Popcorn Culture

Scorsese, Deniro, Dicaprio - these three names alone would be a draw to watch most films. But Killers of the Flower Moon also promises much more than that: a story informed by tragedy, history, and collaboration with the Osage Nation, a great ensemble cast, and a mammoth running time (206 minutes). In this review, we get into Martin Scorsese's latest offering and talk about whether this might be h...

"You talkin' to me? I said, you talkin' to me?" In this Throwback, we go all the way to 1976's Taxi Driver, where those iconic lines were delivered by Robert Deniro's Travis Bickle. This also marked the second of the eventual eight movies that Martin Scorsese and Robert Deniro would collaborate on, over both their long careers, and set a number of themes that would continue to fascinate Scorsese:...

Those Mickey Rooney scenes from Breakfast at Tiffany's. Those wife jokes from Everybody Loves Raymond. The racial politics of Crash. Movies and TV shows are very much a product of the time they were made in, and some just don't age well as values and sensibilities evolve over time. On this week's Supercut, we talk about the films and shows that haven't aged well, and the ones that have stood the t...

We've had quite the journey with Otis, Eric, Maeve, Aimee, and gang, as we watched them grow from awkward teenagers with raging hormones into... slightly less awkward near-adults with raging hormones. The show has garnered a lot of praise for its portrayal of modern teenagers coming of age, and particularly for its sex-positive, inclusive storylines. In the fourth and final season, Otis (Asa...

It might not be mentioned in the same breath as other era-defining movies, but back in 1999, American Pie was THE definitive coming-of-age movie, with a huge cult following amongst teenagers - so much so, it spawned a number of (unmentionable) terms that have become ubiquitous today, not to mention a three sequels and a bunch of spinoffs. The sex comedy centers on a group of five high school boys...

In honour of the ineffable chemistry of Steve Martin and Martin Short, we imagine the pairings that we'd most like to see on-screen. From the frankly unhinged (think Nicolas Cage and Adam Sandler, or Jack Black meets Succession), to sweet romcom couples (Shah Rukh Khan and Drew Barrymore anyone?), nothing's off-limits!  Image Credits: IMDb See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steve Martin and Martin Short are back as the podcasting, murder-solving detectives in the third season of Only Murders In The Building. This time, it's a new case, with new clues, on a much bigger stage. We review the third season of (what started as) one of our favourite pandemic shows to see if this new mystery is juicy enough, and funny enough, to keep us invested. Image Credits: IMDb See omny...

It's a trope as old as time - three incompetents, in this case actors played by Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Chevy Chase, are mistaken for heroes and now have to save a Mexican village from a gang of ruthless bandits. It's Galaxy Quest, it's Wild Hogs, it's a dozen other movies. However, despite negative reviews, Three Amigos has always had a cult following as a genuinely hilarious movie starri...

With The Creator still on our minds, we’re taking the opportunity to once more celebrate some of our favourite versions of the future as seen through the eyes of filmmakers and showrunners. From the bleak dystopia of Handmaid’s Tale, to the less-bleak dystopia of Wall-E, we talk through some of our picks, and explore whether we prefer an optimistic or pessimistic imaginary future. Image Credits: I...

A film that's coming in with a fair amount of hype, The Creator is directed by Gareth Edwards (of Rogue One and Godzilla fame) and is set in a future that's been deeply affected by a war between humans and artificial intelligence, focusing on a hunt for the creator of a mysterious weapon that may destroy all mankind. With some critics deeming it one of the best films of 2023, we dive in and d...

Wes Anderson returns for a second Roald Dahl adaptation, with The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar - a fantasy short film that offers Anderson's signature stylistic and storytelling flourishes, melded with one of Dahl's sweetest tales, pun intended. As you'd expect, it also has a stacked cast, with Benedict Cumberbatch, Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel and Ben Kingsley all making appearances. We discuss if...

