All Pop, No Culture

This week is a lot of catching up, but we get A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, Deadpool and Wolverine from Andrew, along with Civil War, some Where the Crawdads Sing and Saw X from Lauren and a bit more!

We jump right into with Andrew's take on Deadpool and Wolverine. I know we hit it hard last week, but Andrew wasn't here and we've gotta let the man speak! It's a good, healthy discussion with some content we may have missed last week.

Next up, Kevin goes full YA on us. He watches A Good Girl's Guide to Murder over on Netflix. Thankfully it's not corny or childish. It's not a hardcore murder mystery, but it does have some solid adult themes and some fun twists and turns. It's definitely worth a watch if that's your jam.

Next up, Lauren takes us to the marsh with Where the Crawdads Sing. It's a bit of a YA romance/murdery film with a very solid cast. Daisy Edgar Jones has made a name for herself lately and the rest of the cast is excellent, too. This one leans more into the romance than Kevin's show, but it's a solid film, too.

Andrew then takes us back a bit to a previous episode with Civil War. Kevin already watched it but Andrew finally had the time, and right after a trip to DC!! They discuss the big bait and switch from an advertising standpoint, but also the fantastic performances. While not an action film, per se, it does a great job with the material, though Andrew has some choice words for Alex Garland.

After that, we start our journey into the archives with Lauren discussing Saw X (a franchise she loves and is clearly passionate about!!), then Andrew covers Baby Reindeer and Marvel's What If...?, before Kevin finishes by popping the question to Andrew: "What do you think of RDJ as Doom?"

As always, thank you for watching. If you haven't already, don't forget to Like & Subscribe. We love new viewers! Also, leave us comments and let is know how we are doing and what we can be doing better. Enjoy the episode and have a great week!

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We made it to 200 episodes!! It's a special OG episode where Kevin and Pete discuss Deadpool & Wolverine Marvel's Hall H (that RDJ reveal?!?) and more!

THIS EPISODE IS SPOILER HEAVY!!!

This description is short and sweet, unlike the episode... Thanks to a twist of scheduling fate, Pete was able to join this week. Kevin was on the verge of doing a solo episode, but the podcasting Gods came together and brought to of the original members back for a HUGE episode. Not only is this about Wolverine & Deadpool, the biggest movie in the world right now, but it's also our 200th episode!

The Deadpool & Wolverine conversation takes up the first half of the episode and, shocker, the guys both loved it. There's a lot to unpack in this one and this is more of a reaction to the movie than a full on, every single easter egg, breakdown. That said, we hope you enjoy us gushing over the movie!

Next up we discuss the Marvel announcements at Hall H, including that surprising twist ending! As it so often does, the conversation turns to DC, but the guys try to stay on task and not drift as far off into tangent town as usual.

As a note, there was almost 40 minutes of material cut from this to make it a more manageable episode. If you have any interest at all, let me know in the comments and I might just post a "whatever the opposite of a directors cut is" episode with the extra conversation. A lot of it was solid, but cut for the sake of time!

As always, thank you for watching. If you haven't already, don't forget to Like & Subscribe. We love new viewers! Also, leave us comments and let is know how we are doing and what we can be doing better. Enjoy the episode and have a great week!

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Special note: The episode of @CouchSoup (a fun channel for us nerdier types, for sure) that Kevin references in the show can be found at https://youtu.be/mFIKHIKq8jc?si=TUeY_UWworDXzgC1

It's a quick on this week, with lots of goodies! We cover Abigial, Supacell, Bodies, the Unbreakable trilogy, Brooklynn, and The Only Living Boy in New York.

Andrew isn't here this week but his presence is felt, as Lauren took his recommendation and watched all 3 Unbreakable movies. She chose to watch in chronological order rather than release order. Overall, she was satisfied with the trilogy and the acting, of course, was top notch.

Sticking with that super hero life, Kevin talks Supacell over on Netflix. It's an excellent, gritty, take on a cell of superheros in South London. That seems like a play on words, but it's also a super secret (that is more of a play on words...) hint at what lies beneath the surface of the show. It's a solid watch that will be much more worth the effort if they announce season 2!

Next we jump into the "ywe watched it so maybe you don't have to" section. Lauren watched The Only Living Boy in New York. It's a star studded cast that is somehow a quick watch and also lifeless. Kevin watch Bodies which sounds a little more watchable, to be honest. It's take on time travel is flawed and the payoff isn't as good as some of the execution, but the actibg is great and it's at least a little bit of a mind bender for a while.

Getting back on track, Lauren watched Brooklynn, starring Saoirse Ronan. It's an early '50s tale of an Irish woman coming to America. It's a well told and well acted love story that hops continents and cultural divides.

