The Cult Popcast

Episode 192 ”E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial”

| Analysis | Today’s cast is a throwback to a better time - a simpler time. Steven Spielberg’s E.T. was released 40 years ago, but its mark on popular culture remains indelible. The boys recently had the chance to watch it in IMAX for its 40th Anniversary, so we’re going to talk about why it’s so good, both superficially and on a deeper level.

Episode 191 ”Jackpot Juicer” by Dance Gavin Dance

| Analysis | Wow, a rare music-type TCP podcast!? You know that’s right. After paying respects to the late Queen of England, the boys go over one of Gabe’s favorite LPs of the year: Jackpot Juicer from Dance Gavin Dance. Let’s pop off!

Episode 190 ”The Sandman”

| Analysis | Neil Gaiman is one of the most beloved English authors to emerge from the tail end of the 20th century. He’s know for expansive, fantastical literary allusions and anthropomorphizing metaphysical forces. As you can imagine, such thematically lofty conceits can be difficult to translate to screen. Netflix heard that and said hold my beer, we’re adapting Gaiman’s massively popular DC comic ‘The Sandman.’ And guess what? It turned out pretty good.

Episode 189 ”Bodies Bodies Bodies”

| Review | Big shocker here, A24 is back at it again with another banger! Halina Reijn’s ‘Bodies Bodies Bodies’ is a hilarious and suspenseful “whodunit” thriller that adeptly balances its familiar premise with a surprisingly shrewd commentary on the psychological state of Generation Z.

Episode 188 ”Prey”

| Review | If it bleeds, we can kill it. And after the bloody mess that was Shane Black’s 'The Predator' in 2018, I thought the iconic action-adventure franchise might be done for. But alas! Dan Trachtenberg’s 'Prey' breathes new life into its mythology with a more intimate period piece following a young Comanche warrior on the Great Plains of colonial North America.

Episode 187 ”The Offer”

| Review | ‘The Godfather’ is commonly regarded as perhaps the greatest movie ever made - but have you heard the story of how it was made? ‘The Offer’ is the new Paramount+ limited series that dramatizes the production history of the iconic film, told from the perspective of Albert Ruddy, the main producer and primary driving force behind the unlikely masterpiece.

Episode 186 ”Bullet Train”

| Review | Action/comedy/thriller ‘Bullet Train’ just rolled into theaters with an ensemble cast lead by Brad Pitt and directed by stuntman-turned-director David Leitch. Steven and Gabe wonder if it’s good and then espouse the virtues of knowing your niche and being secure as a one-off film in a Hollywood filled with spin-offs and cinematic universes. This cast is a bit of a train wreck.

Episode 185 ”I Am Groot”

| Review | I am Groot. I Am Groot. I AM Groot. I am Groot. I AM GROOT. I am Groot. I am Groot. I aM GrOoT. I AM GROOT. I AM GROOT. I am Groot. i am Groot. i AM Groot. I AM GROOT! I. AM. GROOT.

Episode 184 ”Barry” Season Three

| Review | Gabe usually writes the episode summaries-which is usually his only contribution to the production of this podcast. Gabe instead went on a white water rafting trip with his family-how inconsiderate. This isn’t even a topic Steven enjoyed all that much, this should have been written strictly and solely by Gabe. So, here’s our Barry season three episode summary.

Episode 183 ”The Bear” Season One

| Review | FX and Hulu have been turning up the heat recently with some quality television, and their latest out-of-nowhere sensation is ‘The Bear.’ Simply put, it’s a character drama about a young world class chef who comes back to his hometown of Chicago to run his family’s struggling sandwich shop. But this dish is more than the sum of its ingredients.