PODCAST · tv
Pop Culture Double Date
by Pop Culture Double Date
Meet Mags, Daz, Anuja and Gez – two married couples who talk movies and pop culture every time they meet. They've now decided to record their conversations in the hope that someone will crown them the ABBA of pop culture commentary.
Episodes
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Checking in with "House of the Dragon"
Let's face it: we all felt a little burnt by the way "Game of Thrones" ended, so when HBO announced that it had greenlit a prequel show about House Targaryen, we were mightily sceptical. But little by little, we were sucked in, to the point where we now can't avoid the conversation about "House…
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"Top Gun: Maverick"
Here's the thing about Tom Cruise: not since Napoleon has a man this short come so close to world domination. And yet there's no denying that as the world emerges from a prolonged pandemic lockdown, Thomas Cruise Mapother IV is being hailed as the saviour of cinema, the man who has given us all a...
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"The Batman"
The Caped Crusader has returned in solo live-action feature for the first time in a decade, folks, and this time we're spending time with his dark side, which, by the looks of things, may be his only side. In this episode, we ponder whether "The Batman" has taken more than its fair share of...
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"Dune"
The year's most anticipated film has finally landed in Australia, and it's a big one – a film adaptation of a supposedly "unfilmable" novel, a novel so vast that the last time it was brought to the silver screen, no less formidable a director than David Lynch disavowed the final product. We ask...
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"No Time To Die"
After 15 years and 5 movies, Daniel Craig has finally hung up his Walther PPK in favour of doing his rather impressive Foghorn Leghorn impersonation as Benoit Blanc for years to come. But even as we say goodbye to the Craig incarnation of James Bond, we have to ask: Is this final outing any good?...
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"Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings"
As large parts of Australia came out of lockdown, we went back into the cinema, this time to watch the latest big screen offering from Marvel Studios about a month later than the rest of the world. The big questions this week include the following: Is Simu Liu completely overshadowed by Tony…
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"Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2" – a retrospective
We conclude our Harry Potter re-watch with the earth-shaking final entry in this series of films. For all the heroics of our intrepid titular character, is this really Severus Snape's movie? Is Narcissa Malfoy the secret MVP of the Harry Potter universe? Was it right that Neville Longbottom…
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"Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1" - a retrospective
We're in the home stretch of our Harry Potter rewatch, folks, and we find ourselves asking whether this is the weirdest and weakest entry in the entire series. Does the movie suffer from a lack of any scenes at Hogwarts? Is the hint of a love triangle between Harry, Hermione and Ron at all...
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"Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince" – a retrospective
In the cinematic adaptation of the penultimate entry in the Harry Potter series of novels, Severus Snape, Draco Malfoy and Albus Dumbledore each get a moment to shine and to deliver an emotional wallop. But does this make up some of the weird disjointedness of this movie? Does the blossoming...
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Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix
"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" aka The One with Dolores Phoenix. Or at least that's how it seems, as this most memorably unpleasant of villains in the Harry Potter universe takes over Hogwarts, and with it, our screens, big and small. Is this the movie in the series with the least...
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"Harry Potter & The Goblet Of Fire" - a retrospective
This week we continue our Harry Potter rewatch with the fourth instalment in the series, aka The One with Robert Pattinson. As the franchise takes a turn from time heist to sports movie, we ponder whether this Mike Newell joint holds up well after the heights to which Alfonso Cuaron took us;...
