Pop Screen

This week, Mark Harrison from Film Stories and VODzilla returns to the podcast to talk all things Josie and the Pussycats! Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont's Archie Comics-derived spoof was received poorly on its initial release - yikes - twenty years ago, but with Riverdale and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina revitalising the source material and Framing Britney Spears turning the world's eyes back to the turn-of-the-millennium celebrity landscape, there's no better time to reconsider its beguiling mix of vicious industry satire and affectionate character comedy.

Under consideration: the film's totally jerkin' soundtrack, the divergent future careers of the film's central trio of Rachel Leigh Cook, Rosario Dawson and Tara Reid, the many reasons why it might have failed at the box office - including a Simpsons episode that coincidentally pre-empted one of its central gags - and the link between this film and Salman Rushdie that you never knew existed.

In the spirit of this film's infamously blunt product placement, we're not hiding the fact that we're begging for money at Patreon - though we do give you plenty in return, including a monthly newsletter, a bonus Pop Screen episode and a whole exclusive extra podcast. Don't forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, too.

#josieandthepussycats #riverdale #archiecomics #popscreen #moviereviews #cultfilm #tarareid #framingbritneyspears #rachelleighcook #rosariodawson #alancumming #parkerposey 

It is the future. 2009. A CGI Anthony Hopkins wants Emilio Estevez's body, but not in a sex way. Which badass bounty hunter does he dispatch to bring Estevez for processing in the - I swear to god, this is what it's called - "lobotomizer"? Why, Mick Jagger, of course. That's the set-up for Freejack, which despite a generous budget and a skilled production team went straight to VHS in the UK. One disappointed Blockbusters patron was Archaeon, aka Prob, who joins Graham to discuss the film this week.

We assess its many bizarre creative decisions, such as the emphasis on dune buggies as a futuristic mode of transport, the outrageous cameo from Amanda Plummer, and Jagger's singularly unthreatening henchman. We also reveal which 1980s masterpiece Jagger was almost cast in, and talk about that Dutch cartoon show about the man with the very long willy. We're not quite sure how we got onto that last one, but it's in there.

If you don't want to see us reduced to renting our bodies to computer-generated Welsh acting legends, donate to our Patreon and get a monthly bonus episode, as well as our other movie podcast Director's Lottery (this month: John Waters). Also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest.

#popscreen #moviereviews #freejack #sciencefiction #mickjagger #anthonyhopkins #emilioestevez #renerusso #rollingstones #amandaplummer #newyorkdolls

The title is Buddy Holly, the star is David Essex, and the mood is pure Edward Heath. Claude Whatham's 1973 coming-of-age film might be set in the 1950s but it's really an artefact of Britain's long post-60s comedown, bleak, pessimistic and extremely brown. Remarkably, this tale of a wannabe rock star shrugging and screwing his way through a drizzly holiday camp made Essex a teen idol, and it has a slew of '50s and '60s stars supporting him: Keith Moon, Billy Fury and, as his sleazy mentor, no less a figure than Ringo Starr.

In this week's Pop Screen, Graham and Mark discuss the oft-underrated acting talents of the one-time Richard Starkey, as well as all the other issues the film brings up: the surprisingly durable stage and screen career of David Essex, the round of musical chairs that led to this being directed by the rock-sceptic Whatham, and the film's connections to the life of John Lennon. About the only thing we don't cover is the sequel, Stardust, because...

...that's our Patreon exclusive for next month, so if you want to be listening to that next week you know where to go. To stay informed about other forthcoming episodes, don't forget to follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

#popscreen #moviereviews #thatllbetheday #davidessex #ringostarr #billyfury #keithmoon #johnlennon #davidputtnam #1950s #stardust

This week's episode of Pop Screen is about Lorene Scafaria's Hustlers, a film whose tonal balancing act is as precarious as Jennifer Lopez's gravity-defying pole dance. A feminist movie set at a strip club, a warm-hearted caper comedy about sexual exploitation and the credit crunch, a serious crime drama with a festival's worth of pop star cameos... can anyone pull this risky job off?

Join Graham and Sarah as they discuss the film's complex feminist credentials, the musical careers of Lopez, Lizzo and Cardi B, and Scafaria's status as a potential queen of the rom-com in a Hollywood age that doesn't care for them. We also do a quiz based on Jennifer Lopez's infamous 1998 Moveline interview, so it's not all heavyweight discussion.

If you enjoyed this episode and want to help us get that schmoney, you can donate to our Patreon and get an exclusive episode every month, as well as other rewards from other Geek Show podcasts. You can also follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

#hustlers #popscreen #moviereview #lorenescafaria #jenniferlopez #constancewu #cardib #lizzo #juliastiles #kekepalmer #lilireinhart

This week's Pop Screen is about Silibil & Brains - and if your reaction was "Who the hell are Silibil & Brains"?, allow Jeanie Finlay's fascinating 2013 documentary The Great Hip Hop Hoax to explain. Finding themselves shut out of the rap industry for their Dundee origins, they decided to pretend they were from California. Ridiculously enough, it worked, and they were groomed for stardom until, inevitably, things started to unravel.

