Episodes
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 ...
July 3, 2025
471: The Odyssey Teaser, Summer Movie Reviews & More (Guest: Ryan McQuade)
From film news to fresh reviews — it’s a packed week on the show. We’re diving into some of the biggest releases of the summer, including 28 Years Later , Jurassic World: Rebirth , F1 , The Materialists , and Eddington . Plus...
June 22, 2025
470: Actor Alexej Manvelov — On His Standout Performance as Akram in 'Dept. Q' and His Remarkable Journey
We’re thrilled to welcome actor Alexej Manvelov to the show. His standout portrayal of Akram in Netflix’s hit Dept. Q has made the character one of this season’s most acclaimed and beloved. In Scott Frank’s adaptation of the ...
June 19, 2025
469: Summer Screams —Horror Thrives in the Heat (with Guest Eoin Daly)
Summer may not be the official spooky season, but it’s long been a surprisingly perfect time for horro r. From the 1975 release of Jaws —which turns 50 this year!—to Poltergeist , Friday the 13th , and A24’s Hereditary and Mi...
June 13, 2025
468: Best Films of the Decade (So Far!) with Guest Ryan McQuade
On this episode, Christina is joined by writer and critic Ryan McQuade (AwardsWatch) for the fun (and difficult!) exercise of ranking their favorite films of the decade so far, from 2020 through 2024. Tune in for passionate p...
June 5, 2025
467: A Conversation with Tony Gilroy — Andor Season 2, Revolution, and the Forces & Choices That Drive Us
Creator of Andor and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Tony Gilroy ( Michael Clayton , The Bourne films) joins Christina for a wide-ranging conversation about the groundbreaking Star Wars prequel series — a show that’s as politically...
May 28, 2025
Episode 466: And That’s a Wrap: Cannes 2025 with guest Ryan McQuade, AwardsWatch
Joining Christina is film critic and writer Ryan McQuade of AwardsWatch as they wrap up the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. From what it was like covering this year’s festival, to the Palme d’Or winners, major Neon and MUBI acquis...
May 21, 2025
465: Dispatch 5 from Cannes 2025. Interview: Stellan Skarsgård (‘Sentimental Value’)
In this special dispatch from the Croisette, Christina is joined by the brilliant and effortlessly cool Stellan Skarsgård, starring in Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value —a strong Palme d’Or contender at this year’s festival. ...
May 19, 2025
464: Dispatch 4 from Cannes 2025: The Phoenician Scheme, Pillion, Urchin & The Chronology of Water. Guest John Bleasdale, critic & author
Christina is joined by critic and author John Bleasdale (The Magic Hours: The Films and Hidden Life of Terrence Malick) for a new dispatch from the Croisette. They dive into some of the most talked-about titles at the festiva...
May 17, 2025
463: Dispatch 3 from Cannes 2025: Eddington, The Plague, Sound of Falling & Mission: Impossible with Ryan McQuade
🎬 Dispatch 3 from Cannes 2025 Christina is joined once again by Ryan McQuade (AwardsWatch) for a new dispatch from the Croisette. They dive into some of the festival’s buzziest titles so far, including Ari Aster’s Eddington ,...
May 14, 2025
462: Dispatch 2 from Cannes 2025 with Ryan McQuade! – On Tom Cruise & McQuarrie, Neon’s Cannes Reign & De Niro
🎬 Dispatch 2 from Cannes 2025! Christina is joined by Ryan McQuade (AwardsWatch) for a dispatch from the Croisette. They break down Christopher McQuarrie’s Q&A—featuring a surprise appearance by Tom Cruise—Neon’s impressive C...