Pop Culture Footnotes

2020 was kind of a rough year for a lot of people. We at PCF wanted to look at some of the things that brought us joy in 2020, so please join us for the Thank Party for this year!

We're back from our hiatus! We're spreading a little Christmas cheer by talking about holiday favorite Christmas Vacation. Is it the best Christmas movie for 2020? Yes, yes it is.

It's decade in review time at Pop Culture Footnotes! Join Courtenay, Shannon, and Andrew as they go through their favorite books, albums, TV shows, and movies of the last decade. It's time for an adventure!

'Tis the season for some awesome/real bad Christmas movies! Shannon, Courtenay, and Andrew are joined by Whitney to discuss Christmas movies that come from Hallmark, Lifetime, Freeform, and Netflix and their tropes. Find out which are most worth watching on this episode!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here! Courtenay, Shannon, and Andrew chat about their favorite (and least favorite) Christmas songs by era. Look for two special guests joining the pod this week! I mean, they're at the very beginning, you won't have to wait long.

It's the 100th Episode spectacular! As voted by you, the listeners, we are covering the Lord of the Rings novels and movies. Join Shannon, Courtenay, and Andrew as they comb through the iconic series while reflecting on the past 100 episodes. One pod to rule them all!

Before you see The Rise of Skywalker, make sure you take a listen to Courtenay, Shannon, and Andrew dish about the Star Wars prequels! They talk the uninspiring romance, the flat dialogue, and all the crushes they had on actors. Let's try listening, that's a good trick!

We compose the podcast of the night this week as Shannon, Courtenay, and Andrew dive into Andrew Lloyd Webber and his arguably biggest hit, Phantom of the Opera. They chat about theories, music, and the lesser-known yet recently-released sequel to Phantom, Love Never Dies. Get ready, they have got some opinions!

It's that time of year again! Shannon, Courtenay, and Andrew get together to share the pop culture things they're grateful for this year.

Come with us if you want to learn! Before your Dark Fate is decided, listen to the hosts talk the Terminator Franchise! The good, the bad, the self-parodies, and everything else. It's so good, you'll be back.

To celebrate the arrival of Doctor Sleep, your favorite hosts take a trip to the Overlook Hotel to explain how Stanley Kubrick's 1980 film became a classic (and why Stephen King hated it). Come watch with us...forever....and ever....and ever.

You poor unfortunate souls chose your favorite Disney villain songs, and we're here to share the results. Plus, Shannon, Andrew, and Courtenay share their picks. And in Shannon's words . . . HELLFIRE!!!

We shambled through zombies, we bleh-ed through vampires . . . now we get mummies under "wraps." Join us as we discuss the real-life process of mummification and the origins of the mummy monsters we all know and love.

Courtenay, Shannon, and Andrew are your own personal golden compass on this episode. We walk you through the entire His Dark Materials series so you're prepped for HBO's upcoming series.

We're not podcasting here with you, YOU'RE podcasting here with us! Join Courtenay, Shannon, and Andrew as they dive in to Alan Moore's Watchmen graphic novel, as well as the 2009 Zack Snyder film. You won't believe that we have a preference!

Who could forget that time a Russian prince flirted it up with Maggie Smith? Because we didn't. We catch up on all the upstairs and downstairs drama from the Crawley household and recap this "soap opera with accents" so you're ready to see the film.

They say it’s the golden age of television—but who is going to take home the gold? We may not know whether voters love Fleabag as much as Courtenay and Shannon, but the PCF team will make sure you know about this year’s Emmy-nominated comedies, dramas, and limited series.

Praise be! Before Margaret Atwood's sequel to The Handmaid's Tale, PCF takes you on an alarming trip through the dystopian world of Gilead, as portrayed in the '85 novel and the Hulu series. And remember...nolite te bastardes carborundorum.

Extra, extra! There was so much news following the D23 convention last week, it couldn't be recapped in our usual episode format.

Fire up those Letters to Cleo albums, dust off your hacky sacks, and get a totally radical makeover because we are about to party like it's 1999! This episode, we discuss some of our favorite teen movies from the pre-Y2K era.