Description: No One Will Save You is described as a sci fi-horror-thriller - so of course we had to watch it out of sheer curiosity. The story revolves around Brynn (Kaitlyn Dever), a woman living in exile in her childhood home, when the house is suddenly invaded by aliens. We review it, because we just had to. Image Credits: IMBd See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tar never made it to our cinemas, but rose to prominence when Cate Blanchett received an Oscar nomination for her performance as a renowned musician in it. Now that it’s available on streaming, we catch up on the hype. Image Credits: IMDb See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A few weeks ago, a movie-publicity company called Bunker 15 was outed for paying independent reviewers to give certain movies positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. This reemphasizes a notion that many in the film industry have held for years - that Rotten Tomatoes is flawed, disruptive, and easily hackable. But what does that mean for us, the average moviegoers, and how much do "Tomatometer" scores...

Belgian super-sleuth Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) is back to investigate a murder in the third adaptation of the Agatha Christie mystery series, A Haunting In Venice. However, a certain supernatural twist throws the celebrated detective for a loop, pitting him against his most dangerous opponent. The movie boasts an ensemble cast including Jamie Dornan, Tina Fey, Ali Khan, Kyle Allen, and Mich...

In anticipation of 'A Haunting in Venice', we rewind to 1999 for the critically acclaimed psychological thriller, The Talented Mr. Ripley. Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) travels to Venice to bring Dickie (Jude Law) back to America, only to get lost in Dickie's luxurious lifestyle. What follows is a story of obsession, greed and a serious case of stolen identity. We discuss the clever writing behind The T...

The process of finally coming into one's own, and that transition between childhood and adulthood, is such a ripe and fruitful space for storytelling. So it's no wonder that there are so many shows and films set in that emotional space! From Boy Meets World to Lady Bird, we discuss some of our favourites, and as always, ask for yours too!  Image Credit: IMDb See omnystudio.com/listener for pr...

Introducing a whole new generation of Sandler's to movie audiences, You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah was also (initially) patriarch Adam Sandler's highest-rated picture on Rotten Tomatoes. While that's shifted since, there's been a lot of love going to this coming-of-age dramedy that's all about two best friends (played by Sunny Sandler and Samantha Lorraine) looking forward to their bat m...

Get in losers, we're going on a throwback! 19 years on from this Tina Fey-penned comedy teen classic, we're looking back on the misadventures of Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan), a home-schooled teenager who finds herself back in an American high school after 12 years in Africa. She has to negotiate friendships, bullying, and love, and ultimately decide if she's going to be a Plastic, aka a Mean Girl. W...

Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) is no longer a government assassin - he now lives in Southern Italy with a new community he calls his own. But old habits die hard, and he continues to stand up for the oppressed - and soon, he finds himself taking on the local mafia. We review the movie and discuss whether the Denzel-Antoine Fuqua actor-director pairing still has its draws. Image Credit: IMD...

With The Equalizer 3 now in the theatres, we revisit Denzel Washington and director Antoine Fuqua's first collab, a crime thriller classic from 2001 which has gone on to gain cult status. The film revolves around two LAPD narcotics officers, played by Washington and Ethan Hawke, over a 24-hour period in the gang-ridden neighborhoods - and things don't go as planned. We review the film an...

In conjunction with BFM turning 15, we’re looking back at a very special list of our own - our top 15 movies that we’ve reviewed on the show. Expect picks that embrace classic films, full-on weirdness, and genre favourites! Image Credit: IMDb See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the most critically acclaimed films of 2022, Women Talking was written and directed by Sarah Polley and based on Miriam Toews's 2018 novel of the same name. It features a stacked cast (think Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Frances McDormand), and tells a compelling story of an isolated community talking about guilt, sexual violence, and living alongside perpetrators. We discuss the...

In honor of Malaya's independence (sorry, we know it's a tenuous link), we're throwing it back to a classic film from 1957, Sidney Lumet's 12 Angry Men. Exploring concepts of guilt, accountability, and consensus, it's widely regarded as one of the best films ever made. In this Throwback, we discuss if it lives up to its reputation.  Image credit: IMDb See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy i...

We don't like to brag, but we're bringing this episode back for a sequel due to popular demand. On this Supercut, we continue celebrating our favourite needle drops, famous film composers, and the movie songs and soundtracks that we just can't stop listening to. Image Credit: IMDb See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.