Popzara Podcast

Article: Spent (2025)

Those who’ve followed Alison Bechdel’s career from cartoonist to cultural icon over the years (the term ‘Bechdel Test’ is named for her) knows the creator of the popular ‘Dykes to Watch Out For’ comic strip and several graphic novels knows how to tell a joke about even the most uncomfortable topics. With Spent the focus is on satire, blending reality within a progressive ideological wonderland so exaggerated it feels like a checklist of every liberal trope imaginable, and possibly some new ones created just for this book.

Article: Predator: Killer of Killers (2025)

I’ve been a huge Predator fan since seeing the original 1987 classic when I was a kid, and I enjoy watching the famed alien hunters in all of their film entries, both good and bad. It seems like the right person has finally come along to save the franchise and push it to new heights with director Dan Trachtenberg, who brought us 2022’s Prey which placed a surprising and refreshing spin on the film series that it so desperately needed, and he's looking to do it again later this year with Predator: Badlands.

Article: Doom: The Dark Ages

Doom: The Dark Ages, the third entry in Bethesda’s modern reboot of id Software’s iconic grandaddy FPS franchise, does something truly audacious. It takes the two most controversial elements from its predecessor, 2020’s Doom Eternal, i.

Article: Autocorrect: Stories (2025)

If I said Etgar Keret’s Autocorrect was slim, that wouldn’t come as a surprise to fans of the acclaimed Israeli author, nor would the fact that the stories collected inside are on the shorter side. The very shorter side.

Article: Scosche SCOVAC 4-in-1 Mini Vacuum and Duster

Keeping your electronic devices clean can sometimes be a pain, especially when small crevices and vents are involved. Most times a can of compressed air is the go-to for keeping devices clean, but they can possibly be dangerous to use and are expensive.

Article: Scosche MagicMount Base Pro

Ever since I picked up an Apple Watch late last year, I’ve been in the market for a charging system that allows me to charge it as well as my iPhone at the same time if needed. Thanks to our friends at Scosche, I was able to check out their Scosche MagicMount Base Pro that more than fits the bill as it charges just about anything you have with cool features to spare.

Article: Nightshade (2025)

There’s a new addition to Michael Connelly's literary family in Nightshade, Detective Sergeant Stilwell, a smart investigator who butted heads with the wrong brass and is now trying to rebuild his life - and career - miles away from the mean streets of Los Angeles. Unlike those of favorites like Harry (and, increasingly, his daughter Maddy) Bosh, Renée Ballard, and Mickey “Lincoln Lawyer” Haller, this adventure is laser-focused on the mystery itself, though Connelly brings the same focused intensity and eye for minute details that’s made him a favorite among crime fiction writers.

Article: Lilo & Stitch (2025)

I’m not sure what people hate more, the Disney live-action remakes or the fact they even exist. What began as an eyebrow-raising experiment over a decade ago has now turned into what might seem to some as a masochistic craving for futility.

Article: Koupen-chan & You: Words of Encouragement from Japan’s Positive Penguin (2025)

Let’s face it, life can be rough at times if not most times for us. With fear, stress and anxiety lurking around every corner of our lives, it’s always nice to find positive ways to escape those negative feelings whenever possible.

Article: Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (2025)

From the moment Ethan Hunt first dangled upside down, a cinematic icon was born - along with a franchise that’s defied gravity, logic, and expectations ever since. Now, after three decades of death-defying stunts and globe-trotting missions, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning brings the saga to a definitive close.

Article: Star Wars Outlaws: A Pirate’s Fortune DLC

While Star Wars Outlaws had a rocky start when it was released last year, I have to give Ubisoft a ton of credit for taking the time to fix it up and making it fun for fans of the franchise and those of action-adventure titles. After releasing the Wild Card DLC late last year featuring the beloved Lando Calrissian, the second one, Star Wars Outlaws: A Pirate’s Fortune, has finally come and brings a lot of cool things to the Sabacc table to keep players busy long after the last mission is done.

Article: Capcom Fighting Collection 2

I’ll just say it: Capcom Fighting Collection 2 is my favorite arcade versus compilation so far, and it’s not even a contest. While last year’s Marvel vs.

Movie Time! Alienation: Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (1982)

It’s Popzara’s Movie Time! Podcast, where our in-house movie nerds Ethan Brehm and Nate Evans take you on an unscripted journey yakking and chatting about some of their favorite movie moments and cinematic scenes, from past and present, presented without snark and snobbery for your listening pleasure.

On deck are two blockbusters directed by Steven Spielberg that are as much science-fiction spectacle as they are family dramas, and whose success and innovative film-making would help reshape the movie industry forever.

First is 1977’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Spielberg’s follow-up to 1975’s Jaws that proved the shark’s success was no fluke. By not making the aliens malevolent but benevolent, it was a revelation at the box-office, bested only by George Lucas’ Star Wars. Next is 1982’s E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, the heartfelt story of an alien lost on Earth who befriends a young boy that quickly became the most successful movie in history (a title is kept for 11 years until it was dethroned by Spielberg’s own Jurassic Park).

Our hosts examine the relatable inspirations for both films, realizing their continued success owes as much to nostalgia as groundbreaking cinematic storytelling. Listen as they discuss the surprising connections between Spielberg’s films and George Lucas’ Star Wars (did you know E.T.’s species has an official name?), how E.T. inspired a hit Neil Diamond song, and speculate if Spielberg’s 2022 autobiographical The Fablemans can be considered a thematic followup to both films. All this and more when you listen today!

Article: Legend of Kamui: Volume 1 (2025)

Recent efforts to localize classic Japanese manga have struck a comfortable balance between entertainment and education, especially imports of underground cult classics from the 1960s through the mid 1970s originating in the magazine Garo. The originators of the term ‘gekiga’, or manga designed for more mature audiences, we’ve seen a huge influx of freshly translated work from the likes of Shigeru Mizuki, Yoshiharu Tsuge, Saito Nazuna, Yamada Murasaki and others.

Article: Maliki: Poison Of The Past

Once I saw the trailer to Maliki: Poison of the Past, I knew I had to give it a chance as the cool looking anime-like vibe pulled me in (the characters are clearly based on the late, great Akira Toriyama’s style), as well it’s unique turn-based RPG battles that keeps things fun and interesting. Based on a French manga series (which explains the anime look), the plot places you into the life of a young lady named Sand.