Can you say nostalgia? Great! This week, we're revisiting some of our favorite childhood cartoons from the titan of kids entertainment: Nickelodeon. So sit down in your list'ning chair and listen to this podcast!

Look what you made us do. In anticipation of Taylor Swift's upcoming album, Lover, the PCF crew gives us a rundown on all the love stories (#hiddleswift4eva), bad blood, and smash hits that turned a teenage singer/songwriter/cat lady into a major celebrity. Are you ready for it?

Look at the big brain on you, coming here for Pop Culture recaps. This week, we fill you in the hit indie film of the 90s, Pulp Fiction. Plus, catch our review of Disney's live-action remake of The Lion King.

Showdown time! You voted, now we discuss. Listen as we argue for our favorites, crown our ultimate winner, and reveal the winner of our social media fan bracket! Which Disney song will reign supreme?

Join us as we take a little break from pop culture–footnoting this week and play a little game called "KEY-Words with Friends." We test our memories of past episodes by trying to guess the film from the keywords on its IMDB page. How much do YOU remember?

Haven't seen Spider-Man: Far From Home yet? We got you with this brief overview of Spider-Man's comics, alternate-dimension doppelgangers, TV shows, & movies. Basically, it's everything you need to know before you head to the theater, plus a little extra.

We’re excited to bring you this recap of 90s romance sensation, The Notebook. We unearth some ground-breaking truths you won't hear anywhere else, so be sure to tune in!

Not sure what you need to know going into Toy Story 4? Well, you've got a friend in us! This week, we sit down to talk about how Toy Story changed the animated film game and share all the plot details you need to enjoy the latest installment.

Are you recognizable only as deja vu, and dismissed just as quickly? Pop Culture Footnotes rolls up with the black Ray-bans on, just in case you've been neuralized and forgotten the MIB franchise. We're the first, last, and only line of defense against any questions you have going into MIB: International.

Move over, Elvis. There's a new King in town. Join us this week as Courtenay, Shannon, and Andrew talk about the most famous kaiju of all time, the King of the Monsters, Godzilla!

You're about to enter another dimension. A dimension not only of sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous podcast whose boundaries are that of imagination. Next stop, our episode on The Twilight Zone...featuring our friend, Beto!

It's a little bit funny . . . how much we love Elton John! Join Shannon and Andrew as we explore the life and contributions of one of the greatest musicians of our time.

We at Pop Culture Footnotes are getting geared up for the release of Detective Pikachu this weekend. And what better way to get pumped up than by having Andrew explain the worldwide phenomenon of Pokémon? Take a listen!

We’re coming back with a bang with our review of Avengers: End Game and our recap of 1999 Best Picture winner, Titanic. Queue the Celine Dion music!

We're starting the new year strong with this year's summary of the Academy Awards. Join Courtenay, Shannon, and David Stauffer of the Brave Little Podcast as we go over the 2019 Best Picture nominees.

Should old pop culture be forgot and never brought to mind? Certainly not! That's why Shannon, Courtenay, and Andrew have come together this week to bring you a recap of the biggest pop culture moments from 2018. Happy New Year, everyone!

Happy Holidays from all of us here at Pop Culture Footnotes! To celebrate, we're covering a longtime holiday pop culture favorite: Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker. Yeah, we covered a ballet. We classy like that.

Buffalo gals, won't you come out tonight and dance by the light we shed on Christmas classic, It's a Wonderful Life? Join Courtenay, Shannon, and this week's guest Andrew as we dive into what makes this movie such an iconic part of the holidays.

In every pod that must be done, there is an element of fun. Finding that fun was a snap this week, thanks to our guest Shannon. Join your practically perfect hosts as we explain everything you need to know about Mary Poppins before the new movie comes out!

We're getting ready for the release of Mary Queen of Scots this month with a little history refresh. What was the deal with that king with all the wives? Are Bloody Mary and Mary Queen of Scots the same person? Is Elizabeth I officially our hero? Let us be your Tudor tutors, with answers to all this and more on this week's episode!

It's a bright cold day in November and the clocks are striking...one, I guess. With the recent elections and all the politics talk, we figured the time was right to cover the oft-referenced George Orwell classic, 1984. Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving! We at PCF have a lot to be grateful for & we're celebrating those things this week—along with our motley crew of guests. Thanks again to Tana, Heidi, Genevieve, Whitney, Lenore, Andrew, Erin, Mikayla, & all our other contributors!

Yo Adrian! This week, we have Brittney on to discuss the Rocky franchise with us! Cue listening to "Eye of the Tiger" on repeat.

Don't stop us now because Courtenay, Shannon, & guest David Stauffer are going to "take you out tonight" with some facts & info about '80s rock band, Queen. Come join us on this bicycle race & we will rock you. Bohemian Rhapsody.

If you're like us & want to make Halloween stretch as long as possible, we've got just the thing for you. Shannon & Courtenay run amok, amok, amok, amok & even take a quiz to find out which Sanderson sisters they are. Happy Halloween!

What makes a vampire a vampire? Can they handle direct sunlight? Are they susceptible to stakes, garlic, and/or decapitation? Tana helps us get to the bottom of it all as we discuss various pop culture depictions of vampires.

This episode, we're celebrating the spookiest of holidays by talking about legendary filmmaker John Carpenter—creator of horror classics like Halloween and The Thing. OOOoooooooOOOO!

Join us for this very special episode, in which Shannon and our guest, Whitney, indulge Courtenay's taste for all things NASA! Be sure to listen so you know what's up before you go see First Man this weekend!

We're joined by our children's literature expert Heidi to talk about children's author Roald Dahl. We discuss the life, work, and impact of this great man and share some of our top favorite moments from his books.

To be or not to be? That is the question—at least according to William Shakespeare's Hamlet. This week, we're joined by Erin to discuss the tragedy of the Prince of Denmark, as well as notable adaptations, parodies, and references.

What happens when you strand 15–16 people on a beach & make them compete for a million dollars? Reality TV gold, that's what. Join Courtenay, Shannon, and guest Genevieve as we discuss the grandpappy of all reality shows: Survivor!

This week, Courtenay and Shannon talk about the Emmys. We explain how the awards work, who the major nominees are this year, and who we think will win. Place your bets now!

Join Courtenay, Shannon, & Lenore this week as we discuss the longest-running variety TV show ever: Saturday Night Live. It's a barrel of laughs!

This week, Courtenay, Shannon, & Andrew gear up for Matt Groening's new show! Is an hour and a half long enough to cover everything you need to know about The Simpsons? Not even close. But we do cover the top 10 episodes (according to Andrew) so...

Happy birthday to us! This week, we celebrate our 1 year anniversary with a discussion of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. Listen in as Shannon, Courtenay, and guest Andrew explain all those references to space fetuses. :)

Who lives, who dies, who tells the story of Hamilton? PCF does, of course. Join Shannon & Courtenay as we continue our discussion of Hamilton. We finish off the plot, discuss the cultural impact of the play, & more. Check it out!

Tune in as we discuss Broadway super hit Hamilton! Shannon explains the plot, shares info about the production, & shows off a Hamilton-themed intro! Does Shannon have rap skills to rival Lin-Manual Miranda himself? Listen to find out!

We want to believe...that this is one of our best episodes yet! Tana returns to walk us through a favorite show of nerds everywhere: The X Files. The truth is out there!

Mamma Mia 2 came out earlier this week, so we asked Tana back to talk to us about ABBA, jukebox musical (and movie) Mamma Mia, and cover groups. Is Pierce Brosnan's singing voice as bad as the internet says? Listen here to find out!

Happy Bastille Day! Courtenay and Shannon are celebrating this the Frenchest of holidays by talking about Sophia Coppola's Marie Antoinette. Is this movie as good/bad as fans/detractors claim? Find out here!

Best shark attack in a movie? Most improbable escape from a shark? Courtenay, Shannon, and guest Brittney sink their teeth in it to get ready for Shark Week, with our first-ever awards show for shark movies: The Sharkies! Also, Andrew from Pop Pop Culture gate crashes our episode and makes some good jokes, I guess.

