Slate Daily Feed Culture Gabfest: Denzel and Spike Remix a Classic Edition
Aug 27, 2025
Wesley Morris, a culture critic for The New York Times and host of the Cannonball podcast, joins for a lively discussion. They dive into the horror film 'Weapons,' engaging in debates about its messages on gun violence. The conversation shifts to Spike Lee's latest collaboration with Denzel Washington, exploring themes of legacy and ambition. Lastly, they tackle the trend of performative masculinity on TikTok, questioning its authenticity and the societal pressures it reflects on modern men.
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Episode notes
Grief Atomizes, Not Unites
- Weapons uses segmented POV chapters to show how grief atomizes a community rather than producing collective action.
- The film's strength is in character texture and escalating dread rather than a clear social allegory.
Two-View Dread Reaction
- Julia Turner and Wesley Morris describe strong dread and repeat viewings of Weapons, with the film gripping audiences by suspense rather than gore.
- Wesley says he saw it twice and felt the film hit a visceral dread that held his attention both times.
Weapons As Thematic Threads
- Weapons layers literal and metaphorical 'weapons' across segments to explore vulnerabilities and social violence.
- The film functions like witchcraft, taking tinctures of characters to reveal what makes them vulnerable to harm.
