Pop Culture Pastor

Dave and Cody agree this one's the funniest episode of the season — and then spend a chunk of it being mad at two scenes. Cody's therapist take on whether anything Roy says on that much pain medication counts as true. A real argument about whether Alice torching her own good night is bad writing or a character doing what she always does. Dave puts Keeley's hospital behavior on the record as a little devious. Plus Cody's practical case against the Beard age-gap romance, why the Roy and Keeley story might be crowding out the players nobody knows yet, and the closing gift that got both of them.

This week the Lobby had a theme: settle it. You sent in the arguments you can't win at home, and we ruled on them — including one where the defendant was sitting at the mic.Cody's own wife turned him in over NSYNC, so we held a trial. He was recused, compelled to testify, cross-examined, and sentenced. He also finally admitted what he actually thought of the new Masters of the Universe, which is not what he said on the review episode, and the words "I was about to get a He-Man tattoo" were spoken out loud.Plus: Dave reveals he was not a Princess Bride household, he was a Legend household, and offers a theory about why your 1980s VHS shelf determined your entire personality. Also, Tom Hanks has beef with the Fonz. Jethro Tull is not a guy. And we owe Celeste an apology.Recorded the night before drop with no real edit, which you will most certainly be able to tell.

Dave and Cody open with the only question that really matters: is a hot dog strictly a social food? (It is not.) From there — Cody's therapist take on whether Ted's rear-view mirror advice is actually good advice or just a great line for a coffee mug, a Zelda Southport conspiracy theory involving a whole lot of unsold seats, and a genuine disagreement about Ted suspending Alice. Dave thinks it's growth. Cody thinks Ted might be making the Nate mistake all over again in a different outfit. Also: a deep-cut reference to a Lawrence, Kansas music venue that made Dave whoop out loud.

A Chaplain, a pastor and a guy who does a legitimately excellent Farmer Fran impression walk into an Adam Sandler movie...This week on Be Kind Rewind, we take on The Waterboy (1998) — and yes, we quote it constantly, and yes, Cody is prepared to argue that this is the best comedy Adam Sandler ever made and that Punch Drunk Love belongs in the Sandlerverse. But we also can't help noticing that Mama Boucher isn't just a punchline. She's a woman who built an entire theology out of fear and used it to keep her son small.We also recast the entire movie with Muppets purely so we can watch Adam Sandler destroy Gonzo at full speed, and hand out a Winner and Loser of the Movie that includes a shot at every bowl game that turned this thing down.

This is vintage Ted Lasso. The big conversation for Dave & Cody this week is Roy's pedestal problem. Cody explains the difference between putting someone on a pedestal and actually loving them, and it's the most useful thing said on this pod in a while. Also up for discussion: what the title of Jane's one-woman show is telling us and what it does to a person when private pain becomes a public event, why Rebecca finally having ground to stand on matters more than it looks, whether Roy is growing without realizing it, and Cody's completely unscripted prediction about a guest star that Dave is putting on the record. Plus Beard's Jam of the Week and Diamond Dogs

It started as a discussion that happened after we stopped recording a previous pod. Which Friend (from the show of the same name) had the best go of it outside of the show? We go through all six...every movie, every show, every swing that missed, and hand out awards nobody asked for. Cody has an answer he's been sitting on all week, and it is not one of the six.Plus: a word about Dolly, who spent eighty years proving that what you're famous for and what you're remembered for don't have to be the same thing.

Dave opens with a story about growing up watching his mom compete, and why a single mom showing up to tryouts with her kid on her hip hit differently than expected. From there, he and Cody get into the barriers to women's sports that never show up in a spreadsheet, whether a report can account for the people it's measuring, and Roy's two very different attempts at being helpful. Also on the table: why Rebecca's boyfriend storyline keeps getting played for laughs when it clearly isn't a joke, what's actually going on between Alice and Gemma, and Cody's theory that this season's real thesis got delivered by a woman who couldn't kick a ball. Plus Beard's Jam of the Week, Diamond Dogs, and Who Grew.

School's back in session, so Dave, Cody, &Jackson are drafting the best fictional teachers in pop culture. One rule — they've got to actually be on the school's payroll. No swamp mentors, no karate handymen. Plus bonus rounds for best fictional school and best non-teaching school employee, real-life favorite teacher shout-outs, and a look at the highest-grossing movies ever set in a classroom. Also: Jerry Bruckheimer says Pirates of the Caribbean 6 is happening, and we have questions.

