PopaHALLics

"Get Back"
All you need is ... 8 hours to tell the story of the Beatles' recording sessions for the album "Let It Be" and their famous rooftop concert, the last time they played in public together. Steve says Peter Jackson's documentary on Disney + is a shade too long but it's thrilling to see the Beatles create songs that are now part of our pop DNA. Dad and daughter also discuss:

Streaming

• "The Wheel of Time," Amazon Prime. Jeff Bezos tries to find the next "Game of Thrones" fantasy epic in Robert Jordan's much-loved series of books.
• "tick ... tick ... BOOM!," Netflix. Lin-Manuel Miranda directed this a musical biopic about playwright Jonathan Larson, who would create "Rent." Andrew Garfield stars.
• "The Harder They Fall," Netflix. All the principal characters are black in this stylish, violent revisionist Western with a fantastic cast.
• "Hawkeye," Disney +. The archer (Jeremy Renner) from the Avengers reluctantly gets a young partner (Hailee Steinfeld) in this new miniseries.

Books

• "The Song of Achilles," Madeline Miller.
• "The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music," Dave Grohl.
• "The Book of Magic," Alice Hoffman.

Popahallics #60 Playlist
Why "let it be" when you can have a playlist chock full of musical greatness! Our latest features the Beatles, Nirvana, Foo Fighters, and numbers from the "tick ... tick ... BOOM!" soundtrack. Listen.

I'm Putting You on (Red) Notice
Dad and daughter beg to differ on "Red Notice," Netflix's most expensive production to date ($200 million). Kate thinks the action comedy starring Dwayne Johnson, Gail Gadot, and Ryan Reynolds is a waste of time. Steve thinks it's an entertaining action movie with memorable one-liners from Reynolds. Who's right? Listen in!  We also discuss:

Theaters/Streaming:

• "Belfast," Sir Kenneth Branagh's intimate crowd-pleasing movie  about being a young boy in a gritty Northern Ireland neighborhood when the "Troubles" begin. Music by Van Morrison.
• "Cruella," with Emma Stone and Emma Thompson in the origin story of a villainess only interested in making a fur coat from "101 Dalmations." 
• "All Too Well," a short film written and directed by Taylor Swift based on her song about her relationship with actor Jake Gyllenhaal.

Books:

• "Cloud Cuckoo Land," by Anthony Doerr. The latest book from the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist ("All the Light We Cannot See") is a soaring story about children  in worlds in peril, who find resilience, hope—and a book. 
• "The Lewis Man," by Peter May.  In this crime thriller, a body is found in the peat bogs on the storm-tossed Isle of Lewis off the coast of Scotland. An elderly man with dementia may have the only clues to the identity of the corpse ... and his killer.

Popahallics #58 Playlist
Why listen to mere mortals when you can hear bigger-than-life personalities like '"Van the Man," Taylor Swift, Ike and Tina Turner, and, yes, Cruella DeVille? Go big with this episode's playlist. Listen.

On Books, on "Dune, " on Uncle Buck and Marcella!
 After a few weeks apart, the Halls reunite to talk books, TV series, and the new movie "Dune." And being us, we manage to squeeze in all sorts of intriguing tidbits, from the inspiration for the movie "Home Alone" to the fact we're "famous by proxy." We discuss:

Books:

• "Ghosts of New York," by Jim Lewis.  A novel that suspends the laws of time and space follows four characters in the Big Apple.
• "The Silver Arrow," by Lev Grossman. The author of the adult-themed "Magicians" series writes a fun children's yarn involving a magical train and saving the world.
• "How Music Works," by David Byrne. The Talking Heads frontman explains how the making of music stems from context (time, place, the technology available) and looks at his own musical history. Highly recommended.
• "A Mind Spread Out on the Ground," by Alicia Elliott. This raw memoir explores the ongoing effects of personal, intergenerational, and colonial traumas on Native people.

