PopaHALLics

PopaHALLics #80 "Here Come the Kings"
We ponder pop mysteries, such as: What's with Tom Hanks' weird accent as Col. Parker in "Elvis"? Why does Tom Cruise personally thank moviegoers at the start of "Top Gun: Maverick"?  (He's king of the box office, with more than $1.1 billion in ticket sales for "Maverick.") We also review streaming options "Loot," "The Old Man,"  "Candy," and public TV's "Seaside Hotel," with a bunch of Danish actors you've never heard of. 

Theaters:

• "Elvis." Austin Butler is electrifying as the King in this highly stylized biopic from Baz Luhrmann ("Moulin Rouge," "The Great Gatsby"). That's Hanks under the fat suit and prosthetics as the conniving Colonel.
• "Top Gun: Maverick." Cruise returns as reckless pilot Maverick Mitchell, training young pilots for a dangerous mission in this satisfying sequel to the 1986 film. Miles Teller ("Whiplash"), Jon Hamm, and Jennifer Connolly also star.

Streaming:

• "Loot," Apple TV. In this comedy, Maya Rudolph stars as a billionaire trying to get her life back on track with help from a charitable foundation she funds.
• "The Old Man," FX and Hulu. Decades ago, a CIA agent (Jeff Bridges) went into hiding. Now they're coming for him—which is a big mistake. John Lithgow also stars in this thriller based on the bestselling novel by Thomas Perry.
• "Candy," Hulu. In this limited series based on real events, a 1980s housewife and mother (Jessica Biel) seems to have the perfect life. Then things go very, very wrong.
• "Seaside Hotel," PBS. This gentle feel-good Danish drama with English subtitles follows the staff and guests at a beach hotel by the North Sea in the years between the two world wars.

Music:

• The motion picture soundtrack for Luhrmann's "Elvis" features the real Presley; Butler performing as Presley; and then such modern performers as Eminem, Doja Cat, Kacey Musgrave, and Jack White doing their take on Presley songs. Confused? Try it here.

PopaHALLics #79 "All in the (Pop) Family"
On a very special episode, we host a wild free-form discussion of pop culture at a family gathering. Our family members participating range in age from their 20s to their 70s, so their perspectives are intriguing. Thanks to Taylor and Heidi Metcalf, Cali O'Connor, Tricia O'Connor, Beth Metcalf, and Boyd Jenkins. (Resident Kid Expert makes a brief appearance.) We apologize for the crinkling of the snack bags. There might also have been drinking. Discussed:

• "Atlanta," FX.
• "Black-ish," Hulu.
• "Bo Burnham: Inside," Netflix.
• "The Boys," Amazon Prime.
• "Dear Evan Hansen," stage.
• "Everything, Everywhere, All at Once," Amazon Prime.
• "The First Lady," Showtime.
• "Gaslit," various streaming services.
• "Hustle," Netflix.
• "Metal Lords," Netflix.
• "Obi-Wan Kenobi," Disney +.
• "Pose," Hulu.
• "Severance," Apple TV.
• "Ted Lasso," Apple TV.
• "The Morning Show," Apple TV.
• "We Are Lady Parts," Hulu.
• "Women of the Movement," various streaming services.

Click through the links above to watch what we're talking about.

PopaHALLics #78 "Both Sides Now"
Steve and Kate review two new movies which look at love from both sides now—at different ages, anyway: The messy 20s (Cooper Raiff's "Cha Cha Real Smooth") and the adventurous 60s ("Good Luck to You, Leo Grande," starring Emma Thompson).  We also discuss sitcom "Rutherford Falls," Harry Style's latest record, and several spooky books.

