The Slate Culture Gab Fest is sponsored by Stamps.com, buy and print official U.S. postage using your own computer and printer, and have your postal carrier pick up the packages.

Sign up for a no-risk trial and get up to $55 in free postage when you visit Stamps.com and use the promo code CultureFest.

And by Independent Lens, presenting the best in documentary film

every Monday night at 10 p.m. on PBS with host Stanley Tucci.

I'm Stephen Metcalf, and this is the Slate Culture Gab Fest. I did it for the Lulls edition.

It's Wednesday, October 17, 2012.

On today's program, the new Ben Affleck directs the new Ben Affleck movie, Argo.

Then we talk about trolling, Reddit, and anonymity with Gawker's Adrian Chen,

and then finally, the peculiar American institution known as Cooks

Illustrated. 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. Argo is the new, based on a true story

thriller about the daring and quite novel rescue attempt of six American diplomats during the Iranian

hostage crisis. Okay, you got six people diplomats during the Iranian hostage crisis.

Okay, you got six people hiding out in the town of what? Four million people, all of whom

chant death to America all the live long day. You want to set up a movie in a week. You want to lie to

Hollywood, a town where everybody lies for a living. Then you get a sneak, 007 over here,

into a country that wants CIA

had blood on their breakfast cereal,

and you're going to walk the Brady Bunch

out of the most watched city in the world.

Asked about 100 militia at the airport.

That's right.

...