Pop of the Culture

Civil War of the MCU

matt_morris@ymail.com (EVAN MORRIS, MATT MORRIS) — Tue, 25 Oct 2022 05:29:25 +0000

Evan and Matt begin Phase 3 of Marvel's Cinematic Universe, 2016's Captain America: Civil War. It's the thirteenth entry in the MCU, and probably the 13th time Evan has watched it (just kidding - he's watched it way more times than that). How will they rank it among the previous 12 movies? How will they rank the villain? How will their relationship survive their disagreement about this villain? Why is Matt rambling on about Jefferson Airplane? Tune in and find out!

Ant-man of the MCU

matt_morris@ymail.com (EVAN MORRIS, MATT MORRIS) — Sat, 15 Oct 2022 19:12:09 +0000

Following yet another long break between episodes (we know, we know), Evan and Matt are back to continue their slow moving journey rewatching and ranking the movies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This episode brings them to the end of MCU phase two, 2015's Ant-man. The guys will discuss what they do and don't like about the movie, consider the smallness of the film (literally and figuratively), rank the villain's impact, and ultimately decide where Ant-man ranks among the MCU's first twelve films. And why are they talking about Dick Van Dyke's bad English accent? Hard to say. Give the show a listen and find out!

Age of the Ultron (of the MCU)

matt_morris@ymail.com (Evan Morris, Matt Morris) — Wed, 6 Jul 2022 23:21:30 +0000

Evan and Matt Morris continue rewatching and ranking the movies that are part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron, their journey introduces three new Avengers (Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, Vision), and immediately says goodbye to one of them. As with previous episodes, Evan and Matt will rate the villain, look for Stan, and rank this movie against those that have come before it. And, as always, things will get a little silly along the way.

Guardians of the MCU

matt_morris@ymail.com (Evan Morris, Matt Morris) — Thu, 23 Jun 2022 22:20:20 +0000

Guardians of the Galaxy is the tenth movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe series. Matt and Evan take another look at the film, and discuss what they do and don't like about it. They'll consider how it stacks up against the other movies in that first ten, the impact it had on the careers of its stars, the films critical response, and how they would rank film's villain. In addition, Evan comes to terms with his Howard the Duck hatred, and did I just hear Matt compare the movie to Star Wars? Tune in to hear what it's all about on this week's episode of Pop of the Culture

The Winter Soldier of the MCU

matt_morris@ymail.com (Evan Morris, Matt Morris) — Fri, 27 May 2022 18:47:00 +0000

Marvel follows one of the MCU's weakest offering (Thor: The Dark World) with one of its best! In this episode of Pop of the Culture, Matt and Evan dive into how they feel about Captain America: The Winter Soldier. They'll discuss the top notch action sequences, the spy-thriller vibe, character development, the chemistry between Steve and Natasha, as well as rank the villains and place this movie in its proper order with the MCU movies that came before it. Will you agree with their thoughts? Tune in and find out!

Thor: The Dark World of the MCU

matt_morris@ymail.com (Evan Morris, Matt Morris) — Wed, 18 May 2022 03:25:00 +0000

Following a six month hiatus, Matt and Evan begin to play catchup on their re-watching of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a viewing of 2013's Thor: The Dark World. Widely considered one of the weakest films in the MCU, Evan and Matt will consider why that is and also provide their take on Thor's second solo entry.

Iron Man 3 of the MCU

matt_morris@ymail.com (Evan Morris, Matt Morris, Bennett Morris) — Tue, 16 Nov 2021 22:25:57 +0000

Evan and Matt are continuing their rewatch of the MCU, jumping into Phase two's first film, Iron Man 3 (that's a lot of different numbers in the back half of that sentence). Bennett also returns to the podcast, sharing his observations and defending his position that Iron Man 3 "slaps." The crew gets into Tony Stark's continued character development, favorite action sequences, and of course, their feelings on Marvel's controversial decision to bait-and-switch fans with their use of The Mandarin in this film. In addition, they'll give some quick thoughts on The Eternals critical backlash, where this movie ranks against the Phase One films, and maybe make sense of why Matt keeps calling Aldrich Killian "Kildrich." This and more is coming up on this episode of Pop of the Culture!

The Avengers of the MCU

matt_morris@ymail.com (Evan Morris, Bennett Morris, Matt Morris) — Fri, 5 Nov 2021 21:49:57 +0000

Evan and Matt continue rewatching the movies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this time joined by Bennett. What did our panel of three think of the movie following their rewatch? Was Marvel able to effectively balance such a large ensemble? How will they rank this movie against the rest of Phase One? Does Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. still exist, or is this now the definitive end of Coulson? How do they like Mark Ruffalo? Will Evan learn to correctly pronounce Cobie Smulders name? And how will our trio navigate around just two available microphones? These questions and more will be answered in this episode of Pop of the Culture!

The First Avenger of the MCU

matt_morris@ymail.com (Evan Morris, Matt Morris) — Sat, 23 Oct 2021 17:47:36 +0000

Evan and Matt are back for more of their journey through the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this time taking a look back at Captain America: The First Avenger. They will explore the impact of Chris Evans as Cap while considering some of the other actors up for the role, drink in the romantic chemistry between Steve and Peggy, and delight in what is essentially a WWII period drama - but with super powers and space cubes and stuff. Also, This marks Matt and Evan's first disagreement about where to rank the movie against the previous Phase One films. And I'm pretty sure Evan is still disappointed with Matt over his Red Skull villain rating. Can their relationship survive? Yeah, probably. But tune in to make sure!

Thor of the MCU

matt_morris@ymail.com (Matt Morris, Evan Morris) — Thu, 14 Oct 2021 22:44:35 +0000

Following an unforeseen break due to technical difficulties (Matt's computer suuuuux), Evan and Matt are back to continue rewatching and reviewing the films of Marvel's Cinematic Universe. This episode feature's 2011's Thor, the fourth in the series. So, what do our duo think of the movie? Who stands out in the cast? How does the movie rank compared to the first three MCU films? Why do they keep talking so much about Shakespeare? Tune in and find out!

Ironman 2 of the MCU

matt_morris@ymail.com (Matt Morris, Evan Morris) — Wed, 8 Sep 2021 22:36:36 +0000

Following a two year pause, Marvel returns to (what we now know as) Phase One of its cinematic universe with Ironman 2! Evan and Matt will break the movie down while considering where it ranks in the still burgeoning MCU. Will they like it better than Ironman or The Incredible Hulk? How will they rank the villains? Do they prefer Terrence Howard or Don Cheadle as Lt. Col. James Rhodes? Will they overcome technical difficulties to ever get this episode out? Did they enjoy SacAnime? These questions and so many more will be answered in this episode of Pop of the Culture!

Incredible Hulk of the MCU

matt_morris@ymail.com (Evan Morris, Matt Morris) — Sun, 29 Aug 2021 23:16:23 +0000

Evan and Matt dive into 2008's The Incredible Hulk, the second film from Phase one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, They'll cover key characters and plot points, score the villain, and rank this film against the other MCU films so far. Also, Evan and Matt discuss their feelings about the trailer for Spider-man: No Way Home

Ironman of the MCU

matt_morris@ymail.com (Matt Morris, Evan Morris) — Fri, 20 Aug 2021 18:02:15 +0000

Following a long break, the Pop of the Culture crew is back! Well, Evan and Matt are back, anyway. This episode begins their journey back through the Marvel Cinematic Universe, breaking down each movie with the goal of ultimately creating their final pecking order of best and worst MCU movies. Natalie and Bennett will contribute along the way, but this series is primarily Matt and Evan's baby. The first episode details a bit of the history around Marvel Studios and their decision, pre-Disney, to embark on creating their own movies without licensing the characters to other studios. Then, Matt and Evan begin their discussion of the first film in what would become the MCU - Ironman. Be sure to follow @popoftheculture on Twitter.

Star of the Wars

matt_morris@ymail.com (Matt Morris, Natalie Morris, Evan Morris, Bennett Morris) — Sun, 16 Feb 2020 18:02:00 +0000

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker completes the final trilogy of the Skywalker saga, and the Morris family has some feelings about what did and didn't work. In this episode of Pop of the Culture, we'll dig into what we think did and didn't work in this final trilogy. We'll also get really excited about The Mandalorian and geek out on baby Yoda (aka, The Asset). And, as always, we'll let you know what's poppin' for each of us right now.

Love of The Office

matt_morris@ymail.com (Matt Morris, Natalie Morris, Evan Morris, Bennett Morris) — Sat, 18 Aug 2018 01:10:00 +0000

All four of us recently binged (or re-binged) all nine seasons of The Office. And of course, it has become an instant family favorite. Join us as we reflect on our favorite moments, characters, and episodes of this classic program. It starts with an attempt at a sophisticated analysis of why we think the show was so successful, but then just breaks down into us making each other laugh while remembering ridiculous moments from the show. Also, play along with us in an impromptu game of "Can You Remember the Guest Celebrity Appearance"! And then, after all of that fun, we will share "What's Poppin'" for each one of us this week. Cheers! Err, I mean...The Office!

Comic of the Con

matt_morris@ymail.com (Matt Morris, Natalie Morris, Evan Morris, Bennett Morris) — Mon, 6 Aug 2018 19:20:00 +0000

We review our favorite trailers from this year's San Diego Comic Con (Aquaman, Shazam!, Godzilla - King of the Monsters) and discuss just how excited we are about each project, while Matt reflects on his childhood love for the 1970's Shazam! television show for kids. Also, we share "What's Poppin" this week - what's going on or coming up that each one of us is excited about.

Pilot of the Airwaves

matt_morris@ymail.com (Matt Morris, Natalie Morris, Evan Morris, Bennett Morris) — Fri, 6 Jul 2018 22:19:00 +0000

It's our first episode! This is your chance to meet Matt, Natalie, Evan and Bennett and find out what they love about pop culture. Spoiler alert - there may be stories about superheroes, Springsteen, Steven Universe, and Jane Austen. And that's just the beginning! Each member of the Morris family gets a chance to share a few of their biggest interests under the pop culture umbrella. Also, I think the ghosts of Michael Jackson and Alexander Hamilton might have shown up during this recording. Still not sure.