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It's just Kevin and Lauren this week... until it isn't... and then it is again. There's a lot to talk about, with The Outsiders the Musical, The Last of Us Season 2 Finale, Bad Shabbos, The Fountain of Youth, and The Last Showgirl.

Lauren kicks off the show by talk about The Outsiders, last years Tony Award winner for best musical. If you recognize the name, it is in fact the same as the '80s Brat Pack film. While that might sounds like it shouldn't work, it absolutely does. With a great set design and score, the show really is spectacular.

As Lauren was discussing that show, Andrew (who had already told everyone he had better things to do than waste his evening with them, mind you) popped in. This gave him and Kevin the chance to talk about the last 2 episodes of The Last of Us Season 2. The agreement is that episode 6 was spectacular and the finale was solid and Andrew, with a little time to ruminate, has found himself understanding Abby's story and Ellie's shortcomings a little more than before. All in all it's a great finish and cliffhanger for a solid season.

After Andrew exits only slightly less unceremoniously than he arrived, Lauren talks about the indy film, Bad Shobbos. It's a low budget comedy with a cast of actors you'd recognize but most likely can't name beyond Kira Sedgwick, but it's wonderfully done and a great time. It's a movie that reminds us to look beyond the name on the poster and see what's really being put on the screen and most definitely worth a watch.

Next up, Kevin talks about The Fountain of Youth, which is almost the exact opposite situation as Bad Shobbos. Here you have a stellar cast with John Krazinzky, Ntalie Portman, Stanley Tucci, Eiza Gonzalez, and more. Not only that, it's a big budget adventure film. But with all of that, it lacks the heart that something small and special like Bad Shobbos has, proving the point again, it's not the names on the poster, but what's been put to film.

Lauren closes the show with The Last Showgirl. This one stirred up a lot of Award Season buzz last year with the resurgence of Pamela Anderson. It gets Kevin and Lauren talking about aging and beauty standards in Hollywood and how they are so often hypocritical. All that aside, it's a great movie and it has a quick runtime, so if you see it streaming, definitely give it a go!

As always, thank you for watching. If you haven't already, don't forget to Like & Subscribe. We love new viewers! Also, leave us comments and let is know how we are doing and what we can be doing better. Enjoy the episode and have a great week!

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We're tight on subjects but deep on time this week. It's just Kevin and Andrew and they are covering the series finale of Andor, Episode 5 of Season 2 of The Last if Us, and Super/Man The Christopher Reeve Story.

That episode kicks off with the guys discussing The last 6 episodes of Andor and everything that led up to this incredible finale. It's almost heartbreaking that a show this good had such a short run, but at least it never faltered. Here is a show that is pure cinema and even if you aren't a Star Wars fan, there is a lot of great character depth to fall in love with here. Easily one of the best things produced in the Star Wars universe to date!

Next up, the guys head to Seattle for Day 2 of this season The Last of Us, There are a lot of crazy moments in this one and we see our heroes reverse roles and even see Ellie come over to the Dark Side. The guys discuss everything this episode delivers on and what's to come, all without giving Andrew too many spoilers. We are barreling towards the finale at this point!

The show closes out with a fascinating discussion on the Christopher Reeve documentary, Super/Man. The guys really dive in on how this is less a documentary about a man who played a comic book character and more about a man who nearly lost his life and then gave so much back to the world. It does a fantastic job of not painting him as perfect as Clark Kent but still respects his legacy. It's an absolute must watch.

As always, thank you for watching. If you haven't already, don't forget to Like & Subscribe. We love new viewers! Also, leave us comments and let is know how we are doing and what we can be doing better. Enjoy the episode and have a great week!

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In what may be the most socially conscious episode of APNC ever, the gang talks Adolescence, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and Episode 4 of The Last of Us Season 2.

We've been waiting weeks for Andrew to finish Adolescence and the time has arrived! With the whole gang together, it was quite the discussion. As you'd expect, they talked about the technical marvel that this show is, but they also dove into the sociological aspects of this show. Adolescence was created to start a dialogue and it certainly did! Lots of opinions here from all sides of the issue and all in all a great discussion!

Next up, Lauren got to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway. It was a show she'd never intended to see, but with a friend in town from the UK, she bit the bullet and went. Long story short, she loved it. It's a technical marvel and a solid story with very sly undertones that, again, spark a sociological debate among the group. Also, much to Kevin's surprise, this show is NOT a musical!

