Pop Screen

A biopic of Brian Wilson had been mooted ever since the late 1980s, but it wasn't until 2014 that Bill Pohlad's Love & Mercy was released, with its bold time-hopping structure that allowed both Paul Dano and John Cusack to play the Beach Boys' chief songwriter. The former played Wilson as he recorded Pet Sounds and his legendary unrealised Smile project, the latter played him as he struggled to escape the control of his abusive quack therapist Eugene Landy. It sounds a bit heavy - and it is - but the soundtrack is full of the most beautiful music ever made.

On this week's episode of Pop Screen, Graham is joined by fellow Beach Boys fan Ewan to discuss the film and its clutch of impressive performances, including Bill Camp, Elizabeth Banks and Paul Giamatti as the monstrous Landy. We also discuss the strange circumstances which led to Pet Sounds becoming the definitive Beach Boys album despite having almost no band members play instruments on it, what the best Beach Boys song is, and why Graham's answer to that question is the correct one.

Over and over the crow cries uncover our Patreon, where you'll get a monthly bonus episode of this show - this month's involves Louis Theroux! - as well as access to our other movie podcast Director's Lottery, Graham's Doctor Who reviews and more. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to find out more about our new shows, videos and articles.

#popscreen #moviereview #loveandmercy #thebeachboys #brianwilson #pauldano #billpohlad #johncusack #elizabethbanks #paulgiamatti #billcamp #biopic #petsounds

Could the King of Pop have become the King of Cinema? Not, perhaps, on the evidence of 1988's Moonwalker, a curious, personal but deeply overbudgeted melange of music videos, live performance, claymation and a bewildering plot-line where Jackson fights back against Joe Pesci's not exactly Scorsese-worthy drug dealer by turning into a car. Critics at the time found it bizarre, self-indulgent and incoherent, and while that's not exactly wrong, its frequent songs and dance routines do remind you what an extraordinary performer Jackson was.

This week on Pop Screen, lifelong MJ fan Archaeon joins us to discuss the album - Bad - that the film was designed to promote, argue that the Smooth Criminal video is a dark-horse candidate for Jackson's best ever, and try to work out what the hell Pesci's haircut is. Other topics of discussion include possible inspirations for Spike the Rabbit, the tragic history of the Noid, the very '80s child performances and the status of Pesci's character as a back-handed 'tribute' to Jackson's then-manager Frank DiLeo.

If this podcast gave you fever like you've never, ever known, you may be interested to know you can get a bonus episode every month by donating to our Patreon, which also gives you access to our other movie podcast Director's Lottery, Graham's Doctor Who reviews, and more. Check out our Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for the latest news on what we've got coming up.

#popscreen #moviereview #moonwalker #michaeljackson #joepesci #1980s #claymation #noid #smoothcriminal

The director of Deliverance made a film starring the Dave Clark Five? It happened! This week, We Are Cult's Mark Cunliffe rejoins the podcast to talk about John Boorman's very uncharacteristic debut Catch Us If You Can, starring Clark as a stuntman who goes on the run with Barbara Ferris's frustrated advertising spokeswoman. Made in the shadow of A Hard Day's Night, its unsettling satire on the PR industry and strikingly direct drug references make it a precursor to the more pessimistic counterculture cinema that would emerge later in the 1960s.

Aside from discussing this prescient, underseen gem, we also talk about the Dave Clark Five's music, and how they went from being rivals to the Beatles to their current place in the popular memory. There's also space to consider the great career of John Boorman, and recommend his excellent autobiography (which contains the best Lew Grade anecdote you'll ever hear). Other burning issues include the cross-generational appeal of Yootha Joyce, the problematic wigs of Boorman's latest film Queen & Country, and whether or not Ronald Lacey ever looked young.

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#popscreen #moviereview #catchusifyoucan #daveclarkfive #1960s #yoothajoyce #ronaldlacey #johnboorman #roadmovies #rockandroll

There aren't many pop movies of the 2010s that won an Oscar, but then there aren't many pop movies as well-crafted and emotionally devastating as Asif Kapadia's 2015 documentary Amy. A bruising look at the rise and fall of Amy Winehouse told with intimate archive footage, it's both a celebration of a unique talent and an excoriation of the culture that led to her death.