Happy 4th of July from PCF! This week, our friend Alex helps us celebrate Independence Day by talking about 90s classic Independence Day. PS: Be sure to tune in around the 33-minute mark to hear Shannon's take on the show-stopping inspirational speech from the movie! #presidentbillpullman #bestpresidentever

Refugees, resistance, and Nazis—oh my! No, it's not today's headline. It's 1944 "Best Picture" winner, Casablanca! Join PCF as we discuss quotable lines, memorable scenes, & the movie's influence on 1960s counter-culture. Here's lookin' at you, kid.

We got so caught up in whether we could, we didn't stop to think if we should! Gear up for Fallen Kingdom with our recap of the Jurassic Park films. Courtenay, Shannon, & guest Whitney cover plot & the most meme-worthy scenes & lines.

What's the best Pixar movie ever? That's what Courtenay, Shannon, and guest Derrick intend to discover this week. We go through our ultimate Pixar bracket, weighing story, moral lessons, and likability.

This week, Karla comes back to wrap up our Beatles discussion—everything from Magical Mystery Tour to "The End" & beyond. BTW, to hear our sweet playlist of Beatles music and covers, hit up Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/7y0zpf4ykijab4tmb9bwqauzu/playlist/5RYwd4rTbrpBmKFrQS8pDl?si=IoRt9ZPhQMGl_wKMmKvVBA

In honor of Memorial Day, we sat down with Lenore to discuss our favorite war movies. We'd like to share our appreciation for all those who have laid down their lives to defend freedom and the rights of mankind around the world. While we are celebrating an American holiday, we know that Americans are not and have never been alone in this fight. On behalf of everyone at Pop Culture Footnotes, thank you.

This week on PCF, we get geared up for Ocean's Eight by discussing the original Ocean's Eleven (starring the Rat Pack) & the recent Ocean's trilogy. Plus, Shannon shares some inside knowledge about her hometown, Vegas. Check it out!

New episode is up! This week, Courtenay attempts to stump Shannon with Ian Fleming trivia and we talk about the fascinating details of the man who created the one and only Bond. James Bond.

Join Courtenay, Shannon, & this week's guest Jenn as we dive into The English Patient (both the book and the film). We contemplate the overall skeeziness of the characters & wonder how in the heck did this movie win so many awards. You don't have to be English to watch this movie, but you sure do have to be patient.

Happy Birthday, Harper Lee! This week, we're discussing one of the great American novels: To Kill a Mockingbird. Join Courtenay, Shannon, and guest Whitney as we discuss the book and its sequel, Go Set a Watchman.

Avengers: Infinity War comes out this week! Join Courtenay, Shannon, & Andrew from @poppopculture as we discuss the third and final phase of the MCU. And if you haven't seen Thor: Ragnarok or Black Panther, yet...SPOILERS!

Heidi returns to help Courtenay & Shannon celebrate the birthday of renowned children's author J.M. Barrie. We discuss his most famous work, Peter Pan, as well as some of our favorite and (in Courtenay's case) least favorite adaptations.

What would you do if we sang out of tune? Because we do—a lot. Get ready to join Courtenay, Shannon, and this week's guest, Karla, as we discuss arguably the greatest musical act of all time: The Beatles.

We're only a few weeks away from the release of Avengers: Infinity War! Time to get excited with this episode of PCF, where we discuss Phase 2 of the MCU with special guest, Andrew. Avengers, assemble!

To celebrate the release of Isle of Dogs this week, we're covering Wes Anderson. Courtenay, Shannon, and guest Mindy go over all Wes' films and give you everything you need to know about this iconic director's style.

This week, we are joined by Brett as we discuss the complicated plot of The Departed and share what we love about this Scorsese classic.

New episode is up! The new Tomb Raider movie is coming out March 16th, so this week, Courtenay, Shannon, and guest Mikayla are recapping the old Angelina Jolie Tomb Raider movies. Now you don't have to watch them. Ever! Lucky you...

Get ready for the film release of A Wrinkle in Time with PCF! This week, Courtenay, Shannon, and guest Heidi discuss author Madeleine L'Engle, the book's plot, and what makes Wrinkle one of the most celebrated & banned books ever.

New episode! Shannon has a particular set of skills; skills she's putting to good use this week, filling us in on each category of Oscars nominees so you can impress everyone with your knowledge of the Academy's inner workings.

