Episodes
Dec. 16, 2025
495: Counting Down Our 20 Best Movies of 2025 (Guest: Ryan McQuade)
It’s a huge episode! Ryan McQuade ( Executive Editor, AwardsWatch) joins Christina as they countdown their 20 best movies of 2025. What a year of cinema it has been! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoi...
Dec. 10, 2025
494: Our Reactions to the Latest Critics Awards, Critics Choice, Globes Nominations & the Road to the Oscars (w/ Ryan McQuade)
Awards season is officially in full swing! Prizes and nominations are rolling in from critics groups, the Critics Choice Awards, the Golden Globes, and more. It’s been one announcement after another and we’re breaking it all ...
Dec. 6, 2025
493: Alexander Skarsgård. Live Interview from the Stockholm International Film Festival
This week’s episode is a special one: Christina’s interview with actor/producer Alexander Skarsgård! The interview was recorded live at the Stockholm International Film Festival (Nov 2025), where he received the 2025 Stockhol...
Dec. 4, 2025
492: The Biggest Pop Culture Moments of 2025! (Guest Ryan McQuade)
2025 was a year in pop culture like no other! Celebrities “went to space,” Kendrick blew our minds at the Super Bowl, demons were hunted, SNL turned 50, and kiss cams caused chaos. It was a massive year for film and TV, packe...
Nov. 26, 2025
491: The Top Movie Performances of 2025 (with Guest Erik Anderson of AwardsWatch)
As we head into the final weeks of the year, we couldn’t resist diving into the incredible performances that have already defined 2025. It’s been an extraordinary year at the movies, full of bold artistic swings, deeply emoti...
Nov. 24, 2025
490: A Conversation with Michael Strassner, Writer and Star of ‘The Baltimorons’
Christina talks with writer/actor/comedian Michael Strassner about his new film The Baltimorons, directed by Jay Duplass, a story shaped by the spirit of Baltimore and the most personal chapters of Strassner’s own life. They ...
Nov. 20, 2025
489: Benny Safdie. Live Interview from the Stockholm International Film Festival
This week’s episode is a special one: Christina’s interview with writer and director Benny Safdie at the Stockholm International Film Festival (Nov 2025), where he was also honored with the Stockholm Visionary Award . They di...
Nov. 14, 2025
488: Coming Attractions: End of the Year Movie Roundup (Guest Ryan McQuade)
It’s preview time! Christina is once again joined by critic Ryan McQuade (AwardsWatch.com) to preview the most exciting movie titles coming to theaters and streaming for the rest of the year! From awards hopefuls like Hamnet ...
Oct. 30, 2025
487: A Conversation with Rebecca Miller . On 'Mr. Scorsese', Her Portrait of the Filmmaker
Filmmaker Rebecca Miller joins Christina to talk about her remarkable new series Mr. Scorsese , a five-part portrait of Martin Scorsese , now streaming on Apple TV+. The series offers a rare and intimate look at the legendary...
Oct. 20, 2025
486: A Conversation With Gustaf Skarsgård ('To Cook A Bear')
In this episode, Christina talks with actor Gustaf Skarsgård, who is powerful in the historical crime drama To Cook a Bear (Hulu/Disney+), based on the bestselling novel by Mikael Niemi. They discuss embodying the Pastor, a f...
Oct. 15, 2025
485: Awards Season Heats Up: Contenders & Predictions / Plus: Rebecca Miller’s Mr. Scorsese (Guest: Ryan McQuade)
We’re diving into the state of the awards season race! Ryan McQuade of AwardsWatch.com joins us to break down the latest contenders and predictions. Then, a discussion on Rebecca Miller’s Mr. Scorsese (Apple TV+), a new five-...
Oct. 8, 2025
484: From One Battle After Another and Hamnet to Sentimental Value and Weapons - The 2025 Cinematic Trend: Parenthood on Film (Guest: Critic J. Don Birnam)
From One Battle After Another, Jay Kelly, Hamnet, and Weapons, to Sentimental Value and If I Had Legs I’d Kick You and more, filmmakers this year can’t seem to escape one theme: parents. Guilt, loss, and legacy are everywhere...