Dave and Cody are back on the pitch, and this week the conversation gets stuck on one uncomfortable question: what do you do when the person telling you the hard truth about yourself is a jerk about it? Alice Chilton has an attitude and a point, and the guys dig into why it's so much easier to focus on the delivery than the message. Also under discussion — whether Beard's avoidance of Ted is loyalty or self-protection, Cody's pitch for how Rebecca should have handled the hire, what Ted actually understands about people that nobody else at Richmond does, and the ongoing mystery of what's in that gift box. Plus Beard's Jam of the Week, Diamond Dogs, and Who Grew.

This week on Be Kind Rewind, Dave, Cody, & Geek Jackson revisit Real Genius (1985): the smartest teen comedy of the 80's(?) and the movie that proves Val Kilmer was one of the great comedic actors we barely got to see. We dig into what holds up (Kilmer at his most magnetic, a movie where being smart is the whole appeal instead of a handicap to overcome, and an anti-military-industrial-complex streak that hits harder in 2026 than it did in '85), what doesn't (Mitch is fifteen, the Kent pranks get genuinely mean, and somebody destroyed a man's house with a satellite laser and nobody went to jail), and the behind-the-scenes stuff — Val got the part by being rude to the producer, the popcorn house took three months and 190,000 pounds of kernels, and the drawings on the dorm wall were made by Val's late brother Wesley. Plus a Pastor's Corner on Chris Knight telling a crying fifteen-year-old that his brain isn't a machine, a fight about whether Kent or Gabriel Jarret is the real story here, and a game guessing Val's five highest-grossing films. Cody sends us out with a Val Kilmer poem.

New show, new watch-alongs. Dave & Cody kick off Ted Lasso Season 4 with the premiere, "Home," and they've got some thoughts. Three years after Ted got on that plane, he's the assistant manager at a Kansas City grocery store, teaching life lessons with a bag of Pup-Peroni. Rebecca, Keeley, and Higgins fly in with an offer to coach Richmond's new women's team. Dottie Lasso drops a line about fathers that Cody is NOT letting slide. And Ted finally opens the door he's been avoiding all episode. As two guys who actually live in Kansas, Dave and Cody dig into how the show handled Ted's hometown plus a Song of the Episode with a genuinely wild backstory, and an honest conversation about whether a show that ended perfectly should have come back at all.

Pop Culture Lately: The Grab Bag Is OpenTwice a year or so we empty out the entire bag...everything we've been watching, reading, and playing that never fit anywhere else. Dave, Cody, & Geek Paul dig through it all: a widow who talks to an octopus, eight artists who secretly lived inside a shopping mall for four years, and a Mr. Rogers movie where Mr. Rogers is the antagonist.Along the way: Spider-Man is printing money on a Tuesday, the horror genre keeps saving cinema, Woodstock '99 was worse than you remember, and George Clooney made a movie that may or may not be about George Clooney. Plus a wrestling complaint, a Star Trek episode with dinosaurs, and a movie game that goes badly off the rails somewhere around Joanna Cassidy.Then it's out to The Lobby, where you asked what franchise needs to die and whether any of us actually read books.Think of it as rummaging through a flea market of pop culture: unexpected finds, strange treasures, and a few conversations we didn't plan on having.What have you been into lately? Tell us in the comments on the social post.

SPOILERSDave & Cody welcome back Geek Jason to review Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The movie just posted one of the biggest openings in history, and the table digs into why: - Destin Daniel Cretton was given room to tell a smaller, more intimate story - The Bernthal and Holland chemistry- The Hulk and the Punisher as perfect storytelling guest starsAlso:Jason brings a perspective on Peter's isolation that only someone who works with kids in care could. The Pastor's Corner lands on Aunt May's tombstone against Yelena's "small potatoes"Plus Emily Wilson's scorching review of The Odyssey, a round of the Movie Game, and a bonus breakdown of that end credits scene.Movie reviewed: Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) — Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton. Starring Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Sadie Sink, Jon Bernthal, and Mark Ruffalo. In theaters now.

You're killing me, Smalls. This week on a Be Kind Rewind, Dave, Cody, & Paul Walcher head back to the summer of 1962 for The Sandlot (1993), a movie that flopped with critics and became a multigenerational classic anyway. We get into what holds up (the Ray Charles fireworks scene, Ham roasting an entire lineup of batters, the ensemble of kid actors who genuinely became friends), what doesn't (the pool scene, and yes we talk about it honestly), and the behind-the-scenes stuff you might not know.Plus: a genuine three-way argument about whether Denis Leary is the winner or the loser of this movie, a full Muppetize (Cody casts the entire film), a Pastor's Corner on inclusion for inclusion's sake and the monsters we build in our own heads, and where the cast actually ended up. Bonus: it's Dave's birthday, we ask what posters you had on your wall as a kid, and a brutal round of the Movie Game.

