This week on Pop Culture Pastor, we Be Kind Rewind the late ’90s teen classic She’s All That...a movie that believed prom was destiny, popularity was currency, and glasses were a curse.
Dave and Cody are joined by Dave’s 18-year-old daughter, Aila, to juxtapose late ’90s teen movie logic with today’s realities. Together, they dig into what surprisingly holds up (the cast, the romance, the vibes), what absolutely doesn’t (the makeover myth, the power dynamics, the cheap feel), and why exaggerated teen movies still manage to sneak in real emotional truth.
They Muppet-ize the movie, argue over winners and losers, unpack the deeper themes of identity and worth, and ask the most important question of all: who were you in high school?
Also:
• Stranger Things “Conformity Gate” discourse
• Batman Part II casting rumors
• Ashley Tisdale, toxic mom groups, and influencer outrage culture
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It’s a brand-new year, and we’re kicking things off by looking ahead and why we’re excited about it.
In this episode, Dave & Cody talk about the movies, shows, and stories they’re most looking forward to in 2026. From massive blockbusters like The Odyssey, Supergirl, and Avengers: Doomsday, to TV standouts like Shrinking, Lanterns, and House of the Dragon, we dig into what has us hopeful, curious, and cautiously optimistic.
Along the way, we talk about:
Why Project Hail Mary could be a modern sci-fi classic
The surprising promise of Supergirl and the future of DC
Why The Mandalorian & Grogu still matters
The return of prestige TV with shows like Shrinking and The Pitt
What excites (and worries) us about Marvel’s next chapter
And why stories still matter — especially in a world that feels exhausted
It’s a wide ranging, honest, and hopeful conversation about pop culture, storytelling, and the things we’re genuinely looking forward to in 2026.
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Dave and Cody drop a Christmas-week bonus review of Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, digging into the franchise’s killer consistency, Josh O’Connor’s breakout lead turn, and a surprisingly thoughtful exploration of faith, church hurt, confession, and grace—then they wrap with recast picks, winners/losers, and ratings (plus a mini rant about Netflix keeping this gorgeous movie out of wide theaters).
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🎄 We took a perfectly respectable “Best Christmas Movies” list… and absolutely wrecked it.
In this festive edition of ListBusters, the Pop Culture Pastor crew goes after Entertainment Weekly’s 25 Best Christmas Movies of All Time — armed with nukes, switcheroos, rockets, and zero restraint. Classics get shuffled, sacred cows get tipped, Elf gets obliterated, and somehow Baby Jesus nearly gets sniped.
Expect hot takes, nostalgia, generational divides, surprise guest chaos, and a final list that absolutely no one will agree with — including us.
👉 Love Christmas movies? Hate Christmas movies? Already furious?
Good. This episode is for you.
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This week, Pop Culture Pastor hits Be Kind Rewind on Ernest Saves Christmas (1988). Dave, Cody, and Jackson revisit the holiday oddity that was a childhood staple for many, unpacking what still works (Jim Varney’s undeniable talent, a genuinely great Santa) and what hasn’t aged as well.
Along the way, they talk Ernest’s place in late-80s pop culture, Jim Varney’s legacy, deeper themes of identity and calling, Muppet-ize the movie, pick which character they’d be, and wrap it all up with a Vern-based rating.
Is Ernest Saves Christmas a true holiday classic or just a nostalgic time capsule?
Wicked For Good Review and a Wicked Super-Fan Joins the Show
In this week’s Pop Culture Pastor, Dave and Cody start with the kind of real-life discovery every nerd dreams about: three brothers in California stumble upon an original Superman #1 buried under old newspapers—and it sells for over $9 million. That leads to comic-grading nightmares, childhood nostalgia, and some very strong feelings about mailing valuables.
From there, the guys shift to a more sobering headline as Donald Glover reveals a congenital heart defect that nearly ended his life mid-tour. Dave and Cody unpack the moment he learned he’d had a stroke, the wise words he shared with fans, and why the world absolutely cannot lose Childish Gambino before the Community movie gets made.
Then it’s time for the main event: a full, spoiler-filled review of Wicked: For Good.
Dave and Cody dive into:
How Part Two differs tonally from Part One
The big changes from the stage musical
What works (Erivo, Grande, “No Good Deed,” Jeff Goldblum’s surprising emotional turn)
What really doesn’t (the pacing, new songs, the ending, and… Morrible)
Their recasts, deeper themes, winners, losers, and ratings
And for the first time in a long time, the Geek Phone rings!
