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I'm Stephen McHaff, and this is the Slate Culture Gab Fest, Don't Put Metal in the Science Open edition.

It's Wednesday, December 18, 2013.

On today's show, American Hustle is the new movie from director David O. Russell.

It stars Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, a bunch of other people.

And then we'll talk about Borgon, which is a Danish political drama from the producers of the original version of The Killing. We'll discuss that with Slate's TV critic Willa Paskin, who loves it. And finally, long-form journalism. Is that a wretched term of art that we're better off without? Joining me today is Slate's deputy editor, Julia Turner. Hello, Julia. Hi, Steve. And, of course, Slate's film critic, Dana Stevens. Hey, Dana. Hey, Steve. Dana, I want to hit you with a macro question right off the board here. Has this been a great year for American movies? I would say so. And I don't say that every year. I don't always necessarily cheerlead at the end of the year for how difficult it was to narrow down to a top 10, but this year it really, really was. And are you going to follow that up by asking whether American Hustle made my top 10 list or not? I would like to know Dana Stevens. Did American Hustle make your top 10 list this year? No, it is not on there. And yet, I will probably have trouble during this conversation justifying why it's not on there, because it is a thoroughly fun movie that I recommend and enjoy. You won't have any trouble justifying that to me, maybe to Giulio. Oh, you didn't love American Hustle? Somehow I thought it would be so steeped your boat. Yeah.

Oh, my God. We are so leaping ahead of what should be the natural flow of this conversation. So let's first say that American Hustle tells the somewhat true story based on a true story story of what were called the abscam operations from the 1970s and early 80s, in which a bunch of, eventually a bunch

of congressmen and one senator were taken down for bribing what they believed was an Arab

Sheikh.

Christian Bale plays the Ponchy Go-Between, whose hustles create the universe in which this

sting becomes possible.

His wife is played by Jennifer Lawrence.

His lover is played by Amy Adams. And the FBI agent who turns them is played by Jennifer Lawrence his lover is played by Amy Adams and the FBI agent who turns

them is played by Bradley Cooper anyway what we should do is listen to a clip from the film and then we'll

discuss you're going to do this because you got no choice you work for me you keep changing the rules

no you're getting a little power drunk but you know you want to tell them either you want to wake he? You want to wake him up? Oh, no. I said we shouldn't do any of it,

and you know I said that. So now I support Richie. He's got vision, do it. Have you or don't do it. I mean, he's the one real in America, not me. How the fuck am I ruining America? Because people just got over Watergate and Vietnam, all right?

...