The Cult Popcast

| Review | ‘The Godfather’ is commonly regarded as perhaps the greatest movie ever made - but have you heard the story of how it was made? ‘The Offer’ is the new Paramount+ limited series that dramatizes the production history of the iconic film, told from the perspective of Albert Ruddy, the main producer and primary driving force behind the unlikely masterpiece.

| Review | Action/comedy/thriller ‘Bullet Train’ just rolled into theaters with an ensemble cast lead by Brad Pitt and directed by stuntman-turned-director David Leitch. Steven and Gabe wonder if it’s good and then espouse the virtues of knowing your niche and being secure as a one-off film in a Hollywood filled with spin-offs and cinematic universes. This cast is a bit of a train wreck.

| Review | I am Groot. I Am Groot. I AM Groot. I am Groot. I AM GROOT. I am Groot. I am Groot. I aM GrOoT. I AM GROOT. I AM GROOT. I am Groot. i am Groot. i AM Groot. I AM GROOT! I. AM. GROOT.

| Review | Gabe usually writes the episode summaries-which is usually his only contribution to the production of this podcast. Gabe instead went on a white water rafting trip with his family-how inconsiderate. This isn’t even a topic Steven enjoyed all that much, this should have been written strictly and solely by Gabe. So, here’s our Barry season three episode summary.

| Review | FX and Hulu have been turning up the heat recently with some quality television, and their latest out-of-nowhere sensation is ‘The Bear.’ Simply put, it’s a character drama about a young world class chef who comes back to his hometown of Chicago to run his family’s struggling sandwich shop. But this dish is more than the sum of its ingredients.

| Review | Documentaries are a special kind of film. Often designed to inform and educate, they are more concerned with reality as it is, and less about fiction or myth. But they can be just as compelling. One recent film doc that caught our attention is ‘Fire of Love.’ It’s the story of Katia and Maurice Krafft - two intrepid scientists who fell in love over their shared passion for volcanoes and...

| Analysis | What’s a bad miracle? That’s the question at the heart of ‘Nope,’ Jordan Peele’s new movie that works both as big summer blockbuster and creatively layered commentary on the nature of our relationship with modern entertainment. Masterfully blending genre and paying homage to vintage cinema, ‘Nope’ is proof that Peele is just beginning to hit his stride. Catch this one in IMAX if you c...

| Review | The MCU has been pretty hit-or-miss since Avengers: Endgame. With a handful of new original series on Disney+ filling out Phase 4, the question remains: how can Marvel keep people interested after a decade of superhero mania? ‘Ms. Marvel’ represents an inspiring answer to that problem.

| Review | No one does it like ‘The Boys.’ Amazon’s smash hit and irreverent cultural satire has returned for a third season with all of your favorite heroes, antiheroes, and villains. Strap in - the action, gore, and political subtext are all turned up to 11. We also discuss things we have watched or know about that we may or may not do an episode on; The Inside Outtakes, Prehistoric Planet, Barr...

| Review | On July 24, 1984, a young Mormon woman and her infant child were brutally murdered in their home. FX’s ‘Under the Banner of Heaven’ is the dramatized story of that case, the family it consumed, and the detectives who would unravel the dark history of the LDS church. Wish us luck as we try to discuss it.

| Analysis | [sinister industrial synth music intensifies, tentacles undulating moistly] After three long years of waiting, 'Stranger Things' is back with the penultimate chapter of the retro Netflix saga. Steven, Gabe, and a very special guest are here to walk you through exactly what the heck is going down in Hawkins, Indiana this time.

| Review | Thor Four with Gorr, Thor and Thor… and three sentient weapons, two screaming goats, and a partridge in a Valkyrie. Does it work? Either way, Taika Waititi got a nice paycheck for this, so there’s that.

| Review | Australian film director, Baz Luhrmann composes the new biopic, ‘Elvis,’ like a tribute symphony to a fallen god-like artist. We also learn how to pronounce Gabe’s name.

| Review | A podcast reviewing another podcast!? Where does it stop? It stops right here as an audio drama. Centering on an outstanding portrayal of a beloved character voiced by Winston Duke, ‘Batman Unburied’ is helmed by comic book and screenwriter David S. Goyer and is only found on Spotify.

| Review | Generational heritage! ‘Pachinko’ is out now on Apple TV, lead by two amazing directors, Justin Chon and Kogonada. This is the greatest native-language-epic-spanning-eighty-years-about-Japan-occupied-Korea we've ever seen. No, really. It's a doozy. And it turns out this is only the beginning.

| Review | A long time ago, in the 1970’s… George Lucas created Star Wars, one of the most successful and beloved properties of all time. Since buying out Lucasfilm in 2012, Disney has expanded the universe with new stories, oftentimes to a very divisive reception. Their latest entry is 'Obi-Wan Kenobi,' a six part episodic series about the fan favorite hero that bridges the gap between episodes t...

| Review | To infinity… and beyond! All things outer space today as the boys talk ‘Lightyear,’ Pixar’s new animated feature that is also supposed to be the in-universe movie that inspired Andy to get the Buzz Lightyear action figure in ‘Toy Story.’ It’s a little confusing. But is it good? And what’s up with Star Trek these days?

| Review | Kevin’s many relationships, Kate’s confidence, and Randal’s presidency? Also, does Miguel have his own caboose with Rebecca? Ana is back to discuss the sixth and final season of ‘This Is Us.’

| Review | Sci-fi fans are eating good lately as Netflix drops the third installment of ‘Love, Death & Robots,’ the acclaimed animated anthology series from the minds of Tim Miller and David Fincher. Brought to life by a talented team of storytellers and studios from around the world, there’s a little something for everyone here (as long as you don’t mind the blood and guts).

| Review | In the near future, humanity has lost the ability to feel pain. This is our entry point into ‘Crimes of the Future,’ David Cronenberg’s latest film and his first in 20 years to showcase the body horror practical effects that made him famous. But just like with our characters, there’s a lot more going on here underneath the skin.

| Review | The magic is gone and we killed it, just like the dinosaurs were killed all those millions of years ago. We would love to report differently but based off of Steven’s favorite film of all time, the sixth movie in the franchise, ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’ feels like a giant swing and a miss.

| Review | After a quick recap of some upcoming projects we are excited... and not so excited for, we tackle another Sally Rooney book adapted to Hulu TV, ’Conversations with Friends.’ Ally is back on the cast as we discuss “the voice of a millennial generation,” the inspiration, and the subtext. Warning: This conversation has mentions of self-harm.

| Review | Earlier in the year HBO put out a heavily dramatized series by Adam McKay about the ’79/’80 Lakers; it’s called ‘Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.’ We have invited our friend Jeff on the podcast to talk NBA lore, history, and the real Lakers feelings about this “accurate” portrayal of their franchise.

| Review | Tom Cruise has officially mastered the modern blockbuster. Amongst his highly successful ‘Mission Impossible’ franchise, Cruise has now resurrected an eighties classic with ‘Top Gun: Maverick,’ directed by Joseph Kosinski. A phenomenal sequel and excellent in its own right, this might just be the all-around “best” movie of the year.

| Review | A quick update on what’s new before we get into this very short French art feature by auteur Céline Sciamma. “Petite Maman” is a beautifully crafted magical realism story that follows Nelly, an 8-year old girl, who encounters her mother at the same age that Nelly is now.