PopCult Podcast

With Tim Burton's latest opening in theaters, we decided to take a look back. The first is a classic, his second feature which introduced us to the ghost with the most. The second is YA novel adaptation from 2016 that is heavy on the CG and exposition. Ariana and Seth saw Beetlejuice and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. They are ready to share their thoughts. If you would like to suppo...

Two tense new releases are our focus in this episode. Yorgos Lanthimos delivers a triptych of tales about twisted versions of love. A teacher in Germany becomes caught in the drama of thefts in her school and decides to record who is doing it. Ariana and Seth saw Kinds of Kindness and The Teachers' Lounge. They are ready to share their thoughts. If you would like to support the show & the blog you...

We go retro this episode to look at two old releases. The first is a 90s Goth cult classic that has recently been remade. The second is a premier performance from the late, great Gena Rowlands. Ariana and Seth saw The Crow and Opening Night. They are ready to share their thoughts. If you would like to support the show & the blog you can do so at our Patreon - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

This week it's two new releases about performance & identity. In one, we see a transgender woman's story of self-realization through a parody of Batman and his world. In the second, a construction worker happens upon a theater putting on Romeo & Juliet that helps he and his family process a recent trauma Ariana and Seth saw The People's Joker and Ghostlight. They are ready to share their thoughts....

This week we've got a close-up examination of a complicated mother/daughter relationship and a woman going on a surreal odyssey through her past lives. Ariana and Seth saw Janet Planet and The Beast. They are ready to share their thoughts. If you would like to support the show & the blog you can do so at our Patreon - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon...

It's a new release horror double feature. First, we follow a troubled FBI agent as she uncovers the truth behind a series of murders that connect to her childhood. Then Ti West delivers the finale for his X trilogy that takes us to sleazy LA in the 1980s. Ariana & Seth watched Longlegs and Maxxxine. They have thoughts to share. If you would like to support the show & the blog you can do so at our...

Two very different films in runtime, budget, scale, and content are featured in this episode. From a post-human Earth to a ghostly night in Long Island. Ariana & Seth watched Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and Happer’s Comet. They have thoughts to share. If you would like to support the show & the blog you can do so at our Patreon - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠h...

One film deconstructs the tropes of lakeside slasher flick. The other examines a motorcycle club’s rise and fall. Ariana and Seth watched In a Violent Nature and The Bikeriders. They are ready to share their thoughts. If you would like to support the show & the blog you can do so at our Patreon - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/popcultblog⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

A Japanese animation master delivers his potential swan song while An Australian filmmaking legend visits his apocalyptic sandbox once again. Ariana and Seth watched The Boy and The Heron and Furiosa. Check out our thoughts. If you would like to support the show & the blog you can do so at our Patreon - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/popcul...

Two recent horror releases make up today's episode. One is a dark fantasy about queerness in the suburbs of 1990. The second is Korean folk horror about stopping a vengeful ghost. Ariana and Seth watched I Saw the TV Glow and Exhuma. They are sharing their thoughts.

Richard Linklater's latest places Glen Powell in the shoes of a pretend hired killer. Then, we visit a 16mm dreamworld where three kids are on a quest to make a blueberry pie. Ariana and Seth watched Hit Man and Riddle of Fire. Check out our thoughts. If you would like to support the show & the blog you can do so at our Patreon - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Two European features make up this week's episode. One follows a misanthropic rural schoolteacher in Turkey as he burns every bridge around him. The other is about a queer found family in North Macedonia. Ariana and Seth watched About Dry Grasses and Housekeeping for Beginners. Check out our thoughts. If you would like to support the show & the blog you can do so at our Patreon - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Well, not every week is a fun one. Our first film is Brooklyn hipster snark against the backdrop of COVID. The second is a dull formulaic exercise in genre that wastes so much talent. Ariana and Seth watched Stress Positions and The Last Stop in Yuma County. Check out our thoughts. If you would like to support the show & the blog you can do so at our Patreon - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠...

In one film we follow the complex intersection of sex, sports, and relationships. In the second, we see life from the perspective of animals where mortality is sudden & cold. Ariana and Seth watched Challengers and Sasquatch Sunset. Their opinions may surprise you, especially about one of these films. If you would like to support the show & the blog you can do so at our Patreon - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

A whirlwind day in the life of a Romanian woman hustling & grinding to stay afloat. A lazy weekend with two men concerned with the upbringing of a son they share. These strange films make up the podcast this week. Ariana and Seth watched Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World and Dad & Step-Dad. They have many thoughts. If you would like to support the show & the blog you can...

These were two fantastic films made by two fantastic directing women. The first is an intimate study of a life changing day in a little girl's life. The second is the mythic journey taken by a rogue British archaeologist in Italy. Ariana and Seth watched Totem and La Chimera. They have many thoughts. If you would like to support the show & the blog you can do so at our Patreon - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

This was a week of films that were not great. One is a Alice in Wonderland picaresque following a hipster down the East Coast. The second is a wildly misguided attempt at racial satire that is woefully hollow. Ariana and Seth watched The Sweet East and The American Society of Magical Negroes. They have many thoughts. If you would like to support the show & the blog you can do so at our Patreon...

This is a wildly divergent A24 double feature. One film is a comedy about the immigrant experience in NYC. The second follow journalists through a war on American soil. Ariana and Seth watched Problemista and Civil War. They are ready to share their thoughts. If you would like to support the show & the blog you can do so at our Patreon - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠htt...

As Billy Eichner once said, "Let's go, lesbians!" On this week's sapphic episode we look at a two lesbian neo-noirs with two very different takes on the genre. Ariana & Seth share what they about Love Lies Bleeding and Drive-Away Dolls. If you would like to support the show & the blog you can do so at our Patreon - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https...

While watching this week's movies, we think we might have stumbled upon a genre of film hidden right in front of our eyes the whole time. Motorama and The Dark Backward becoming a jumping off point for bigger conversation. Ariana & Seth share what they believe are the canon & key filmmakers in the genre of Late-Stage Capitalist Americana Grotesque. If you would like to support the show...

Akira Kurosawa is one of the greatest filmmakers to ever live and his movies have had a profound influence on the form. Today we talk about a group of ronin defending a village & the story of a princess in peril that should feel familiar. Ariana & Seth watched Seven Samurai and The Hidden Fortress. They have thoughts to share. If you would like to support the show & the blog you can do...

Two quiet slice of life dramas get the spotlight this week. Wim Wenders finds poignancy in the life of a public toilet cleaner as he makes connections. Ozu delivers his humanist masterpiece with a quiet family epic. Ariana & Seth watched Perfect Days and Tokyo Story. They have thoughts to share. If you would like to support the show & the blog you can do so at our Patreon - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

It's all things Denis Villeneuve this week. We watched his latest, the second chapter in a legendary science fiction saga. Then we went back to see a film that garnered his first major attention. Ariana & Seth watched Dune Part 2 and Polytechnique. They have thoughts to share. If you would like to support the show & the blog you can do so at our Patreon - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

In Nigeria, a woman attempts to keep her community together as massive fractures form. In a strange fantasy world, a woman attempts to figure out who she is as she speedruns through human development. Ariana & Seth watched Mami Wata and Poor Things. They have thoughts to share. If you would like to support the show & the blog you can do so at our Patreon - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠...

We finally get to talk about two films from 2023 we have been so excited for. The first is a dreamlike queer fantasy about reckoning with the past so you can start living. The second is the tragic real life story of a professional wrestling dynasty. Ariana & Seth watched All of Us Strangers and The Iron Claw. They have thoughts to share. If you would like to support the show & the blog you...