It's been four years since movies shut down for the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. It's probably been too long to say we're still "rebuilding" the box office. We also don't have last year's abbreviated season due to the dual Hollywood Writing and Acting strikes. So, for the first time in quite some time we're probably going to have what can best be described a "normal summer movie season." But what does that mean? On this Mav and Hannah take a deep dive into the summer movie season for 2024, blending personal stories with sharp analysis of upcoming films. Join us as we talk about everything from The Fall Guy, to Inside Out 2 to Deadpool and Wolverine. The conversation also explores the evolving movie-going experience post-pandemic, including ticket...
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e199. Nancy Drew & the Hidden Staircase to Pop Culture Immortality
Nancy Drew may be one of the most enduring figures in American Popular culture. First premiering in 1930, she predates Superman, Donald Duck, the Lone Ranger, two US states, FM radio, and the ball point pen. And yet — outside of her devoted fanbase — does not seem to garner the same respect of many…
Call for Comments: What is Luxury Fashion, Really?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw4zlvTlaI0 From Monica: What do Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Moet, Hennessy, Fendi, Givenchy, Marc Jacobs, Loewe, Celine, Bulgari, Tiffany and Co., and Sephora all have in common? They’re all owned by LVMH, the world’s largest corporate conglomerate specializing in luxury goods. What about Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Gucci, Alexander McQueen and Yves Saint Laurent? They’re all…
Call for Comments: Breaking Down The Romance Genre
From Hannah: Way back on Episode 24, we talked about the concept of genre in general: Why is genre occasionally a dirty word? What are the rules a piece of fiction has to follow to be considered a member of a particular genre? How useful is this concept in understanding a work? So I want…
e198. STEM vs Humanities: the Clatter in the Classroom
If you’ve been or known any kid who has gone to an American school in the last 50 years or so you’ve probably heard the advice to “get into STEM” because that’s where the future is. It’s an odd bit of advice really, because essentially all it means is “Hey kids! Pay attention in school…
Call for Comments: How did Nancy Drew get good?!?
From Mav: Long time listeners will know that I frequently say that Riverdale is the best show on television. I do love the show. But the honest truth is, Riverdale fulfills a very specific niche of absurdist, hyperrealistic, postmodern, storytelling. And as I’ve mentioned on recent episodes, I think it’s the pinnacle of what it…
e197. Serialization II: Electric Boogaloo (or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Franchise)
Way back on episode 170 we did a show talking about Serialization. As is often the case on our show… we resolved nothing. But we did note that there was so much to talk about that the conversation needed to be continued on a future show. Well this is that show. It’s time for Serialization…
Call for Comments: Humanities vs. STEM — Dawn of Nerdom
From Katya: There’s a generic assumption in academic circles that the humanities are embattled — for funding, for prestige, for influence within the university, etc. — against the BBEG of STEM. STEM is stealing our students. STEM is stealing our funding. STEM is gnawing our legs off (for science!) As you might guess, I don’t…
e196. The 2022 Box Office Draft!
It’s that time of year again. Every year the hosts of Voxpopcast play a fantasy box office game! Even though it’s only the second week of the year, we are going to review every movie expected to come out in 2022. Then each host will draft 15 movies and compete to see who can have…
Call for Comments: The Return of Serialization II: Electric Boogaloo
From Hannah: On our 170th show back in July of 2021, we (finally) took a deep-dive into the concept of serialization. We discussed everything from (some) of the history of serialization, the economics, the question of “wholeness,” serialization and the Internet … but we also left a lot of questions unanswered. Which, to be fair,…
Call For Comments: 🤔How do you use your Emojis?
February 2, 2022
From Monica: My co-hosts and I have a very active group chat in which we plan future episodes, we recommend content, we razz each other about the current Box Office Game leaderboard, etc etc., and part of our conversational style frequently includes the utilization of emojis. I’m partial to the upside-down smiley face for its…