Hype: From Trainspotting to Filmspotting

For those of you that haven't yet found your perfect companion with whom to discuss the trials and tribulations of awards season, you need look no further!

Adam Kempenaar and Matty Robinson, the presenters of Chicago based podcast and radioshow Filmspotting are seriously in a league of there own. Some would call them movie geeks, I prefer to think of them as film aficionado's. I find myself nodding my head in agreement as I listen to this weekly podcast, where our two hosts, both highly articulate and expressive, discuss the latest offerings from the world of film.

I wouldn't recommend this podcast to those who just want know whats on at their local Vue. Our hosts are more like filmologists; they approach the study of film from a highly analytical standpoint. Needless to say, they respect the medium of film and don't seem to take their decisions lightly. I don't it mind it when people have strong opinions about film, so long as they are approaching their hypothesis from an intelligently engaged perspective. What’s that you say, Revolutionary Road was disappointing and slightly muddled? Couldn’t agree more, not that I’ve seen it yet. These guys have clearly seen alot of movies, and can argue the toss pretty well one way or the other.



This isn’t just some hour long free-for-all though, you get the feeling that the show has been very well thought out from start to finish, providing relief and balance in just the right places. Each week there is a different musical offering that accompanies the shows main segments, these are usually just bursts but nicely offset the discussion and analysis. Massacre Theatre is perhaps my favourite segment, where our hosts re-enact a scene from a popular film and invite the audience to figure out what the hell it was; its reassuring to know that some film critics don’t take themselves too seriously. The shows discussion usually drifts from current box office contenders, to independent and art house classics; by the end of a show I usually know something I didn’t know before. Listen now!