Popcorn Culture

From hand drawn characters and scenes, to great sweeping CG vistas and almost photorealistic creatures and faces, animation has come a long way. In this episode of Supercut, we talk about what we've gained and lost with technology, what some of our favourites in the genre are, and why animation offers some storytelling possibilities that simply aren't possible elsewhere. See omnystudio.com/listene...

The latest from Pixar, Luca tells the story of a young sea monster who yearns for adventures beyond his childhood home, and finds it by exploring the town of Portorosso with his best friend. Inspired by influences as varied as Federico Fellini and Hayao Miyazaki, and aiming to explore a sense of nostalgia, and what it means to be different, Luca stars Jacob Tremblay and is the feature directorial...

An enchanted tale of a girl trying to find her way through a world of spirits, dragons and folklore, Spirited Away is one of the great Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli's most well-known films - and it's celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. We look back at Spirited Away, and all its hand-drawn, dreamy glory. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s something special about the things we watched as children - they may not all have been high quality, but they were certainly high on joy. Whether you grew up on Thudercats or Jem, Harry Potter or Hannah Montana, we’re dedicating this episode to pure childhood nostalgia onscreen. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Based on the acclaimed graphic novel series by Jeff Lemire, Sweet Tooth is set in a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by a mysterious virus, where many children are somehow being born hybrids of humans and animals. Against this backdrop, a boy who is half-human and half-deer sets out on a journey to understand his past, with an unlikely protector. We review this latest TV offering, and talk about how...

For those of a particular generation, the tale of 10-year-old Bastian finding his way into the magical land of Fantasia through a mysterious book, is the stuff of beloved childhood nostalgia. Directed by Wolf Petersen, the 1984 movie was groundbreaking in its time for its depiction of a fantasy world and its fascinating characters. We revisit the film and discuss whether it continues to enchant. S...

No one thought this year's sleeper hit would be a cartoon on Amazon Prime, but here we are. Based on the Image Comics series by Robert Kirkman, Invincible is the story of Mark Grayson (Steven Yuen) finally coming into his superpowers. He's also the son of the most powerful superhero on the planet, Omni-Man (J.K. Simmons), and things are not as simple or as innocent as they seem. We review the ultr...

The signature fedora. The rousing score by John Williams. The iconic crack of the whip. This is where the legend of Indiana Jones began - in Steven Spielberg's 1981 blockbuster, Raiders of the Lost Ark. In this episode, we revisit the pop culture phenomenon that redefined the action-adventure genre, spawned multiple sequels, videogames, and cartoons, and further cemented Harrison Ford as one of th...

Some actors have been gracing our screens now for decades (Harrison Ford, Meryl Streep... even Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise), changing from young ingenue or action hero, to grizzled familiar face and grand dame. In this Supercut, we talk about the experience of watching actors and stars over the years, and how their careers and signature moves change and shift with time and trends. See omnystudio.com/...

Everyone loves a hero. Whether they're squeaky clean like Superman or slightly more questionable like John Rambo, we enjoy watching these characters kick *bleep*, take names, and look good while doing it. But is that all a hero is? On this Supercut, we discuss our favorite heroic archetypes and what makes them tick, the difference between a hero and a regular protagonist, and why some of these cha...

The One Where They Get Back Together... Friends: The Reunion is the on-screen manifestation of something fans have been asking for years: give us more of Monica, Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Phoebe and Joey. This special reunites the gang after 17 years, to reminisce and talk about their experiences making one of the most successful shows of all time. We discuss whether this reunion is everything we'd...

Based on Stephen King's novella, Stand By Me is many things: a classic coming-of-age adventure story, a look at childhood friendships and how they shift and change, and even a study on the weight of grief. Anchored in a group of friends hiking in the woods to find a dead body, this Rob Reiner-helmed film stars 80s icons Will Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell and Kiefer Sutherl...

If there’s one genre that refuses to stay dead, it’s the zombie flick. For all that it’s about reanimated corpses, zombies have been reimagined on screen across genres - everything from horror to romance to comedy. For this week’s Supercut, we dissect the zombie film and talk about the unique pleasures of watching flesh-eating creatures on screen. See omnystudio.com/listene...