Listener Lauren, a bona fide Wicked super-fan, jumps in to share:
What hooked her on the story
How she threw a pink-and-green watch party
Her thoughts on the film’s emotional beats
Her Winner, Loser, and Rating of the Movie
What she’d say directly to Jon M. Chu if she had the chance
It’s a big episode packed with musical joy, nerd heartbreak, philosophical detours, and the kind of pop culture rabbit trails only this show can deliver.
Grab a seat on the Yellow Brick Road and jump in.
In this episode of Pop Culture Pastor, Dave and Cody sprint headfirst into Edgar Wright’s new adaptation of The Running Man, asking the big question: is this the movie that officially crowns Glen Powell as the next great everyman action star?
The guys start with a wild but oddly wholesome news item: Timothée Chalamet calling Adam Sandler “one of the best actors of all time” during their “Sandler x Chalamet” event. That launches a fun conversation about Sandler’s career arc — from “guy who just makes vacation movies with his buddies” to secretly one of the most versatile actors working, thanks to turns in Punch-Drunk Love and Uncut Gems. There’s also a quick detour into DC’s Lanterns delay, James Gunn’s DCU, and why everything around Warner Bros. feels just a little… wobbly.
Then it’s full-on Running Man review mode:
how this version leans back into Stephen King’s original dystopian nightmare
why Glen Powell feels like the spiritual heir to Bruce Willis
how Colman Domingo and Josh Brolin absolutely cook in limited screen time
why the Hunters are a huge missed opportunity, and how Alan Ritchson could’ve fixed the whole problem with one menacing glare
plus a Deeper Themes segment on media, virtue signaling, and why the real villain might be the human heart, not just “rich bad guys in offices.”
In The Lobby, listeners ask about the many faces of Cody (Contrarian Cody, Capitalist Cody, Chaotic Cody, and more), dream podcast guests (Scorsese, Paul Walter Hauser, Weird Al, Harrison Ford), and whether a live-action Legend of Zelda movie can truly be the Lord of the Rings of video game adaptations.
Oh, and yes—there’s talk of Christmas playlists, Die Hard–inspired Christmas shirts, and why Michael Cera is somehow the loser of the movie simply because there wasn’t enough of him.
This week on Pop Culture Pastor, Dave, Cody, and Jackson jump straight into the chaos as they tackle a brand-new ListBusters challenge — this time taking aim at JoBlo.com’s list of the 25 Greatest Action Movies of All Time, curated by writer Chris Bumbray.
What starts as a simple countdown quickly unravels into total cinematic anarchy: nuked classics, rogue recasts, strategic sabotage, and one very passionate defense of Commando that nobody saw coming.
By the end, the list looks… different. Very different. Like “you won't believe what ends up at #1" different.
Along the way, the guys also break down the bizarre and delightful news of Pope Leo’s big Hollywood meet-up at the Vatican, talk through the pontiff’s four favorite films, and wonder what guilty-pleasure movies the Pope didn’t admit to.
It’s unhinged, hilarious, surprisingly thoughtful, and absolutely peak ListBusters chaos.
Action movies will never be the same.
Dave and Cody dive deep into House of Dynamite, Kathryn Bigelow’s nail-biting new nuclear thriller that’s equal parts technical masterpiece and moral Rorschach test. Is it brilliant minimalism—or a cinematic blue screen of death?
They also break down the possible sale of Warner Bros. Discovery, what it could mean for movie theaters, and whether James Gunn’s fledgling DCU survives a Netflix takeover.
It’s the perfect PCP blend of wit, wonder, and way-too-much coffee.
Cold Open: Dave overshares at the coffee drive-thru ☕
Pop Culture News:
Why Warner Bros. might be up for sale
The Netflix wildcard and the ripple effect on theaters
The DCU’s uncertain future under Gunn & Safran
Main Review: House of Dynamite
Multiple perspectives, one moral bomb
The power of restraint vs. reaction
Idris Elba’s presidential gravitas
What works, what fizzles, and why the ending divides everyone
Winner & Loser of the Movie
The Lobby Q&A
🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts
☕ Support the show + grab merch at https://linktr.ee/PopCulturePastorPod
Pop Culture Pastor dives headfirst into the fog. Dave and Cody rewind Frank Darabont’s soul-crusher The Mist (2007): why the human breakdown still hits, why Marcia Gay Harden steals the whole movie, and how that ending becomes a parable about quitting one step too soon. They riff on what holds up and what doesn’t, then play the show’s greatest hits: Muppet-ize the Movie, Which Character Would You Be? and the Winner & Loser of the movie (sorry, Stephen King… Darabont’s ending wins).
