Pop This!

Summary:    "Did I miss anything?" Journalist and producer Bridgette Watson join us to debrief everything that happened during the 2022 Oscars.    Show notes:   Oscars 2022: full list of winners (The Guardian)   Oscars 2022: Fashion—Live From the Red Carpet (Vogue)   The Lives of Others | How you respond to this ends up saying more about you than it does Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, or Chris Ro...

Summary:    "Blow my tiny mind." This week we look at the film CODA and discover why it's getting so much Oscar buzz. Also discussed: Sort Of , Carla Rockmore, and Lisa's feelings about The Batman .    Show notes:   CODA Review by Jenna Fischtrom Beacom    There's More to the ASL Performances in CODA Than Nonsigners Realize (Slate)   Recommendations:   Andrea G.:  Carla Rockmore on Instagram     A...

Summary:    "It's a rumble!" Journalist and musical aficionado Justin McElroy joins us this week to talk about Steven Spielberg's adaptation of West Side Story . Also discussed: Normal Gossip , Somebody Somewhere, and Schmigadoon!   Show notes:   Down With West Side Story: Spielberg's unnecessary remake flopped because it wasn't actually for anyone (Slate)  Recommendations:   Andrea G.:  Normal Go...

Summary:    "We are obliged to do so many stupid things." We continue on our Oscars 2022 journey this week by tackling The Lost Daughter with the help of writer, editor, and educator Jackie Wong. Also discussed: Feeling Asian , The Darlings, and our favourite Sunday rituals.   Show notes:   Jackie Wong at the Tyee   The Movie That Understands the Secret Shame of Motherhood (The Atlantic)   Recomme...

Summary: "Spoilers." We dip our toes into Oscar season by watching Jane Campion's stunning The Power of the Dog . Also discussed: Kimi , the music of Charmaine, and Andrea Warner's experience of being an overnight labour buddy.   Show notes:   The Beautiful, Indefinable Queerness of The Power of the Dog (them.)   Vince Vaughn's remake of Psycho     Recommendations:   Andrea G.:  Kimi (Crave)   And...

Summary: "Januaries." This week we're talking about Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton's mostly forgotten musical comedy-drama Joyful Noise. Also discussed: Sour Patch Kids makeup, Chameleon: Wild Boys , and the lost sport of ballet skiing.   Show notes:   Best of ballet skiing, ski ballet (YouTube)   Hear me out: why Joyful Noise isn't a bad movie (The Guardian)    Recommendations:   Andrea G.:  Cham...

Summary:   "Velcro. Next to the Walkman and Tab it is the coolest invention of the 20th century." This week we discover that Girls Just Want To Have Fun is the Sarah Jessica Parker rom-com dance movie we needed in our lives. Also discussed: figure skating, fever dreams and Miss Piggy's birthday book.      Show notes:   The Lost City trailer (YouTube)   Fashion in Girls Just Want To Have Fun (House...

Summary:   "Sometimes family weirdos get a bad rap." Cynara Geissler joins us this week to talk about our new favourite animated movie Encanto . Also discussed: Valentine's Day candy, I Am Not Starfire , and Cobra Kai Season 4.   Show notes:   Cynara on TikTok   Encanto Still Has Charm, Despite Generic Representation of Colombia (The Latinx Project)   Recommendations:   Andrea G.:  Cobra Kai , Sea...

Summary:   "Acca-scuse me?" We press play on the first installment of the musical comedy franchise Pitch Perfect on its 10th anniversary and have some regrets. Also discussed: The Gilded Age , Betty White, and the art of half-face mask makeup.   Show notes:   On Pitch Perfect, Mean Girls, and The Limits of Satire (Feministing)   Recommendations:   Andrea G.:  The Gilded Age (TV)   Andrea W.:  Bett...

Summary:   "Mordant farce." Join us this week as we talk about the show we didn't know we needed: Yellowjackets. Also discussed: Vivek Shraya's new book People Change, Girls Just Want To Have Fun, and our various kitchen failures.   Show notes:   The Bloody, Brutal Business of Being a Teenage Girl (Shirley Li, The Atlantic )   Recommendations:   Andrea G.: Girls Just Want To Have Fun (movie)   And...

Summary:   "To the monsters, we are the monsters." This week we take a deep breath, hit play on Station Eleven, and contemplate a post-apocalyptic future that seems a little too real. Also discussed: Only Murders in the Building , Koto: The Last Service , and Severance by Ling Ma       Show notes:   If You Can Bear It, 'Station Eleven' Is Exactly What We Need Right Now (The Ringer)   Recommendatio...

Summary:   "This would never happen at the Four Seasons." This week we re-watch the classic Jennifer Lopez rom-com Maid in Manhattan on its 20th anniversary. Also discussed: The Power of the Dog , Stay Close , and Lisa gives us an update on her pipes.     Show notes:   Could 'Maid in Manhattan' Get Made Today? (The Ringer)   Recommendations:   Andrea G.:  The Power of the Dog (film)   Andrea W.: R...

