Popcorn Culture

You may call her "le plouc" and think she's "ringarde", but the titular Emily in Netflix's 'Emily In Paris' (played by Lily Collins) has reached peak popularity in today's world - she's a meme. With hundreds of think pieces written in its name and no shortage of controversy, Emily In Paris has truly become a watercooler topic in an age of virtual watercoolers. On this episode, for better or worse,...

"Chic" may be the best way to describe The Devil Wears Prada, much to Miranda Priestly's disdain. The film added another iconic character to Meryl Streep's illustrious catalogue while solidifying Anne Hathaway's place in Hollywood. It also created conversations about ambition, respect, and power dynamics in a largely closed-door industry. In this episode, we throwback to 2006's The Devil Wears Pra...

From Rock Hudson to Cary Grant, to modern day stars such as Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise, masculinity on screen has both stayed the same, and shifted in major ways. On the one hand, handsome macho heartthrobs will always have their place, but modern day iterations of male stars include actors who are starting to expand and play with the idea of what it means to be a bankable male star (think Robert Pa...

From Rock Hudson to Cary Grant, to modern day stars such as Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise, masculinity on screen has both stayed the same, and shifted in major ways. On the one hand, handsome macho heartthrobs will always have their place, but modern day iterations of male stars include actors who are starting to expand and play with the idea of what it means to be a bankable male star (think Robert Pa...

I am Spartacus! The movie that spawned that iconic line (and meme), is one of the exemplars of the swords and sandals genre, and starred Kirk Douglas in one of his most memorable roles. It also has parallels to the civil rights movement in 1950s American History. In this episode, the gang discuss Spartacus and how it holds up over the decades. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There is a lot more to documentary filmmaking than the National Geographic nature films many of grew up with - and the rise of the Internet and streaming services have made documentaries much more accessible to a wider audience. This week, we dedicate our Supercut to documentary films, everything from the unobtrusive, fly-on-the-wall kind to activism cinema. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

In a year that has seen most of us turn to social media for connection and entertainment, The Social Dilemma made quite a (chilling) splash. The docudrama, directed by Jeff Orlowski, looks at the rise of social media and exposes the damage it has caused to society - including the exploitation of users for financial gain, enabling increased surveillance, its impact on mental health, its use in poli...

Yep, not only has Facebook been around a long time, it’s been around long enough that a biopic of its founder is celebrating its 10th year anniversary. So join us in feeling bewilderingly aged as we revisit the David Fincher-helmed, Aaron Sorkin-penned film from 2010 that examines Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s (Jesse Eisenberg) rise to success - and the relationships he severed al...

The idea of a female James Bond has sparked intense (for lack of a better word) online debate on multiple occasions, with many firmly believing that the gender of a character should never be swapped. But fan backlash and gatekeeping aside, what are the ups and downs of changing the genders of well-known characters? On this Supercut, we discuss gender swapping of our favorite on-screen characters,...

The idea of a female James Bond has sparked intense (for lack of a better word) online debate on multiple occasions, with many firmly believing that the gender of a character should never be swapped. But fan backlash and gatekeeping aside, what are the ups and downs of changing the genders of well-known characters? On this Supercut, we discuss gender swapping of our favorite on-screen characters,...

You know of Sherlock Holmes and the many mysteries he solved, but have you heard of his sister, Enola? Starring Millie Bobby Brown as Enola and Henry Cavill as Sherlock, Netflix's latest big budget offering sends Enola on her own adventure to save a runaway lord, while trying to outsmart her famously intelligent big brother in the process. In this episode, we review the clever story of Sherlock's...

From the subversive BBC series with Benedict Cumberbatch to the questionable comedy with Will Ferrell, there's no shortage of adaptations when it comes to the world's most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes. Whether he's solving grisly crimes in a deerstalker or wrestling in underground fight clubs, we're throwing back to the many faces of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's iconic investigator. See omnystudi...

Whether it's the T-Rex in Jurassic Park, the Xenomorph of Alien, or Godzilla in, well, Godzilla - creatures have long held a larger-than-life place in moviegoers' imagination. In this Supercut, we discuss our favourites, as well as how to create memorable creatures, and why some movies have flourished and others have flopped. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Whether it's the T-Rex in Jurassic Park, the Xenomorph of Alien, or Godzilla in, well, Godzilla - creatures have long held a larger-than-life place in moviegoers' imagination. In this Supercut, we discuss our favourites, as well as how to create memorable creatures, and why some movies have flourished and others have flopped. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Whether it's the T-Rex in Jurassic Park, the Xenomorph of Alien, or Godzilla in, well, Godzilla - creatures have long held a larger-than-life place in moviegoers' imagination. In this Supercut, we discuss our favourites, as well as how to create memorable creatures, and why some movies have flourished and others have flopped. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Based on a novel by Matt Ruff, Lovecraft Country tackles monsters both fantastic and prosaic. Set in the segregated United States of the 1950s, the show looks at the insidious nature of racism and sexism, while also exploring a central mystery involving magic, pulp fiction, and secrets. The gang review this series, and discuss whether it successfully blends politics and entertainment. See omnystud...

Released in 1979, Ridley Scott's Alien is many things: a movie chock-full of indelible, striking images; the first time many of us saw the Giger-inspired Alien; the first time we met one of the great heroines of cinema, Ellen Ripley; the introduction of new terms into science fiction and horror fans: facehugger, Space Jockey, the list goes on. In this episode of Throwback Tuesday, we dive head fir...

From Kubrick to Kurosawa, Scorcese to Spielberg, the world of cinema is full of “influencers” - indelible names who have shaped onscreen entertainment with their unique approaches to filmmaking. In this week’s Supercut, we discuss filmmaking influences when it comes to popular culture, and those whose works continue to resonate with audiences today. See omnystudio.com/listener fo...

While limited series Watchmen dominates this year’s Emmy nominations with a whopping 26 nominations, 2019 was an incredibly rich year for television content - with shows like Schitt’s Creek, Succession, Unorthodox, Euphoria, and The Handmaid’s Tale all also tipped to win some accolades. We look at this year’s big Emmy winners and discuss what they say about the TV landscape...

This year, Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon celebrates its 70th anniversary - a film so influential in storytelling that it has a trope named after it: the Rashomon Effect. The plot revolves around the murder of a samurai, as the events behind his death unfold from several different perspectives, all of which seem unreliable in their own ways. We look back at the 1950 Japanese classic by one of cin...

As part of our weeklong celebration of Malaysia Day, we're dedicating this episode to exploring all facets of Malaysian cinema. We'll be running through the greats of the past all the way up to modern day classics, and also getting a frank assessment of the state of the industry from our guest, Nadiah Hamzah. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In conjunction with Malaysia Day, we're throwing back to a true Malaysian classic. The fourth outing of the Bujang Lapok series, this caper of a film spoofs the Malay film industry of the 50s and 60s, and has a whole host of stars of that era as well. We'll also be discussing this film in the context of the career of the late, great P. Ramlee. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Can we pack all of Disney and its magnificence into a single Supercut? We sure as heck try! In the spirit of Mulan finally gracing cinemas, we dive into our own memories of timeless Disney films and what they've meant to us over the years. From classics like The Lion King and Aladdin, to modern gems like The Emperor's New Groove and Lilo & Stitch, Disney continues to set new standards for the...

It's finally here! After months of delays, Hua Mulan gets down to business to defeat the huns in Disney's live-action retelling of the ageless Chinese legend. Or does she? It's no secret that Disney opted to make this film grittier than its animated counterpart, but is that enough to make this Mulan an instant classic as well? In this episode, we review the highly anticipated Mulan, its cinematic...

It's finally here! After months of delays, Hua Mulan gets down to business to defeat the huns in Disney's live-action retelling of the ageless Chinese legend. Or does she? It's no secret that Disney opted to make this film grittier than its animated counterpart, but is that enough to make this Mulan an instant classic as well? In this episode, we review the highly anticipated Mulan, its cinematic...