Dave & Cody are joined by film professor Paul to review Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, which just posted the biggest live-action opening of 2026 and the best reviews of Nolan's career. The table digs into Ludwig Göransson's score, the IMAX cinematography, the 60-foot Cyclops puppet, Robert Pattinson's genuinely repulsive heel turn, and John Leguizamo's surprise best-in-career performance. Dave makes the case that softening Odysseus's hubris costs the third act its humility, and lays out a Pastor's Corner connecting the film's Sea Peoples references to the real Bronze Age collapse and what happens to a civilization that loses its faith. Plus a recast, an Argos tribute, and a spirited defense of Taco Bell.SPOILER WARNING: Full spoilers for The Odyssey after the news segment.Movie reviewed: The Odyssey (2026) — Written and directed by Christopher Nolan. Starring Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong'o, Zendaya, Charlize Theron, Elliot Page, Jon Bernthal, and John Leguizamo. In theaters now.

We're in a tight spot. This week on Be Kind Rewind, Dave & Cody dig into the Coen Brothers' O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), the Depression-era chain gang comedy that's (not so) secretly Homer's Odyssey and accidentally revived an entire genre of American music. We break down what holds up (this is George Clooney's coming out party), the murderer's row of character actors, Roger Deakins making Mississippi look like a sepia dream, and a soundtrack that won Album of the Year at the Grammys as a bluegrass record. We get into what's harder to sit with in 2026, the wild behind-the-scenes stuff (the Coens claim they never read the Odyssey, Clooney said yes without reading the script, the KKK scene is staged like The Wizard of Oz), and a Pastor's Corner on Ulysses Everett McGill as an Ecclesiastes figure who chases every title but bona fide and only finds his knees when the rope comes out. Plus: Adam Sandler officiated the Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce wedding and we have questions, we Muppetize the movie (Dave cheats), and we guess Clooney's top five highest-grossing films, with a number one that made us both genuinely angry.https://linktr.ee/PopCulturePastorPod

What makes a great Fourth of July movie? We take Cosmopolitan’s Top 15, load up the full ListBusters arsenal, and proceed to absolutely wreck it.Movies get nuked, sniped, recast, rocketed, and switched as War Horse falls fast, movies you've never heard of somehow reach #1, National Treasure becomes collateral damage, and Rocky IV fights its way into the final rankings.Plus, bonus chaos: more Toxic Moms drama and another round of The Movie Game.https://linktr.ee/PopCulturePastorPod

Dave is back from Maine (a.k.a. real-life Fromville) just in time for the Season 4 finale. Dave and Cody break down "If a Tree Falls in the Forest…" AKA the biggest bloodbath the show has served up in ages. Jade confesses he lied about the bones. The bottle tree comes down and the sky goes dark. Smiley walks into the clinic and takes Marielle. Fatima reveals her secret. Can Henry pull the trigger on Victor? Will Elgin make a deal with The Sophia In Yellow? Plus a Fromspiracy on the Book of Job that the finale gift-wrapped for Cody, the long-overdue public apology to Elgin, and a Loser of the Season built entirely around a haircut.

SPOILERS!!!!Dave's just back from vacation in Maine, so he and Cody recorded this one as an unedited, free-flowing conversation. They review Supergirl, the second film in James Gunn's rebooted DCU. They dig into Milly Alcock carrying the movie almost single-handedly, the grief and trauma (and Krypto violence) at the story's core, the choices with the ending, the literally-too-dark visuals, and Lobo as a wasted character. Plus a callback to Cody's earlier hot take on the pre-release backlash, the Deeper Themes turn on grief and connection, a Tom Hardy recast, and an honest split on whether we're nearing the end of the theatrical era.This is an unedited live conversation, so expect a looser, shorter hang than usual.Movie reviewed: Supergirl (2026) — Directed by Craig Gillespie, written by Ana Nogueira, based on Tom King's comic. Starring Milly Alcock, Eve Ridley, Matthias Schoenaerts, and Jason Momoa as Lobo. In theaters now.