Lauren ducks out and leaves the guys along to discuss one of the more pivotal episode of The Last of Us. We see Issac's turn from FEDRA to the WLF, secrets are revealed, and love blossoms. It's another great episode of a great series and we see Isabella Merced once again just eat up screen time. If you aren't watching or are behind, it really is time you fixed that. This show is crushing it.

As always, thank you for watching. If you haven't already, don't forget to Like & Subscribe. We love new viewers! Also, leave us comments and let is know how we are doing and what we can be doing better. Enjoy the episode and have a great week!

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In an unusually tight episode, Kevin and Andrew discuss the new Marvel film, Thunderbolts* and episode 3 of The Last of Us Season 2.

This will be spoiler heavy, so if you haven't seen Thunderbolts*, go see it immediately. Like right now. It's top tier Marvel and worth your time for multiple reasons. Kevin and Andrew both agree on how significant this film is to the MCU, so that agreement enough should sell you! The is the new Avengers (word play) film we've been waiting for since Endgame.

Next up, the guys talk Episode 3 of The Last of Us. As it turns out, Andrew didn't finish the episode so Kevin keeps it a little spoiler free. While this episode doesn't pack the same punch (see what I did there?) as the previous episode, it does a great job moving the story forward and kicking off Ellie and Dina's journey going forward.

As always, thank you for watching. If you haven't already, don't forget to Like & Subscribe. We love new viewers! Also, leave us comments and let is know how we are doing and what we can be doing better. Enjoy the episode and have a great week!

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Everyone is here and this episode is JAM PACKED!! Of course we have to kick off with THAT episode of The Last of Us, then we talk Sinners, Andor, Companion, The Wedding Banquet, and The Room Next Door.

The show kicks off with the second episode of season 2 of The Last of Us. The show does exactly what it's intended to do and strikes up a strong debate among the gang. Without spoiling the discussion, we'll just say, it's all a matter of perspective...

After leaving Lauren on the sidelines for much of the TLOU talk, she takes over and discusses The Wedding Banquet, a queer Asian rom-com with a good amount of depth to it. It has a great cast and is a ton of fun and a great example of big strides in representation.

Next up, Kevin and Andrew bully their way back in to talk about the 3 episode premier of Andor. It's a lot of show, but because it moves at a very deliberate pac, it feels less daunting than the opening section of the show. Suffice it to say, this show is off to a solid start yet again.

In a moment that Kevin has been waiting for almost as much as he's been waiting for The Last of Us discussion, Andrew talks about the new Ryan Coogler film, Sinners. The review is glowing and this film is tearing up the box office. It can't come to streaming fast enough for Kevin!

Lauren jumps back in and covers the film, The Room Next Door. You wouldn't be alone if you looked at the advertising for this film and thought it was a lesbian love story, but it's actually a beautiful tale of friendship, caring, and loss. It's a sad but excellent film and generates an interesting philosophical discussion among the gang.

Before he can stop himself, Kevin blurts out a quick review of the film Companion. It's sort of like Megan meets Dark Mirror meets a Knives Out film. It's a lot of fun and everyone plays their part, just don't expect to have your mind blown on this one.

As always, thank you for watching. If you haven't already, don't forget to Like & Subscribe. We love new viewers! Also, leave us comments and let is know how we are doing and what we can be doing better. Enjoy the episode and have a great week!

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It's just Lauren and Kevin this week as they discuss Hugh Jackman: Live from New York with Love, The Last of Us Season 2 premiere, Love on the Spectrum, and Wolf Man.

Lauren opens the show with a trip to Broadway with the fantastic showman (see what I did there?) Hugh Jackman. His new one man show. Live from New York with Love is a celebration of both his long career in showbiz, and his love for New York city itself. It's a fun evening of song and dance and Hugh just being a great entertainer. If you're in town and it's a weekend he's playing, definitely find a way to get tickets!

Next up, Kevin talks about the season premiere of The Last of Us, Season 2. There's a lot to unpack in this first episode and, while it's not the most exciting episode of the series, it informs us all of some very significant events on the horizon. We meet new characters, find new tensions with old ones, and even a budding new love. All in all, it's a pretty important episode, while not necessarily being the most action-packed, but definitely puts us on a path to a hell of a season.

Moving away from the heavy drama of a zombie-adjacent apocalypse, Lauren discusses the Netflix show, Love on the Spectrum. It's a deep insight into the world of people on autism spectrum and what the journey of love looks for them, their partners, and their families. It's a fascinating show with some very interesting characters and an overall theme that resonates with Kevin for... reasons.

