PopaHALLics

PopaHALLics #70 "With Friends Like These ..."
Steve flies solo in this abbreviated episode, talking about some notable pop culture offerings while they're still fresh in his mind.

Books

• "My Friend Dahmer," by Derf Backderf. In this acclaimed graphic novel, a high school friend recalls growing up with a lonely goofball, Jeffrey Dahmer, before he became a notorious serial killer. 
• "Twilight of the Gods: A Journey to the End of Classic Rock," by Steven Hyden. A Gen X music critic wrestles with what happens to classic rock when all its creators die off in this affectionate, perceptive, often irreverent look at the genre.

Streaming

• "Wolf Like Me," Peacock. The fascinating, attractive redhead that Gary (Josh Gad) has just met unfortunately  has some baggage in her life. Namely, Mary (Isla Fisher) turns into a werewolf. An enjoyable relationship drama with supernatural overtones.

PopaHALLics #69 "Cops, Cons, & Rock n Roll!"
We discuss "Inventing Anna," the true-crime story of a fake German heiress who lived large with little cash; the Swedish detective drama "Young Wallander"; and music, music, music, from a novel about a fictional rock band to the nerdy Icelandic group that dances like nobody's watching. Even though everybody is.

Streaming

• "Young Wallander: Killer's Shadow," Netflix. The younger version of world-weary detective Kurt Wallander (Adam Pålsson) discovers that a seemingly straightforward hit-and-run case is much more than it appears.
• "Inventing Anna," Netflix. Kate liked this "Shondaland" miniseries inspired by a true story. Now Steve weighs In on this 9-episode offering about a young con artist who fooled New York's elite into thinking she was a German heiress.

Books

• "Daisy Jones and the Six," by Taylor Jenkins Reid. This novel follows the rise to fame of a Fleetwood Mac-like rock band with a beautiful lead singer and their mysterious breakup.
• "The Near Witch," by V.E. Schwab. A 2019 re-release sparked new life and acclaim for this fantasy that is part fairy tale, part love story.

Music

• "Song Exploder" podcast. For a look at an unorthodox songwriting process involving Excel spreadsheets, anagram titles and more, Steve recommends the Weezer episode. 
• Florence + the Machine, "King." The band's new single has a music video directed by Autumn de Wilde (2020's "Emma").
• The Secret Sisters, "You Don't Own Me Anymore." Folky, with great harmonies.
• Lawrence, "Don't Lose Sight." Siblings Clyde and Gracie Lawrence, whose dad is a movie writer/director ("Miss Congeniality"), take their soul/funk/pop to the world.
• Dadi Freyer, "Think About Things." An Icelandic group revels in its own nerdiness. Oh, those sweet dance moves! 
• Jonathan Richman, "I Was Dancing in the Lesbian Bar." Endearingly goofy.

Popahallics #69 Playlist features all the artists above. Enjoy!

PopaHALLics #68 "Oscar, Oscar, Oscar!"
We review Best Picture Nominee "King Richard," with Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress nominees Will Smith and Aunjanue Ellis; "Spencer," with Best Actress Nominee Kristin Stewart; and the new Oscar fan-favorite film category. (Vote now, and vote often.) Also: Why "Armageddon," never nominated for Best Picture, is not really about the rush to stop a giant asteroid from crashing into the Earth.

Streaming/Rental

• "Spencer," Hulu or rental. Stewart ("Twilight") plays a troubled Princess Diana about to decide to leave the royal family in this psychological drama directed by Pablo Larrain.
• "King Richard," Rental. Smith plays the brash, self-promoting father with a 78-page plan to take daughters Venus and Serena Williams to tennis superstardom.
• "Inventing Anna," Netflix. In this miniseries, a journalist investigates a con artist who steals the hearts of New York's elite—and their money, too.
• "Armageddon," Amazon, YouTube, and other sites. NASA sends up deep sea drillers to plant a nuclear bomb inside the asteroid headed for Earth. Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck,  Billy Bob Thornton, and many fires and explosions star.