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Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban
This is a big one, folks. "Prisoner of Azkaban" was, and remains, one of the most acclaimed entries in the Harry Potter film franchise, and in this episode, we ponder whether it still holds up, the importance of the movie as it foreshadowed a darker turn in the rest of the series, the…
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"Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets" rewatched
The big questions are all pondered in this spoiler-heavy discussion about the second of the Harry Potter films. What did the film makers do to deepen and broaden the world-building that they had so successfully launched in "Philosopher's Stone"? Did this movie do the right amount of introducing…
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"Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" – a retrospective
Sick of half-baked movies and Marvel TV shows that disappoint, we decided to go back to something that we knew we'd like – the Harry Potter franchise. So on the eve of its 20th anniversary, we ponder how well the first of Harry Potters films holds up. Does it charm and inspire wonder as it did…
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"F9"? More like "FU, audience"
"F9: The Fast Saga" was not a good movie. It was, in fact, a very bad movie – worse than "Fast and Furious", worse even than "2 Fast 2 Furious". And the big question is why. Why, with Justin Lin back, with Han brought back to life, and without Dwayne Johnson around to piss Vin Diesel off, did…
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"Black Widow" one month later
We are gathered, in the shadow of a potentially Hollywood-shaking lawsuit by one Scarlett Johansson, to ponder the merits of the film that inspired said lawsuit, the first feature-length release by that small independent outfit, Marvel Studios. Listen as we discuss the tonal shifts, occasionally...
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Did "Loki" suck?
Did "Loki" suck? Was it the latest example of a Marvel show starting strong and then losing its way? Did the show live up to its promise of showing us new sides of the God of Mischief? Did it give us enough of the guarantee of laid-back awesomeness that is Owen Wilson? And was anyone actually…
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"Army of the Dead" – We need to talk about Zack
We had the chance recently to watch the latest offering from Zack Snyder, an ambitious wannabe zombie heist film starring the surprisingly versatile Dave Bautista. What begins as a breezy chat about the many vices and few virtues of this movie turns into a meditation on Zack Snyder, his obsession...
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"Godzilla vs Kong"
2021 has given us few films as moving, poetic and profoundly visionary as the latest entry in the Monsterverse franchise. Everything, from Rebecca Hall's committed performance as the stepmother to the Kong Whisperer to the mandatory Kyle Chandler cameo as a put-upon bureaucrat, scored a bull's…
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Justice League: The Snyder Cut– The Kindest Cut of All?
After much begging and pleading by fans, the powers that be at Warner Bros have finally let loose upon the world Zack Snyder's cut of "Justice League", a film that weighs in at 40 minutes longer than "The Godfather Part II". But is it any good? Can this film be judged separately from what we now...
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"Wonder Woman 1984" – Gal Just Wants to Have Fun
It's been three years since Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot (with an assist from Chris Pine) injected new life into the DC Extended Universe with "Wonder Woman". Now they're back with a neon- and pastel-coloured ode to the excesses of the 1980s, a decade of big shoulder pads, big hair and big dreams…
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Pop Culture Show And Tell
Living as we are in the era of COVID-19, there is both too much and too little new content to review. Gone in 2020 are the tentpole movies that dominated US summers in years past. Instead, we've had a bunch of streaming releases, some good, some not so good. In this setting, we've had the chance…
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Mulan – A Shameless Grab for Moolah?
In its latest cynical cash-grab masquerading as a nostalgia play, Disney has given us a live-action remake of "Mulan", minus Mushu, minus the songs, and quite possibly minus the fun, the soul and the heart of the animated original. We ponder the odd absence of any character arc for Mulan in this...
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Out with "The Old Guard"; In with the New
"The Old Guard" is Netflix's latest foray into big-budget lockdown entertainment, featuring a big-name cast, a bold directorial hire and the highest of high concepts. But is it any good? The critics think so, and if so Rottentomatoes is to be believed, so do audiences. But is it possible that...
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Westworld Season 3 – one week later
This week, we perform an autopsy on the finale of Westworld's third season and the season as a whole. We ask whether there was a point to having William the MIB in the show; whether Maeve is still the endearing and compelling character that she was in the first two seasons; whether stealing the...
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Westworld S03E07 - "Passed Pawn"
This week, we find ourselves again contemplating one of the most egregious declines in quality in the history of television and ask what the creative legacy and reputation of all involved will be. Does the occasional great action scene in "Westworld" redeem a show that no longer has anything...
