Did You Do Your Homework? | A Pop Culture Podcast

Martha and Pete talk about how archival footage is used in two recent movies that both deal with the same time period: "The Trial of the Chicago 7" and "Judas and the Black Messiah". How are the primary source materials woven into these fictionalized depictions of historical events? Are they effective? Let's talk about it!

We accidentally did a miniseries on Groundhog Day scenarios, and we hope you have enjoyed them! For the final one (for now), we're looking at the 2018 Netflix original, When We First Me (dir. Ari Sandel).

Look, the original schedule had this episode dropping right after Easter, what do you want from us? Pete and Martha look at some New Testament storytelling, which is really about 90% tellings of the Passion of the Christ. Specifically, we're looking at The Last Temptation of Christ (1988, dir. Martin Scorsese) and the live musical performance of Jesus Christ Superstar (2018, dir. David Leveaux and Alex Rudzinski).

Today Maren and Martha take on the 2021 teen Groundhog Day Scenario flick, The Map of Tiny Perfect Things (dir. Ian Samuels).

Pete and Martha finish their list of their Top 100 Media! Ranked lists are nonsense but we did our best.

Sorry this one's a little late, life and the holidays happened! Maren and Martha are hashing out the 2020 Netflix original, Love, Wedding, Repeat. Where they charmed or turned off? It sure was a movie we watched!

Can you believe we've been doing this for 100 EPISODES already? Dang! In celebration, Pete and Martha put their heads together to create the Top 100 List of Pop Culture. This list is difinitive and no more lists need to be made. This is Part 1: 100-51.

Netflix has a hot new YA adaptation all ready for us - we're serving up some MOXIE. Maren and Martha discuss performative allyship, activism, the ennui of being a teen and Clark Gregg.

We've all been in isolation for a YEAR, is it really that strange that we're all obsessed with sea shanties? Pete and Martha "celebrate" the anniversary of COVID driving us all inside by taking to the seas and discussing sea shanties, the Age of Sail, and fishing town thrillers. Homework for the episode: Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003, dir. Peter Weir; Blow the Man Down (2019, dir. Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy) Bonus Content: Nathan Evans "Wellerman" remix (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgsurPg9Ckw); SNL Sea Shanty sketch (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVr8tTOkeUU)

Martha takes another stab at this Netflix original. Did she enjoy it? Only one way to find out... Today we're talking about the 2018 film Set It Up, directed by Claire Scanlon and starring Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell.

Have you ever wanted to spend a whole podcast episode listening to two nerds get down and dirty with their (arguably) favorite franchise? Have I got the show for you! Interviews referenced: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-interview/the-fallen-worlds-of-philip-pullman https://www.ttbook.org/interview/his-dark-materials-author-philip-pullman-consciousness-all-things https://highprofiles.info/interview/philip-pullman/

Well, friends, we did it. At episode 40, Maren and Martha talk about the final movie in the trilogy that, if not STARTED it all, definitely contributed to the inspiration for this very podcast. We're talking the final adventures of Lara Jean Covey and Peter Kovinsky in To All the Boys: Always and Forever (2021, dir. Michael Fimognari).

We continue our exploration of food and comfort and why we just love to watch people cook so much. In this nonfiction episode, we're talking about the Netflix original series, Chef's Table and Salt Fat Acid Heat.

Sorry this is so late, friends! Blame the world! Maren and Martha take a look at a newish Netflix original, Love, Guaranteed (2020, dir. Mark Steven Johnson). It's nice to see Rachel Leigh Cook working! Maybe not in this so much, though. Warning: we do not say nearly as much about Cook's amazing wardrobe as we should have.

Will Pete ever stop letting Martha get away with fully self-indulgent episodes? Not as long as the homework is this fun. We start a discussion on our culture love affair with food and cooking by looking at two cartoons that celebrate food in all its glory: the 2007 Pixar film Ratatouille (dir. Brad Bird and JenPinkava) and the 2015 anime series Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma (dir. Yoshitomo Yonetani).

Today's discussion is THE PROM, the 2020 Netflix musical helmed by Ryan Murphy. Is Murphy's highest and best use directing teens in large scale dance numbers? There's no way to be sure.

Everything sucks, so why not talk politics? Pete and Martha can't help themselves, and examine the good, bad and the ugly of pop culture portrayals of politics. Homework for the episode: Wag the Dog (dir. Barry Levinson, 1997); The West Wing, episodes 2.4 ("The Midterms," 2000), 4.6 ("Game On," 2002), 7.17 ("Election Day: Part II," 2006).

It's the end of the holiday season, so for a last hoorah Martha and Maren check out the 2020 Netflix original, Holidate (dir. John Whitesell; starring Emma Roberts, Luke Bracey, and others).

It's that time of year - time to look back at this trashfire year and focus on the stuff that brought us joy. Martha and Pete each bring 10 things to the table to share and discuss.

Martha and Maren do something a little different for this ep and discuss the Netflix mini series, Dash & Lily. Released in 2020, starring Austin Abrams and Midori Francis, and periodically directed by Fred Savage, does this show kindle our festive impulses or leave us cold? Tune in to find out...