Streaming:

• "Cha Cha Real Smooth," theaters and Apple TV.  In this Sundance favorite written, directed by and starring Raiff, 25, a college grad tries to figure out adulthood while beginning a friendship with a young mom (Dakota Johnson) and her autistic daughter.
• "Good Luck to You, Leo Grande," Hulu.  In this female-written and -directed gem, Thompson plays a retired widow who hires a sex worker (Daryl McCormack) to experience pleasurable sex for the first time in her life.
• "Rutherford Falls," Peacock. The relationship of life-long friends is tested when a desire to preserve white history in a small town clashes with indigenous interests. Ed Helms and Michael Schur ("Parks and Recreation", "The Good Place") helped create this sitcom, which has Native Americans on both sides of the camera.
• "Peaky Blinders," Netflix and BBC. The saga of Irish gangsters in Birmingham, England, returns for its sixth and final season.

Books:

• "Girl in the Walls," by A.J. Gnuse.  A young orphan lives in the hidden spaces of her former family home in this gripping coming-of-age story.
• "The  Residence," by Andrew Pyper. In this chilling horror novel inspired by real  people and events, a First Lady holds a seance to try to contact her dead son ... and invites a demon into the White House.
• "The Demonologist," by Andrew Pyper. An academic expert on "Paradise Lost" races against the clock to get his daughter back from The Other Side in this horror thriller.

Music:

• "Harry's House." Kate says Harry Styles "Is messing around, in a good way" on this new release, a departure from his recent retro rock. Hear it here.

PopaHALLics #77 "Dinos to Darth Vader"
We cover a lot of ground in 27 minutes, from amazingly realistic dinosaurs to a Jedi haunted by his experience with the future Darth Vader ... from a strange but true World War II ruse  to Mormon extremists ... from the return of "Stranger Things" to a novel inspired by an intense fashion rivalry. Dig in!

Streaming:

• "Planet Prehistoric," Apple TV.  This nature series from the BBC and executive producer Jon Favreau (Marvel, Star Wars, and Disney) didn't really film dinosaurs in their natural habitats. It just looks that way.
• "Obi-Wan Kenobi," Disney +. In this limited series, Ewan McGregor stars as the title character, hiding out in the desert after his pupil Anakin Skywalker embraced the Dark Side. But then an old friend needs his help ... 
• "Operation Mincemeat,"  Netflix. How to throw the Nazis off your invasion plans? First, get a dead body ... Colin Firth, Matthew Macfadyn, and Johnny Flynn star in this movie based on a true spy story from World War II.
• "Stranger Things," Netflix. They're baacccck. And so's otherworldly evil in Hawkins, Indiana. The gang's all split up, but I have this feeling they'll come together, don't you?
• "Under the Banner of Heaven," FX. A devout detective's faith is tested as he investigates a brutal murder connected to religious extremism and a prominent Utah family. Andrew Garfield stars in this miniseries based on the nonfiction book by Jon Krakauer.
• "Ghosts," CBS/Paramount Plus.  In this sitcom, a young woman (Rose McIver) inherits a mansion, at first unaware that many ghosts live there. If living is the right term..
• "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," Paramount +. In the decade before James T. Kirk takes the helm, Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) commands an Enterprise with Spock (Ethan Peck) and other familiar characters. Outer space adventures with heart. 

Books:

• "The Last Collection: A Novel of Elsa Schiaparelli and Coco Chanel," by Jeanne Mackin. An American woman becomes entangled in the rivalry between two very different designers fighting to be the most successful and influential in Paris.

Music:
Our Popahallics Playlist #77 features Squirrel Nut Zippers, Red Baraat and other artists Steve saw at Bayou Boogaloo and in New Orleans. Or you can get your summer on with the playlists Kate's listening to, Surf Rock Sunshine and Summer Throwback.

PopaHALLics #76 "Those Meddling Kids!"
Did you know "Scooby Doo" was ranked the fifth-greatest cartoon of all time by TV Guide? Steve delves into the history of Scoob and the gang in a discussion of a new fan-made show, "Mystery, Incorporated." Meanwhile, Kate raves about Florence + The Machine's new album and the novel "Sea of Tranquility." Zoinks!

Streaming
"Mystery, Incorporated," YouTube. Scooby Doo and his teen friends get a contemporary live-action makeover in this pilot for a proposed TV series. Is it a Scooby Snack or a "Ruh-roh"?

