Is Rotten Tomatoes Certified Rotten?

This week, Stephen and Dana are joined by guest host Kat Chow, journalist and author of the 2021 memoir Seeing Ghosts. The panel begins by wading through HELL, Chris Fleming’s new hour-long comedy special that’s both puzzling and delightfully goofy. Then, the three consider Astrakan, a deeply dark and unsettling first feature from director David Depesseville, and attempt to parse through the film’s (intentionally?) ambiguous messages. Finally, they conclude by discussing Rotten Tomatoes, the widely used critical review aggregation site and subject of the recent Vulture exposé by Lane Brown, “The Decomposition of Rotten Tomatoes,” which details a “gaming of the system” by Hollywood PR teams.  In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel dives into the 2023 U.S. Open, specifically the effect of extreme heat on gameplay and how the sport will need to contend with climate change going forward.  Email us at culturefest@slate.com.  Endorsements: Kat: C Pam Zhang’s brilliant upcoming novel The Land of Milk and Honey.  Dana: One of the best novels she’s read in years, Idlewild by James Frankie Thomas. Stephen: The Guest by Emma Cline, a novel that serves as a “carefully observed ethnography of the super rich.”  Outro music: “On the Keys of Steel” by Dusty Decks. Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Kat Hong.  If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows. You’ll also be supporting the work we do here on the Culture Gabfest. Sign up now at Slate.com/cultureplus to help support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices