All across the world, everyone is trapped in their homes riding out the COVID-19 pandemic. Movie cineplexes are shut down. Sports, Concerts and other Events are being cancelled. TV shows are running out of new episodes. Just this week, we learned that comic books are going to stop shipping. We’re running out of pop culture.…
Category: Movies and Film
e101. Not the Next Big Thing
So first some notes… we’re in a weird place. As we recorded this episode, we were on the cusp of much of America (where all of our hosts are located) just beginning to prepare (too late frankly) for the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic. Now, as we post this 4 days later, we are deep into it.…
Call for Comments: Birds of Prey and Women in Film
From Hannah: Birds of Prey premiered a little over a month ago to less fanfare than it deserved. I, admittedly, was hesitant to see it because of both how bad Suicide Squad was and questions about how the film would handle the character of Harley Quinn. I went in with zero expectations and had an…
e100. Hollywood vs. FanCasting
Think about your favorite book, video game, or comic. Who do you think should play the protagonist in the movie? Chances are you have a pretty good idea. Chances are also that if someone already has adapted your favorite character into a film, they didn’t pick your perfect choice. Maybe it turned out great, maybe…
Call For Comments: Fan Casting Adaptations
From Mav: Once upon a time, back when magazines used to be a thing, Wizard magazine used to have a semi-regular feature where they’d take a theoretical movie property that was being adapted — either one that was rumored to be in preproduction, or something that they just thought it would be fun — and they’d…
e97. Fictional & Celebrity Crushes
Happy (Belated) Valentines Day! You know what that means? It means time to do a “very special episode” where we somehow try to tie in the holiday concept to the kinds of stuff we normally do. Academic cultural analysis of popular culture… but with beer! Last year we talked about the “shipping” and the secret…
e96. Mask Theory
In the 21st century, when we think of masks, we think of superheroes. But the idea of superheroes as a concept is only about a century old. Masks have been around forever. They have a long history in theatre, professional wrestling and costume balls. Beyond that they have a cultural tradition that dates back to…
Call for Comments: Fictional and Celebrity Crushes
From Mav: Last year we did a special Valentine’s Day show about romantic shipping in our favorite fictional universes. It was so great celebrating Valentine’s Day by explaining to everyone in final decisive detail exactly how I am 100% positive that Hermoine and Harry totally absolutely and without a doubt totally “did it” behind the…