Kevin closes it out with a rave review for the recent horror flick Abigail. It's a fun take on the vampire mythology and the acting is fantastic. The little girl who plays Abigail is magnificent and an absolute scene stealer. If fun horror, rather than terrifying horro, is your jam, you will definitely love this one!

As always, thank you for watching. If you haven't already, don't forget to Like & Subscribe. We love new viewers! Also, leave us comments and let is know how we are doing and what we can be doing better. Enjoy the episode and have a great week!

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This week we cover IF, the penultimate episodes of The Acolyte and The Boys, and go off on reality TV, including Claim to Fame, Love Island, Arsenio Hall, Secrets of Playboy, and Gypsy Rose Blanchard.

Ok, this episode is different for sure! Sure, it starts of relevant with Andrew. and Kevin digging into the latest episode of The Acolyte. There are some philosophical differences (and some revelations discovered post-recording) but it's an excellent discussion about what this season has been and where it's headed for the finale.

After this, the gang swings hard into game shows, reality TV, and documentaries. Lauren discusses Claim to Fame, Kevin gushes over Love Island (yet again), Andrew takes us to the '90s with Dark Side of the '90s: Arsenio Hall, and then Lauren comes back with Gypsy Rose Blanchard: Life After Lockup.

The conversation steers away from reality TV when Kevin jumps in and talks about the recent family movie IF, starring Ryan Reynolds and written by John Krasinski. It's not a rave review but it's not the worst review, either. Overall, not a bad family watch, despite having it's issues.

Andrew and Kevin, feeling the episode nearing its end, jump in and talk about the latest episode of The Boys. It's a fantastic episode and even has a snappy jingle!! They are definitely getting excited for the finale, including a few predictions.

Just when you thought you were in the clear, Kevin entices Lauren to get back on the reality/documentary train with Secrets of Playboy. A very interesting look at the history of the empire Hugh built and some flashes back to the early 2000's with discussion of The Girls Next Door. It's a surprisingly interesting conversation and worth staying til the end for!

As always, thank you for watching. If you haven't already, don't forget to Like & Subscribe. We love new viewers! Also, leave us comments and let is know how we are doing and what we can be doing better. Enjoy the episode and have a great week!

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This week is packed! We talk A Quiet Place: Day One, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, The Boys, Federer: The Last Twelve Days, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, The Acolyte, and My Policeman.

The show kicks off with Laurens rave review of A Quiet Place: Day One. It's not just "more of the same" which makes it exciting. Lupita Nyong'o and Joesph Quinn do a great job, and then there's that damn cat...

Next up, Kevin talks about Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. This one actually IS "more of the same" but in the best way possible. Will it win any awards? No. But if you are a fan of the original film, this one hits all the right notes. Except Eddie's signature laugh. Who knows why...?

Bringing Andrew into the fold, finally, Kevin and he discuss The Boys lateest episode and some of the sensation around it. All in all, a solid episode moving along a solid season!

Lauren then swings things away from the raunchy to the very classy with Federer: The Last Twelve Days. It's a quick and wonderful documentary about the end of Roger's tennis career and the discussion quickly shows us just how much Andrew loves sports. (Hint: he does not love sports)

So as to not let things get too mature, Kevin swings us back to Godzilla x King: The New Empire. Let's be real - this is NOT Godzilla Minus One. This is a wild and crazy action adventure with a minimal nonsensical plot and it is absolutely a ton of fun. this is Titans kicks ass and taking names ad shouldn't be anything less.

Staying with sci-fi for a minute, Kevin and Andrew discuss the latest episode of The Acolyte. Their opinions differ slightly, but the episode is still a solid one and they both are looking forward to the final episodes.

Lauren closes out the show with her review of My Policeman, a time hopping queer love story starring Harry Styles. She was hoping for something with the impact of Fellow Travelers but was sort of left wanting. Not a bad film by any stretch, but it was lacking that special something that could have made it a great film.

As always, thank you for watching. If you haven't already, don't forget to Like & Subscribe. We love new viewers! Also, leave us comments and let is know how we are doing and what we can be doing better. Enjoy the episode and have a great week!

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This one is DEEP as we cover Dark Matter on Apple TV+, the start of season 4 of The Boys, and The Acolyte.

First things first! I tried a new video editor going forward so I HOPE this episode isn't jarringly different in feel. If you have opinions on the look and what we can improve on, please let us know in the comments!

And now, back to the show!

This week, we go into a super deep dive of the new show Dark Matter on Apple TV+. We cannot express enough how much this is NOT Kevin's favorite show Dark Matter from SyFy several years back. All that said, Salony is back to talk with Kevin and Andrew about this very intelligent show and, thankfully, she is VERY intelligent. There's a lot to unpack on a show like this so we are definitely not coming in spoiler free here! We highly suggest watching the show before jumping in, since there are a lot of twists and turns here.