Streaming/Theaters:

• "Dune": Denis Villeneuve ("Blade Runner 2049," "Arrival") directs an engrossing, visually stunning adaptation of Frank Herbert's complex 1965 sci-fi novel of otherworldly adventure, political intrigue, and giant sandworms.
• "Marcella",  a Netflix drama with a London detective (Anna Friel) coping with marital woes, her struggles as a mom, and a tragic loss—while she excels at catching killers.
• "Uncle Buck," a lesser but still enjoyable John Hughes movie with John Candy as a bachelor slob babysitting his brother's kids in suburban Chicago, to their chagrin.
• "In the Dark": The third season finds our hot mess blind girl (Perry Mattfield) and her friends on the lam while searching for her abducted pal Jess. And having lots of sex.

Emma, Billy Bob, and "Night Teeth"
In another free-wheeling feisty episode, Steve and Kate share their thoughts on:

Streaming

• "Emma," an enjoyable 2020 Jane Austen adaptation starring Anya Taylor-Joy ("The Queen's Gambit") 
• "Destination Wedding" (2018), a love-or-hate-it rom-com with Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves as two misanthropes thrown together at a wedding
• "Night Teeth" (2021), a so-so horror/action/comedy thriller with a young chauffeur caught up in vampire wars in L.A.
• "Friday Night Lights," the much-loved TV series with Kyle Chandler as a high school football coach in Texas

Books

• "The Billy Bob Tapes: A Cave Full of Ghosts," a fun book in which Kinky Friedman recorded his friend Billy Bob Thornton telling stories about his  childhood in Arkansas, playing music, his movie career, and his weird phobias (Komodo dragons?!)

Popahallics #57 Playlist
On the show we discuss how actors Keanu Reeves, Billy Bob Thornton, and Ryan Gosling all have/had bands. This playlist features some of their tunes.  Listen.

PopaHALLics #56 Straight from the Heart-Land
Steve reports on offerings from the Heartland International Film Festival, which invites filmmakers and audiences to experience the transformative power of film. The festival turned 30 this year, showcasing films and documentaries that will be coming to streaming services and theaters near you. Steve reviews:

• "American-ish," a dramedy about three Pakistani-American women navigating career, romance and family issues in NYC
• "It's a Summer Film!", a delightful Japanese movie about why we love movies
• "See You Next Christmas," a holiday party-themed rom-com starring Elizabeth Guest (niece of Christopher Guest and Jamie Lee Curtis)
• "Esluna: The Crown of Babylon," a thrilling Indiana Jones-style animated sci-fi adventure
• "Topowa! Never Give Up," a documentary about the power of music to change lives

But First, Father & Daughter Discuss

• "Black Widow," the Marvel movie that caused Scarlett Johansson to sue Disney
• The Jim Lewis novel "Ghosts of New York" 
• The Tim Powers novel "Expiration Date"

Popahallics #56 Playlist
Get ready for Halloween with a playlist featuring fun spooky songs off the beaten track, monster-themed surf rock, and one beautiful song ("Goodnight") that seriously creeps us out. Listen.

Our Original Music
Mike Bode composed our "Poppin' Rocks" theme, our bumper music, and our current (and increasingly favorite) outro, "Ducks in a Row." Thank you, Michael! 

Women Rock!
What's the unofficial theme running through this show? Strong women, from the female assassins of "Gunpowder Milkshake" to real-life punk rock designer Vivienne Westwood to the rocking sisters of Larkin Poe.  We discuss:

Streaming:

• "Gunpowder Milkshake," with Karen Gillan, Lena Headey, Carla Gugino and more as women you don't want to make mad
• "Official Secrets," with Keira Knightley as real-life whistleblower Katharine Gun, who leaked a memo exposing an illegal spying operation by American and British intelligence services 
• "Midnight Mass," with Kate Siegel among those dealing with miracles and monsters on a remote island community
• "Westwood: Punk. Icon. Activist," a documentary about Westwood's colorful life

Music:

• Larkin Poe, a blues rock group led by sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell 
• Tyler Bryant, Rebecca's husband who rocks solo or with the Shakedown

Popahallics #55 Playlist
Women rule our playlist— Larkin Poe, Kelly Clarkson, Gloria Gaynor, and more. But Tyler Bryant managed to sneak onto it. Listen. 

