Pop Culture Confidential

Film critic and journalist John Bleasdale joins Christina to discuss the news that Luca Guadagnino's film about OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Artificial, has been dropped by Amazon, which just happens to have a partnership with OpenAI...

Also in the mix: the many partnerships forming between creators and tech. A24 has announced a $75 million research partnership with Google DeepMind. Steven Soderbergh is embracing AI. Scorsese has signed on as a partner with an AI image-generation startup. And Netflix has acquired an AI filmmaking start-up founded by Ben Affleck. Have the tech companies taken over Hollywood? Is AI Hollywood's big dilemma? 

John Bleasdale. Film critic. Writer. Author of Darkness Visible the Cinema of Jonathan Glazer. Instagram @drjonty

TV time! Emmy nominations drop on July 8th. Christina and guest Eoin Daly make their boldest nom predictions. From The Pitt to Hacks, Widows Bay, Pluribus, and a lot of surprises. Who's getting in? Who's getting snubbed?

The Emmys ceremony is on September 14th.

Eoin Daly on Instagram. @eoin_daily

It's Disclosure Day! Christina is joined by Ryan McQuade of AwardsWatch to discuss and review Steven Spielberg's latest film. They dig into how it fits into the director's filmography as well as his biography, exploring where his mastery shines through, where the film falls short, and how it all comes together. Includes spoilers!

Backrooms is the record-breaking horror phenomenon of the summer. Christina sat down with brilliant production designer Danny Vermette and VFX supervisor Edward J. Douglas to talk about their work on the film and their collaboration with 20-year-old YouTube creator Kane Parsons , A24's youngest-ever director. We dig into the 30,000-square-foot build that brought Parsons's Backrooms YouTube series to life on the big screen, the themes and anxieties of isolation, (and the horror of fluorescent lighting ;) in the Backrooms , the dreamscape of the "outside world" (inspired by the Windows Bliss wallpaper), influences ranging from Eraserhead to Mr. Robot, Portal, and One Hour Photo, how young content creators are shaping the future of cinema, and whether they'd ever enter the Backrooms themselves :) ... and much more

Video edited by Anton Isiukov

https://www.antonisiukov.com

Actor Brittany Allen (The Boys, Dexter: Original Sin, Jigsaw) joins the show to discuss her Emmy-buzzed performance as Roxie Hamler, a terminal cancer patient on HBO’s The Pitt. We dive into the research behind her role, her collaboration with Noah Wyle and the cast and crew of the medical drama, the emotional weight of the storylines, how the team unwinds after intense days on set, and so much more.

Ryan McQuade of AwardsWatch.com joins Christina to discuss the mega-hits Obsession (directed by 26-year-old Curry Barker) and Backrooms (by 20-year-old Kane Parsons), the rise of YouTube content creators in cinema and more! Plus they talk basketball! :) Don’t miss it

524: Dispatch 10: Final Cannes Report! Guest Ryan McQuade, AwardsWatch.com

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Cannes Film Festival Dispatch 9. Club Kid, Coward, The Man I Love & Jim Queen with guest: Erik Anderson, AwardsWatch.

https://awardswatch.com

Video Anton Isiukov

https://www.antonisiukov.com

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Cannes Film Festival 2026 Dispatch nr 8. A Conversation with Sean Fennessey.

Guest: Sean Fennessey

https://www.theringer.com/podcasts/the-big-picture

https://substack.com/@seanfennessey

Video: Anton Isiukov

http://antonisiukov.com

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Guest Wendy Mitchell Contributing Editor for Screen International and ScreenDaily.com

https://www.filmwendy.com/writing