Popcorn Culture

Whether you enjoy movie monsters, action adventures, sci fi thrillers, historical dramas, or war epics, chances are at least one Steven Spielberg movie will count amongst your list of favourites. An incredibly prolific filmmaker with a five-decade long career, Spielberg has given us some of the biggest, most beloved blockbusters of all time - ET, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, take your pick! - and...

Directed by Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans is a semi-autobiographical movie inspired by Spielberg's own adolescence and how he fell in love with filmmaking. In the movie, the fictional Sammy Fabelman (Gabriel LaBelle), discovers the power of cinema alongside uncovering difficult truths about his family. The film also stars Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, and Seth Rogen. We review the "film about fi...

Looking past the blonde bombshell persona, Pamela, A Love Story re-examines and reframes Pamela Anderson's legacy, starting from her beginnings as a small-town girl all the way to her ascent into becoming an international sex symbol. Along the way, the documentary also asks complex questions about fame and how women, in particular, are viewed by the public eye. We review the film and talk about al...

From the kitschy joy of The Flintstones, to the sweeping gowns and lavish trappings of period dramas, historical films and shows have an appeal uniquely their own. In this episode of Supercut, we talk about some favourites who have done it well, and what they get right. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Based on the critically acclaimed videogame duology, The Last of Us S1 has been garnering more praise with each passing episode and is being called one of the most faithful adaptations of any source material. With nine episodes this season, each over an hour long, we decided to check-in at the halfway mark and give our thoughts on HBO's newest watercooler sensation. From Pedro Pascal's portrayal o...

A comedy set in medieval times with a slightly bizarre plot, Catherine Called Birdy is about a daughter (Bella Ramsey) who decides to thwart her destitute father's plans of marrying her off to a wealthy family. The film, directed by Lena Dunham, has been gaining buzz since its release late last year. We check out the new-to-streaming comedy and discuss Lena Dunham's filmmaking style, the continuin...

Our Supercut this week is based on a very simple question, first begun in Kermode and Mayo's Take - if you could be in any movie, or in a single scene, what would it be? We discuss some of our picks, and ask listeners for theirs! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Described as a buddy comedy, You People is about a new couple and their families contending with cultural clashes, societal expectations and generational differences. It also boasts a stellar behind-the-scenes lineup (Kenya Barris and Jonah Hill co-wrote the script), and a pretty impressive ensemble cast, including Hill, Eddie Murphy, Nia Long, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, David Duchovny and Rhea Perlman....

Movies and TV shows can awe and entertain, but they can also inspire and influence, and most of us could point to at least one movie or TV show that taught us a life lesson or two - whether it’s to “Just keep swimming,” or that “...words and ideas can change the world.” On this week’s Supercut, we talk about the lessons we’ve learnt from the things we’ve watched. See omnystudio.com/listener for pr...

To mark the Year of the Rabbit, we’re throwing back to one of the Chinese New Year classics: It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World, starring beloved Hong Kong cinema names like Bill Tung, Lydia Sum, and Eric Tsang. The madcap comedy revolves around a family struggling to make ends meet when they suddenly win the lottery. We review the movie and talk about the joys of revisiting Asian holiday classics. ...

Following on the buzz of Ke Huy Quan's awards run for his comeback role as Waymond Wang in Everything Everywhere All At Once, we celebrate actors who've staged impressive comebacks from controversy and career lulls, and ask: who's next? Who's going to make it big, once again?  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A grizzled inspector played by Sam Rockwell, a host of suspects and a murder mystery set in 1950s London - what's not to love? Despite its stacked cast, including Saoirse Ronan, Adrien Brody, Ruth Wilson, and David Oyelowo, See How They Run flew under our collective radar and barely made a dent at the box-office. In this episode, we check out the stylised caper on streaming and decide for ourselve...

Spoiler alert - we really like Clue! Based on the board game of the same-ish name and directed by Jonathan Lynn, 1985's Clue is a murder-mystery-comedy that gathers six blackmail victims in an isolated mansion in a race against time against a secret killer. With a plot that fully acknowledges its Cluedo roots, Clue is one of those movies that's always ripe for a rewatch. We discuss the ways the fi...

