Leon ◦ The Pop Culture Studio

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It’s not just the Oscars that are slowly dying – it’s an entire film-centric era To eulogise the Academy Awards’ heyday is to eulogise a moment in time where movies were the dominant pop culture art form.

Continuing the Oscar Spotlight Series with a wide-ranging ramble about how the Oscars' slow decline reflects that of cinema more broadly (but also: maybe the children will save us?) 🪦 bit.ly/4su7kVg #movies #film #cinema #oscars

You manifested it early. The official #Lanterns teaser is here. Coming this August.

I interviewed the directors of that incredible animated Gorillaz music video:

The Matrix (1999) Bonus Features - Behind the Scenes 9 The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the first installment in the Matrix film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, and Joe Pantoliano, and depicts a dystopian future in which humanity is unknowingly trapped inside the Matrix, a simulated reality that intelligent machines have created to distract humans while using their bodies as an energy source. When computer programmer Thomas Anderson, under the hacker alias "Neo", uncovers the truth, he joins a rebellion against the machines along with other people who have been freed from the Matrix. The Matrix is an example of the cyberpunk subgenre of science fiction. The Wachowskis' approach to action scenes was influenced by anime and martial arts films, the use of fight choreographers and wire fu techniques from Hong Kong action cinema influenced the Matrix film series and some other Hollywood action films, Plato's Cave, and 90's Telnet hacker communities. The film popularized terms such as red pill, and introduced a visual effect known as "bullet time", in which the heightened perception of certain characters is represented by allowing the action within a shot to progress in slow-motion while the camera appears to move through the scene at normal speed, allowing the sped-up movements of certain characters to be perceived normally.

Here's a snappy breakdown of the above scene: bit.ly/4cr2JP0

Keanu Reeves and Hugo Weaving as Neo and Agent Smith, suspended from wires on a green screen-surrounded stage, during filming of The Matrix.

The Matrix behind-the-scenes featurettes and long-form articles are a (white) rabbit hole I regularly fall down. The blend of performers, practical effects and wire work, and virtual environments still holds up insanely well today 🕶️

#TheMatrix #movies #film #cinema

Images ©️ Warner Bros.

The '90s Lobo fighting game got censored because of... Tupac? It never got the attention of Mortal Kombat or Night Trap, but Ocean's Lobo fighter was saddled with a similar form of censorship.

New story up on what happened to Ocean Software's Lobo fighting game, with a bunch of never-before-seen renders made for the game.

Oscar snubs DO matter (but not for the reason most people think) There’s more to the Academy’s annual oversights than tired debates about ignoring mainstream taste.

The next entry in the Oscar Spotlight Series makes the case for Oscar snubs mattering — except when the awards are framed as a popularity contest 👇🏻 bit.ly/3N9OmnT #oscars #movies #film #cinema #academyawards

"It's 'Spider-Man' with a HYPHEN" is the "Frankenstein is the scientist, not the creature" of modern pop culture pedantry (and yes, I'm fully onboard).

In honor of today being FOC for the first issue of our new run, THE FLASH 31, the folks at DC gave me the all clear to share some images pulled from my original design sheet.

@ryannorth.ca and I hope you take the ride with us! Tell you your local comic shop to reserve a copy for you today!

Off Panel #541: ComicsPRO LIVE! with Heidi MacDonald and Christina Merkler - SKTCHD In an episode recorded in-person at this year’s annual conference for the trade organization for comic shops, ComicsPRO, The Beat’s Heidi MacDonald and the head of Lunar Distribution and Discount Comi...

This week's episode of Off Panel is a special one, one that was recorded live at ComicsPRO, and it finds @comicsbeat.bsky.social's @comixace.bsky.social and Lunar Distribution/DCBS' Christina Merkler joining me for a conversation about ComicsPRO vibes, our read on the world of comics, and more.

What was the Oscars’ best-ever Best Picture year? And the Oscar for Best Best Picture Year goes to…

First up is an article that shouldn't generate any angry reactions: I give out the award for Best Best Picture Year, recognising the Oscar year with the best-ever line-up of nominees ⬇️ bit.ly/3MSouwM

The Oscars Spotlight Series A so-good-they-glitter collection of articles to feed your Academy Awards hype in the run-up to Hollywood’s night of nights.

The Pop Culture Studio's Oscars Spotlight Series is now underway! If you're counting down the days until the 98th Academy Awards, this collection of so-good-they-glitter articles is just what you need🎊 bit.ly/4cGvkQz

Great choice of comic, too 👌🏻

Excellent point!

On this week's Crewcast, Jeremy dives into MMO endgame simulator Fellowship, Jesse shares highlights from Steam Next Fest, Danny briefly mentions Resident Evil Requiem, and the crew chat for entirely too long about cereal!

youtu.be/6cbe9d_jA9o

Images (T-B) ©️ Lionsgate; HBO; Kojima Productions; Image Comics

A Pop Culture Studio social media graphic incorporating cover art for Black Science Vol. 1: How to Fall Forever.

Black Science: The ol' Image backlog beckons again. Having finished all of Newburn (it's great; check it out!) last weekend, I'm diving into Rick Remender and Matteo Scalera's science fiction saga Black Science next.

A custom Pop Culture Studio social media graphic incorporating key art for Death Stranding: Director's Cut.

Death Stranding: I've been chipping away at the director's cut of Hideo Kojima and team's post-apocalyptic walking simulator since early January. It's sometimes tedious and frequently absurd... but it's pretty damn mind-blowing, too.

A Pop Culture Studio social media graphic incorporating key art for The Chair Company.

The Chair Company: Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin's cringe comedy-mystery series passed me by in late 2025. Catching up on it now and I'd recommend anyone else who missed it do the same — it's a quirky treat (with ~30 min episodes!).

A Pop Culture Studio social graphic incorporating key art for Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair.

Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair: Heading to Quentin Tarantino's favourite UK venue (and mine), The Prince Charles Cinema, for a screening of the one QT film I've never seen: his combined cut of Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Vol. 2.

Up next I'm...

🎞️Watching: Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair
📺Streaming: The Chair Company
🎮Playing: Death Stranding: Director's Cut
📖Reading: Black Science

Sweet Shop beta first impressions: A real ComiXology-killer contender Sweet’s new digital comics app is shaping up as a treat for readers hankering for something better.

I took the @sweetshop.app beta for a test drive; check out my in-depth rundown now and find out how the newest digital comics app on the block is shaping up ⬇️ bit.ly/4tZYdNK #ComicSky #digitalcomics #comics

Really great interview (especially learning that Anderson’s vision for Resident Evil wasn’t a million miles away from the Fallout live-action show’s “canon additive” approach to adapting a video game franchise) 🎧

Off Panel #540: Pivot! with Chris Condon - SKTCHD Writer Chris Condon joins the show to talk about his comics career, his new Vertigo series The Peril of the Brutal Dark: An Ezra Cain Mystery, and more. Condon discusses managing the promotional side ...

This week on Off Panel, it's @christophcondon.bsky.social joining the show to talk about his comics life and career, teaming with @thatjacobphillips.bsky.social, the long journey of his new Vertigo series The Peril of the Brutal Dark: An Ezra Cain Mystery, his Marvel exclusive, and more.

Painting of Link with a million little gadgets and weapons from across the games. I worked harder on this in a 5 week period than any other thing I’ve ever painted. I think I almost died working on this lol

Happy Zelda 40th anniversary!

On this week's Crewcast, we discuss the DICE Summit, the new Suda51 joint Romeo is a Dead Man, more thoughts on Mewgenics, and indie open world platformer Demon Tides - plus @aerialknight.com joins us to discuss his latest game Dropshot!

youtu.be/XOD6t2t9myY

A camera man frames a shot of the pod race stadium miniature during production of Star Wars - Episode I: The Phantom Menace.

An ILM model maker glues down part of an Utapau miniature during production on Star Wars - Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.

Adam Savage and other ILM model makers working on a Kamino miniature during production on Star Wars - Episode II: Attack of the Clones.

An ILM model maker adjusting a Coruscant miniature during production on Star Wars - Episode II: Attack of the Clones.

A bit of Friday fun: behind-the-scenes shots of miniatures created by ILM's model makers for the Star Wars prequels 🛠️

#StarWars #filmmaking #movies

(Images ©️ Lucasfilm)

Small stakes stories are back in a big way in 2026 Saving the world is so passé.

2026 is shaping up as The Year of the Small Stakes Story across film and TV — and is, so far, all the better for it 👇🏻 bit.ly/4rkbm2i #movies #film #tv #streaming

Chip Chat Vol. 2: One Lucky Chap - SKTCHD Chip's back, and this time, he's going Hollywood!

Chip Chat is BACK, as the second episode in my interview series with writer, artist, and man about comics Chip Zdarsky hit today. In it, we talk: The Sex Criminals adaptation news! Whether he's rich now???? The upcoming MAD About DC! How he figures out the right paths to take! And much more!