Plus: a spicy news bit on the “least attractive hobbies for men” list (video games, figurines, crypto, trolling, gambling) and why maybe the problem isn’t hobbies—it’s imbalance.
Come for the monsters, stay for the meaning.
Agree? Hate it with a white-hot passion? Sound off and tag the show.
Subscribe, rate, and check the PCP swag in the Linktree— https://linktr.ee/PopCulturePastorPod
Two hundred episodes. A legendary voice. And a look toward the future.
In this milestone episode, Pop Culture Pastor celebrates its 200th journey around the fandom sun with a little help from the incomparable Malcolm McDowell, who kicks things off with a cinematic introduction worthy of the occasion.
Dave and Cody dig into what’s next for pop culture itself — from the rise of AI actors and streaming burnout to reboot fatigue and the evolution of fandom. Then the guys turn the conversation inward, opening up about the future of the podcast, their hopes for the community, and how listeners can shape the next 200 episodes.
Finally, a supersized edition of The Lobby answers listener questions that range from thoughtful to downright hilarious — with plenty of surprises, callbacks, and a few emotional moments in between.
Featuring:
🎤 The voice of Malcolm McDowell(!)
💬 A hopeful look at the future of storytelling
🙌 A celebration of fans, friendship, and 200 episodes of shared geekery
“Stories brought us here. Stories will take us further.”
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ROAD MOVIES: Stories that move us (literally).
What makes a road movie work? Dave, Cody, and guest Andy Acker break down the secret sauce — the motion that transforms the characters, the odd couples who can’t escape each other, the maps that never lead where they think, and the soundtracks that make it all feel alive.
They swap their own road-trip stories (buses, bison, and breakdowns included), revisit classics like Planes, Trains and Automobiles, National Lampoon’s Vacation, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, Little Miss Sunshine, Tommy Boy, and The Muppet Movie, and explore why these journeys still hit so hard — because sometimes, getting lost is the only way to find your people.
Bonus detour: A quick look at the bizarre rise of “stay-at-home sons.”
Pop Culture Junk Drawer (One Take Edition)
We emptied the drawer and hit record: one continuous, gloriously unedited (well...mostly unedited, lol) rummage through pop culture. Lionel Richie spills on Michael Jackson’s… laundry. Bad Bunny nabs the Super Bowl halftime show and the internet predictably loses its mind (or pretends to). Reading Rainbow returns to raise a new generation of book nerds. An AI “actress” named Tilly shows up to take jobs and haunt our dreams. Plus quick hits on Peacemaker S2, neon-soaked TRON: Ares, It: Welcome to Derry, and a rom-com that actually argues back. Cody promises a “golden thread.” Dave promises to keep the Taco Bell packets. Somehow… both come true.
Why hit play:
Real talk on outrage algorithms vs. real life (Bad Bunny discourse decoded)
Cozy nostalgia with actual stakes (Reading Rainbow’s modern pivot)
A smart, funny sanity check on AI hype (Tilly Norwood, explained)
Rapid-fire watchlist you can use tonight
If your brain craves news, nostalgia, and nonsense in equal measure, this is your episode. Open the drawer. We dare you.
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Peak Denzel. A friendship that still wrecks us (Gerry & Julius). And the real Titans getting a 25th-anniversary roar from their hometown. We break down why this movie keeps winning—leadership, unity, THAT soundtrack—and yes, we Muppet-ize it and roast Gosling’s defense. Press play and fall back in love with Remember the Titans.
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The Hollywood Reporter dropped a “definitive” Top 25 sports-movie list… so we grabbed our gadgets (Nuke, Recast, Rocket, Sniper, Switcheroo, and the brand-new Double Tap) and blew it up. Chaos ensues. Friendships wobble. Space Jam soars. OJ: Made in America gets the boot. And yes, we argue about Hoosiers like our playoff lives depend on it.
What you’ll hear:
Defining what actually counts as a sports movie (docs vs. dramas vs. “there’s a ball in one scene”)
Nukes dropped on sacred cows, Recasts that sneak in sleepers, and dizzying Switcheroos.
