Are Movies Becoming Zombie Art?

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This week, we take the next step on our ever-expanding “unc-slop” journey, starting with the Mayor of Kingstown and what it reveals about attention-heavy TV in an age of half-watching. Why do some shows demand your full focus, and why does that feel increasingly rare? Along the way, we talk about Taylor Sheridan’s ever-expanding TV empire, Jeremy Renner’s strange app-era detour, and the uncomfortable future of AI celebrity companions that feel just a little too real.

That spirals into a bigger question: what happens when creators stop engaging with the foundations of their medium? From film students who don’t watch movies, to algorithmic taste replacing human curation, we explore the growing need for what we’re calling “Unc-slop Sherpas.” We dig into why classics still hit harder, why modern storytelling often over-explains itself, and how second-screen habits are reshaping what gets made.

We also wrestle with blockbuster economics, franchise fatigue, and whether roller-coaster cinema can coexist with art that actually sticks. Is culture becoming a comfort noise? Are movies headed toward “zombie art” status? And in a world optimized for scrolling, what does it mean to truly pay attention?

By the end, we boil everything down to one simple but uncomfortable question: in a world full of easy content, why is it important to try and make things a little harder for ourselves?

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CREDITS:

Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor

Executive Producer: Ben Webster

Editor: Spencer Vann

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Opening Animation: Kidmograph

City Animation: Eric Langlay

"The Create Unknown" is produced by Unknown Media.

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