Long stares, detailed monologues, anger that you can't take your eyes off of - all hallmarks of Intense Actors. After a week of discussing both Ralph Fiennes and Christian Bale, we're dedicating this week's Supercut to actors that never turn that dial down, and what makes them so compelling. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gruesome murders with hearts ripped from chests, Edgar Allan Poe as an eager young cadet helping to investigate, Christian Bale... all this makes up the scaffolding of mystery thriller The Pale Blue Eye. But does the film (and its central case) hold up to closer scrutiny? We weigh in. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Variously described as a dark comedy horror and a psychological thriller, The Menu features Ralph Fiennes as a celebrity chef, and Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, Hong Chau (among others in a large ensemble cast) as diners who attend his exclusive restaurant where unexpected, unsettling things ensue. A sleeper hit in 2022, we discuss the experience of watching this movie, and whether it lives up...

Many movies and TV shows are enjoyable, but only a select few transcend that to being rewatchable. Whether it's reruns of FRIENDS, annual viewings of Die Hard, or repeat watches of Anchorman, what makes some things so good, you want to experience them over and over again? We discuss what makes some content so much fun to revisit.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Noah Baumbach's first attempt at an adaptation (White Noise was originally a novel written in 1985 by Don DeLillo), he takes on the story of a suburban family forced to evacuate their home following a chemical leak nearby that causes toxic black cloud over the region. Starring Adam Driver, Greta Gerwig, and Don Cheadle, the film has been getting praise for its performances and darkly comedic to...

The old In Bruges gang is back! Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, and director Martin McDonagh reunite in this 2022 tragicomedy, where Padraic (Farrell) is left devastated when his lifelong friend Colm (Gleeson) suddenly ends their relationship. The film follows Padraic's attempts to repair the friendship, which lead to shocking results. We review the movie.  See omnystudio.com/listener for...

There's no denying that Matilda, the 1996 film directed by Danny DeVito, is a classic in every sense of the word. So, in order to justify a remake, Netflix threw a lot of money at a lot of stellar performers and got them together to make Matilda the Musical. Emma Thompson is unrecognisable as Miss Trunchbill, and Alisha Weir seems like a(nother) perfect Matilda, but does the movie work as a whole?...

Tech billionaires, beautiful Greek islands... and murder! Fortunately for the characters on this getaway, Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is on the case and will peel away at the layers of this mystery to uncover the truth. Glass Onion, the highly anticipated sequel-of-sorts to Rian Johnson's critically acclaimed Knives Out, lines up Kate Hudson, Jessica Henwick, Edward Norton, Kathryn Hahn,...

The much anticipated follow up to James Cameron's Avatar (still the highest-grossing movie of all time), Avatar: The Way of Water picks up the story more than a decade later, and boasts technology that aims to create a more immersive Pandora than ever. We discuss whether this sequel holds water (sorry), and the experience of watching it on the big screen.  See omnystudio.com/listener for priv...

Robert Eggers' The Northman made a number of headlines when it came out earlier this year: for its dedication to realism and detail, on-screen violence, and the promise of a retelling of Hamlet, set in the Viking period, and influenced by Norse mythology. We explore whether it lived up to the hype, and whether it fares as well on the small screen as it would have in a theatre.  See omnystudio...

The pandemic and lockdowns haven't been kind to the film industry over the last few years, which has resulted in a real mixed bag of releases this year when it comes to movies. And while not every heavily promoted release ended up making the mark, there were some major winners as well, whether unexpected oddball hits like Everything Everywhere All At Once, blockbusters like Top Gun: Maverick,...

A new Guillermo del Toro film is generally cause for celebration amongst film fans, and what more when it's his take on the beloved classic fairy tale Pinocchio. The stop-motion animated musical was co-directed by Del Toro and Mark Gustafson, and features a voice cast of luminaries, including Ewan McGregor, Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, Christoph Waltz, and John Turturro. We review the movie, and...