Pop Screen

John Singleton was 21 - 21! - when he made one of the most acclaimed debuts of the 1990s, one which led to him becoming the first African-American to get a Best Director nomination at the Oscars. It would be the perfect punchline if it was bad, but annoyingly for this deeply unserious podcast it's great: a frontline dispatch from a world plagued by violence and poverty that still feels vital, and also finds room for more humour and tenderness than you might expect.

Join Rob and Graham as they discuss this landmark film and its star Ice Cube, then perhaps the most controversial music star in America, now a reliable, familiar presence in all kinds of movies. They also discuss the film's unexpected inspiration, its heartbreaking ending and venture a cheeky but probably-accurate guess as to why there are so many movies about gentrification. Plus: hot takes on gangsta rap from early '90s political columnists that have not aged as well as this movie!
If you don't want us to be drawn into the terrible gang culture that surrounds podcasting, you can give us some money over at our Patreon, where in return you'll get a bonus episode of this show every month. We also have no less than two podcasts - Last Night... and From the Video Aisle - and we give you weekly written reviews of Red Dwarf, The X-Files and Doctor Who.

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Sam Taylor-Johnson is about to release Back to Black, her second music biopic following 2009's Nowhere Boy. So naturally Pop Screen decided to review... her EL James adaptation? Yeah, why not, it's got Rita Ora in it. Returning co-host Joe did a lot of Ritasearch for this podcast and was delighted to remember that she only has about a minute of screentime.

Not that there's any shortage of other things to talk about when it comes to 50 Shades of Grey. Its status as a cultural phenomenon, its dubious sexual politics, its troubled production and long list of nearly-stars... all of this and more is covered in this dangerously erotic edition of Pop Screen. We also explain why Christian Grey's chauffeur is the secret hero of these movies, and reveal what the Frenchest film ever made is. It's not this one.

If you don't want us to be financially dependent on a creepy billionaire who uses us as sex slaves, you can donate to our Patreon where we're about to drop an exclusive episode on the 1994 police thriller The Glass Key, as well as publishing written reviews of Red Dwarf, The X-Files and Doctor Who every week. Patreon backers also get two whole podcasts that aren't available anywhere else: From the Video Aisle is in the middle of a Mr. Vampire retrospective, and the movie and TV miscellany that is Last Night... comes out every month as well. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for more information.

There are some pop movies that capture the appeal of an entire genre. Such was the case with Perry Henzell's The Harder They Come, a crime drama that was such a hit it essentially popularised reggae in the United States. Such things are possible only with a star of the calibre of Jimmy Cliff, plus soundtrack and screen appearances from the likes of Toots and the Maytals and Prince Buster.

This week, Aidan rejoins Graham to talk about Henzell's film, and uncover the reason why he might be the ultimate Pop Screen director. We also talk about Chris Blackwell's Island Records, whose film division was launched by this very movie. There's also discussion of the film's real-life inspiration, the "original rude boy" Ivanhoe Martin, its possible subtexts and the white-knuckle experience of watching that bus swerving all over the place during the opening credits.

If you want to keep us from plying our trade as door-to-door gardeners, you can donate to our Patreon and get a monthly bonus episode of this show, plus two exclusive podcasts not available anywhere else - From the Video Aisle, which is currently working its way through the Mr. Vampire series, and the completely unclassifiable Last Night... There are also weekly written reviews of Doctor Who, The X-Files and Red Dwarf, plus a monthly pick of a classic Asian genre film in Fantastic Asia. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook for more.

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In 2024, Pop Screen is spending a month in Jamaica, hailing the island's mighty presence in the field of music. And to kick off, we're talking about... er, 10cc? Yes, when they said they don't like reggae, they love it, few could have expected that love would manifest itself in multi-instrumentalist Lol Creme directing a 1991 Jamaican comedy about a small-town eccentric who thinks he can talk to trees, cows and cricket balls becoming involved with a lusty German photographer. As you do.

The Lunatic is, as you can probably tell from the above synopsis, a weird old thing. Fortunately Graham and Mark Cunliffe have re-teamed in order to make it even weirder, with digressions about the original TV version of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, how Small Axe got Graham through the first lockdown year, and the film's tonal similarity to the saucy seaside postcards of Donald McGill. We're not in love - but we did enjoy it.

If you'd like to throw a bit of spare change at your local village idiots, we've got a Patreon which is just about to drop an episode on the Neil Young/Devo collaboration Human Highway. We've also been covering everything from Mr. Vampire to Neighbours in our other podcasts Last Night... and From the Video Aisle, as well as writing reviews of Doctor Who, classic Asian genre films, The X-Files and Red Dwarf. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to find out more.

In 2004, the veteran Welsh rock band The Alarm pulled off an audacious hoax, releasing their single '45 RPM' under the alias of The Poppy Fields. The Poppy Fields were supposedly a new band of teenage rock stars in skinny jeans, as was the style at the time. As the song ascended the charts, Alarm mainman Mike Peters revealed the deception, kicking off a debate about ageism in the music industry.

It's a fascinating story, so fascinating that Mick has dragged himself out of his sickbed to talk to Graham about Vinyl, the 2012 film loosely based on it. We discuss its many missed opportunities, its bizarre decision to make the Mike Peters analogue more or less totally unsympathetic, and the question of whether this con would work in 2012 - which is more of a cultural gap than the eight years it is on paper. We also discuss The Alarm's long career, the rock movie baggage of star Phil Daniels, and the irony that - these days - a middle-aged heritage act is a better money-spinner than a sexy young rock band.

