Did You Do Your Homework? | A Pop Culture Podcast

Even in the face of the pandemic, people have kept creating art. Pete and Martha take a look at some of the projects people have developed in this time of COVID, and ask whether or not they would have come to be without the backdrop of quarantine. Homework for the episode: Host (2020), dir. Rob Savage; ActBlue hosts a live tableread with the cast of The Princess Bride

It's the holidays and our streaming services are DELIVERING. To kick off December, Maren and Martha talk about the lesbian rom com everyone's analyzing: the 2020 Hulu original Happiest Season.

We go outside of our genre box to discuss some non-Western, non-Euro based genre fiction. Homework for the episode: City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty (2017), The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin (2008)

It's a fun romp for your holiday weekend! Maren and Martha enjoy the fluffy adventure Enola Holmes, a 2020 Netflix original directed by Harry Bradbeer and starring Millie Bobby Brown, Helena Bonham Carter, Henry Cavill, Sam Claflin, and Louis Partridge.

There have been a lot of late 19th century, early 20th century works of literature adapted for modern cinema recently. Pete and Martha put some of the most recent offerings under their microscope and hash out what works, what doesn't, and how Martha would have improved on the 2020 Netflix adaptation of Rebecca. Homework for the episode: Rebecca (2020, dir. Ben Wheatley), Little Women (2019, dir. Greta Gerwig) and The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020, created by Mike Flanagan)

Honestly, telling you this episode is about the 2008 movie Ghost Town, directed by David Koepp and starring Ricky Gervais, Greg Kinnear, and Tea Leoni, is burying the lede: what really happens is Maren and Martha hash out what does and does not make a romantic comedy.

You: Halloween was four days ago. We, intellectuals: It's never too late to get spooky. Pete and Martha delve into the wild and wonderful world of folk horror, discussing an early example (The Wicker Man [1973], dir. Robin Hardy) and a sample from the recent resurgence (Midsommar [2019], dir. Ari Aster). Why DO so many people get killed in the woods? Come with us to find out...

It's just a bunch of hocus pocus...Maren and Martha get down with the spooky season by watching this perennial kid's Halloween classic. Released in 1993, directed by Kenny Ortega, and starring Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, Sarah Jessica Parker, and more.

What makes a movie awards bait fodder? What happens when you have a movie that perfectly checks of all of the boxes but still falls flat? Why do most Oscar bait movies suck so bad? Pete and Martha get into all of this and more on today's episode discussing J. Edgar (2011, dir. Clint Eastwood) and Mary, Queen of Scots (2018, dir. Josie Rourke). Next week: Folk horror! Homework: The Wicker Man (1973, dir. Robin Hardy) and Midsommar (2019, dir. Ari Aster).

We're back! Sorry for the hiatus, folks. To help us all alleviate some of the constant negativity we're dealing with, Maren and Martha decided to take a lowball and discuss a movie they both loved. In this ep we're talking the 2019 Netflix romcom Always Be My Maybe, directed by Nahnatchka Khan and starring Ali Wong and Randall Park.

We're back after a short hiatus! Pete and Martha take a look at some Biblical media and Old Testament adaptations. Why don't people make more movies about the weird stuff? Homework for the episode: NOAH (2014, dir. Darren Aronofsky), The Prince of Egypt (1998, dir. Brenda Chapman and Steve Hickner).

It's a massive crossover episode as your DYDYH hosts join forces with the hosts of Catching Up David to talk about trilogies Sticking The Landing. We're looking at Return of the Jedi and Return of the King to talk about if––and how––two major cinematic trilogies were able to pull off that tricky final installment.

Gen X meets Millennial culture in this crime satire by Sofia Coppola. Based on the article "The Suspects Wore Louboutins" by Nancy Jo Sales and originally published in Vanity Fair in 2010, The Bling Ring examines our obsession with fame and pop culture through the lens of a group of teens who systematically burgled some of Hollywood's finest. At least, it thinks it does. What is The Bling Ring doing, exactly? Join Maren and Martha's discussion on this 2013 film to find out.

This is what happened...or is it? Pete and Martha take a look at the Rashomon Effect in film, starting with the titular film. Homework for the episode: Rashomon (1950, dir. Akira Kurosawa), Hero (2002, dir. Yimou Zhang), The Handmaiden (2016, dir. Chan-wook Park)

Wedding season continues with a viewing of the 2019 rom com Plus One, directed by Jeff Chan and Andrew Rhymer and starring Maya Erskine and Jack Quaid. Catch us next ep for the 2013 teen thriller The Bling Ring, streaming on Netflix!

Let's get spooky! Pete and Martha dig into Gothic stories, starting with Edgar Allan Poe and working up to Guillermo del Toro. Some day Pete will stop letting Martha pick purely self indulgent topics, but today is not that day. Today's homework: Select works by Edgar Allan Poe; Jane Eyre (2011, dir. Cary Fukunaga); The Devil's Backbone (2001, dir. Guillermo del Toro).

Maren and Martha are here for you to discuss the 2019 Amazon original Selah & the Spades. This is usually when Martha would write something snappy for the description, but she's feeling pretty tapped out right now! Pretend this is cleverer than it is.

Pete and Martha take a moment to recap some of the best stuff they've read, watched and listened to so far this year, including reminiscing about the last time they could go to the movie theater. Remember movie theaters? Those were the days.

Our newest ep is a little outside of our normal oeuvre, but we think you'll dig it anyway. We're looking at the brand new Hulu rom com Palm Springs! GIANT SPOILER ALERT for Palm Springs! You will definitely want to watch the movie before listening to us break it down.

On this episode, we explore the rich and varied world of Afrofuturism: what it means, some foundational works, and the future of the movement. Homework for the episode: The Archandroid (2010, Janelle Monae); Dawn (1987, Octavia E. Butler) and Brown Girl Begins (2017, dir. Sharon Lewis)