Pop Culture Confidential

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 office shocks, Nolan fever, political storytelling, their Telluride predictions — and plenty more!

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, Birth, Under the Skin, and The Zone of Interest.They also break down the exciting 2025 Venice Film Festival line-up,

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 questions about political pressure. Christina is joined by AwardsWatch’s Ryan McQuade to unpack

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 Max. In this encore episode, Taylor joins Christina to talk about filming the intense series, me

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, we break down Nolan’s The Odyssey teaser, the latest on the Social Network sequel, and Denis Villene

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 bestselling novels, Manvelov plays Akram, a former Syrian police officer and refugee who joins