Dave's on vacation, so Cody takes the wheel with a very special guest co-host: his wife Leah. Together they break down "The Calm," the penultimate episode of From Season 4. Sophia recruits Clara with a blood pact and a promise of going home. We learn the escape isn't just about getting the bones, it's about the ritual and doing it exactly right. Henry's coma-dream tightens its grip as Victor begs him to cut the anchor. Victor gets handcuffed for trying to save everyone. Fatima drinks Clara's tainted tonic and starts losing her hair. And in a gut-punch of a final scene, Elgin shows Sophia a photograph and learns the one rule that explains everything: the Man in Yellow can only take the form of people who died in Fromville.Plus a Fromspiracy on whose bones are really in that tomb, the boy in white aging in real time, and a Jackson Browne needle drop that hits harder than it should.

Hulk Hogan spent so long being Hulk Hogan that the man underneath, Terry Bollea, may have disappeared entirely. We watched the Netflix documentary "Hulk Hogan: Real American," his final interview before his death, and Dave, Cody, & DJ Dangerfield dig into all of it. What do we sacrifice to be famous? Was anything ever bigger than Hulkamania at its peak? Why did he lie about the steroids when the truth would have set him free? We talk kayfabe in wrestling, in the church, and in our politics, and the question we leave open at the end: is a legacy the sum of our choices, or the moments we made people feel seen? This one runs long and goes deep.Bonus: Our friend Kiefer shares some poignant thoughts on the trouble of kayfabe mixed with geopolitics.

Dave & Cody break down "Heavy Is the Head," the eighth episode of From Season 4...Boyd's tremors and hallucinations are spiraling and he finally confesses the truth to Kristi. Henry sinks deeper into his coma-dream, complete with a doctor telling him to "remove the anchor." Jade realizes the bottle tree grows right on top of the bone chamber and pitches a two-team extraction plan. And in a closing scene for the ages, the Man in Yellow lures Tabitha to the RV, decorates it with Ethan's stolen drawings, and terrifies her not with violence but with affection. Plus a Fromspiracy that might break your brain about the fallen tree in the road, the return of the Joni Mitchell needle drop, and a RIP for Fatima — who is dead, but also standing right there.

Dave & Cody bring back Kiefer, a college debate coach and cinephile, to review Disclosure Day, the new original Spielberg alien movie. The vintage Spielberg machine is back together: John Williams on score, Janusz Kamiński shooting, David Koepp writing, Michael Kahn editing. Dave makes the case that the whole movie is tuned to a frequency Gen X kids hear and millennials might not. The table digs into Emily Blunt's career-best performance, a possibly divisive ending, the government-competence logic gaps, and whether two and a half hours earns a do-it-yourself conclusion. The Pastor's Corner lands on empathy as survival. Plus the Sandlot reunion series and a round of the Movie Game.SPOILER WARNING: Full spoilers for Disclosure Day after the news segment.Movie reviewed: Disclosure Day (2026) — Directed by Steven Spielberg, written by David Koepp. Starring Emily Blunt, Josh O'Connor, Colin Firth, Eve Hewson, Colman Domingo, with a score by John Williams. In theaters now.

The truth is finally out, and it goes about as well as you'd expect. Dave and Cody break down "Best Laid Plans," the seventh episode of From Season 4. Boyd and Tabitha tell the town about the reincarnations. Henry, full of Sophia's blood, rejects all of it. Boyd's plan to test the totem spear on the creatures goes catastrophically sideways. And Elgin — sweet, one-eyed, busted-handed Elgin — grabs a totem spear and saves Colony House. Plus a Fromspiracy connecting Abby's "it's all a dream" line back to season one, the second Roger RIP in three episodes, and Dave finally, fully, formally admitting that Cody was right about Elgin all along.

Dave & Cody bring back 80's kid, Lance Burnett, to review Masters of the Universe, the new live-action He-Man movie 39 years in the making. The three of them split hard on this one. Dave had fun with it, Cody calls it a misfire, and Lance lands somewhere in between. They dig into the camp, the nostalgia, the sword swerve, Jared Leto's hard-to-understand Skeletor, and the thin handling of Prince Adam's missing years on Earth. Dave breaks down the full Mattel Cinematic Universe slate, all 16 projects, including an A24 Barney movie and M. Night Shyamalan directing a Magic 8 Ball series. The Pastor's Corner connects Prince Adam to the Beatitudes. Plus Hot Take Cody on the Supergirl backlash, and a round of the Movie Game.SPOILER WARNING: Full spoilers for Masters of the Universe after the news segment.Movie reviewed: Masters of the Universe (2026) — Directed by Travis Knight. Starring Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Jared Leto, Idris Elba, Alison Brie, with Kristen Wiig as Roboto. In theaters now.https://linktr.ee/PopCulturePastorPod

