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On this week\u2019s show, the hosts begin by dissecting The Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, the fourth chapter in the Apes franchise. Set \u201cmany generations\u201d in the future, the latest installment (directed by Wes Ball and starring Owen Teague) is an undeniably well-crafted summer blockbuster \u2013 but does it achieve the level of complexity and thought its predecessors did? (Read Dana\u2019s review for Slate for further analysis.) Then, it\u2019s onto John Mulaney Presents: Everybody\u2019s in LA, a six-part live Netflix special that aired during the streaming giant\u2019s comedy festival. The conceit is thus: Netflix is a Joke attracts the best comedians in the world to LA, John Mulaney interviews them. But the final product is much stranger than that description, both a rejection and reinvention of the tired late-night talk show format, in which Mulaney interviews celebrities and non-celebrities, airs sketches, and delivers long monologues on the character of LA. Is Everybody\u2019s in LA chaotic and sloppy, or a ragged delight? Our panel discusses. Finally, the trio is joined by Slate\u2019s music critic, Carl Wilson, to eulogize the legendary musician and \u201cproducing engineer\u201d (his preferred title) Steve Albini. Known for recording albums with Joanna Newsom, Nirvana, and the Pixies, among others, Albini considered himself a documentarian of sound and a technical expert, and brought his punk-rock ethic to everything he did. Read Steve Albini\u2019s essay, \u201cThe Problem with Music\u201d and his letter to Nirvana.\nIn the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel discusses cultural arbitrage with Slate\u2019s music critic, Carl Wilson, inspired by W. David Marx\u2019s essay for The Atlantic, \u201cThe Diminishing Returns of Having Good Taste.\u201d\xa0\nEmail us at culturefest@slate.com.\xa0\nEndorsements:\nDana: \u201cWho\u2019s Afraid of Judith Butler?\u201d \u2013 a profile of the philosopher and gender theorist by Parul Sehgal for The New Yorker.\nJulia: \u201cEspresso\u201d by Sabrina Carpenter.\nStephen: The delightful, catchy, and exuberant (with a tincture of melancholy) music of New Zealand band, Yumi Zuma. (Check out Steve\u2019s playlist here.)\xa0\nPodcast production by Jared Downing. Production assistance by Kat Hong.\xa0\nHosts\nDana Stephens, Julia Turner, Stephen Metcalf\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices