Pop Cultural Osmosis

So, what’s your least favorite TV finale? This week, we’re joined by special guest star Jill Sergi, who you might remember from her first appearance on the podcast in Episode 9. She helps us tackle Joss Whedon’s delightful Much Ado About Nothing and the pilot episode of CBS's Under the Dome. Plus, we tackle our first reader-suggested time-travel film, Timecop.  There’s a verbal warning for spoilers for the Under the Dome novel at about 1:10:00. If you hit that and you want the book to remain un-spoiled, jump ahead to the Timecop section at 1:16:00. Show Links: Rent Timecop on Amazon. It’s free to stream for Amazon Prime members! Joss Whedon on Much Ado About Nothing – Entertainment Weekly Cheese-tastic “Time Won’t Let Me” music video featuring Jean-Claude himself! Episode Breakdown: 0:00 - 20:00 - Least favorite TV finale 20:00 - 50:00 - Much Ado About Nothing 50:00 - 1:16:00 - Under the Dome 1:16:00 - 1:45:00 - Timecop Click here to download this episode as an mp3. Or, click here to subscribe in iTunes. Or, enter this URL into your favorite podcast application: http://feeds.feedburner.com/PopCulturalOsmosis We’d like to hear from you! Pop Cultural Osmosis welcomes questions, comments, and criticism. You can get in touch with us in several ways: Submit questions or comments via Tumblr Tweet at us on Twitter Email us at: [email protected] So whether you want to ask us to talk about something, disagree with something we said on a previous episode, or just tell us we’re awesome / boring / whatever, please drop us a line.

Episode Thirty-Five: Take to the Sea! So, what’s your least-favorite movie you used to love? Like everyone else, we binged on Arrested Development all Memorial Day weekend. In this episode, we talk through our feelings on the show’s return. We also discuss the dense but rewarding Primer.  Show Links: Primer definitive timeline Episode Breakdown: 0:00 - 10:00 - Least Favorite Movie You Used to Love 10:00 - 40:00 - Arrested Development Season 4 40:00 - 1:05:00 - Primer Click here to download this episode as an mp3. Or, click here to subscribe in iTunes. Or, enter this URL into your favorite podcast application: http://feeds.feedburner.com/PopCulturalOsmosis We’d like to hear from you! Pop Cultural Osmosis welcomes questions, comments, and criticism. You can get in touch with us in several ways: Submit questions or comments via Tumblr Tweet at us on Twitter Email us at: [email protected] So whether you want to ask us to talk about something, disagree with something we said on a previous episode, or just tell us we’re awesome / boring / whatever, please drop us a line.

So, what was the first online community you were ever involved in? This week, we have an in-depth discussion about Star Trek Into Darkness – what we loved, what we didn’t, and what confused us. Warning: we have many thoughts. Plus, we tackle Donnie Darko. Spoilers for Star Trek! Seriously, folks. Show Links: The last remnants of the long defunct Slow as HELL Anime Opening scene of Star Trek: Insurrection Donnie Darko soundtrack [youtube] Episode Breakdown: 0:00 - 13:00 - First online community 13:00 - 1:12:00 - Star Trek Into Darkness 1:12:00 - 1:30:00 - Donnie Darko Click here to download this episode as an mp3. Or, click here to subscribe in iTunes. Or, enter this URL into your favorite podcast application: http://feeds.feedburner.com/PopCulturalOsmosis We’d like to hear from you! Pop Cultural Osmosis welcomes questions, comments, and criticism. You can get in touch with us in several ways: Submit questions or comments via Tumblr Tweet at us on Twitter Email us at: [email protected] So whether you want to ask us to talk about something, disagree with something we said on a previous episode, or just tell us we’re awesome / boring / whatever, please drop us a line.

So, what’s your favorite book you read before the age of ten? This week, our favorite turns into a free-flowing talk about some of our favorite children’s and YA literature. Then, we talk about the summer’s first doozy of a blockbuster, Iron Man 3. Plus, we watched four of Amazon’s original content pilots – but we weren’t too impressed with any of them. Our time-travel films this week were both the 1968 and 2001 versions of Planet of the Apes. We hated one and loved the other – but you’ll have to listen to find out more. Spoilers for Iron Man 3! Seriously, folks. Show Links: Amazon’s Pilot Season (includes links to watch all 8 original pilots) Planet of the Apes (1968) | Planet of the Apes (2001) “Iron Man 3 shows JJ Abrams how to do the mystery box” - Badass Digest “Why Iron Man 3’s Director Shane Black Was Once Hollywood’s Hottest Screenwriter” - Vulture The Simpsons take on Planet of the Apes Part 1 Part 2 Episode Breakdown: 0:00 - 25:00 - Favorite children’s / YA book 25:00 - 1:00:00 - Iron Man 3 1:00:00 - 1:10:00 - Amazon’s crop of pilots 1:10:00 - 1:30:00 - Planet of the Apes Click here to download this episode as an mp3. Or, click here to subscribe in iTunes. Or, enter this URL into your favorite podcast application: http://feeds.feedburner.com/PopCulturalOsmosis We’d like to hear from you! Pop Cultural Osmosis welcomes questions, comments, and criticism. You can get in touch with us in several ways: Submit questions or comments via Tumblr Tweet at us on Twitter Email us at: [email protected] So whether you want to ask us to talk about something, disagree with something we said on a previous episode, or just tell us we’re awesome / boring / whatever, please drop us a line.

Outtakes, tangents, stories, and other stuff that didn’t quite fit into Episode 32. Click here to download this episode as an mp3.

So, what’s your favorite remake? This week, we have a free-flowing conversation on the cynicism of contemporary television and the state of the modern serial TV drama. We also consider the odd phenomenon that is The Talking Dead, touch on the Veronica Mars Kickstarter campaign, and wonder at the achievements of Parks and Recreation. We also talk through the brilliance of Groundhog Day and consider the way it deals with time-travel. Show Links: “Good Luck Finding a TV Drama Without Murder” – The Vulture “With Cable and Digital Entering the Fray, Pilot Season Hits a Casting Crunch” – TV Guide “TV’s Bumper Crop of Mayhem” - Time Magazine Episode Breakdown: 0:00 - 9:00 - Favorite remake 9:00 - 45:00 - The State of TV 45:00 - 1:00:00 - Groundhog Day Click here to download this episode as an mp3. Or, click here to subscribe in iTunes. Or, enter this URL into your favorite podcast application: http://feeds.feedburner.com/PopCulturalOsmosis We’d like to hear from you! Pop Cultural Osmosis welcomes questions, comments, and criticism. You can get in touch with us in several ways: Submit questions or comments via Tumblr Tweet at us on Twitter Email us at: [email protected] So whether you want to ask us to talk about something, disagree with something we said on a previous episode, or just tell us we’re awesome / boring / whatever, please drop us a line.

So, what’s your favorite song from a movie? This week, we talk about video games! We put on our nostalgia glasses and look back at the games that shaped our childhood. We also discuss our feelings on the problems surrounding the latest release in the long beloved SimCity franchise and what this might mean for the future of gaming in general. And speaking of future, we continue our look at time travel with a discussion of 1985’s Back to the Future. Show Links: Iron Chef Opening Sequence MechWarrior 2 Intro and its equally great expansion intro SimCity (Enhanced)’s hilarious and often meaningless quicktime videos Rescue! chronology and gameplay Escape Velocity wiki page Amber: Journey’s Beyond Wikipedia page (here is one of the most terrifying moments in the game) SimCity (2013) and its reviews on Amazon [affiliate link] Back to the Future on Amazon [affiliate link] “What was the time-span of Back to the Future?” (The fifth comment has the answer) Episode Breakdown: 0:00 - 6:00 - Favorite song from a movie 6:00 - 45:00 - Childhood video gaming 45:00 - 1:05:00 - SimCity 1:05:00 - 1:45:00 - Back to the Future Click here to download this episode as an mp3. Or, click here to subscribe in iTunes. Or, enter this URL into your favorite podcast application: http://feeds.feedburner.com/PopCulturalOsmosis We’d like to hear from you! Pop Cultural Osmosis welcomes questions, comments, and criticism. You can get in touch with us in several ways: Submit questions or comments via Tumblr Tweet at us on Twitter Email us at: [email protected] So whether you want to ask us to talk about something, disagree with something we said on a previous episode, or just tell us we’re awesome / boring / whatever, please drop us a line.

So, who’s your favorite comedian? This week, we talk about the return of Community and the announcement of the Sony Playstation 4. We also introduce our new film series, in which we’ll be taking a critical look at notable films in the time-travel category. Our first in the series is the classic James Cameron film Terminator. Click here for a full list of time-travel movies we’ll be talking about in the coming weeks. And, we still have two slots left open for listener suggestions! So if you have a time-travel film you’d like us to talk about, let us know. Show Links: Seinlanguage (Amazon Link) Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee Talking Funny - HBO Special (Complete YouTube link) Louis CK set from 1987 Ridiculously bad special effects on the red balls on the table in Community Sony Playstation 4 Announcement: Only the Interesting Stuff (Tested.com) Episode Breakdown: 0:00 - 17:00 - Favorite stand-up comedian 17:00 - 40:00 - Community's return 40:00 - 1:00:00 - Sony Playstation 4 announcement 1:00:00 - 1:30:00 - Introduction of the film series / Terminator Click here to download this episode as an mp3. Or, click here to subscribe in iTunes. Or, enter this URL into your favorite podcast application: http://feeds.feedburner.com/PopCulturalOsmosis We’d like to hear from you! Pop Cultural Osmosis welcomes questions, comments, and criticism. You can get in touch with us in several ways: Submit questions or comments via Tumblr Tweet at us on Twitter Email us at: [email protected] So whether you want to ask us to talk about something, disagree with something we said on a previous episode, or just tell us we’re awesome / boring / whatever, please drop us a line.

Welcome back! We’re sorry for the impromptu hiatus, but now that the hurricanes, overseas trips, and broken laptops are behind us, we’re so happy to be recording again. This week, we talk about our favorite 30 Rock episodes, discuss Netflix’s new original series House of Cards,  and finally tackle Cars 2. Plus, we rank out favorite Pixar films and duke it out over which one is the best. We discuss the first two episodes of House of Cards, so major spoilers for those. Show Links: Kyle’s favorite films of 2012 Jack’s therapy session on 30 Rock “The Economics Behind Netflix’s $100 million new show”, The Atlantic Wire Esquire’s profile of Netflix CEO Reed Hastings Fresh Air Interview with David Fincher and Kevin Spacey Episode Breakdown: 0:00 - 19:00 - Favorite 30 Rock episode 19:00 - 1:00:00 - House of Cards and Netflix’s new strategy 1:00:00 - 1:15:00 - Cars 2 / Pixar rankings Click here to download this episode as an mp3. Or, click here to subscribe in iTunes. Or, enter this URL into your favorite podcast application: http://feeds.feedburner.com/PopCulturalOsmosis Pixar Rankings: In the last few minutes of this episode, we both ranked the films in Pixar’s filmography. Ryan: Toy Story WALL-E Toy Story 3 Up The Incredibles Monsters, Inc. Finding Nemo Ratatouille Toy Story 2 Brave A Bug’s Life Cars Cars 2 Kyle: Finding Nemo The Incredibles Toy Story Toy Story 3 WALL-E Up Toy Story 2 Monsters, Inc. Ratatouille Brave Cars 2 A Bug’s Life Cars We’d like to hear from you! Pop Cultural Osmosis welcomes questions, comments, and criticism. You can get in touch with us in several ways: Submit questions or comments via Tumblr Tweet at us on Twitter Email us at: [email protected] So whether you want to ask us to talk about something, disagree with something we said on a previous episode, or just tell us we’re awesome / boring / whatever, please drop us a line.

So what's your favorite example of pop cultural osmosis? This week, we talk about Looper, the independent sci-fi time-travel film starring Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Plus, Toy Story 3! Really big spoilers of Looper! You probably shouldn’t listen if you haven’t seen the film. Show Links: Evil Angels “Maybe a dingo ate your baby!” io9 article about Looper’s Chinese funding Primer / xckd comic about Primer Rian Johnson on the Kid Blue / Abe theory (from this io9 Q&A session) Episode Breakdown: 0:00 - 08:00 - Favorite example of pop cultural osmosis 08:00 - 50:00 - Looper 50:00 - 1:10:00 - Toy Story 3 Click here to download this episode as an mp3. Or, click here to subscribe in iTunes. Or, enter this URL into your favorite podcast application: http://feeds.feedburner.com/PopCulturalOsmosis We’d like to hear from you! Pop Cultural Osmosis welcomes questions, comments, and criticism. You can get in touch with us in several ways: Submit questions or comments via Tumblr Tweet at us on Twitter Email us at: [email protected] So whether you want to ask us to talk about something, disagree with something we said on a previous episode, or just tell us we’re awesome / boring / whatever, please drop us a line.