The Memorial Day break is over and the band is getting back together. Dave and Cody dig into "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter" — the sixth episode of From Season 4. Jade and Boyd argue their way through the entire first act. Donna has a heart attack at the most suspicious possible moment. Sophia cuts open her own hand and slips her blood into Henry's drink. Ethan and Victor draw their monsters side by side. The team finally starts sharing information with each other (only took three and a half seasons). And in the closing minutes, Boyd grabs a sledgehammer and confirms that Jade's mushroom vision was real. Plus a Fromspiracy on why everyone in Fromville keeps drinking the tap water without question.

By the power of Grayskull, we made a huge mistake. This week on Be Kind Rewind, Dave, Cody, & Paul Walcher revisit 1987's Masters of the Universe — the flop that took down an entire movie studio. We dig into what holds up (Frank Langella performing Shakespeare under a skull mask, Dolph Lundgren as a walking action figure, James Tolkan from Back to the Future as a hardboiled detective who somehow ends up an honorary Master of the Universe), what doesn't (no Battle Cat, no Orko, no Prince Adam, no real Eternia), and the bonkers behind-the-scenes story including the studio running out of money three days before filming wrapped, a planned sequel that became Cyborg with Jean-Claude Van Damme, and a marketing pitch that simply said "make it Star Wars but He-Man." We also Muppetize the movie, find one of the most surprising Pastor's Corner moments hiding in a bad movie ever, and pick our winners and losers. Plus: the debut of Hot Take Cody as our new opener, a brand new Movie Game, and a bonus round on the top five highest-grossing toy movies of all time.

Dave & Cody bring in Star Wars superfan (and middle school choir teacher) Lance Burnett to review The Mandalorian & GroguIs it a real movie or just a really long episode of the show? Dave makes the case that it's the franchise's "Temple of Doom moment," Cody goes after the critics, and Lance drops deep-cut lore that'll make you want to watch it again. Plus: the music, that Scorsese cameo, a Hutt voice that needed fixing, a Pastor's Corner on "The Way" and what a creed actually produces. Stick around for full Star Wars movie rankings. In the news: the Toxic Mom Group saga returns.SPOILER WARNING: Full spoilers for The Mandalorian & Grogu after the news segment.Movie reviewed: The Mandalorian & Grogu (2026) — Directed by Jon Favreau. Starring Pedro Pascal, Sigourney Weaver, Jeremy Allen White, with a cameo by Martin Scorsese. Now playing in theaters.

Strap in, because Jade is finally going on a trip. Dave & Cody break down "What a Long Strange Trip It's Been," the fifth episode of From Season 4 and the one that finally starts handing over answers. Jade's vision quest takes him through his own past lives and into the tunnels under Fromville, and he comes back convinced he knows how to save the children. Tabitha taps into her ancestral memory to fight off a horde of nightmare Raggedy Ann dolls. Henry hits rock bottom at the Colony House organ. Plus a Fromspiracy on why the monsters lose their power when nobody's afraid of them, a deep dive on the "is this all Ethan's divorce story" theory, and a heartfelt goodbye to Roger — a man we knew for exactly one episode.

"No, I am your father." This week on the pod, its a Be Kind Rewind! Dave & Cody revisit The Empire Strikes Back (1980) — the movie that turns 46 this year and might still be the greatest sequel ever made. We dig into what holds up (everything — the tone, Yoda, the carbonite scene, Harrison Ford ad-libbing the most iconic line in film history), what doesn't (Leia kissing Luke is a problem, and we need to talk about it), and the sincerity in this movie that almost nothing made today can replicate. Plus: Cody makes the boldest defense of "Last Jedi Luke" you'll ever hear, Dave argues that Lando Calrissian has been wrongly slandered for 46 years, and we explore the wild behind-the-scenes stories. We give a Pastor's Corner on "Do or do not, there is no try," and pick our winners and losers. Bonus: the Q'orianka Kilcher / James Cameron Avatar lawsuit. Will Masters of the Universe be a box office disaster? And a Terrence Malick rant nobody asked for.

