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I'm Stephen Metcalf, and this is the Slate CultureGabfest, Failed Species Edition.

This is also the daily podcast from slate.com for Wednesday, June 24, 2009.

On today's program, we're going to talk about whatever works, the latest from Woody Allen,

True Blood, HBO's Return from the Dead, and Christina Nearing's new book, A Vindication of Love, Reclaiming Romance for the 21st Century.

Joining me today are Slate's deputy editor, Julia Turner.

Hello, Julia.

Hi, Steve.

And, of course, our film critic, Dana Stevens, Dana, hello.

Hey.

Great to see you both.

Dana, let's plunge right in with Woody Allen.

I had a very specific experience seeing this movie, I should say, which was for the first time in a long time, the very ritual itself of going to see a Woody Allen movie was quite pleasurable.

It's a bunch of old-timer New Yorkers all pile into the Angelica movie theater. It plays on about 20 screens there and about 25 screens nationwide.

And we don't expect a good movie. We expect something familiar, the rhythms of something

familiar. And it's been ages since a Woody Allen movie delighted me to the degree that this one did. My sense is that this was not the experience. I've only seen the headline of your review of the movie, but my sense is this is just nothing like what your experience of this was. It rankled you in some way that I'm very curious to hear the specifics of. All right. Well, I should just forewarn that we're going to do some minor spoilage of the movie here.

So in just a second, our producer is going to come on and tell you how far forward you would have to fast forward if you don't want to hear any spoilage. Thanks, Dana. This is your CultureFest producer speaking. if you don't want to hear plot points for whatever works spoiled in the upcoming segment,

you should forward your listening device to the 14-minute 23-second mark.

All right, Dana, back to you. works spoiled in the upcoming segment, you should forward your listening device to the 14-minute

23-second mark. All right, Dana, back to you. Well, I'm actually staggered, and I'm delighted

...