After Salony tires of their shenanigans and departs, Andrew and Kevin discuss the latest season of The Boys. They are only through episode 5 so far, so it's not a ton of information, but they are both thoroughly enjoying it, despite Kevin's cry babying about it not feeling "new enough."

The show finishes off with a discussion of The Acolyte over on Disney+. Andrew did his damndest to not watch it, but Kevin wasn't having it. After a rough start, the show has really taken off and is definitely worth watching when the show kicks into high gear at the end of episode 4. The creators got a lot of heat out of the gate, but these latest episodes show they really know their stuff!!

As always, thank you for watching. If you haven't already, don't forget to Like & Subscribe. We love new viewers! Also, leave us comments and let is know how we are doing and what we can be doing better. Enjoy the episode and have a great week!

Facebook: @apncpodcast Twitter: @APNCPodcast Instagram: AllPopNoCulture

This week we cover Sheri Papini: The Perfect Wife, White Lotus, house of the Dragon, The Bikeriders, Trigger Warning, and Cirque du Soleil's Ovo.

It's just Kevin and Lauren this week and Kevin kicks it of by being our Dateline dream girl, watching the new Hulu documentary, Sheri Papini: The Perfect Wife. It's an absolutely insane take of the disappearance and reappearance of Sheri Papini back in 2016. It's a real life Gone Girl story and it's a wild ride.

After that bit of insanity, Lauren takes us on vacation with White Lotus on HBO. She binged both seasons this last week and was completely transfixed. Kevin has already seen it so it's a good back and forth discussion.

Next up, Kevin gives a very brief review of the first episode of the new season of House of the Dragon. It's an admittedly light review, but the episode was pretty light until the completely crazy ending which really turned it around.

Lauren gets back on the road (I guess I am very pun-y today) with The Bikeriders. The film is loosely based on true events of a motorcycle club coming into it's own in the '60s. From everything Lauren says, it sounds very similar to the FX hit, Sons of Anarchy.

The show takes a turn towards the terrible with Kevin's review of Trigger Warning on Netflix. It stars Jessica Alba and that's where any positivity comes to an end. It's arguably one of the most boring action films ever made and not worth your time, so... you're welcome?

The show closes with Lauren getting back on track with the Cirque du Soleil show Ovo. It sounds like an absolutely wonderful show that is a total feast for the eyes. If you have the time and money to catch it in your area, especially if you have kids, definitely do!

s always, thank you for watching. If you haven't already, don't forget to Like & Subscribe. We love new viewers! Also, leave us comments and let is know how we are doing and what we can be doing better. Enjoy the episode and have a great week!

Facebook: @apncpodcast Twitter: @APNCPodcast Instagram: AllPopNoCulture

Its just Kevin and Lauren this week and they discuss Moulin Rouge (The Musical), Only Murders in the Building, The Iron Claw, Civil War, The Boys, and Ezra.

Since last episode started off a hair dour, this one kicks off on Broadway with Lauren discussing the stage version of Moulin Rouge. She's not quite as taken with it as Kevin is with the original film, but it's a spectacle, if nothing else.

Keeping it light for a little longer, Kevin discusses the Hulu original, Only Murders in the Building. He's only about 1/3 of the way through the entire series, but the Steve Martin/Martin Short/Selena Gomez joint is a fantastic and fun umrder mystery series.

The show then takes a turn to the more serious with The Iron Claw. It's an emotional story of a family of professional wrestlers in the early 80's. The film features fantastic performances from Zach Effron, Jeremy Allen White, and Lily James. It's not the happiest of tales, but definitely worth all of the buzz it got.

Sticking with the heavy topics, Kevin discusses Alex Garland's Civil War. His expectations set by the trailer were turned on their ear upon watching the film. It's much more a story about the toll war takes on those involved than it was about the war itself. It's an excellent film filled with brilliant performances by Kirsten Dunst, Cailee Spaeny and Wagner Moura. It's not as action packed as expected but it is well worth the watch.

While not always a "positive" show, The Boys leads us from the darkness back to the light! Kevin discusses the latest season and the 3 episode debut. It doesn't reinvent the wheel this time around and feels a hair more stale than in the past, but it's still a great show if that's your jam.

Lauren then finishes off the episode with an upbeat and heartfelt film, Ezra. Bobby Canavale plays a comedian who takes his autistic son on an unplanned (and unapproved) drive across the country. The film also starts Robert DeNiro and Canavale's real life wife, Rose Byrne. It's a story of love, growth and understanding and definitely worth taking in if you are looking for that feel good film to watch with the family.