Books 

• "Notes on An Execution," by Danya Kukafka. This acclaimed thriller explores the complicated women caught in the orbit of a serial killer, on the eve of his execution.
•  "Those Across the River," by Christopher Buehlman.  In this literary horror novel, a disgraced academic and his lover from Chicago discover why dread underlies life in a small Southern town. 

PopaHALLics #67 "Hooray for ... Hollywood?"
We discuss the Best Picture nominations, one of the Best Picture nominees ("The Power of the Dog"), and why high schoolers who have seen zombie movies should know how to kill zombies, for crying out loud! Also: Mel Brooks' new autobiography and why that guy on Tinder may be too good to be true.

Streaming

• "The Power of the Dog," Netflix.  In Jane Campion's first movie in 12 years, a gothic Western, Benedict Cumberbatch plays a toxic cowboy bullying his brother's new wife (Kirsten Dunst) and her sensitive son (Kodi Smit-McPhee).
• "The Lost Daughter," Netflix. An obsession with a young mother causes a woman (Olivia Colman) to confront the dark secrets of her past.
• "All of Us are Dead," Netflix. In this Korean TV series , high schoolers struggle with teen angst  ... and zombies!
• "Beat," Amazon Prime.  A techno club promoter becomes an undercover agent for the European secret services in this series.
• "Silver Skates," Netflix. This lush epic period Russian romantic adventure mixes "Romeo and Juliet" ... with skates. 
• "The Tinder Swindler," Netflix. This documentary tells the story of the man who conned women he met online out of millions of dollars, and how they got even.

Books

• "All About Me! My Remarkable Life in Show Business," by Mel Brooks. The funnyman behind "The Producers" and "Young Frankenstein" looks back with nostalgia at his life, remarkable body of work, and friendships ranging from Carl Reiner to Alfred Hitchcock.

Popahallics #67 Playlist
When Brooks needed an awful but catchy song for his 1968 movie "The Producers," wife Anne Bancroft persuaded him to write it himself. This "All About Mel!" playlist celebrates "Springtime for Hitler" and other Brooks' songs. We also include the "Get Smart" theme—written by Irving Szathmary for a show created by Brooks and Buck Henry—because the Melbourne Ska Orchestra version is fun. Listen.

PopaHALLics #66 "C'mon C'mon" ....
... we have a lot of pop culture to talk about! ! In this episode, we discuss the Joaquin Phoenix movie of that name, of course, as well as streaming options "Munich: The Edge of War," "Strike," and "Hot Fuzz" and the fantasy classic "The Mists of Avalon." Also: "sad girl music" and why J.K. Rowling should "stick to the books!"

Streaming

• "C'mon C'mon." rental. A radio journalist (Phoenix) gets to better know his 9-year-old nephew and himself  in this intimate, delicate drama.
• "Munich: The Edge of War," Netflix. In this spy thriller based on the Robert Harris novel, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain (Jeremy Irons) attempts to prevent WWII with behind-the-scenes moves.
• "Strike," Amazon, Hulu, HBO Max. This TV series of the mystery novels by Rowling (writing as Robert Galbraith) features many private eye tropes but is still entertaining.
• "Hot Fuzz," rental. This parody of buddy action movies by the makers of the zombie comedy "Shaun of the Dead" has its moments ... but not enough.

Books

• "The Mists of Avalon," by Marion Zimmer Bradley. This 1983 historical fantasy retells the Arthurian legends from the perspective of female characters like Morgan le Fay.

Music

• Laura Marling. What does she have in common with recent releases by Adele and Taylor Swift? "Sad girl music." Grab a hankie and have a cathartic experience with our "sad girl" Popahallics #66 Playlist. 

Pop-Up Info
Want more information about the pop culture we discuss? Our chapter markers have links to movie and TV show trailers, music videos, and articles.

PopaHALLics #65 "Let's Put On a Show!"
Novelist Peter Ferry (our guest way back in Ep. #6) returns with exciting news: A stage adaptation of his award-wining "Old Heart" is set to premiere at Detroit's Redford Theater later this year. Pete talks about how the play came about because of independent filmmaker Roger Rapoport ("Coming Up for Air") and the way casting is bringing another layer of meaning to the material. Pete and Steve also discuss pop culture they're consuming .

