CFC: So, who wants to talk about Stranger Things?

From Hannah: I have no idea why we haven’t done an episode on Stranger Things. But with Volume 1 of Season 4 currently released on Netflix (and breaking ratings records … such that they are things), and Volume 2 about to drop next weekend, I thought it was time. Besides, as a podcast with connections…

Call For Comments: So who wants to talk about Kenobi?

From Mav: It’s been a whole since we did and episode on Star Wars. So, tonight is the season finale of Disney+’s Obi-Wan Kenobi and I’ve really been enjoying it. In fact, I’m loving it. I haven’t talked about it much online, but I have a lot to say about it. I will say that…

CFC: How do TV ratings work and why do we care?

From Mav: So if you’re keyed into conservative media this week — and I get that most of our listeners aren’t, but I like to keep up on the whole political spectrum… even the crazies for work — you might have seen a very weird talking point making the rounds. Random alt-right news sites are…

CFC: Bechdel Tests, Fire Island, and the lack of nuance in pop culture criticism

From Mav: So I hate the Bechdel Test. I think it’s stupid. See what I’m doing here is saying something kind of outrageous to start an article and then going into a more nuanced discussion where I try to make a larger point but that will be ignored by a lot of people who just…

CFC: We CAN do an episode about Jurassic Park; does that mean we SHOULD?

From Hannah: It’s been almost thirty years since we first were welcomed to Jurassic Park on the silver screen. And this weekend, the sixth movie in the franchise (which, uh, many of might say never should have had one sequel much less this many) Jurassic World: Dominion will premiere on North American screens. I’ve been…

Call for Comments: “Get in loser, we’re going shopping”

From Monica: This week on VoxPop, we’re feeling nostalgic for the ultimate palace of capitalism— the mall. Because even if you don’t like shopping, the sheer quantity of things geographically centered meant that you probably bought clothes, or read comics, or listened to CDs, or saw a movie, or had a haircut, or took a…

Call For Comments: Rescue Rangers, Cameo Films, and Marketing Nostalgia

From Mav: You know what… the new Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers movie is absolutely fucking delightful. It seriously is. It’s really really good and you should watch it. Not only is it really good, it’s sort of surprisingly good because it didn’t actually HAVE to be. We’ve done a lot of shows about nostalgia…

Call For Comments: What makes a documentary? You can’t handle the truth.

New this week on HBOMax, The Staircase is the narrative dramatization of Netflix’s 2004 docu-series The Staircase Drunk History, An American Classic From Monica: This semester I taught my first undergraduate class. It just so happens to have been on documentary film, which probably wasn’t the thing you’d expect from VoxPopcast’s resident fashion historian. But…

Call for Comments: So Everyone Is into Multiverses Now?

From Mav: So, we’ve talked on the show before about this weird cultural moment we live in where suddenly all culture is geek culture. Cool kids now play Dungeons and Dragons, superhero movies are somehow the bulk of American box office, and the news treats today, May 4th, like it’s an actual legitimate holiday instead…

Call For Comments: Pouring Some Gritty On It

From Mav: I’ve had this idea rolling around in my head for a bit. It started to really formulate back when we had our “Pour Some Sexy On It” episode. There, and in its Call for Comments, I talked about the concept of making a show (especially an IP reboot property) more seemingly mature and…