Dave is back from a week off and there is a LOT to catch up on. Dave & Cody do a speed-run recap of episode three "Merrily We Go," then dig into the season's biggest hour yet — episode four, "Of Myths and Monsters." Boyd and Jade continue their mission to find answers. Henry gets the worst news any father has ever received. Sophia trains Sara like a dog using a glass of water and a broken arm. Fatima starts building a clay golem with a one-eyed Elgin as her assistant. Julie storywalks her way into a confrontation with the Man in Yellow mid-meal. Ethan finds a lake that may or may not be the Lake of Tears, but something is down there either way. Plus a Fromspiracy on why thinking things into being might take time in Fromville, a Mr. Fish and Loaves callback that may or may not mean something biblical, and the saddest RIP segment yet — for whoever lives in the room directly under Fatima's mud Frankenstein.https://linktr.ee/PopCulturePastorPod

Six guys walk into an Airbnb in the mountains of Tennessee. Phones on airplane mode. Men who say they're with the U.S. government. A warning that what's coming will "shake the foundations of human civilization."A week later, the government drops 162 files. And it's… a triangular smudge over the moon, a football-shaped blob near Japan, and a 1947 weather balloon.Dave and Cody are joined by their first-ever guest scientist, Evan, for a free-flowing conversation about pastors, aliens, the loudest nothing-burger of 2026, and why we keep falling for it.Plus: the Drake Equation, the Fermi paradox, Project Hail Mary callbacks, the X-Files comparisons that write themselves, and a Lobby segment full of alien sidekicks.Episode 227. Welcome to Pop Culture Pastor.https://linktr.ee/PopCulturePastorPod

Bob Wiley wants you to know there are two kinds of people in this world. People who love Neil Diamond and people who don't. This week on Pop Culture Pastor, Dave & Cody revisit Frank Oz's What About Bob? (1991) in a Be Kind Rewind. The Bill Murray comedy turns 35 this year and might be the most documented on-set nightmare in Hollywood history. We dig into what holds up (the pacing, Dreyfuss as one of the great comedy villains of the 90s, peak-era Bill Murray), what doesn't (the third act goes completely off the rails, modern mental health audiences would have notes), and the full story of the Murray-Dreyfuss feud — from a 1978 SNL appearance that started it all, to thrown ashtrays, crushed sunglasses, and producers tossed in lakes.Plus: we Muppetize the movie, Cody breaks down why this film couldn't be remade today, and Dave makes the case that Dr. Leo Marvin is every dad who confused providing with being present.Bonus: the Blair Witch Project reboot is happening, and we want to hear from anyone whose parents took them to see it in theaters as a child.https://linktr.ee/PopCulturePastorPod

Fromville wakes up to a fresh horror. A bag on the motel sign. A message and discovery in the barn that nobody — least of all the kids who find it — was ready for. Dave & Cody break down "Fray," the second episode of From Season 4. Jade gets validated by a murder. Acosta steals an ambulance and a "doctor." Sophia gasps at a ballerina figurine and forces a Fromspiracy revision. Plus the debut of Cody's Norse mythology theory, a regrettable goodbye to some innocent goats, and Ethan getting a mission from beyond the grave.

Rotten Tomatoes says these movies are trash. Dave, Cody, & Jackson respectfully disagree. This week's Pop Culture Draft features the best movies critics hated. Every pick has to be sub 50% on the Tomatometer. Three rounds of misunderstood gems, guilty pleasures, and films we'll defend to our graves. Plus a bonus round drafting the best movies under 10%...the truly indefensible cinema we somehow still love. And in between, we take a quick break to come for the movies critics WAY overrated, including one pretentious Best Picture darling that got booed at Cannes for a reason. Also: Marvel announces they're recutting Avengers: Endgame to bridge into Doomsday, and we have OPINIONS.https://linktr.ee/PopCulturePastorPod

Welcome back to Fromville. Dave & Cody dig into the season four premiere, "The Arrival." The Man in Yellow dispatches Jim and walks into town wearing a new face. Boyd starts counting bullets. Fatima processes what she just gave birth to. Kristi stitches up Elgin's eye in way too much detail. And Cody drops a Job theory that might reframe everything. Plus the debut of three new segments...Loose Threads, Jukebox Song of the Episode, and a From-spiracy that'll have you rewatching every scene Victor's ever been in.

Chevy Chase is one of the most naturally gifted comedians who ever lived, and one of the most universally disliked people in Hollywood. The CNN documentary "I'm Chevy Chase and You're Not" presents him unfiltered, and we had a lot to say about it. Dave, Cody, & Minister DJ Dangerfield dig into the generational disconnects that fuel our culture wars, what happens when brilliance exists without accountability, and why fame doesn't break people...it amplifies what's already broken. We talk Community, SNL's 50th anniversary snub, the trauma-to-comedy pipeline, wounded healers in the church, and why DJ is now "good with Chevy." This one goes places.