Books

• "When Will There Be Good News?" by Kate Atkinson. Atkinson's memorable private detective Jackson Brodie and police inspector Louise Monroe return in a complex tale of murder, mystery, and connected lives.
• "Amsterdam: A History of the World's Most Liberal City," by Russell Shorto. This entertaining portrait explains how Amsterdam's history and unique geography make it one of the most fascinating places on Earth.
• "The Portrait of a Lady," by Henry James.  Pete says James ("Turning of the Screw") can't decide if he's American or British. Hint: Wave that Union Jack high!
• French author Pierre Bouelle, whose 30 novels included two made into hit (and very different) movies. We ask Pete to name them.

Podcasts

• "Song Exploder." Musicians, ranging from Fleetwood Mac and Cheap Trick to today's hitmakers like Dua Lipa, take apart their songs and, piece by piece, tell the story of how they were made. 

Popahallics #65 Playlist
Tired of grey, cold, wet winter? Throw your swimsuit and sunglasses in a suitcase, baby—our playlist is taking us on vacation!

PopaHALLics #64 That Time We Put on Our Own Film Festival
After reading a profile of Japanese animation master Hayao Miyazaki, Steve and his wife have a mini-Miyazaki film festival in their living room. Hear about the films they watched and why Steve wants to do this with other directors.  We discuss:

Miyazaki Films

• "My Neighbor Totoro." Two young spunky girls are befriended by a giant forest spirit in this animated family classic.
• "Kiki's Delivery Service." A young witch-in-training tries to find her special power—and deal with a boy's attention—in this coming-of-age story.
• "Howl's Moving Castle." When a spiteful spell turns a shy girl into an old woman, she finds new confidence and purpose as she copes with magic and military run amok.

Novels

• "The Vanishing Half," by Brit Bennett. In this acclaimed novel, twin sisters choose to live in two very different worlds, one black and one white.
• "Sixty-One Nails (The Courts of the Feyre)," by Mike Shevdon. In this urban fantasy, an ordinary Londoner discovers his ties to ancient magical people. Is he the champion they're looking for?
• "Ariadne," by Jennifer Saint. A bestselling debut retells the myth of Ariadne, Daphne, and Theseus, focusing on the women involved instead of the (questionable) hero.

Music

• Formed in 2012, The Nude Party  expertly raids the sounds of old: Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, the Kinks, early Stones, etc.

PopaHALLics #63  "Transformers (Not the Robots)"
The streaming options and books in this episode have one thing in common: The characters or real people face challenges or experiences that transform their lives, from a comet threatening life on Earth to an obsessive classics professor to a headless knight who vows to kill his attacker in a year. (You read that right.) Strap in as Steve and Kate discuss:

Streaming:

• "Don't Look Up," Netflix. This dark satire uses a planet-killing asteroid as a metaphor for mankind's inability to take serious action against climate change. Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep and more star.
• "I'm Your Man," Hulu or rental. In this German romantic comedy, a female scientist reluctantly agrees to take part in an experiment living with the perfect man—a humanoid robot who looks like that guy from "Downton Abbey."
• "The Green Knight," rental. Loosely based on an epic poem, this film finds King Arthur's headstrong nephew Gawain (Dev Patel) embarking on a perilous quest.
• "Encanto," Disney +. Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote the songs for this charming animated adventure about an "ordinary" girl trying to fit into her magical family. 

Books

• "Miss Dior: a Story of Courage and Couture," by Justine Picardie. The muse for French fashion designer Christian Dior was his sister, who survived a Nazi work camp.
• "The Hunger" and "The Deep," by Alma Katsu. These novels exquisitely meld historical research and the supernatural—one about the ill-fated Donner Party, the other about the sinkings of the Titanic and its sister ship the Brittanic.
• "The Latinist," by Mark Prins. Power, ambition, and obsession play out in this novel inspired by the myth of Daphne and Apollo.
• "The Postmortal," by Drew Magary.  This smart, funny, and scary novel examines how one man's life—and the world—changes when scientists discover a cure for aging. 

You'll also learn the celebrities people think we look like. We're flattered AND confused.