Kevin then closes out the show with the recent horror film, Wolf Man. It's a new take on the werewolf story that really deals with family trauma and the way it is passed from generation to generation. This film is heavy on the metaphor, possibly to it's detriment, but it does have a very clear point of view. It also puts the viewer into a very claustrophobic setting which helps build the fear, despite the relatively simple overall premise. All in all it's a decent watch, though not the greatest horror film ever made.

As always, thank you for watching. If you haven't already, don't forget to Like & Subscribe. We love new viewers! Also, leave us comments and let is know how we are doing and what we can be doing better. Enjoy the episode and have a great week!

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It's a busy week with everyone back in the house. The gang covers the White Lotus finale, A Minecraft Movie, The Ballad of Wallis Island, Black Mirror's Common People, Drop, and Y2k.

We're going to take you on a roller coaster ride this week, so buckle up! The episode kicks off with a rare full-team discussion as the gang talks White Lotus. With this being probably the most divisive season to date, it's no surprise that the gang doesn't agree across the board. There are some agreements and definitely some different takes. It's far too much to break down here, so have a watch for yourself!

Keeping with things are divisive, Kevin took his kids to see A Minecraft Movie this week. Somehow, Kevin agrees with both the critics very low scores AND the audiences much higher scores. This is not what you might call a "good" movie, but it plays perfectly to it's target audience. If you have kids who play (or if you play) Minecraft, there's a lot to love here.

Next up, Lauren takes the reins for a movie that none of us knew was in theaters, The Ballad of Wallis Island. It's a heartfelt comedy from across the Atlantic about a man who, after losing the love of his life, uses his wealth to bring back the main members of his wife's favorite band for a concert. It's a lot of fun and very sweet with a lot of memorable moments and probably deserves a lot more attention than it's getting.

Next up, Kevin and Andrew takes things back to the dark side with the first episode of Black Mirror Season 7, Common People. Unlike the magic happening on Wallis Island, this one is decidedly bleak, in true Black Mirror form. Imagine almost losing the love of your life and the only to keep them alive is to join their consciousness to a subscription service. Now imagine how fees and "add-ons" change over time with any service you currently use and you can start to see how this might go south. It's a fantastic, though quite heartbreaking, episode and well worth the watch.

To lighten the mood, sort of, Lauren takes us back to the box office with the new film Drop, starring Meghan Fahy of White Lotus fame (see how we bring it back around?). A woman is out on a first date with a dreamboat of a man, when someone beings to airdrop picture of her and begins asking her to commit a horrible act or her son will die. Because AirDrop is location specific, the villain must be close enough to her, but who could it be? It's a thriller that didn't quite land for Lauren, but has Kevin pretty interested.

And now, for the moment absolutely no one should have been waiting for, Kevin and Andrew talk about the 2024 film, Y2K. I'm not going beat around the bush here... this movie was BAD. But for reasons almost unexplainable the guys watched it and discuss it. They do have a pretty good time running it through the ringer, so if you were looking for a reason to not watch this film, we have several!

As always, thank you for watching. If you haven't already, don't forget to Like & Subscribe. We love new viewers! Also, leave us comments and let is know how we are doing and what we can be doing better. Enjoy the episode and have a great week!

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It's just Kevin and Lauren this week and they cover Idina Menzel's new broadway show, Redwood, the "horror" film, Presence, Nicole Kidman's Holland, and the Netflix/AMC animated series Pantheon.

The show kicks off with Lauren reviewing Idina Menzel's return to Broadway with Redwood. It's a spin on the story of a woman who protested logging by living in a redwood tree for over 700 days. While taking some of those themes, this is really the story of a woman dealing with the loss of her son and finding herself. While boasting a small cast of 5 and no truye standout songs, it's still a solid show with a beautiful set and, of course, Idina Menzel.

After a quick discussion about Wicked, Kevin takes over and talks about the film Presence, which is available for rent or purchase on digital as of right now. It's a haunted house story from the perspective of the haunting entity. Rather then being a horror film (despite being billed as one), it's the tale of a family in turmoil and the secrets they keep from each other. It's not a must watch, but if you see it available on a streaming platform soon, it's worth checking out.

As the show spirals, it goes back to Lauren to discuss the latest less than stellar outing from Nicole Kidman, Holland. It's a relatively unexciting take on a murder mystery that is far less steamy than it's trailers would have you believe. In the end, it's just a story with a couple of almost interesting twists that make it serviceable.