Novels
"Sea of Tranquility," Emily St. John Mandel. The author of "Station Eleven" and "The Glass Hotel" returns with a novel of art, time, love, and plague, taking readers on a journey from 1912 to 500 years in the future.
"The Witches of New York," by Ami McKay. In this dark, atmospheric novel, three witches face the evil lurking in the dark corners of New York during the Gilded Age.

Music
Florence + The Machine are back with "Dance Fever," a new release that's outsized and grandiose like Florence Welch's  earlier work but more internal. (The title's a reference not to disco but the medieval European “dancing plague,” where people would flail and twitch until they reached exhaustion, injury, or death.) Kate likes the album a lot. Listen here.
 

PopaHALLics #75 "Breaking Good"
What do Walter White, British scandals, and the Met Gala have in common? We discuss all of them on this episode! Kate talks about two streaming efforts with Brits, sex, and trouble. She also has strong opinions (shocker!) about the fashions at this year's Met Gala. Meanwhile, watching in bits and pieces, Steve has finally finished all five seasons of landmark TV series "Breaking Bad." He reflects on what makes this one of the greatest TV series ever.

Streaming

• "Breaking Bad," Netflix. In Vince Gilligan's crime drama, a mild-mannered high school chemistry teacher (Bryan Cranston) with lung cancer begins cooking meth to protect his family from financial ruin. His pride and arrogance transform him into a monster.
• "Anatomy of a Scandal," Netflix.  The life of a rising British politician (Rupert Friend) and his wife (Siena Miller) is rocked when he is accused of a terrible crime. Michelle Dockery ("Downton Abbey") plays a tough-as-nails lawyer. 
• "A Very British Scandal," Amazon Prime. The divorce proceedings involving the beautiful Duchess of Argyle (Claire Foy) and her husband (Paul Bettany) become notoriously vicious. Based on a true story. 
• "Moon Knight," Disney +. Oscar Isaacs plays a man who may be suffering the after-effects of trauma, or be someone else, or be an Egyptian superhero.

Books

• "A Slow Fire Burning," by Paula Hawkins.  The author of "The Girl on the Train" returns with a thriller. When a young man is found brutally murdered, it raises questions about the three women who knew him.
• "Slough House," by Mick Herron. The MI5 screw-ups become ensnared in a complex web of politics, media, global finance ,and, of course, spycraft.

PopaHALLics #74 "Sci Fi-ne"
Parallel universes, time loops, and dreams altering past and present reality—we're talking sci-fi!  Steve reviews the mind-bending movie "Everything, Everywhere, All at Once" and season two of time-traveling series "Russian Doll." Meanwhile, Kate ponders the prescient Locus-winning sci-fi masterpiece "The Lathe of Heaven," which was talking about climate change all the way back in 1971.  Steve also does the worst Dr. Evil impersonation ever.

Streaming/Theaters:

• "Everything, Everywhere, All at Once," in theaters. Failing laundromat owner Michelle Yeoh must connect with parallel universe versions of herself to save the world.
• "Russian Doll," Netflix. Nadia (Natasha Lyonne) and Alan (Charlie Barnett)  try to change the past. It doesn't go well.
• "Slow Horses," Apple TV. Gary Oldman, Jack Lowden, and Kristen Scott Thomas star in a spy thriller in which MI5 rejects discover a cover-up.

Books:

• "The Lathe of Heaven," by Ursula K. Le Guin.  When George Orr's dreams become reality, he seeks help from a noted researcher—who has other plans. Cue ominous music.
• "Nation," by Terry Pratchett.  This YA adventure novel is by turns somber, wildly hilarious, and thought-provoking about questions of faith and culture. An island boy and an upper-crust girl deal with the aftermath of a giant destructive wave.
• "The Fiddler in the Subway: The Story of the World-Class Violinist Who Played for Handouts ... And Other Virtuoso Performances. by America's Foremost Feature Writer," by Gene Weingarten. This book showcases the funny, informative, and sometimes heartbreaking work of the only feature writer to win two Pulitzer Prizes. 

Music:
Get folked with Caamp, the Avett Brothers,  Mt. Joy, Rayland Baxter, and other acts who'd sound just fine picking on the porch in our Popahallics #74 Playlist. 

PopaHALLics #73 Growing Up
We discuss a Norwegian movie about a young woman  heading reluctantly toward adulthood, a fun new female-led British band, an adult novel inspired by a fairy tale, and a sci-fi novel in which we actually put on our grown-up pants and address climate change. Also, why you should never, ever fly into Newark.

Streaming

• "The Worst Person in the World," rental. While critics struggle to describe this "Norwegian romantic black comedy drama," Steve says it's an excellent movie about a young woman (Renate Reinsve, above) figuring out who she is.
• "Moon Knight," Disney +. Oscar Isaac may be a superhero, may be crazy, or may be having the weirdest dreams ever in this limited series from Marvel.
• "Ghostbusters: Afterlife," rental. This sequel blatantly borrows from the original in a good way while telling a new story about two grandkids of one of the original Ghostbusters. Bustin' makes us feel good!

Books

• "Gingerbread," by Helen Oyeyemi. A surprising family legacy led by a recipe for gingerbread is at the heart of this novel by an author known for spinning inventive, head-twisting tales from fairy tales.
• "The Ministry for the Future," by Kim Stanley Robinson. This cautiously optimistic sci-fi novel reads like nonfiction as it explores the effects of climate change on all of us while also solutions we can put into place now.

Music

• New British group Wet Leg just dropped their first album, and Steve and Kate think they're a hoot. You can hear them and other young women turning rock cliches on their head in our Popahallics #73 Playlist.

PopaHALLics #72 "Dressed Up for Oscar!"
We critique the red carpet looks for the 2022 Academy Awards, with Kate showing her fashion expertise and Steve  ... uh, not. We also have thoughts on the Oscar telecast and the Slap Heard 'Round the Internet. But wait, there's more! We also discuss:

Streaming

• "The Lost City." When romance novelist Sandra Bullock is kidnapped by a wealthy baddie (Daniel Radcliffe) searching for treasure, it's up to her cover model (Channing Tatum) and a Zen-like ex-Navy Seal (Brad Pitt) to save her. This escapist romantic comedy was clearly inspired by "Romancing the Stone," but it's still fun.
• "Death in Paradise," Amazon Prime and other streaming services. An uptight, very British detective investigates homicides on a small Caribbean island is this fish-out-of-water crime drama.

Books

• "The Imperfects," by Amy Myerson. When their matriarch dies, a dysfunctional family comes into possession of a large diamond with a complicated history. A page-turning family saga that's also historical fiction. 
• "Scattered All Over the Earth," by Yoko Tawada. When climate change causes Japan to be swallowed by the sea, climate refugee Hiruko seeks someone who still speaks her mother tongue in this mind-bending, dystopian novel, the first of a trilogy.

PopaHALLics #71 "Seeing Red"
Let's paint the podcast red! We discuss an animated feature about a girl who transforms into a giant red panda  when feeling strong emotions; an Aaron Sorkin drama about TV's favorite redhead, Lucille Ball; and the bloody swords and spears of Danes and Saxons.

Streaming

• "Turning Red," Disney +. Kate thinks conservative outcries over this Pixar movie from a female production team are ridiculous. 
• "Being the Ricardos," Amazon Prime. Steve says this Best Picture nominee manages to make Lucy not so lovable ... or at least not that funny. Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem, and J.K. Simmons star in this drama based on real events.
• "The Last Kingdom," Netflix. The past sins of warrior Uhtred (Alexander Dreymon) affect his present and the future of England in the fifth and final season.

Books

• "The Bottoms," by Joe R. Lansdale. In this Edgar Award-wining mystery/coming-of-age story, a boy in East Texas during the Great Depression gets swept up in events surrounding the brutal murders of several women, black and white.
• "Quit Like a Woman: The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed with Alcohol," by Holly Whitaker. This bestselling memoir recounts how one woman healed herself while also examining how alcohol hurts women in our society.