“Disclosure Day” And Ranking Spielberg’s Alien Movies (With Starlee Kine)
6/18/20261 hr 30 min
It’s Disclosure Week on Critical Darlings, with writer, podcaster, and E.T. super fan Starlee Kine!
Almost five decades after Steven Spielberg reimagined aliens on screen with E.T. and Close Encounters, he’s delivered another story of extraterrestrial awe. The movie stars Emily Blunt and Josh O’Connor. But the figure who looms largest over Disclosure Day is Spielberg himself. We discuss our relationships to Spielberg’s work, how Disclosure Day fits into his slate of alien films, and how the movie worked on us. Like audiences and critics, we’re split. Despite some production quibbles (take off that sweater, Emily!), Spielberg remains a master of the camera. Still, the movie’s optimism for humanity feels behind the times: or, maybe we’re just jaded? Why not both?
Other topics include ghosts vs. aliens, Spielberg’s longing for the monoculture, E.T. in the wig, and finally, we do a ranking of Spielberg’s alien films.
Next week, we’re celebrating Pride with two flavors of gay film: the goofy Stop That Train, and the spooky Leviticus.
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsMarie Barty0:00
[upbeat music] From Blank Check Productions, this is Critical Darlings, a podcast about the movies everyone's talking about, one new release after another. Please welcome your hosts, Richard Lawson and Alison Willmore.
Richard Lawson· Host0:24
[clapping] Thank you, Marie, for that introduction, although it just sounded like clicks and sort of like guttural- No, it, it was in English.
Alison Willmore· Host0:33
I- Oh, you understood it? Did you, did you not... Were we not- Oh ... listening to the same thing?
Richard Lawson· Host0:37
I don't know.
Alison Willmore· Host0:37
Can you- What happened to you when you were 10? [laughs] Yeah, can you replicate the, the stuttering, please? [stutters] Oh, right on the mic.
Richard Lawson· Host0:44
Yeah.
Alison Willmore· Host0:44
Oh, right on the mic.
Richard Lawson· Host0:45
Oh, beautiful.
Alison Willmore· Host0:45
Oh, yeah.
Richard Lawson· Host0:46
Yeah. Talk to us.
Alison Willmore· Host0:47
Beautiful.
Richard Lawson· Host0:47
Sorry.
Alison Willmore· Host0:47
[laughs] Yeah.
Ben Frisch· Panelist0:49
[laughs] I mean, there's a question about whether the, that is this movie's, like, legacy- [laughs] ... from the trailers.
Alison Willmore· Host0:54
Is the clicking?
Starlee Kine· Guest0:54
[laughs] I think the question is, is there gonna be a cultural legacy from this movie?
Alison Willmore· Host0:57
Mm.
Richard Lawson· Host0:58
Mm.
Ben Frisch· Panelist0:58
Mm.
Alison Willmore· Host0:58
This is a big question. Yeah.
Richard Lawson· Host0:58
Well, we will get into it.
Alison Willmore· Host0:59
Yeah.
Richard Lawson· Host0:59
Um, those voices you heard, uh, first, w- that, that was our producer Ben Frechilla. Ben.
Ben Frisch· Panelist1:03
Good morning.
Richard Lawson· Host1:04
And our very special guest, uh, we're so excited to have her on the show. Um, she is a writer, a podcaster extraordinaire, just a general wit and intellect in the world, Starlee Kine. Hello, Starlee.
Starlee Kine· Guest1:18
Did I talk too early?
Richard Lawson· Host1:19
No, I, we, I love that.
Starlee Kine· Guest1:20
No, I can't, I can't remember the rules of the- There are no rules ... Critical Darlings universe.
Alison Willmore· Host1:22
There are no, we have no rules. We really- I, I crossed over from the- From the other...
Richard Lawson· Host1:25
Yeah.
Starlee Kine· Guest1:25
[laughs] From the other- Yeah, we keep it real loose here.
Richard Lawson· Host1:27
Yeah.
Starlee Kine· Guest1:27
Yeah.
Alison Willmore· Host1:27
Um, wait, can I ask a question- Yeah ... before