Summary:   "We can't just stay who we were, right?" We kick off a brand new year by revisiting some friends from the past. That's right, it's time to talk about the latest Sex And The City installment, And Just Like That .    Show notes:   How to safely turn snow into drinking water   And Just Like That... on TikTok   Recommendations:   Andrea G.: Tokyo Godfathers (TV)   Andrea W.: Jean-Marc Vallé...

Summary:   "Destiny?" We sign off on 2021 by watching the film Serendipity on its 20th anniversary. Also discussed: our thoughts on starting another year, the strange, dark series Landscapers and the new single "Find the Light" from Jasmyn.   Show notes:   Serendipity review on Roger Ebert    " Battles and Brotherhood " video by 3 Inches of Blood (YouTube)   Recommendations:   Andrea G.: Landscape...

Summary:   "Holiday pop." Join us for Year 7 of our annual debate on whether Love Actually or The Holiday is the best (or worst?) Christmas movie of all time. Also discussed: tech woes, Joni Mitchell, and Dexter New Blood .   Show notes:   5 Ways The Holiday Is The Perfect Christmas Movie (& 5 Ways Love Actually Is Better) (ScreenRant)   Episode 5: Love Actually vs. The Holiday 1     Episode 59: L...

Summary:   "Yes, there is not." This week we get into the Christmas spirit by watching Netflix's first gay holiday rom-com, Single All The Way . Also discussed: Such A Fun Age , uterus biopsies, and our favourite new Christmas music.   Show notes:   'Single All the Way' is a necessary queer fantasy (CNN)   Recommendations:   Andrea G.:  A Boy Called Christmas (TV)     Andrea W.: " Christmas Cards...

Summary:   We welcome many-time guest host Cynara Geissler back on the show to discuss our favourite Christmas television specials of the past, including The Year Without A Santa Claus , A Claymation Christmas Celebration , and Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas .    Show notes:   The Real Reason The California Raisins Disappeared (Mashable)   Watch: A Claymation Christmas Celebration (Archive.org)  ...

Summary:   "Failure teaches us that life is but a draft, a long rehearsal for a show that will never play." This week we are talking about the whimsical comedy Amélie on its 20th anniversary. Also discussed: The Great , Lisa's reading list, and Taylor Swift on SNL .   Show notes: Autism Through Cinema: Amelie (2001) dir Jean-Pierre Jeunet (podcast)  Recommendations:   Andrea G.:  The Great (Amazon...

Summary:   "A fable from a true tragedy." Buckle up, because this week we watch Kristen Stewart in the gothic horror Christmas movie Spencer , and it's not at all what we were expecting. Also discussed: the music of MANifesto, Olive Kitteridge , and The Twilight Saga .   Show notes:   You're Wrong About: Princess Diana Part 1: The Courtship (podcast)   From Joan Jett to Princess Diana: Kristen Ste...

Summary:   "I'm just a stay-at-home mom slowly going insane." Comedian Joanne Tsung joins us to talk about Season 3 of the highly bingable show You . Also discussed: The Opportunist podcast, Ghosts , and Mildred Pierce .   Show notes: Pop This! Episode 218: You with Joanne Tsung (Season 1)   Joanne Tsung on Instagram   Shalita Grant's Sherry Is The Best Part Of You Season 3 & She Knows It (Refiner...

Summary:   "This, Madame, is Versailles." This week we are watching Sofia Coppola's 2006 film Marie Antoinette with guest host Steven Schelling, our resident expert in all things French. Also discussed: Persepolis , hard pants and Going Medieval with Dr. Eleanor Janega.     Show notes: It Was Like Hosting the Ultimate Party': An Oral History of Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette (Vogue)   Farewell,...

Summary:   "Are you allergic to the 20th century?" This week we are talking about Julianne Moore's very unsettling 1995 psychological drama Safe . Also discussed: Karen Carpenter, Mariel Buckley, and Becoming Duchess Goldblatt .    Show notes: Safe: Nowhere to Hide (Criterion)   Todd Haynes's Masterpiece "Safe" Is Now a Tale of Two Plagues (New Yorker)   Allergic to life: the Arizona residents 'se...

Summary:   "Flying used to be fun until I started doing it for a living." This week we talk about one of the best witch movies of all time: Kiki's Delivery Service . Also discussed: '90s eyebrows, The Vanishing Half , and Dolly Parton's America .   Show notes: One Good Thing: Kiki's Delivery Service is the sweetest, most wistful witch movie ever (Vox)   30 Years Later, "Kiki's Delivery Service" Is...

Summary:   "One like." Pop This! celebrates episode 300 this week by doing some re-pops — that's right, we're changing some things that may have popped in the past but now...not so much. Also discussed: Sort Of , Gary Marshall, and Halloween.   Show notes: Pop This! Episode 17 - The best and worst fictional BFFs and frenemies     Which Gilmore Girls characters are vaccinated?   (TikTok)   Recommen...

Summary:   "Unlimited opportunity." We're thrilled to welcome back Cynara Geissler on the show to talk about her recommendation from a few weeks ago: the documentary series LuLaRich . Also discussed: #toddlergrandmastyle, Strong and Free podcast, and You Are Doing Excellent Work .     Show notes: Mello donut shop (Instagram)   'Toddler Grandma Style,' The Fashion Approach That Will Set You Free (M...