It's only February, but we're already excited about Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War! Join Courtenay, Shannon, and Andrew from Pop Pop Culture as we discuss the six Marvel, Phase 1 movies!

It's Valentine's Day, so join PCF as we discuss the Queen of Romantic Comedy, Nora Ephron. Also, be sure to tune in for the last few minutes of the episode as we say a sad goodbye to Tana.

It's Shannon's favorite time of the year—Oscar season! If you didn't get around to seeing all 9 films up for Best Picture this year, we've got you covered. We recap the 2018 nominees, including plot and why each film is nominated.

It's the end of our Harry Potter rampage! Join us as we go over plot for the final installment in the HP series and discuss how the Harry Potter phenomenon has affected pop culture in the 10+  years since the last book came out.

Join us as we continue our Harry Potter spree! This episode, we spend a whole hour just talking about Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Rest assured, we have taken Courtenay's mic away from her for a while. Enjoy!

We continue on our Harry Potter streak this week with this episode, which covers the plot for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. And apologies about the audio quality—Death Eaters interfered with our recording equipment. Stupefy!

Kick off the new  year with PCF! We're ringing in 2018 with one of our favorites, Harry Potter. Join Courtenay, Shannon, & Tana as we discuss books 1–3, try unsuccessfully to keep the run time down, and deal with terrible equipment. Expecto patronum!

We're still coming down after the holidays, so we figured we'd round out the season with action movie classic, Die Hard! Join us as we break down the plot, share our favorite parodies, and discuss what makes this film one of the best action movies of all time.

Happy Holidays from Pop Culture Footnotes! On this very special Christmas episode, we act as your personal ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and...I guess Christmas future, guiding you through Charles Dickens' classic story, A Christmas Carol. God bless us every one!

Don't get scared now! Our gift to you this holiday season is this episode about Christmas classic, Home Alone. Join us as we talk plot, play trivia games, and discuss what makes this franchise such a big part of the holidays for so many people.

The Last Jedi comes out this week. Are we so excited we're practically reduced to tears? No. Why would you even ask that? Regardless of who's crying and who's not, we at PCF are here to fill you in on everything (we think) you need to know to go and see the next installment of the Star Wars saga.

Curious about James Franco's new movie? Find out what it's all about with our sum-up of the best worst film ever made: The Room. Shannon tells us about the film's overly complicated plot, Tana puts us through our paces with a trivia game, and we generally have a rollicking good time!

It's a couple of days past Thanksgiving, but we wanted to thank everyone for listening and express some gratitude for our favorite pop culture things from the past year. Enjoy!

Before you go see Justice League, check out our newest episode! Courtenay, Shannon, & Tana are joined by Andrew from Pop Pop Culture as we talk DC comics and give our review of the new movie.

Join us this week as we review Murder on the Orient Express and talk some Agatha Christie!

Some ideas are indeed bulletproof, including the idea that Alan Moore's classic V for Vendetta deserves a podcast episode. Join Courtenay, Shannon, and Tana as we celebrate Guy Fawkes day with a discussion about the man, the mask, and the ideas they both represent.

Happy Halloween, everyone! Join us as we talk zombies, particularly how movies have portrayed them through the years and how zombie movies have reflected the fears of their time.

Get ready for the new season of Stranger Things by getting caught up on season 1. Courtenay, Shannon, & Tana go over the plot from season 1, discuss '80s references from the show, and dive a little deeper into why this Netflix phenomenon resonates so strongly with its audience.

Join us as we begin our run-up to Halloween with this spooky episode about The Legend of Sleepy Hollow! 

This week, Shannon gets us pumped for the release of John Green's new book.

Follow along as Courtenay unsuccessfully attempts to convert Shannon and Tana into Doctor Who fans.

Get the scoop on Blade Runner before you go see Blade Runner 2049! This episode, we discuss the film and its source material as well as its author, Philip K. Dick.

This episode, we talk about Stephen King's most notable horror works, including It, Misery, and Carrie.

Join us while we talk about the Back to the Future trilogy!

Tune in as we discuss Steven Spielberg's alien movies: Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T., and War of the Worlds.

Join us for our first episode, where we cover the grandaddy of all pop culture references: The Godfather.