On this week's Pop Screen, Aidan joins Graham to discuss who, if anyone, the villain of the movie is, what it says about 2000s Britain that it killed its one true pop icon, and who added those wretched synth strings to Take the Box. We also celebrate Winehouse's pointed, sometimes shocking lyrics and unmistakable voice, and pour cold water on the "27 Club" mythology - without noticing the episode number for this very show...

If you'd like to help us buy a better pair of glasses so we don't make this mistake again, you can donate to our Patreon where you get a whole bonus podcast - Director's Lottery - as well as exclusive Pop Screen episodes, Graham's Doctor Who reviews, and more. Don't forget to follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to find out the full details of what we're up to next.

#popscreen #moviereviews #asifkapadia #amywinehouse #documentary #backtoblack #amy

The long-awaited biopic of Sir Elton Hercules John - wait, Hercules? Yes, Hercules - was always going to be a flamboyant affair, but no-one suspected it would be a full-scale, dancing-in-the-streets musical. Yet that is exactly what director Dexter Fletcher and screenwriter Lee Hall delivered in 2019's Rocketman. This week, the Ben, the Ben, the Ben is back to help Graham make sense of the extraordinary results.

Along the way, we discuss the many names attached to the lead role before Taron Egerton came along, the film's fought-for R rating - and its somewhat shorter Russian cut - and the best bits from Elton's riotous autobiography. We also talk about Fletcher's salvage job on a certain other 1970s rock biopic, and wonder relatedly if Bryan Singer has ever actually been on a film set.

If you want to help us afford electric boots and a mohair suit, you can donate to our Patreon, where backers will get a bonus episode every month, as well as access to our other movie podcast Director's Lottery, Graham's Doctor Who reviews and much more stuff that isn't available anywhere else. Don't forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram either.

#popscreen #moviereview #rocketman #eltonjohn #taronegerton #dexterfletcher #jamiebell #brycedallashoward #biopics #lgbt #richardmadden #glamrock

Phyllida Lloyd's 2008 film Mamma Mia! was a box-office sensation - so why are we vaulting straight over it to review its 2018 sequel? A lot of reasons, as Mark and Graham discover on this week's episode of Pop Screen. Beginning with an absolutely gonzo rendition of When I Kissed the Teacher, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again takes plenty of big, weird chances, not least the decision to pattern its plot structure on The Godfather Part II.

This new ambition can only be ascribed to a change of writer and director, the latter post filled by Ol Parker, the former by Richard Curtis, who it would be fair to say Mark and Graham have priors with. We discuss how his sensibility gels with the Mamma Mia! cinematic universe, the way the film simultaneously celebrates and lampoons its predecessor, and the ever-vexed question of whether men can sing.

As well as running this podcast, we also run a struggling restaurant on an imaginary Greek island, so we'd appreciate your Patreon donations. It's not a one-way thing: you get plenty of exclusives including our other film podcast Director's Lottery, a monthly bonus Pop Screen episode, Graham's Doctor Who reviews and more. Don't forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, either.

#popscreen #moviereviews #mammamia2 #mammamia #abba #lilyjames #cher #merylstreep #olparker #colinfirth #stellanskarsgard #richardcurtis #alexadavies #jeremyirvine #amandaseyfried #dominiccooper #juliewalters #alexadavies #christinebaranski #piercebrosnan #andygarcia #musicals #fernando?

Look at the film we're covering on this week's Pop Screen. Who can say it's not beautiful? That's right, this week Graham and Ewan are reviewing True Stories, the sole directorial credit for Talking Heads frontman David Byrne. A drily comic compilation of stories inspired by Byrne's love of local tabloids, it gave John Goodman an early starring role, it gave Thom Yorke a band name and it gave Warner Bros.' marketing department a headache as they struggled to sum it up in a trailer.

It's a strange movie, but fortunately God made some people who like it that way, and it's been a consistent cult favourite. Join us to discuss the film's unusually sweet-hearted view of the suburbs, what the film says about its director, the epic nerd feud between Errol Morris and Byrne, and why you shouldn't expect a seat at David Byrne's house. Some people say this movie is the cathedral of our time. Not me.