Dave and Cody close out this season of Watch-alongs by discussing the Shrinking Season 3 finale, "And That's Our Time." Alice leaves for Wesleyan. Gabby finds a ring and proposes on her own terms. Jimmy's perfectly planned goodbyes all fall apart. And Paul flies 3,000 miles to say the thing he should have said three seasons ago. They guys dig into transference, Jimmy's pattern of scripting perfect moments that never happen, whether Gabby's proposal is real growth or just prettier control, and a scars monologue that might be the best scene this show has ever produced. Plus their Who Grew picks for the entire season and what show runner, Bill Lawrence's comments mean for season four.

David Bowie stole a baby and we're here to talk about it. This week on Be Kind Rewind, Dave, Cody, & film professor Paul Walcher revisit Jim Henson's Labyrinth (1986), the cult classic that bombed at the box office, broke its creator's heart, and then became one of the most beloved fantasy films of a generation. We dig into what holds up (the puppetry is better than ever, Bowie is magnetic, that soundtrack still slaps), what doesn't (the story can't decide if it's a fairy tale, a space opera, or a dungeon crawler), and the surprisingly deep spiritual allegory hiding behind the glitter and goblins. Bonus: the guys break down the Taylor Frankie Paul saga and play the Movie Game.

Dave & Cody break down Shrinking Season 3, Episode 10, "The Bodyguard of Sadness" — the penultimate episode of the season where everyone leaves and Jimmy implodes.They dig into grieving relationships with people who are still alive, the difference between criticism and observation when you're too wounded to tell, and whether Paul leaving without resolution makes him just as stubborn as Jimmy. Plus, Cody's Who Grew pick is a surprise, the Song of the Episode is a gut punch, and Bill Lawrence drops some hints about what season four might look like.

Plans changed. Our guest couldn't make it, so we did what any reasonable podcasters would do: We threw open the doors to The Lobby for a full-length Hot Takes edition. Listeners brought the heat with questions about books that should've stayed books, movies that deserve a reboot, sequels that ruined the original, and whether Taylor Swift is overrated (Cody had thoughts). We talk Clive Cussler's missed movie franchise, why Dave won't watch animated shows, the Indiana Jones-sized hole in pop culture, and whether fans or studios do more damage to the things we love. Plus a rapid-fire agree-or-disagree bonus round that includes Baby Yoda slander, Ted Lasso discourse, and the question of whether Harrison Ford has been phoning it in since 1997. We close it out with a conversation about Batman, the legacy of Frank Miller and Alan Moore, and why dark and gritty isn't always the answer. Holy Hot Takes, Batman!https://linktr.ee/PopCulturePastorPod

Dave & Cody break down Shrinking Season 3, Episode 9, "Daddy Issues" — Jeff Daniels returns as Jimmy's dad and proceeds to blow up everything Jimmy's been building. Paul delivers one of the most vulnerable scenes of the entire series. Sean graduates from therapy. Brian compares himself to Mother Teresa. And Jimmy self-sabotages a relationship because his father said one nice thing about it. They dig into generational trauma, the art of healthy selfishness, Paul's hypocrisy about getting back on the horse, and whether Sofi pushed too hard too fast. Plus the Song of the Episode has a backstory that'll wreck you.https://linktr.ee/PopCulturePastorPod

Dave & Cody review Project Hail Mary (2026), the sci-fi blockbuster starring Ryan Gosling and directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. They break down the movie's stunning practical effects, the unforgettable friendship between Grace and Rocky, Sandra Hüller's show-stopping "Sign of the Times" karaoke moment, that Meryl Streep voice cameo, and the deep spiritual themes hiding inside a $200 million popcorn movie.Plus: the Lebo M Lion King lawsuit, Stephen Colbert co-writing a new Lord of the Rings film, and Dave sings. Twice. You've been warned.SPOILER WARNING: Full spoilers for Project Hail Mary after the news segment.Movie reviewed: Project Hail Mary (2026) — Directed by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, written by Drew Goddard, based on the novel by Andy Weir. Starring Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller, James Ortiz, Lionel Boyce. Now playing in theaters.https://linktr.ee/PopCulturePastorPod