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Westworld S03E06 - "Decoherence"
Having been completely defeated by last week's "Genre", our intrepid double daters venture back into Westworld. Is it a case of "fool us once, shame on you; fool us twice, shame on us"? Or was this week's episode the start of a resurgence in the show's batting average? Along the way, we ask why...
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Westworld S03E05 - "Genre"
There's only one real question to ponder this week, folks, and it's this: With the third season of "Westworld", are we witnessing the most egregious example of a big-budget HBO show lighting itself on fire since the final season of "Game of Thrones"? We were hoping to have something interesting…
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Westworld S03E04 - "The Mother of Exiles"
There's plenty happening on "Westworld" these days, but does it mean anything? Has the show that began with aspirations of saying something about the nature of consciousness and free will turned into a retreat of the second and third instalments of the Matrix trilogy? Do the showrunners, who...
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WestworldS03E03 - "The Absence of Field" (after one week)
With the benefit of one week since the airing of "The Absence of Field", we look back and ask ourselves whether it's time to start worrying about Westworld. Does the show still pass muster as interesting, let alone good, television? Has the show so relentlessly cribbed from other classics of...
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Westworld S03E02 - "The Winter Line"
This week's episode of "Westworld" sure seemed like it sucked. But was it because it was a bad episode? Or was it because the episode seemed like a step backwards after the soft reboot of the season premiere? Or maybe was it because of the blink-and-you-might-miss-it cameo by Benioff and Weiss,...
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Westworld S03E01 - "Parce Domine"
So "Westworld" returned for its third season, with an episode that felt like something between a hard and a soft reboot for the show. After most of the hosts had been sent to robot heaven at the end of season 2, Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy decided to expand the universe of the show, bringing us…
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"The Witcher"
In the dying days of 2019, Netflix dropped "The Witcher", its first foray into big-budget fantasy (although there's an argument to be made that Netflix has yet to produce anything as fantastical and divorced from reality as "House of Cards"). In amidst comparisons to "Game of Thrones" and "Xena:...
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"Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" (2 weeks later)
Almost two weeks after its release, controversy still rages over the latest instalment of the Skywalker Saga. Is this movie a giant middle finger to Rian Johnson? And if so, does Rian Johnson deserve it? Or does this most recent Star Wars epic finally confirm that JJ Abrams is no more than a not...
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"Charlie's Angels"
The premise was interesting: giving Elizabeth Banks and her pitch perfect (see what we did there?) eye for what's fun on screen a chance to helm a moribund franchise, while letting Kristen Stewart show us her well-hidden, never-before-seen talent for comedy. Did it work? Was the result a…
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"Joker" - Why so serious? (with spoilers)
When "Joker" debuted in Venice, the word was that Todd Phillips had sneakily remade "Taxi Driver" as a comic book movie. Then just weeks later, the film was condemned as boring, nihilistic and provocative for its own sake. So who's right here? Does "Joker" transcend its comic book origins? Has...
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"Ad Astra" - A Pitt stop in space (with spoilers)
"Ad Astra". Is it "Apocalypse Now" in space or just a ponderous movie about the emotional journey of a man who's so dead inside that he's more robot than human being? Is the film ruined by the most heavy-handed voice-over since the theatrical cut of "Blade Runner" or is it saved by one of the…
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"Downton Abbey"
Timed perfectly to distract the English from their recent struggles with Brexit, "Downton Abbey" may just be the most pleasant cash grab masquerading as fan service we've seen all year. Behold the Crawleys readying themselves for a visit by the King and Queen. Watch as Tom Branson tries to strike…
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"Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw" – No Tokyo, All Drift (with spoilers)
In a sign that we've reached peak universe-building in Hollywood, the most improbably successful action film franchise of them all has now got a spin-off. But it is any good? Does this movie work as an odd-couple comedy? We know that the Rock and Jason Statham have comedy chops, but does the…
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"The Lion King"
Is Jon Favreau's photorealistic version of "The Lion King" a visionary re-imagining of a beloved tale or the latest in a series of increasingly cynical, nostalgia-soaked cash grabs by our entertainment overlords at Disney? What, if anything, does this latest retelling of the story of Simba and…
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"Spider-Man: Far From Home" (with spoilers)
Marvel Studios has decided to launch us into the post-"Endgame" world with a light-hearted teen comedy about a kid, the girl he has a crush on, his best friend and Jake Gyllenhaal. Listen in as we ponder what, if anything, this movie has to say about illusions, CGI and fake news; Zendaya's...