As always, thank you for watching. If you haven't already, don't forget to Like & Subscribe. We love new viewers! Also, leave us comments and let is know how we are doing and what we can be doing better. Enjoy the episode and have a great week!

Facebook: @apncpodcast Twitter: @APNCPodcast Instagram: AllPopNoCulture

This week we are covering Quiet on Set, Hit Man, The Acolyte, Under Paris, and more!

Andrew is late to the party so the episode kicks off with Lauren talking about the Netflix docuseries about the early days of Nickelodeon, Quiet on Set. It's a deep dive into the problematic man behind some of the early Nickelodeon afternoon shows for teens. It also goes into the very sad story of Drake Bell and the abuse he suffered as higher ups looked the other way.

To lighten the mood, and with Andrew on board, Kevin discusses the shark thriller, Under Paris. It's a French Jaws wannabe with a lot of issues. Mainly, science not mattering... As far as shark films go, though, it's at least entertaining, though you often find yourself wondering just what people are thinking in the most basic of situations. We also discover that the Seine is full of explosives (that's actually true...) so that's neat!

After being marked tardy and losing 10% off today's grade, Andrew jumps in with a quick review of Late Night With The Devil. Much like Kevin's review, it's pretty much glowing David Dastalmachian is fantastic and the whole vibe of the film just works.

Kevin and Andrew then come together to discuss the new Netflix hit, Hit Man, starring Glen Powell. Kevin firmly believes this is a major step in Powell's career and Andrew doesn't disagree. The film is a fun take on rom-com fare but also shows off Glen Powell's acting chops.

The baton goes back to Lauren next to talk about the George Clooney directed, Boys in the Boat. It's a period piece about the University of Washington crew team. While Lauren enjoyed it very much, and so did the general viewing audience, critics didn't seem blown away by it. This leads to a discussion around film reviews in general and how to make the most of them for yourselves.

Getting back on our emotional roller coaster, Andrew talks about the Oscar winner, The Whale. Lauren chimes in as well, since she has also seen it and Kevin mostly just shuts up and listens. It's a well told tale of a sad man portrayed magnificently by Brendan Fraser.

The show closes out with a quick discussion of The Acolyte which quickly becomes a discussion about fandom and it's inherent toxicity. It's a solid discussion and the guys even (maybe) convince Lauren to watch Rogue One!

As always, thank you for watching. If you haven't already, don't forget to Like & Subscribe. We love new viewers! Also, leave us comments and let is know how we are doing and what we can be doing better. Enjoy the episode and have a great week!

Facebook: @apncpodcast Twitter: @APNCPodcast Instagram: AllPopNoCulture

This week we cover Godzilla Minus One, Back to Black, Castlevania, Evil, Mystere, Hacks, and Last Vegas.

Andrew and Lauren are both in the house with Kevin this week and they have a lot of ground to cover. You know who else covers a lot of ground? Godzilla!! The big guy suddenly dropped on Netflix this week and Kevin jumped at the chance to watch it with his kids. Andrew had already seen it, but that doesn't mean a rehash is a bad thing... This movie rocks, so go watch it ASAP.

Next up, Lauren talks about the new Amy Winehouse biopic, Back to Black. it got pretty rough reviews from the critics but audiences seem to like it a lot more, and so did Lauren. There is a lot of interesting story to be told, especially for those of us who didn't follow Amy in the tabloids.

Andrew takes us to anime land with the Netflix series' Castlevania and Castlevania Nocturne. The original series is pretty fantastic. The newer series, Nocturne, didn't come in as hot as the original, but ends on a high note that left Andrew salivating for season 2.

Because the church is a hot topic in Castlevania, Kevin jumps on that train to talk about Evil, a Paramount+ series about a team of investigators hired by the church to evaluate demonic possessions and other oddities. It's a fun horror-adjacent show that is getting rave reviews from critics, so of course it's been cancelled by Paramount. *facepalm*

Because Lauren spent the last week in Vegas, she saw the Cirque Du Soleil show, Mystere, which she thoroughly enjoyed. And because she was talking about Vegas and residencies, Kevin once again jumps on the train and talks about season 3 of Hacks on HBO. This show is absolutely fantastic and everyone should be watching it!

Lauren sticks with Vegas to close the show, with the film last Vegas. It's a fun, old man version of The Hangover. Well, not quite, but you get it. It's fun but not great, but worth a watch for the cast if nothing else.

As always, thank you for watching. If you haven't already, don't forget to Like & Subscribe. We love new viewers! Also, leave us comments and let is know how we are doing and what we can be doing better. Enjoy the episode and have a great week!

Facebook: @apncpodcast Twitter: @APNCPodcast Instagram: AllPopNoCulture