Oct. 3, 2025
483: Becoming Aunt Gladys: The Makeup & Special Effects Behind Weapons (Guests: Artisans Leo Satkovich & Jason Collins)
We’re pulling back the curtain on one of modern horror’s most unforgettable new icons: Aunt Gladys from Zach Cregger’s smash hit Weapons . Christina is joined by makeup department head Leo Satkovich and special makeup effects...
Sept. 30, 2025
482: A Conversation with Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Breakout Star of 'Sentimental Value'
In this episode, Christina is joined by rising star Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, recently named one of Variety’s 10 Actors to Watch, to talk about her role as Agnes in Joachim Trier’s Oscar-contending drama Sentimental Value . Th...
Sept. 26, 2025
481: “One Battle After Another” — Paul Thomas Anderson’s Cinematic Knockout (with Guest Ryan McQuade)
A Modern Masterpiece! Christina is joined by Ryan McQuade of AwardsWatch.com to dive into Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another , starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Teyana Taylor, Regina Hall, Chase Infiniti, an...
Sept. 23, 2025
480: A Conversation with Writer-Director Joachim Trier, 'Sentimental Value', Family & Relationships
Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value is the talk of the season, and Christina sits down with the acclaimed Norwegian director to dig into it. Featuring Renate Reinsve, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Stellan Skarsgård, and Elle Fanning...
Sept. 10, 2025
479: And the Emmy Goes To… 2025 Emmys Predictions! (Guest Tyler Doster, AwardsWatch)
Hollywood turns its spotlight on television’s biggest night this Sunday — the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards! Christina is joined by Tyler Doster, TV Editor at AwardsWatch.com , to predict the major categories and discuss potenti...
Sept. 2, 2025
478: Telluride Dispatch: Hamnet, Jay Kelly, Bugonia & the Performances to Watch (Guests: The AwardsWatch Team)
All new Pop Culture Confidential: Telluride Dispatch! What a festival! Together with each of the incredible AwardsWatch.com team, we dive into the biggest conversations at Telluride — from Hamnet , Jay Kelly , Bugonia , If I ...
Aug. 25, 2025
477: Bruce Springsteen at the Movies: Looking Ahead to the Upcoming Biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere (w/ Ryan McQuade)
This week, Christina welcomes Ryan McQuade (AwardsWatch) for a deep dive into Bruce Springsteen on film — including a look ahead at Deliver Me From Nowhere , the highly anticipated biopic starring Jeremy Allen White. From th...
Aug. 21, 2025
Episode 476: Zach Cregger’s Weapons – Review & Deep Dive (Guest: Ryan McQuade)
In this episode, we dive into the phenomenon of Weapons , filmmaker Zach Cregger’s latest hit. From the success of Barbarian to this ambitious follow-up, Cregger has quickly become one of the most exciting names in horror. I’...
Aug. 6, 2025
475: The State of Cinema, 'Weapons', Nolan Fever, Telluride & More with Guest Sean Fennessey, The Big Picture
Christina welcomes back one of the sharpest voices in film — Sean Fennessey of The Big Picture — for a wide ranging conversation on the year in movies so far and what’s next. From Weapons and the horror/genre boom to box offi...
July 31, 2025
474: 'Darkness Visible' – A New Book on Jonathan Glazer & Venice Film Festival Highlights (With Author And Critic John Bleasdale)
Author and critic John Bleasdale joins Christina to discuss his excellent new book, Darkness Visible: The Cinema of Jonathan Glazer —a deep dive into the work of the visionary director behind Sexy Beast , Under the Skin , and...
July 22, 2025
473: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Cancelled — What It Means for Late Night. Plus Film Festival Lineups & Emmy Nom Reactions! (with guest Ryan McQuade)
The industry was rocked by the news that CBS is cancelling The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and ending the franchise entirely in 2026. While CBS claims it’s purely a financial decision, speculation is swirling — including q...
July 10, 2025
472: Summer Encore — Taylor Dearden on ‘The Pitt,’ Medical Boot Camp & Crafting Dr. Mel King
As Emmy nominations approach, we’re revisiting one of our standout conversations of the year! Actor Taylor Dearden delivers a powerful performance as Dr. Mel King in The Pitt , the gripping medical drama now streaming on HBO ...