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Godzilla 2: King of the Monsters (with spoilers)
Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown, Ken Watanabe and Charles Dance (Tywin friggin' Lannister, y'all) take second billing to everyone's favourite giant radioactive lizard in this massive disaster movie (or is that massive disaster of a movie?). In this week's pod, we ponder ... well…
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"John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum" (with spoilers)
The most vengefully terrifying dog lover in all of cinematic history is back, folks, and he's ready to kill indiscriminate hordes of villainous henchmen in ways so innovative that they deserve patents. Listen in as we ponder whether the John Wick franchise has elevated action to the level of high...
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Game of Thrones s08e06 - "The Iron Throne" (with spoilers)
After two controversial episodes, Benioff and Weiss decided to end "Game of Thrones" with - well, one of the biggest travesties in the history of television, a finale to rival "Lost" and "How I Met Your Mother" as a giant betrayal of the show's fans, the characters and the story that preceded it....
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Game of Thrones s08e05 – "The Bells" (with spoilers)
Well, folks, it happened. Daenerys Targaryen finished what her father began and reduced King's Landing to a pile of ash and rubble, wiping out Cersei Lannister and hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians in the process. But did her tragic descent into madness make any sense? In fact, did...
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Game of Thrones s08e04 – "The Last of the Starks" (with spoilers)
After the intensity and the whirling, occasionally incomprehensible action of "The Long Night", we thought that Benioff and Weiss might treat us to a quieter, more languid episode this week. Instead, what we got was one of the most eventful episodes of television ever, as Jon Snow continued being...
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Game of Thrones s08e03 – "The Long Night" (with spoilers)
The Battle of Winterfell came upon us this week. But was it too poorly lit for anyone to see what was going on? More importantly, were Arya Stark's heroics the most perfect thing that "Game of Thrones" has ever done? Is Jon Snow dumb? Did enough people die? And was the Night King a satisfying...
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"Avengers: Endgame" (with spoilers)
This is a big one, folks. A year ago, Marvel Studios stunned audiences around the world with "Avengers: Infinity War" and its hauntingly downbeat ending. Fast forward 12 months and the core group of Avengers we all got to know in Phase One of the MCU are back to try to undo the damage inflicted…
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Game of Thrones s08e02 – "Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" (with spoilers)
We were treated to a more intimate episode of "Game of Thrones" this week, less reliant on spectacle and more devoted to quiet moments between characters we've come to know and love. It was in that spirit that we gathered in front of a metaphorical fire with glasses of metaphorical wine to…
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Game of Thrones s08e01 - "Winterfell"
After a hiatus of almost two years, during which we had to make do with the increasingly twisty riddles-for-riddles'-sake of "Westworld", "Game of Thrones" has finally returned to our screens, with a brand new title sequence no less. Sitting down to discuss the season premiere just moments after...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Meet Mags, Daz, Anuja and Gez – two married couples who talk movies and pop culture every time they meet. They've now decided to record their conversations in the hope that someone will crown them the ABBA of pop culture commentary.
HOSTED BY
Pop Culture Double Date
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Pop Culture Double Date have?
Pop Culture Double Date currently has 83 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Pop Culture Double Date about?
Meet Mags, Daz, Anuja and Gez – two married couples who talk movies and pop culture every time they meet. They've now decided to record their conversations in the hope that someone will crown them the ABBA of pop culture commentary.
How often does Pop Culture Double Date release new episodes?
Pop Culture Double Date has 83 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Pop Culture Double Date?
You can listen to Pop Culture Double Date on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Pop Culture Double Date?
Pop Culture Double Date is created and hosted by Pop Culture Double Date.
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