Popcorn Culture

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...

Minari, directed by Lee Isaac Chung, tells the story of a Korean family who migrate to Arkansas in search of their version of the American Dream. This warm, intimate family drama has been gaining Oscar buzz and has been heralded as part of an increasing push towards more representation and diversity in the film industry. We review the film and discuss its impact in the context of where Hollywood i...

Once, a small mouse separated from his family and sporting a signature blue hat and red jacket, looked up at the moon and sang 'Somewhere Out There' - and that became one of the most memorable scenes from Don Bluth's 1986 classic, An American Tail. In this episode of Throwback Tuesday, the gang discuss this film with its themes of family and immigration and why it's become such an integral part of...

The Bride, John Wick, Maximus Decimus Meridius - few things make for a compelling story like a quest for vengeance. On this week’s Supercut, we discuss revenge flicks - served cold, hot, or with a heaping side of the crazy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Director/writer Emerald Fennell and star Carey Mulligan have been generating plenty of awards-season buzz with Promising Young Woman. The candy-coloured black comedy thriller tells the story of Cassie Thomas (Mulligan) who seeks to avenge the death of her best friend. We review the movie and discuss how it uses a specific visual language and storytelling technique to comment on the #MeToo age. See...

The sight of a bloodied Uma Thurman in a yellow jumpsuit brandishing a katana has become the stuff of pop culture legend, and there are few films that execute the idea of revenge as potently and stylishly as the Kill Bill duology. We throw back to the Quentin Tarantino classic, and discuss its iconic visuals, the intense violence, and how its story - both on- and off-screen - has aged. See omnystu...

From Mad Max to Blade Runner, dystopias and post-apocalyptic ruins may be common in films about the future, but they're not the only depictions of the world to come. Some movies and TV shows take place in utopias, while others happen in familiar spaces, many decades from now. We talk about our favorite, and least favorite, versions of the future in pop culture, what makes these imaginative concept...

Based on the classic novel of the same name by Aldous Huxley, Brave New World imagines a society in which monogamy, family, money, and history are strictly prohibited in an attempt to maintain peace. What could possibly go wrong? In this episode, we discuss the faithfulness of this adaptation, as well as its not-so-ideal utopia. We also explore other offerings on Astro's International Series On-De...

In this episode of Throwback Tuesday, we check-in with police captain John Anderton, played by Tom Cruise, circa 2054. In what sounds like a routine weekend for the actor, PreCrime's ability to predict and prevent murders using technological clairvoyants puts Anderton in a tough spot... when the to-be criminal turns out to be him! We review 2002's Minority Report while discussing its frightening a...

Love stories and tales of friendship are heartwarming and inspirational in their own right, but there's something about a good rivalry (even enmity) that can make for tremendous cinema. We explore the various facets of on-screen rivalries, frenemies and outright enemies and how they enrich the stories we watch. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Love stories and tales of friendship are heartwarming and inspirational in their own right, but there's something about a good rivalry (even enmity) that can make for tremendous cinema. We explore the various facets of on-screen rivalries, frenemies and outright enemies and how they enrich the stories we watch. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The massive showdown that's been a few movies in the making, Godzilla vs Kong does exactly what it says on the tin - delivering ground shaking fights between two Titans (both of whom have decades of cinema and iconography behind them too). We discuss whether this lives up to the hype, and what it says about the larger cinematic universe that they've been building. See omnystudio.com/listener for p...

An iconic theme, a fin slicing through the waves, blood churning through the waters... and 3 men on a boat. All these elements come together for one of the great summer blockbusters: 1975's Jaws, directed by a young Steven Spielberg. In this episode of Throwback Tuesday, we look back at the movie that spawned an enduring fear of sharks, and set a benchmark for thrillers and creature features to co...

There’s no denying that when it comes to the heavy-hitters of superheroes, DC Comics has it made; with Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman in their pantheon (just to name a few), there’s no doubting their fan fervour. But when it comes to their onscreen outings, DC has had its ups and downs - and currently lags behind its Marvel-ous counterpart. So we’re dedicating this Supercut t...