Shopping is a feeling, and if you've been looking around for the perfect Patreon to donate to, might we suggest ours? Backers get a monthly bonus episode of this very show, access to our other film podcast Directors' Lottery, Graham's weekly Doctor Who reviews, and more. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for more puzzlin' evidence of what we're doing next.

#popscreen #moviereviews #davidbyrne #johngoodman #truestories #talkingheads #swooziekurtz #stephentoblowsky #spaldinggray

Christina Aguilera waited ten years to make her first film, and when she did the reviews suggested she could have waited a little longer. This week, Joe and Graham look at Burlesque, which pairs Christina with one of the most accomplished (Oscar-winning!) singers-turned-actors in history, Cher. It's a strange mix of let's-put-the-show-on-here cliches, Bob Fosse lifts and discussion of local zoning laws.

Yet it wasn't as big a flop as you might remember, and its soundtrack has a bizarrely prestigious list of songwriters. Join us as we discuss Ali, Christina's character, and her strange lack of motivation, Cher's changing feelings about the film, and - of course - the truly outrageous supporting role for Kristen Bell. Once you've heard the former Veronica Mars refer to Christina Aguilera as "a slut with mutant lungs", you'll never be the same again.

If you don't want to see us reduced to putting on burlesque shows to raise money for podcasts - seriously, you don't want to see that - donate to our Patreon, where you can get exclusive Pop Screen episodes, Doctor Who reviews, our other movie podcast Director's Lottery and more. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

#popscreen #moviereviews #burlesque #christinaaguilera #cher #musicals #stanleytucci #kristenbell #alancumming

On paper, Light of Day has everything going for it. One of the first films Michael J Fox made after Back to the Future, it's a gritty tale of rock 'n' roll as a blue-collar pressure vent, aptly made by the director of Blue Collar, Paul Schrader. Its supporting cast has acting royalty in the form of Gena Rowlands, rock royalty in the form of Joan Jett, and a theme song by Bruce Springsteen.

And yet... after disappointing at the box office it disappeared so thoroughly it's never released an English-language DVD release. This week on Pop Screen, Archaeon joins Graham to discuss why the film didn't connect, whether it deserves better, and the small but enjoyable screen career of Joan Jett. We also talk about the very unexpected cameo from a future alternative rock icon and Oscar-winning composer, Springsteen's long and tangled history with the film, and those old butter adverts where a little animated man plays the trombone. If you can't see how the latter is connected to this film, I'm sorry, I just can't help you.

We like to blow off steam after a tough day at the factory with a roof-raising podcast session, and if you want to help us keep doing that you can donate to our Patreon. Backers get exclusive access to our other movie podcast Director's Lottery, a monthly bonus episode of Pop Screen, two weekly Doctor Who reviews, and anything else we might choose to announce on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

#popscreen #moviereview #lightofday #joanjett #michaeljfox #paulschrader #brucespringsteen #genarowlands 

Pop Screen takes its first dip into the flamboyant world of Japanese director Sion Sono with Tokyo Tribe. Adapting a manga by Santa Inoue, Sono takes the characteristically weird decision to tell it in the form of a hip-hop opera, with dialogue rapped by a mixture of actors and real Japanese rappers like Young Dais. It works better than it sounds, and Geek Show head honcho Rob Simpson is here to guide Sono newbie Graham through its neon-lit wastelands.

Along the way we discuss Riki Takeuchi's colossal performance as gang boss Buppa, Sono's involvement in Nikkatsu's "pinku eiga" revival, the scene-stealing appearances by a DJing grandma, and so much more. We also wonder if we live, despite all appearances, in a golden age of maverick film-makers, and look forward to Sono's English-language debut with Nicolas Cage in Prisoners of the Ghostland.

Pop Screen makes most of its money from the murder business and deals with corrupt politicians, but if you'd like to top us up we've got a Patreon which offers bonus episodes of Pop Screen, a whole exclusive movie podcast, Doctor Who reviews and more. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

#popscreen #moviereview #sionsono #tokyotribe #manga #musical #rikitakeuchi #rap #oldschoolhiphop #youngdais