"Highly Recommended"
In a first, Steve and Kate mostly rave about what we have seen and read. While we have reservations about a few things—sorry, Boba Fett and Sandra Bullock—you'll hear about plenty of worthwhile pop culture. We discuss:

Streaming

• "Picnic at Hanging Rock" , Amazon Prime. In this Australian gothic miniseries based on the 1967 novel, a group of schoolgirls vanish on an outing. Natalie Dormer ("Game of Thrones") plays their mysterious headmistress.
• "We Are Lady Parts", Peacock. This British series about four young Muslim women in a punk rock band turns big ideas about identity, representation, and gender into binge-worthy comedy. Steve says it's "smart and funny, with infectious energy and moving moments too."
• "Ron's Gone Wrong", Disney +.  In this computer-generated animated film, a lonely middle schooler befriends a defective "B-bot" and learns about true friendship and being yourself. 
• "Shazam!", HBO Max or rental. When 14-year-old Billy Batson transforms into an adult superhero with bulging muscles and superpowers, he's still a goofy kid on the inside.  One of the best DC Comics-inspired movies.
• "The Unforgivable", Netflix.  When Sandra Bullock is released from prison after doing her time, society refuses to forgive her violent past.
• "The Book of Boba Fett", Disney +. In a series from the makers of "The Mandalorian," the "Star Wars" bounty hunter takes off his battered helmet to try to rule over Jabba the Hutt's criminal empire.

Novels

• "The Midnight Library," by Matt Haig. In this enchanting "It's a Wonderful Life"-styled novel, a young woman experiences the different versions of her life  that would have occurred if she had made different decisions.
• "The Atlas Six," by Olivie Blake. Six uniquely talented magicians  compete—to the death—to win a place in the Alexandrian Society, caretakers of lost knowledge from the greatest civilizations of antiquity.

Popahallics #62 Playlist
Attack of the killer guitars!  This week's playlist includes punk rock (like We Are Lady Parts and Ramones), garage rock (like the Delmonas), surf rock (like the Suffragettes)—and  The Nude Party, whose sound blends the Kinks, Lou Reed, early Stones, Dylan, and CCR.  Lyrically, we ponder such existential questions as: "Davy Crockett, what you got in your pocket?" Listen.

PopaHALLic #61 "Not So Home Alone"
Gathered for a holiday outing, Steve, Kate and the Resident Kid Expert (RKE) discuss seasonal offerings, including the fifth "Home Alone" movie, "Home Sweet Home Alone," on Disney +. Wait, you say, isn't Macauley Culkin like in his 40s now?! Yes —41, actually—but it's a different kid.  The RKE gives his review. We also talk about:

Streaming:

• "Love Hard," Netflix. In this holiday-themed rom com, Nina Dobrev drops everything to fly across the country for Christmas with the hunk from her dating app that she's never actually met. Surprises await! Hijinks ensue!
• "Fatman," Peacock/rental. In this dark, violent action movie, a rich kid unhappy about getting coal for Christmas hires an assassin (Walter Goggins) to take out Kris Kringle (Mel Gibson). But Santa's got a brand new bag, and it's filled with ammo.

Books:

• "Out of Body," by Jeffrey Ford. In this dark fantasy thriller, the death of a girl in his arms leads to disturbing, "Twilight Zone"-like dreams for a small-town librarian.
• "The Year of the Witching," by Alexis Henderson. A young woman living in a puritanical society discovers dark powers within herself in this feminist fantasy debut.
• "The Hike," by Drew Magary.  An ordinary guy tries to get back home from a parallel universe in this oddball fantasy mixing elements of fairy tales and video games.
• "Eyes That Kiss in the Corners," by Joanna Ho. This bestselling children's picture book is about learning to celebrate one's Asian heritage. 
• "Milo Imagines the World," by Matt de la Pena. This poignant, timeless children's picture book is about how you can't really know anyone just by looking at them.

Popahallics #61 Playlist
Cool yule music from Ella Fitzgerald, Kay Starr, Louis Armstrong, Straight No Chaser, and more, including a few holiday tunes you've likely never heard before. Listen.