We don't pretend to put out a load of extra content on our Patreon - we actually do it, including a monthly bonus episode of this show (the latest one is about Priscilla), exclusive podcasts Last Night..., about anything our critics have watched this month, and From the Video Aisle, reviewing cultishly adored franchises, as well as written pieces on classic Asian genre cinema and British and American TV science fiction. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to find out more.

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Good vibes only this week, as Mark Cunliffe of We Are Cult rejoins the podcast to talk about Cyndi Lauper's lead role in the 1988 supernatural comedy Vibes. A film so inspired by Ghostbusters that Dan Aykroyd was briefly attached to star, it has an enviable cast fronted by Lauper, Jeff Goldblum and Peter Falk. And yet, somehow, it tanked.

On this episode of Pop Screen, then, we attempt to solve the timeless Fortean mystery of why people didn't watch this at the time, taking detours to talk about the career of supporting players Julian Sands (RIP) and Steve Buscemi, consider the odd self-seriousness with which 1980s family comedies treat their paranormal mythos, try to ascertain what the worst Dario Argento film is and talk about a Winnebago full of balloons, I guess. It's one of those weeks.

Tomorrow sees the release of our latest Patreon exclusive episode, about Sofia Coppola's Priscilla. Subscribers also get two bonus podcasts a month - Last Night... and From the Video Aisle, the latter of which is prepping a Mr. Vampire retrospective - plus written reviews of classic Asian genre cinema, Doctor Who, The X-Files and Red Dwarf. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to find out more...

Memo to you: Pop Screen is back for 2024 and we're covering one of the wildest, most controversial and most ambitious rock movies of the 1970s. Starring Mick Jagger among a motley cast of models, gangsters, boxers and one father of a national embarrassment, Performance saw Nicolas Roeg and Donald Cammell join forces for a joint debut like no other.

On this episode, Rob and Graham reunite to talk about the film's turbulent production, its difficult journey into a form Warner Brothers - who thought this was going to be like A Hard Day's Night - found acceptable, and the short but eventful life of the mysterious Donald Cammell. If you want to hear us talk more about his co-director, Rob and Graham have also covered The Man Who Fell to Earth. If you want us to talk more about Mick Jagger, well...

...there's an exclusive bonus episode of this podcast concerning Tony Richardson's Ned Kelly coming out on our Patreon very soon, where it'll join a galaxy of quality content: the franchise-reassessing podcast From the Video Aisle is about to dive into the Mr. Vampire series, our X-Files and Red Dwarf reviews are well into the golden age of those shows, and there's also the movie miscellany podcast Last Night... at the end of the month. This isn't even close to the limit of what we do: check Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to find out more.

Last week, our sister podcast Uncut took you through January through to June in our two-part review of 2023. Now, Pop Screen takes up the reigns with Vincent, Naomi, Rob, Graham, Kat, Simon, Mike, Oliver and James all returning to give their favourite films of the second half of the year - culminating in that all-important top ten. What will make the cut? Who did Barbenheimer on the day of release? How many diverging opinions on Saltburn can we get? And who put the Puss in Boots sequel above the new Scorsese?

Pop Screen finishes 2023 with a movie that could not be less stock to our ears - Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky's Metallica: Some Kind of Monster. Granted unprecedented levels of access to the world's biggest heavy metal band, the directors of the Paradise Lost trilogy made a raw documentary about a band somehow staying together and making an album despite unprecedented personal turmoil. The punchline: the album they make is St. Anger, perhaps the most reviled album in their back catalogue (or at least the most reviled one that doesn't feature Lou Reed).

Join Aidan and Graham for this exploration of the lifestyle and indeed deathstyle of the metal legends, including diversions to talk about Lars Ulrich's feud with Napster, which type of dad James Hetfield is and the vexed question of whether Metallica are actually good. We also discuss the band's history and former members, their decision to hire a group therapist to get them back together and, of course, that infernal snare drum sound.

If you want to keep us tapping on a tin can despite public opposition, you can donate to our Patreon where you'll get a monthly bonus episode of this show, written reviews of classic SF television and Asian genre cinema, and two whole bonus podcasts that aren't available anywhere else. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to find out more.

All we want for Christmas is this: Mariah Carey's notorious film vehicle is the subject of Pop Screen's festive episode. Equally reviled and unfortunate, it's the tale of a foster child who grows up into an aspiring singer, and whose rise to fame is, shall we say, subtly patterned on Carey's own career. Its soundtrack album was released on 9/11, which stymied its commercial potential. That inspired a #JusticeforGlitter campaign many years later; the film was less fortunate.

On this year's Pop Screen Christmas special, David rejoins Graham to talk about the many unlikely couples in this film, the almost surreally undercharacterised friends of Carey's Billie, and how Carey's divorce from Tommy Mottola may have forced this film into its 1980s setting. We also discuss Carey's triple-threat legacy: her world-class voice, her current status as Queen of Christmas, and the "I don't know her" gif.

If you want to help us transcend being backing singers for... Top Chef's Padma Lakshmi? Apparently, you can donate to our Patreon where you'll find a monthly bonus episode of this show, as well as our Patreon exclusive podcasts Last Night... and From the Video Aisle, the last of which is midway through a reassessment of the V/H/S franchise. Plus written reviews of classic Asian genre cinema, Doctor Who, Red Dwarf and The X-Files. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for more.