If you ever had to decide between a zombie flick and a heist movie - well, stop staggering about mindlessly, because with Army of the Dead, you’ll never have to decide. Zack Snyder’s latest takes place in a post-zombie outbreak Las Vegas, where a group of mercenaries have to venture into a quarantine zone to pull off possibly the biggest heist ever - while battling a rabid zombie horde...

Movies like Ben-Hur, The Godfather, and Citizen Kane are widely considered some of the greatest films ever made. But what about more recent films? Will The Dark Knight transcend generations and be hyper-analyzed by nerds of the future? Will The Lord of the Rings be as iconic to our grandchildren? Is Con Air still a cinematic masterpiece 50 years from now? In this Supercut, we set out to explore an...

The first season of Love, Death + Robots was an explicitly entertaining cocktail of sci-fi, horror, and fantasy short films, specially handpicked by David Fincher and Tim Miller. Obviously, we couldn't wait to binge on more! In this episode, we review the highly anticipated second season of Love, Death + Robots and discuss our favorite shorts, while trying to decide if this sequel-season delivers...

It's strange to call a 22-year-old film a "classic", but that's exactly what The Iron Giant is. Directed by Brad Bird, the film tells the story of a kid named Hogarth (Eli Marienthal) who befriends a giant alien robot (Vin Diesel), only to realize the government isn't too happy about the intergalactic visitor. In this Throwback episode, we celebrate the many themes within The Iron Giant and discus...

Based on Leigh Bardugo's wildly successful books, Shadow and Bone takes us to the fantasy kingdom of Ravka, where a war has waged on, and The Shadow Fold, a darkness that separates the east and west and houses monsters. Enter Alina Starkov, an orphaned mapmaker who discovers that she may have the power to change the world. We discuss what it was like to be immersed in this story and the world of R...

A cult classic, Labyrinth has many hallmarks of the 1980s - it was directed by Jim Henson of The Muppets fame, written (in part) by Terry Jones of Monty Python fame, and starred Jennifer Connelly and David Bowie (!). In this episode of Throwback, we discuss why this movie has endured and grown in popularity and fame over time, and how it contributes to the fantasy genre. See omnystudio.com/listene...

There are so many ways to describe an action movie that we’d run out of space getting to them all; suffice to say, this is our weekly Supercut on steroids, as we take on every imaginable action movie trope you can think of. So whether it’s punching through a bunch of baddies, leaping off exploding buildings, racing out guns blazing, or giant machines battling each other, we’re he...

One night, Hutch Mansell’s (Bob Odenkirk) family home is broken into, and he fails to defend himself or his family. His rage following the event leads to various twists and turns, and amidst plenty of violence, gunfire, and car chases, Hutch must now save his wife and son again. We review Nobody, and discuss the vicarious excitement of the “family in jeopardy” action subgenre. Se...

He had a very particular set of skills. Skills he acquired over a very long career. Skills that he finessed into a trilogy of wildly successful movies where a lone father rescues his family in jeopardy (over and over again). In this week’s throwback, we revisit the film that unexpectedly but firmly established Liam Neeson as an ageing action hero - 2008’s Taken - and spawned a whole ge...

Round 1! FIGHT! Mortal Kombat is an international, sometimes intergalactic, oftentimes interdimensional ancient martial arts tournament... that's always to the death! It usually involves lots of gore and if you mash the right buttons, an explosion of body horror and ridiculous carnage. The question is, can this new live-action adaptation, directed by first-timer Simon McQuoid, live up to one of th...

Ten years have passed since Edgar Wright directed the quirky, eclectic, burst of colour that is Scott Pilgrim vs The World... which means it's time for a throwback! The film tells the story of titular Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) battling Ramona's (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) seven exes (a host of recognizable faces including Chris Evans) in order to win her heart. We rewatch Scott Pilgrim and discus...

The 93rd Academy Awards are going to be unlike any other - with the film industry mostly coming to a halt in 2021, and fewer people having the opportunity to have seen many of the films nominated, how does that change the relevance of the Oscars? Ahead of the awards themselves, we discuss the year's nominees but also look back at how Oscar winners from years past have held up as rewatches. See omn...