Pop Catch-Up!
We play catch-up on the pop culture we consumed while apart, including:

Streaming

• "The Chair," a university drama with Sandra Oh as a department's beleaguered chair
• "Kate," an action thriller with assassin Mary Elizabeth Winstead searching for the people who poisoned her
• "The Lovebirds," a rom-com with Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani as a couple trying to solve a murder as their relationship falls apart
• "The Defeated," a series with Chicago cop Taylor Kitsch searching post-WWII Berlin for his schizophrenic brother while helping a German policewoman fight violent crime
• "Audrey," a documentary about the film star Audrey Hepburn
• "Into the Night" (season 2), with  a handful of people struggling to survive the sun's deadly gamma rays ... and each other

Novels

• "The Rose Code," by Kate Quinn
• "Once Upon a River," by Diane Setterfield
• "The Elfstones of Shannara," Terry Brooks

Dressed to Win!
Who looked great at the Emmys and Met Gala, such as Michaela Coel ("I May Destroy You")—and who should have stayed at home? We have lively opinions—Kate's informed by fashion sense, Steve's not so much. 

We also have fun talking about:

• "Only Murders in the Building," a Hulu comedy/drama with Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez trying to solve a murder in their NYC apartment building
• Whether Kacey Musgraves  ("the country Cher," Kate says) will finally break through with her new break-up-themed album "Star-Crossed"
• Steve's take on Lorde's new release "Solar Power," which her fans find so-so
• And the Cleverlys' comic bluegrass-themed approach to contemporary hits like "No Diggity" and "Milkshake"

Popahallics #53 Playlist
This mellow country and folky playlist features Kacey Musgraves, Lorde, Brandi Carlile, the Secret Sisters, and Steve Martin and Edie Brickell. The lively, wacky exceptions to the mellow are Martin's "King Tut" and those Cleverlys, having way more fun than a body has a right to. Listen here. 

"Stump the Halls!"
To celebrate a year's worth of shows, we play "Stump the Halls!" Listeners quiz us about some of their favorite pop culture offerings. (Sample: What is John Wayne's last line as Rooster Cogburn in the original "True Grit"?) We find the trivia questions sometimes easy, sometimes tough ... can YOU answer them? Play along with "Stump the Halls!"

Popahallics #52 Playlist
In recognition of the "question-ing" nature of this week's episode, our playlist contains songs with question titles as well as music from the pop culture our listeners talk about. Listen here.

Win a PopaHALLics Notebook
These sleek, very limited-edition notebooks with our logo have room to take notes on your favorite pop culture (or anything else) and doodle too. There are five, count 'em, five in existence. We will put you in the drawing to win one if you a) email 10 of your closest friends who might like our show and b) copy us on the email. Spread the word about PopaHALLics!

"A Lotta Pop!"
Steve and Kate hit the pop culture supermarket and emerge with several carts crammed to the top with offerings and opinions. We discuss everything from a Netflix documentary about a woman raised by wolves (!) to what made Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts so great to whether the Baroness in "The Sound of Music" was a Nazi.

Streaming

• "Modern Love," an anthology series inspired by the New York Times feature.
• "Misha and the Wolves," a documentary that investigates a woman's claims to having survived the Holocaust by living with wolves.

Music

• Lorde's new album "Solar Power," a departure from her earlier work.
• Elton John's classic "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" album, which showcases great tunes and the best band he ever had.
• Our losses of rock legends Watts and ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill.

Novels

• "The Sanatorium," a 2021 thriller about murders at a former sanatorium turned luxury hotel in the Alps. Reese's Book Club pick.
• "The Shrinking Man," a 1969 novel by the great sci-fi/horror writer Richard Matheson.
• "Once Upon a River," with a greviously wounded stranger showing up at ancient inn on the Thames with a dead girl in his arms. Or is she?
• "The Girls," Emma Cline's story of a young woman sucked into a Manson-like cult. 

Popahallics #51 Playlist
Lorde, Elton John, the Stones, ZZ Top ... we feel like royals! Listen here.