On the final edition of Popcorn Culture this year, we’re reviewing the latest in Disney’s relentless lineup of remakes and prequels - Mufasa: The Lion King. With an all-star cast and crew (Barry Jenkins directing, Lin-Manuel Miranda songwriting, voices like Mads Mikkelsen joining the original cast), expectations are high. In our chat, we unpack whether the movie is worth a school holiday watch, and whether it enriches the larger story arc of Mufasa as a character. Then in Take Two, the question is simple: What were some of your favourite movies of 2024?

Image Credit: IMDb

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we review another double bill of Stuff We Missed – TV edition. First up is the gritty crime-thriller set in Matt Reeves’ Gotham City and centred around the iconic Batman villain, The Penguin. And then, we move on to the most expensive animated series of all time, Arcane, an adaptation of the hit video game League of Legends. After that on Take Two, we discuss some of our favourite TV shows of 2024, before we close off on The B-Side with a listen to Enemy by Imagine Dragons.

Image Credit: IMDb

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

8 years after the first movie, Moana 2 is hitting the big screen, and sees our heroine reunited with some familiar faces, while fighting new foes. With Auli’i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson reprise their roles as Moana and Maui respectively, this was a movie that was originally conceived as a limited series - so how does it fare as a feature film? We discuss that, before continuing to ask a larger question about Disney, and whether its golden age has passed, or is yet to come, before closing out with a deep dive into the music of the Moanaverse.

Image Credit: IMDb

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Based on the famed musical that tells the story of Glinda and Elphaba (the Good Witch of the North, and the Wicked Witch of the West respectively) in the Land of Oz, Wicked: Part I is a much-anticipated movie, not least because of the musical firepower in its cast and the credentials of its director Jon M. Chu. We kick things off by reviewing the film, and whether we’re looking forward to Part II, before then discussing the best and worst of musicals. And finally, we close things off with a deep dive into the music of Wicked, written by Stephen Schwartz.

Image Credit: IMDb

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ridley Scott returns with Gladiator II, a sequel to his 2000 classic that nobody asked for but we’re all excited for nonetheless. Starring Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal and Denzel Washington, the film promises a fresh and intense journey into the brutal and captivating world of ancient Rome. We discuss if it lives up to the original, then on Take Two, talk about some of our favourite sequels of all time and finally on the B-Side, we explore the epic theme by Hans Zimmer from the original film.

Image Credit: IMDb

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans team up for Red One, an action-packed Christmas-themed film from Jumanji director, Jake Kasdan. Johnson stars as the North Pole’s Head of Security, who teams up with a rebellious “naughty list” tracker played by Evans to save Santa Claus (J.K. Simmons) from a mysterious kidnapping. We review the film and then on Take Two discuss our favourite action-comedies and finally on The B-Side, we talk about a Christmas classic, You're A Mean One, Mr Grinch.

Image Credit: IMDb

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the 4th season of OMITB newly wrapped up, we share our thoughts on the latest instalment of the cosiest murder crime podcast show around. From its jam-packed cast of Steve Martin, Martin Short, Selena Gomez, Meryl Streep, Paul Rudd, Jane Lynch (and even more guest stars), to its clever writing, there’s a lot to love. Then on Take Two, we discuss what are some of the movies and shows that have proven to be a truly pleasant surprise, especially with so much out there to watch at the moment. And then we close off with that signature Only Murders in the Building theme for The B-Side.

Image Credit: IMDb

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s the week of Deepavali! In light of that, we’re reviewing a Tamil film, specifically director Ram’s 2019 family drama, Peranbu. It stars Mammootty and follows the journey of a single father raising his daughter with cerebral palsy. After that on Take Two, we discuss what we like to watch during festival seasons and close off with the B-Side, where we look at one of composer Yuvan Shankar Raja’s most celebrated songs, Rowdy Baby.

Image Credit: IMDb

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After the success of 2022’s Smile, writer-director Parker Finn is back with a sequel in which Naomi Scott plays Skye Riley, a pop star working through trauma and a difficult past, who finds herself ensnared and haunted by a series of increasingly horrifying and disturbing events. We start off by reviewing the movie, and discuss whether - in essence - we found it scary. Then, we move on to asking which central performances have been so integral to a movie that they were make or break, before closing off with a song that’s gone viral from the movie.

Image Credit: IMDb

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, we’re reviewing a double bill of Stuff We Missed: movies that premiered earlier in the year, that we didn’t get to at the time. First up, the Thai tearjerker How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies, Pat Boonitipat’s film about a university dropout who cares for his dying grandma with ulterior motives. And then we move on to Inside Out 2, which sees Riley at the age of 13, dealing with new situations and new emotions. After that on Take Two, we discuss movies and shows that make us cry, before we close off on The B-Side with a listen to Michael Giacchino’s music for Inside Out.

Image Credit: IMDb

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.