Pop Culture on the Apricot Tree

Can a horror short about polygamy, identifying evil spirits, and murder be a herald of the next wave of Mormon cinema? Meagan Kohler joins us to discuss the themes and ideas that are packed into "The Angel" and how it challenges both mainstream representations of Latter-day Saints and the nature of our own internal filmmaking. For the second half of the show, we bring on directors Jessica and Barrett Burgin to talk about the film's reception with audiences, the most controversial showing of the film, and what they are planning next for this supernatural Southern Utah setting.

Watch "The Angel" for free on Youtube

Show Notes: https://www.popcultureapricottree.com/post/theangel

Audio mastering by Liz Busby

Associate Links: Links to products may be associate links, which means a small part of your purchase goes to Pop Culture on the Apricot Tree. We appreciate your support.

We are joined by Christopher Cunningham and Ben Pacini to talk about Matt Whitaker’s 2025 film Truth and Treason, about LDS teen Helmuth Hübener’s anti-Hitler leaflet campaign in Nazi Germany and his execution. This film poses big questions like the balance between moral courage vs. risking others’ safety, how Church leaders and members navigate authoritarian regimes, and why trustworthy information and moral formation matter. We discuss mercy vs. justice, the complexities of authority and discipleship.

Show Notes: https://www.popcultureapricottree.com/post/truthandtreason

Audio mastering by Carl Cranney

Associate Links: Links to products may be associate links, which means a small part of your purchase goes to Pop Culture on the Apricot Tree. We appreciate your support.

Would you rather have a sparkly romance or long-term covenant love? We are joined by guest Joshua Richardson to discuss the film Eternity and how its rom-com afterlife premise echoes Latter-day Saint questions about eternal marriage. We dig into Mormon-flavored themes like what age a resurrected body might be, the joy of embodied life, and how messy realities—widowhood, remarriage, divorce, and sealing questions—could be made just and happy in eternity.

Show Notes: https://www.popcultureapricottree.com/post/eternity

Best Books:

Liz - Jane Austen’s Bookshelf by Rebecca Romney

Carl - The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

Joshua - Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Links:

We loved this movie, but Henry Sorenson offers a counterpoint on Substack.

Find Us:

Carl - Threads: @CarlCranney

Liz - lizbusby.com

Audio mastering by Carl Cranney

Associate Links: Links to products may be associate links, which means a small part of your purchase goes to Pop Culture on the Apricot Tree. We appreciate your support.

We are joined by Megan Kohler, Jacob Tubbs, and Zach Doumit as we analyze 'Wake Up Dead Man,' the third installment in Netflix's Knives Out series. We explore its nuanced portrayal of religion, contrasting characters, and its implications for faith and moral choices. We even discover some good reasons for some of the more controversial parts of the film. Perhaps one of our best conversations ever!

Show Notes: https://www.popcultureapricottree.com/post/wakeupdeadman

Audio mastering by Carl Cranney

Associate Links: Links to products may be associate links, which means a small part of your purchase goes to Pop Culture on the Apricot Tree. We appreciate your support.

Are you the worst things that you've done or the best things you aspire to? We explore these questions with Theric Jepson as we discuss the movie Sketch. The episode had some scheduling snafus, but through the magic of editing, we bring you our conversation about this dark family horror/comedy about grief, anger, and drawings coming to life.

Show Notes: https://www.popcultureapricottree.com/post/sketch

Audio mastering by Carl Cranney
Associate Links: Links to products may be associate links, which means a small part of your purchase goes to Pop Culture on the Apricot Tree. We appreciate your support.

In this episode, we explore the history of film and television adaptations of Cinderella with guests Chanel Earl and Jill Terry Rudy. We talk about how this perhaps most popular of fairy tales intersects with Latter-day Saint themes and chat about various versions from early cinema to classic Disney to modern takes, discussing how kindness, redemption, and overcoming adversity resonate with our faith.

Show Notes: https://www.popcultureapricottree.com/post/cinderella

Audio mastering by Liz Busby

Associate Links: Links to products may be associate links, which means a small part of your purchase goes to Pop Culture on the Apricot Tree. We appreciate your support.

We are joined by Adam and Jacob as we dive into 'The Good Place,' discussing its take on moral philosophy, the point system, and progression after death. We explore how Mormon ideas of eternal progression and charity intersect with the show's portrayal of the afterlife. It's a fun mix of pop culture analysis and deep theological insights!

Show Notes: https://www.popcultureapricottree.com/post/thegoodplace

Audio mastering by Carl Cranney

Associate Links: Links to products may be associate links, which means a small part of your purchase goes to Pop Culture on the Apricot Tree. We appreciate your support.

We discuss a great children's movie all about parenting.

Show Notes: https://www.popcultureapricottree.com/post/wildrobot

Audio mastering by Carl Cranney

Associate Links: Links to products may be associate links, which means a small part of your purchase goes to Pop Culture on the Apricot Tree. We appreciate your support.

Join in with the internet's current obsession with KPop Demon Hunters! We may not know much about KPop, but with guests BJ Spurlock and Jacob Tubbs, we have a lot to say about demons, idol worship, shame, and the atonement. Plus we've included some of our favorite lines from the absolutely killer soundtrack!

Show Notes: https://www.popcultureapricottree.com/post/kpopdemonhunters

Audio Editing: Liz Busby

We return after long pause with a review of two movies about choosing a new pope: Conclave and The Two Popes.

Show Notes: https://www.popcultureapricottree.com/post/conclave-the-two-popes