Ryan McQuade (AwardsWatch.com) joins Christina to discuss one of 2024s most anticipated, and possibly divisive, films Alex Garland's 'Civil War'. The first trailer left us with a lot of questions and certain expectations but the film turned out to be something else completely. Christina and Ryan discuss the film, the discourse, Alex Garland, the incredible performances and much more. Spoilers around the 36 minute mark! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Apr 11, 2024•1 hr 16 min
NPR's TV critic & media analyst Eric Deggans joins Christina to talk about how the 2024 US election cycle is reflected in our popular culture. On the return of Jon Stewart. How are the late night talk shows meeting this political moment? What issues are TV creators exploring in shows like True Detective & Fargo as well as in the documentary series space. Follow Eric Deggans on X @deggans Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Mar 27, 2024•45 min
Actor, author, icon! Molly Ringwald joins Christina for a wide ranging conversation about her role as Joanne Carson in Ryan Murphy's critically acclaimed series 'Feud: Capote vs The Swans', her iconic and seminal films with John Hughes and her complicated feelings about them, her Swedish roots and so much more. Listen now! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 25, 2024•50 min
We are honored to welcome writer/director Sofia Coppola to the the show. In this exclusive conversation we talk about adapting and approaching Priscilla Presley's unique story. Why and how this story resonated with Coppola at this moment in her career & life. How she can see Priscilla from several perspectives, her mother's generation and from the perspective of her own teen daughters. Capturing the the essence of Elvis, approaching the complicated aspects of their relationship and much more...
Mar 21, 2024•34 min
"Oppy Oppy"! After Ryan McQuade's (AwardsWatch.com) stirring appreciation speech last week we had to have him back on to talk about Oppenheimer's magic night at the Oscars. Plus the best speeches, highlights, disappointments and surprises of the 96th Oscar ceremony. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 12, 2024•58 min
Oscar predictions 2024! Christina is joined by the best in the business: Executive Editor Ryan McQuade and Editor-In-Chief Erik Anderson of AwardsWatch ! Ahead of Sundays' Oscar telecast they predict the winners in all 23 categories, talk about their most anticipated speeches, red carpet looks and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 06, 2024•2 hr 22 min
There are so many fascinating, passionate & chilling marriages explored at the movies this year. Maestro, Killers of the Flower Moon, Priscilla, Oppenheimer, The Zone of Interest, May December, to name a few! Ryan McQuade (Executive Editor @ AwardsWatch.com) joins us to dissect one of this years' big themes and discuss the state of matrimony at the movies! x @ryanmcquade77 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Mar 05, 2024•1 hr 17 min
The brilliant sound designer Johnnie Burn talks to Christina about his research & emotional process creating the sounds of Auschwitz for Jonathan Glazer's powerful holocaust drama The Zone of Interest. They also discuss his work with Yorgos Lanthimos on 'Poor Things', creating alien sounds for Jordan Peele on 'Nope' and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 04, 2024•34 min
Award winning composer/producer Ludwig Göransson joins Christina to break down his journey scoring 'Oppenheimer', his process, influences and close collaboration with director Christopher Nolan. Photo credits: Courtesy of Ludwig Göransson Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 04, 2024•23 min
Christina talks to Andrew Haigh about his very personal journey writing and directing his beautiful film 'All of Us Strangers'. As well as conversations with actors Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal & Claire Foy on their characters, love, loneliness, accidental cruelty and more. Listen now! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 21, 2024•22 min
We made it through the night country & everyone is talking about that finale! Christina talked to breakout star Finn Bennett ('Peter Prior') about Issa López 'True Detective: Night Country', his characters' almost biblical arc, working with Jodie Foster, his thoughts on Nic Pizzolatto's remarks, the incredible finale, the best fan theories and much more. Spoiler warning if you have not seen the finale! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Feb 19, 2024•31 min
When Robert and Trude Steen's son Mats passed away at age 25 from a degenerative muscular disease they grieved over what they thought had been an isolated and lonely life but what they found out would change everything. Mats, a gamer known as 'Ibelin' in World of Warcraft, had despite his physical disabilities formed strong friendships, fallen in love and was a beloved and vibrant member of his digital community. Christina was honored to talk to Mat's father Robert Steen about Mats, his story an...
Feb 12, 2024•56 min
Erik Anderson & Ryan McQuade of AwardsWatch.com join Christina to discuss the 2024 Oscar nominations! The surprises, snubs, history making nominations and so much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 23, 2024•1 hr 25 min
Critics Thelma Adams (The Wrap, Variety, AARP), Candice Frederick (Senior Culture Reporter @ Huffpost) and Christina pick their 10 most anticipated movies of 2024! Follow on X: Candice Frederick @ReelTalker Thelma Adams @thelmadams Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 17, 2024•46 min
Christina and Ryan McQuade ( AwardsWatch ) share their reactions to 2024 Golden Globe awards ceremony. Oppenheimers big night! The celebrities! The winners! The telecast! The jokes (or lack of:) & everything else. Listen now! X: @ryanmcquade77 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 08, 2024•45 min
We are starting off 2024 with Emmys predictions! Tyler Doster, AwardsWatch TV editor, joins Christina to discuss, predict, agree & disagree. The 2023 Emmys ceremony airs January 15th 2024 (delayed from September due to the strikes). Succession! The Bear! Who will win? How have the strikes impacted the Emmys? and much more. Tune in and listen! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Jan 03, 2024•52 min
Academy award winning cinematographer Linus Sandgren joins us to talk about his incredible work on Emerald Fennell's visually stunning film Saltburn. Sandgren guides us through the gothic, vampiric style of the cinematography, how ugly & beauty work in tandem, their fascinating visual decisions regarding several twists in the film, and how he used 2 bathtubs for THAT scene that everyone is talking about. Saltburn will stream globally on Prime Video from December 22, 2023 Learn more about you...
