been on the air for more than 50 years (and is the best TV show in the history of the world) and is now available on Hulu.
John’s pick: James Salter’s forthcoming novel All That Is.
Dana’s pick: The 2009 documentary The Agony and the Ecstasy of Phil Spector, available in nine parts on YouTube.
Outro: “Spanish Harlem” by Ben E. King
You can email us at culturefest@slate.com.
This podcast was produced by Julia Furlan. Our intern is Sally Tamarkin.
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