As we take the week off, here are four of our most popular topics from earlier this year: Cult Films, Building a Perfect Found Footage Movie, Shipping Our Favorite Characters in Movies and TV, and Politically Incorrect Comedies.

First up, from Episode 338: We discuss the world of cult films. Specifically, what defines a movie as a “cult” film? Is it a fluke, or perhaps the right material at the right time? Do popular films ever reach cult status? Why do films like Rocky Horror Picture Show and The Room carry on for decades, while thousands of other films disappear never to be heard from again? We tackle this, as well as what cult films defined us personally as Bill Fulkerson (director of Survival of the Film Freaks) joins in on a topic many of us debate on a daily basis.

Next, we head to Episode 341: Found footage is a subgenre in which all or a substantial part of the film is presented as if it were discovered film or video recordings. The events on screen are typically seen through the camera of one or more of the characters involved, often accompanied by their real-time, off-camera commentary. The footage may be presented as if it were “raw” and complete or as if it had been edited into a narrative by those who “found” it. We discuss the highs and lows of found footage, what works and what turns us off about the entire genre. We also each put together our personal takes on the genre itself and build a perfect found footage film.

Next, we head to Episode 340: The actual term “shipping” saw its origin around 1995 by fans of the TV show The X-Files, who believed the two main characters, Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, should be or were engaged in a romantic relationship. They called themselves “relationshippers,” at first; then R’shipper, ‘shipper, and finally just shippers. The concept has spawned passionate fans of all types of media, resulting in everything from online arguments to full-on fan fiction. For this topic, we take a look at our favorite characters in both movies and television that we would love to see “get together”, as well as discuss the ones who finally have and might not have worked out as positively as we had hoped.

Finally, we come to Episode 343: Did you grow up on films like Airplane, Blazing Saddles, or There’s Something About Mary? Films that often made light of race, gender, sex, handicaps, and all other manners of things that shouldn’t be mocked? If you’re like us, you remember laughing at things that you knew, deep in your soul, were horrible to make light of. Yet, at the same time, these inappropriate outbursts of comedic inspiration broke down even the strongest composure, and even occasionally sparked a conversation that was previously too uncomfortable to have. This topic revolves around politically incorrect comedies, and specifically if the concept of such is currently as dead as the western.

Discussed on this episode of The Hollywood Outsider Movie and TV Podcast: