The Popculty Podcast Popculty
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- TV & Film
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If you're feeling overwhelmed by the number of entertainment options these days, you're not alone. Who has time to watch 500+ TV shows?? ...I do. And I'm here to help you sort through the white (male) noise and find your next underrated obsession. A companion to the long-running entertainment blog, The Popculty Podcast turns a critical eye on the gamut of pop culture-- from indie film to videogame franchises-- while highlighting underrepresented perspectives. Here we celebrate the female, BIPOC, queer, and disabled side of pop culture and the directors, writers, and artists who are changing the industry one story at a time. Subscribe/follow for interviews with creators, in-depth discussions with experts and fans, and TV recommendations for the best shows you're not watching. The only podcast in your feed that is always AD-FREE for everyone.
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A Spooky & Gay Crossover! Part 2: Midsommar
After a little unplanned hiatus, Popculty is BACK with Part 2 of our Halloween crossover event! Friend of the pod and Spooky & Gay co-host Carver Casey joins me once again to slice and dice Ari Aster's second film, Midsommar-- the one we actually liked (mostly)! Is it a 'good for her' movie? Cult propaganda? A surprisingly cathartic exploration of grief? We've got thoughts! Plus, side-trips into final girls, the dark history of dance marathons, and of course, Florence Pugh supremacy.Carve...
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A Spooky & Gay Crossover! Part 1: Hereditary
It's a two-part Halloween crossover event! Carver Casey of the Spooky & Gay with Carver & Jay podcast joins me to talk personal histories of horror and whether the films of A24 auteur darling Ari Aster are all they're cracked up to be. In this episode, we turn our queer lens on Hereditary - Transmasculine allegory or transphobic trash? Listen to find out where we land, and join us next week for Part 2, when we tackle his follow-up folk horror classic Midsommar!Article discussed: Trans...
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Villanelle Lives: 'Killing Eve' Fans Fight to Bury a Deadly Trope
When the critically-acclaimed TV series Killing Eve shocked viewers by ending with the oldest homophobic trope known as Bury Your Gays, it re-opened old wounds for the LGBTQ+ community. But fans are turning their betrayal into action, to ensure the next generation of queer viewers get to see happy endings for the characters they love - and themselves.Take action:Donate: Help the Killing Eve Billboard Project reach their goalView: The Killing Eve Open Letter ProjectEmail: AMC+ and BBC America ...
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Black Widow vs. Marvel
From director Cate Shortland's gritty cinematic style to stars Florence Pugh and Scarlett Johansson calling B.S. on sexist jokes, how the women behind this summer's Black Widow salvaged Natasha Romanoff from the male gaze of the MCU and made an intimate family drama/comedy/tragedy under the guise of a superhero movie. Plus, the Scar-Jo v. Disney lawsuit that may have inspired the IATSE strike threatening to shut down Hollywood. Oh, and how is everyone's movie theater anxiety these days?...
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Mental Health in TV & Film: Yikes! From 'Psycho' to '13 Reasons Why'
With the pandemic wreaking havoc on our collective sanity, what better time to talk about mental health representation in media! Licensed Social Worker and friend of the show Megan Wykhuis is back to lay out the Seven Big Bad Mental Illness Tropes that movies/TV just can't get enough of. Then we go hard on some classic but problematic faves, Hollywood's misguided obsession with "crazy"/violent white men, and the most irresponsible show ever to air (can you guess?)!Next time, for contrast, we'...
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'Jessica Jones' Part 3: A.K.A. The End of Everything
One year ago, the Jessica Jones series finale brought the entire Marvel/Netflix Universe to an end. In the final part of this retrospective, SJ and Bethany break down the highs (Hellcat!) and lows (#TrishWalkerDeservedBetter) of the third season. We put our backgrounds in criminology and sociology to use, looking at the history of women's anger/violence and why TV just can't seem to let powerful female characters live (*ahemGoT*). Author Reuben “Tihi” Hayslett returns to wei...
Customer Reviews
Thoughtful, insightful, and acessible!
The Popculty podcast is an excellent example of how we can enjoy and yet deconstruct media and examine it through lens of underrepresented populations or imperative perspectives/lens that are not often thought of. SJ does an amazing job of doing their due diligence in researching, representing, and giving voice to perspectives and thoughts from underrepresented populations and from those who can speak from a place of experience or knowledge. Popculty goes into a great level of analysis and thought-provoking discussion on relevant issues that impact or are/aren’t visible in mainstream media today. And the icing on the cake is the podcast is also accessible for the Deaf/Hard of Hearing community with transcripts available! Which are much appreciated for those who want similar information or analysis but cannot access the auditory nature of podcasts. Thank you for your wonderful work, and keep it up, SJ!
Thoughtful, well-researched, nuanced discussion about everything pop culture!
Popculty is one of my favorite pop culture podcasts, period. A lot of it is due to the different guest stars with interesting backgrounds and expertise that are relevant to the topic (mental health professionals, nuclear engineers, feminist authors, etc), but the star of the show is SJ themselves! They do an EXCELLENT job researching the subject matter, cross-referencing with other background information, and they do such a good job of summarizing all of that for a casual listener, while still being thoughtful and funny! It feels like sitting down and just talking about pop culture with some best friends, and honestly that’s the kind of vibe we all need from our podcast diets right now!
Great listen!
SJ’s take on pup culture is insightful and entertaining! Their series on Jessica Jones helped me see the show in a brand new way. Listen! You won’t be sorry! Can’t wait for what they have to say next!