Need for Speed

This week, the panel begins by re-visiting the Top Gun academy with Top Gun: Maverick. Then, the panel is joined by critic and author Jason Bailey to assess the career of George Carlin, presented in the two-part documentary George Carlin’s American Dream. Finally, the panel discusses the defamation trail of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard that is gripping the media.  In Slate Plus, the panel remembers the career of Ray Liotta. Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Endorsements Dana: The film Paris, 13th District, which is a light, French relationship movie where everyone has perfect sweaters, deep wine glasses, and engaging romantic arguments. Julia: A birdwatching app, Merlin. Which can now identify birds by shazaming its song to identify the bird species. Steve: Guardian book review from Anil Gomes, titled “Private Notebooks 1914–1916 by Ludwig Wittgenstein review—sex and logic,” about the first translation of famous philosopher’s notebooks in English. Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Nadira Goffe. Outro music is "Any Other Way" by Particle House. Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts, a bonus segment in each episode of the Culture Gabfest, full access to Slate's journalism on Slate.com, and more. Sign up now at slate.com/cultureplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices