About this episode
The episode discusses Pixar's latest film, an HBO series on male friendship, and the 98th Academy Awards.
On this week’s show, Dana and Steve are joined by long-time FOP Isaac Butler (and author of the forthcoming book The Perfect Moment: God, Sex, Art, and the Birth of America's Culture Wars .) They step into this week’s cultural trenches by way of an animatronic beaver den in Pixar’s Hoppers . Does the kooky eco-romp revive Pixar from its much-discussed slump? They discuss. Next, they step to the frontlines of middle-age malaise in the new HBO limited series DTF St. Louis, a sex comedy and meditation on male friendship mashed up with a murder mystery starring Jason Bateman, David Harbour, and Linda Cardellini. Finally, they debrief on the various battles for golden men in a recap and analysis of the 98th Academy Awards. Are the Oscars a real measure of artistic value? What do this year’s ceremony and winners say about the state of cinema? Why are they so long? Your questions answered here. In an exclusive bonus episode for Slate Plus subscribers, the panel takes up a recent excerpt from Michael Pollan’s new book A World Appears: A Journey into Consciousness . Endorsements Isaac : An earlier instance of Jason Bateman playing sinister, the 2015 thriller The Gift , directed by Joel…
People in this episode
Hosts: Dana, Steve
Guest: Isaac Butler
Topics covered
- Pixar
- HBO series
- Academy Awards
- male friendship
- cultural analysis
Keywords
- Pixar
- DTF St. Louis
- Academy Awards
- Jason Bateman
- Isaac Butler
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: The Perfect Moment: God, Sex, Art, and the Birth of America's Culture Wars, DTF St. Louis, The Gift, The Structural Transformation of the Public S
More episodes of Culture Gabfest
- One Last Taylor Swift Throwdown Edition · June 10, 2026 · 1h 23m
- Stuck in the Backrooms Edition · June 3, 2026 · 1h 15m
- I Love Boosters Heightens the Contradictions Edition · May 27, 2026 · 59 min
- You’re My Obsession Edition · May 20, 2026 · 55 min
- Lord of the Sheep Edition · May 13, 2026 · 59 min
- Somehow, Miranda Priestly Returned Edition · May 6, 2026 · 58 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Culture Gabfest podcast page.