Dec 18, 2023•32 min
Succession's final season has scored 27 Emmy nominations, 9 Golden Globe & 5 Critics Choice noms this awards season! Don't miss Pop Culture Confidential's complete collection of Succession interviews. Christina's conversations with some of the incredible talent from all 4 season. More than 6 hours of exclusive interviews. Enjoy! #awardsseason 1.Brian Cox 00.01.55 2.Jeremy Strong 01.01.30 3.Arian Moayed Interview 1. 01.46.10 4.Composer Nicholas Britell 02.34.06 5.Producer/Writer Georgia Pritc...
Dec 14, 2023•6 hr 3 min
Strikes are over, Oscar season is heating up and the gang is back to together for a massive Oscar nomination predictions show! It's such an incredible season of movies. Erik Anderson, Sophia Ciminello & Ryan McQuade of AwardsWatch.com join Christina to banter, predict and discuss the year in film! x Erik Anderson @awards_watch Sophia Ciminello @sophia_cim Ryan McQuade @ryanmcquade77 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Dec 01, 2023•1 hr 57 min
Singer-songwriter & four time Grammy winner Jason Isbell joins Christina for an exclusive & wide ranging conversation. They talk about his first major film role in Martin Scorsese's epic Killers of The Flower Moon, on sobriety, honesty in songwriting and in life & not staying silent about intolerance in the popular country music world or anywhere else. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 30, 2023•31 min
Christina was honored to moderate a Face2Face interview with iconic actor/director/author Ethan Hawke at the Stockholm International Film Festival where Mr. Hawke was presented with their Achievement Award 2023 . The festival also screened 'Wildcat' directed by Hawke and starring Maya Hawke as American novelist Flannery O'Connor. Maya Hawke also joined the conversation! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Nov 22, 2023•37 min
Sean Fennessey, the brilliant host of 'The Big Picture' podcast & head of content at The Ringer, joins Christina for a great discussion on "writers in crisis"! This character type has been a constant in Hollywood & this year is no exception, with examples like Andrew Haigh 's 'All of Us Strangers', Justine Triet's 'Anatomy of a Fall', & Cord Jefferson 's 'American Fiction'. On the show Sean & Christina discuss what makes the writer in crisis so fascinating, 2023s many interesting...
Nov 12, 2023•54 min
Congrats to our super talented guest! Director & co-writer Mika Gustafson just won an award for best first feature at the London Film Festival & Best Director at the Venice Film Festival’s Orizzonti section for her directorial debut 'Paradise is Burning'. Her film is a joyful, emotional & complex story about three sisters navigating a difficult situation with an absent mother and the threat of being separated by social services. We talk about her film, the importance of stories about...
Oct 24, 2023•23 min
Popular culture, movies, TV shows & books affect us in profound and surprising ways. Pulitzer prize winning author & data journalist Walt Hickey joins us to talk about his fascinating new book 'YOU ARE WHAT YOU WATCH. Entertainment affects our biology, geopolitics and everything in between. Did you know that girls participation in archery doubled after 'The Hunger Games' came out or that watching a scary movie affects our bodies? Walt Hickey talks about the Pentagon's involvement in film...
Oct 20, 2023•59 min
Academy Award winning filmmaker Errol Morris ('The Thin Blue Line', 'The Fog of War') joins Christina to talk about ‘The Pigeon Tunnel’ his captivating documentary & conversations with the late British intelligence officer & author David Cornwell aka John le Carré. Christina and Mr Morris talk truth, betrayal, that history is chaos, interviews vs interrogations, Mr Morris "shut the fuck up" school of interviewing & much more The Pigeon Tunnel premieres on AppleTV+ on October 20th 📸 ...
Oct 16, 2023•24 min
Costume designer and 4 time Oscar nominee Jacqueline West (The Revenant, Dune) & lead Osage wardrobe consultant Julie O’Keefe join Christina to talk about Martin Scorsese's epic 'Killers of the Flower Moon', the incredible costumes, and art and history that went into their work. 'Killers of the Flower Moon' premieres in theaters on Oct. 20th, 2023 Pictures courtesy of Paramount Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Oct 09, 2023•21 min
Award-winning casting director and a real master of his craft John Papsidera joins Christina on Pop Culture Confidential! Papsidera is one of Hollywood foremost casting directors. He has collaborated with director Christopher Nolan for many years and has cast most of his films including “Memento,” “The Dark Knight"-trilogy, “Interstellar", “Inception" and his latest "Oppenheimer" His long list of credits also includes “Jurassic World,” &“Suicide Squad" and TV series such as “Westworld”, "The...
Oct 01, 2023•48 min
In part 2 of our coverage of the WGA strike, critic/WGA member Tom O'Brien ( nextbestpicture.com ) is back with us to discuss the key issues that have been settled in the tentative agreement between the Writers Guild and the studios. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 29, 2023•18 min
Breaking! After a 146-day long strike the Writers Guild has reached a tentative agreement with the studios & streamers. Critic/writer at nextbestpicture.com and WGA member Tom O'Brien joins us with the news! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 25, 2023•15 min
Congratulations Milad Alami! His film 'Opponent' has been selected as Sweden's International Feature Oscar submission. Revisit Christina's conversation with the writer/director from earlier this year. Iranian/Swedish writer-director Milad Alami ('Opponent') joins the show. Mr Alami, who himself arrived to Sweden as a refugee at age 6, has made a powerful film about a refugees family, masculinity & freedom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Sep 21, 2023•30 min
