This Slate Spoiler Special is meant to be played after you see the movie being discussed.

The podcast contains explicit language.

Hi, this is Dana Steven Slate's movie critic here with the Slate Spoiler Special podcast on the Ides of March, the new George Clooney film directed by and semi-starring, I would say, supporting role, actually, George Clooney as well.

Here in the studio with me is Seth Coulter Walls.

Hey, Seth.

Hi, I didn't.

You are.

I forgot to identify you last time.

I just sort of went, but it was like you were like a one name or like share or something.

But you are a writer for the village voice, for Slate on occasion.

Where else are you publishing these days?

Washington Post and the all various places different every week, double X-L.

On music, on movies, on books, on, you're a critic at large.

Right.

And a good movie companion.

Thanks a lot for coming to see The Iads of March with me last night.

Yeah, thanks for inviting me.

So I want to recreate, to the extent possible, the exact conversation we had walking

down Broadway to a Chinese restaurant after seeing this movie last night because I really liked some of the points we were hitting,

but I can't remember how it all started. I mean, first of all, just general reaction. I was a little

bit disappointed in this movie. Yeah, I thought it could potentially be better than it was a strong.

George Clooney is like a real director. He's not just a vanity project for him, right? He can turn in strong work and strong acting possibilities with Gosling and was Clooney also. But I think we both felt that it was actually frustrating on a couple of different levels, both structurally and performance wise. Yeah, especially the last half or maybe the last quarter or so. It's a strange movie that pivots in this weird direction.

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