Shock upsets: The Sandlot rockets up, A League of Their Own jumps the order, Rocky refuses to stay down
Guest Brian John shows up over-prepared and under-merciful
Think THR nailed it? Think we’re monsters? Either way, you’re going to have feelings. Hit play, yell at your speakers, then tell us what we busted right—and what needs busting next.
👉 Listen now and send us your fixes. Then tag @THR and let them know the Listbusters came to play.
What happens when fandom crosses the line into worship? This week on Pop Culture Pastor, Dave and Cody welcome special guest DJ Dangerfield to dive into the new documentary Stans, a raw look at Eminem’s most devoted fans.
From rumors of an on-set Avengers brawl to the chaos of the Movie Game, the crew warms up with laughs before getting serious about the complicated legacy of Marshall Mathers. They explore how Eminem’s music gave voice to pain, how fans mirror his personas, and why so many are drawn to him as a surrogate figure. The conversation unpacks parasocial relationships, cultural appropriation, missing parents, trauma bonding, and the human hunger for belonging.
Is Stans a celebration of fandom or a cautionary tale of obsession? What does healthy “stan” behavior even look like? And what does it say about us when we try to become the image of our heroes?
It’s messy, it’s insightful, it’s funny—and it might make you rethink the way you connect with your favorite artists.
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It’s a little bit of everything this week on Pop Culture Pastor! Dave and Cody are back on their own, digging into the ultimate pop culture grab bag. From the seismic pop culture news of Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift’s engagement (and some ridiculous “what if” wedding scenarios), to the messy Raja Jackson incident in the wrestling world, we cover it all.
Then we dive into what we’ve been watching, reading, and listening to lately—documentaries (Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action and Trainwreck: Storm Area 51), oddball films (Mountainhead), charming series (Nobody Wants This), sports comedies (Stick), nostalgic reboots (Quantum Leap), and even some fresh music discoveries (Joe Keery’s Djo and the long-lost When We Were Kings soundtrack).
Think of this one like rummaging through a flea market of pop culture: unexpected finds, strange treasures, and conversations you didn’t know you needed.
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Taylor Swift isn’t just a pop star—she’s a cultural juggernaut. In this Legends episode, Dave plays cultural anthropologist while Cody and Leah (our resident Swifties) unpack her rise from country roots to global dominance, the power of the Swiftie fandom, and why authenticity might be her greatest legacy. Plus, we debate tattoos, Travis Kelce, and whether Taylor is the last true pop star.
Also: In the news segment we talk the newest thorn in Marvel Studio's side...Beau Demayo and his recent war on Marvel on social media.
#TaylorSwift #Swifties #ErasTour #TorturedPoetsDepartment #PopCulturePastor #LegendsEpisode #MusicPodcast #PopCulturePodcast #TaylorNation #Storytelling
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Dave, Cody, and two Geeks of the Round Table are set to tackle a brand-new type of episode, Listbusters! The series where no ranking is safe. This time, we’re crossing the streams of pop culture opinions as we take on Esquire’s Top 25 Superhero Movies List by Eric Francisco, armed with chaos-inducing items like The Bomb, The Switcheroo, and The Recast.
Will your favorites survive? Will we nuke something you love? Will questionable picks finally get the boot? The only thing we can promise is that by the end… this list will never be the same.
We came, we saw...We busted some lists!!!
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In this episode of Pop Culture Pastor, Dave and Cody dive deep into Happy Gilmore 2, joined by special guests, recording artists Sean Rodriguez and Hilltop. We discuss the wild ride that is this sequel, from the return of Adam Sandler and Julie Bowen to hilarious cameos by Bad Bunny, Travis Kelce, and even Eminem. With plenty of laughs, an 80s training montage, and a heap of nostalgia, we review the good, the bad, and the absurdity of the film.
We also talk about wrestling (because, of course), dive into the return of some of Sandler’s best comedy tropes, and explore why Happy Gilmore 2 is a nostalgic trip down memory lane for '90s teens.
This episode is a celebration of the things that make pop culture fun—and why watching movies together, even bad sequels, can make it all the more enjoyable. Whether you're a fan of Sandler’s goofy comedies or just looking for something to laugh at, this one's for you.
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#HappyGilmore2 #AdamSandler #ComedyReview #90sNostalgia #PopCulturePodcast #MovieReview #SequelTalk #SandlerFlicks #WrestlingTalk #BadBunny #Eminem #TravisKelce #SeanRodriguez #Hilltop #ComedyGold