This week's guest host is Andrew Young from Behold! podcast, helping Graham to unpick the intricacies of a story that has so much to say about the music world's quest for marketable authenticity at the expense of actual truth, as well as a time capsule of the post-Eminem early 2000s pop landscape. It is also a story that is really, really dumb.

If you don't want to see us reduced to pretending to be American in order to survive, you can become one of The Geek Show's Patreon backers, where the goodies include a monthly extra episode of Pop Screen that isn't available anywhere else. Don't forget to follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, too.

#popscreen #moviereviews #documentaryreviews #thegreathiphophoax #jeaniefinlay #hiphop #eminem

Absolute Beginners! If you were part of the British film scene in the mid-80s, you knew it as the coolest project in development: a lavish, experimental musical from punk director Julien Temple, adapted from Colin MacInnes's cult novel, with a cast including Patsy Kensit, Sade, Edward Tudor-Pole, Bruno from Strictly and - standing atop the film as though it were a giant globe - David Bowie.

Then the film came out, and nobody went to see it. A film made in the 80s about the 50s with stars from all decades, it confused people at the time, but has since amassed a noteworthy cult following. This week on Pop Screen, Graham and Mick reassess Temple's epic folly, asking: is it that bad? Which of its stars escape with their dignity intact? And have you, or anyone else you know, ever had it blue?

Sadly, the days when creative young men could live in a squat with a troupe of tap-dancing jazzbos has passed. Today, you need money to survive, and if you give a little to our Patreon you get a lot, including one exclusive Pop Screen episode per month. Don't forget to subscribe to our Facebook and Twitter as well!

#popscreen #moviereview #absolutebeginners #julientemple #davidbowie #patsykensit #sade #stylecouncil #edwardtudorpole #musicals #jazz #raydavies #britishfilm

Strap in and get ready for a wild ride, because this week on Pop Screen Graham and Mark are explaining Holy Motors. No false advertising, no ironic trickery - we guarantee that a viable interpretation of Leos Carax's infamous 2012 head-scrambler will be posited as we travel through each of the bizarre tasks imposed upon M. Oscar (a truly phenomenal Denis Lavant).

And where does all that leave us? It leaves us with a heartfelt appreciation of the life and screen career of Kylie Minogue, as it should do. Come for the impenetrable arthouse, stay for the mainstream pop! Yes, this would probably have been more commercial if we did it the other way round.

If you appreciate this undertaking and don't want to see us reduced to miming sex with a CGI dragon in order to survive, please donate to our Patreon where - among other goodies - you can get an exclusive Pop Screen episode every month. For more news on what we're doing, follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

#holymotors #popscreen #moviereviews #leoscarax #kylieminogue #edithscob #denislavant #surrealism

Love knows no boundaries, nor does rock, and nor does Pop Screen, which journeys outside of Britain for the first time to look at Wild Zero, a delirious horror-comedy-musical road movie starring the uncompromisingly rock-oriented band Guitar Wolf. Join Graham and Rob as they try and piece together what they've just seen, a journey which involves tighty-whities, UFOs, gender identity and Link Wray's 'Rumble'. Somehow they also find the room for digressions on Adam Buxton, the beauty of Bandcamp, video nasty collectors and so much more.

Rock 'n' roll will never die, and neither will The Geek Show if you contribute to our upkeep over on Patreon. You get some treats for your money too, not least a whole monthly episode of this show that isn't available anywhere else. 

#popscreen #moviereviews #wildzero #guitarwolf #zombies #rockabilly #japan #musicals #adambuxton #sciencefiction 

That's right, it's the Spice Girls! And they're dressed as each other! Isn't it a howl? If you do not, in fact, think it's a howl, their film Spice World might be a bit of a slog - yet despite near-universal disdain from critics it remains the all-time highest-grossing movie starring a pop band. In episode two of Pop Screen, Graham and Ewan pick their way through the film's minefield of skits, celebrity cameos and quickly-abandoned subplots. They also re-examine the film as part of its cultural moment, which means considering everything from the decline of Britpop to the out-takes from a Polaroid commercial, and ask: what is the legacy of the Spice Girls?

Most dieticians agree that the best way to spice up your life is to donate to our Patreon, where you can get an extra episode of this show every month, among other goodies. Don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to get the latest news about upcoming episodes, too.

#spiceworld #thespicegirls #popscreen #gerihorner #melb #melc #emmabunton #victoriabeckham #moviereview

The Geek Show's new podcast about pop stars in the movies couldn't start with any other film. It's 1964, the Beatles are running away from a mob of schoolgirls, and Richard Lester is about to reinvent the rock and roll movie with A Hard Day's Night. But how did this landmark in both musical and cinematic history come to be? Join Graham and Joe for a tale involving The Goon Show, banned documentaries, working-class playwrights and a serious loophole in the Beatles' EMI contract, all somehow adding up to pop movie gold.

If you dig what you hear, why not leave a review on your podcast provider of choice to help us get some crowds of screaming fans? Or donate to our Patreon and get exclusive content, including an extra monthly episode of Pop Screen that isn't available anywhere else?

#popscreen #moviereviews #thebeatles #johnlennon #paulmccartney #ringostarr #georgeharrison #aharddaysnight #richardlester #1960s #merseybeat