Dave & Cody break down Shrinking Season 3, Episode 8, "Depression Diet" — the emotional fallout from Maya's death, Gaby's professional spiral, Jimmy and Sofi's hilariously awkward first date (again), and Liz learning to let go. Plus, Cody drops a scorching hot take on Gaby that's been building all season. They dig into the ethics of therapist grief, boundaries in every relationship on screen, and whether getting back on the horse is always the right call. Song of the Episode, Who Grew, and the best Olive Garden content you'll hear on a podcast this week.https://linktr.ee/PopCulturePastorPod

He's the most expensive rescue mission in movie history — and he grew potatoes to survive. This week on Be Kind Rewind, Dave, Cody, and guest, Professor Paul Walcher revisit Ridley Scott's The Martian (2015), the survival epic that somehow won a Golden Globe for Best Comedy. We dig into what holds up (Matt Damon's career-best performance, that stacked cast, the gorgeous Mars shots), what doesn't (it might be too optimistic for 2026), and the incredible true story of how author Andy Weir went from posting free chapters on his blog to a $630 million Best Picture nominee. Plus: we Muppetize the movie, calculate how much the world has spent rescuing Matt Damon across his filmography (spoiler: nearly a trillion dollars), and Dave makes the case that Mars delivered the worst choke job in solar system history. Bonus: the guys break down Timothée Chalamet's ballet and opera comments, whether they cost him the Oscar, and another round of the Movie Game.https://linktr.ee/PopCulturePastorPod

It’s Tia’s birthday, and this year everyone is determined to celebrate it rather than survive it. This week on Watch-alongs, Dave & Cody break down Shrinking Season 3 Episode 7, “I Will Be Grape” — an episode that does what this show does better than almost anything else on television: turns grief into something you can actually live with. Jimmy gets the push he needed, Candice Bergen and Christa Miller deliver the scene of the season on a park bench, Sofi shows up completely out of tune and completely perfect, and Cody shares the personal story behind why “A Thousand Years” hit him harder than he expected. And then the phone rings.

In this chaotic ListBusters episode, the Pop Culture Pastor crew takes on Paste Magazine’s 20 Best Sitcoms of the 1990s and tears the whole thing apart. Along the way, beloved classics get sniped, nuked, and recast, forgotten favorites crash the list, and the debate over the best 90s sitcoms gets gloriously out of hand.If you love 90s TV, classic sitcoms, and heated arguments about shows like Friends, Seinfeld, The Simpsons, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Frasier, NewsRadio, Martin, Family Matters, Boy Meets World, and Home Improvement, this episode is for you.

Derek's in surgery, and suddenly everyone remembers what they can't live without. This week on Watch-alongs, Dave & Cody break down Shrinking Season 3 Episode 6, "Dereks Don't Die" — and it's an emotional whirlwind wrapped in one of the funniest episodes of the season. Ted McGinley gets his "actor" moment, Brian finally calls his dad, Matthew shows up when it counts, and Meg and Paul have the conversation that might be Harrison Ford's best scene of the series. Plus Cody breaks down the moment at the end of the episode that has us genuinely worried about the rest of the season.

Beware the Ides of March. Julius Caesar got stabbed 23 times by people he trusted — and in his honor, Dave, Cody, Paul, and Jackson are drafting their favorite betrayals in pop culture. From Brutus to the Red Wedding, from Frozen to Friends, from Planet of the Apes to a galaxy far, far away — which betrayals cut deepest, hit coldest, and hurt the most? The crew also crowns the greatest heel turn in wrestling history and drops the coldest betrayal lines ever delivered. Plus: breaking news on the WB/Paramount merger and what it could mean for James Gunn's DC universe — because apparently even podcast episodes aren't safe from a little backstabbing.https://linktr.ee/PopCulturePastorPod

Dave and Cody recap Shrinking Season 3, Episode 5, “Hold Your Horsies.”This week feels like the show hitting its stride again. Almost everyone is being pulled out of their comfort zone at the same time...Sean trying to loosen his grip on routine, Alice wondering who she is beyond being “the responsible one,” and Gabby spiraling when “we” suddenly enters her relationship vocabulary.Meanwhile, Jimmy desperately wants one uncomplicated romantic moment… and instead gets something far messier when Meg shows up at his door. Add in Dr. Paul quietly preparing to move across the country, a surprise Les Mis performance in the car, and Night Swimming by R.E.M. and you’ve got an episode about disruption, nostalgia, and what happens when the safe version of your life starts slipping away.Did Jimmy just make his life infinitely more complicated?https://linktr.ee/PopCulturePastorPod