Kevin closes the show with the animated series, Presence, on Netflix. It has a similar plot device to Severance where people are separated from themselves, in this case by having their minds digitally uploaded to a companies server. the problem is, they become trapped there. So much like the Innies in Severance, the trapped folks begin to fight their way out. The story is told from the point of view of two teenagers. One is the daughter of one of these Uploaded Intelligences and the other is the subject of a different type of experiment that plays out over time. So far it's a solid series and worth checking out if you're missing that Severance high.

As always, thank you for watching. If you haven't already, don't forget to Like & Subscribe. We love new viewers! Also, leave us comments and let is know how we are doing and what we can be doing better. Enjoy the episode and have a great week!

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The gang's all here this week! They cover White Lotus through Episode 5, Death of a Unicorn, Snow White, Nikki Glaser's recent tout, and The Electric State.

Lauren is running late (you'll find out later) so Kevin and Andrew kick off the show discussing White Lotus through Episode 5. The season has been less than stellar in many ways and wildly controversial. The guys discuss a lot of what has made it less than successful and what's been working, as well as THAT scene with Sam Rockwell. While the season is finally trending upward, neither of the guys are super optimistic at this point.

Andrew then takes us to the cinema with the latest A24 offering, Death of a Unicorn. While touting a solid cast, the movie somehow felt a little flat, which is not something we typically expect from an A24 offering. That said, some standout performances from Richard E. Grant and Anthony Carrigan made the film watchable, though maybe not worth rushing to the theater for.

Having joined in the middle of Andrew's review of Death of a Unicorn, Lauren sticks with the fantastical and talks the new Snow White film. While Lauren doesn't feel like it's a bad film, it's not her favorite live action remake and Andrew argues that it probably SHOULD be, as it's a remake of the film that put Disney on the map. This also leads to some deeper philosophical discussion that is (probably) quite interesting.

After this, Lauren takes a quick detour and talks about the stand-up show she just attended, the Nikki Glaser - Alive and Unwell Tour. She felt that it was maybe a little too "slice of life" as compared to funny, but all in all a solid show.

Kevin closes the show with a quick rundown of The Electric State. Realistically, this is an OK film, but not something to get excited about. It has a fantastic cast and doesn't really do enough with it. It also steers away from the more bleak source material and goes with a more Starlord-y turn from Chris Pratt, making the film far too silly.

As always, thank you for watching. If you haven't already, don't forget to Like & Subscribe. We love new viewers! Also, leave us comments and let is know how we are doing and what we can be doing better. Enjoy the episode and have a great week!

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It's a quick but full episode this week where we cover, Black Bag, Adolescence, Long Bright River, and Stillwater.

Kevin immediately thrust Lauren into the limelight, as the she just finished Black Bag not long before recording. It's sexy(ish) spy thriller(ish) starring Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett. It's a hair less sexy and exciting than Lauren was expecting, but it was an overall solid film.

Next up, Kevin talk about one of his favorite show in recent years, Adolescence on Netflix. It's a fascinating show from a technical standpoint, as every episode is done in a single take. The amount of work that went into just that is staggering! Add to that some amazing performances and a fantastic story, and this show should be very popular come award season. Note that the story is not a mind bender. It won't trick you with plot twists or keep you guessing. It is all about emotion and delivers in spades.

Lauren takes over the rest of the show, as Kevin didn't watch much this week. So her next watch is Long Bright River on Peacock. It stars Amanda Seyfried as a police officer with a unique attachment to the impoverished women in her area. The story takes a turn as her sister goes missing, also. Lauren hasn't finished the series and isn't necessarily blown away by it, but she's interested enough to finish, so there's that...

The show closes with Lauren taking us back in time to 2021 with the film Stillwater. If you're familiar with the Amanda Knox story, this film will make a lot of sense. A 20-something woman in France is arrested for and convicted of murder. Her father, a blue collar man with a checkered history in Stillwater, Oklahoma, travels to France to be by her side and help with her defense. It's a solid drama and probably Lauren's favorite pick of the week.

As always, thank you for watching. If you haven't already, don't forget to Like & Subscribe. We love new viewers! Also, leave us comments and let is know how we are doing and what we can be doing better. Enjoy the episode and have a great week!

Facebook: @apncpodcast Twitter: @APNCPodcast Instagram: AllPopNoCulture