PopaHALLics

PopaHALLics 140 "Pop Go the Clues"

It's no mystery why we love TV's "The Residence" and the book "The Last"—they're both murder mysteries, albeit very different ones (a comedy and a dystopian thriller). And does Seth Rogen have a clue about being a Hollywood executive in "The Studio"? Stay tuned!

Streaming:

• "The Residence," Netflix. A brilliant, eccentric, no-nonsense detective (Uzo Adoba) investigates a murder in the White House residence during a State dinner in this comedy from Shondaland Productions. With Giancarlo Esposito, Bronson Pinchot, Al Franken, Jane Curtin, and more.
• "The Studio," Apple +. A new studio head (Seth Rogen) tries to juggle his desire to make great movies with his boss' desire for big box office. A Kool-Aid movie, anyone? With Catherine O'Hara, Kathryn Hahn, Bryan Cranston, and such real-life Hollywooders as Martin Scorsese playing themselves.

Books:

• "Everything I Know About Love," by Dolly Alderton. In a funny, sometimes heartbreaking memoir, a British journalist and podcast host reflects on the trials and tribulations of becoming an adult.
• "The Last," by Hanna Jameson. Imagine an Agatha Christie novel written by Stephen King. This dark, chilling, highly original novel finds a historian trying to solve a murder at an isolated Swiss hotel after the end of the world.
• "A Hound Dog Tale: Big Mama, Elvis and the Song That Changed Everything," by Ben Wynne. This nonfiction book traces the unusual development of the song "Hound Dog"—written by two Jewish teenagers, popularized by a black woman with a large frame and a booming voice, parodied by a Las Vegas lounge act—and then taken to new heights of popularity by Elvis Presley. 

Podcasts:

• "Miss Me?" from BBC Audio. Join pop star Lily Allen and Miquita Oliver, her friend since childhood, for a twice-weekly podcast. On Mondays they answer questions on a theme: celebrity weddings, lies, orgasms, etc. On Thursdays, they pick apart everything from intimacy to interiors.

Music:

Because of our discussion of the book "A Hound Dog Tale," PopaHALLics #140 Playlist (Hound Dog) features various versions of that song, more Big Mama songs, and some classics from "Hound Dog" writers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.

Click through the links above to watch, read, and listen to what we're discussing.

PopaHALLics #139 "Deception"
The truth is, er, fluid in the pop culture discussed in this episode, from a married spy trying to determine if his spouse is doing wrong, to an Australian pretending to have a fatal disease for profit and influence, to a supervillain seemingly going straight who might still be very bent. 

In Theaters:

• "Black Bag." In this spy thriller directed by Steven Soderbergh, a legendary intelligence agent (Michael Fassbender) must determine if his wife/fellow spy (Cate Blanchett) has committed treason—and whether his loyalty is to his marriage or his country.

Streaming:

• "Apple Cider Vinegar," Netflix. In this limited series based on true events, two young women (Kaitlyn Dever and  Alycia Debnam-Carey) set out to cure their life-threatening illnesses through health and wellness, influencing their global online community along the way. Unfortunately, they aren't really ill. 
• "Daredevil: Born Again," Disney +. Marvel's blind superhero returns, sort of. After a disturbing event, attorney Matt Murdoch (Charlie Cox) hangs up his Daredevil suit. But wait—does his nemesis Kingpin/Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) have an ulterior motive in running for mayor of New York?

Books:

• "Say No to the Devil: The Life and Musical Genius of Rev. Gary Davis," by Ian Zack. Davis, a blind street preacher and amazingly talented guitarist, is not as well-known today as contemporaries like Son House and Lightning Hopkins. Yet, as this 2016 biography explains, Davis had an outsized influence on music because of his many guitar students and admirers, who include Bob Dylan, Stefan Grossman, Eric Clapton, Hot Tuna, and more. 
• "The Blackbird Oracle," by Deborah Harkness. In the fifth installment in the bestselling All Souls series, witch/Oxford scholar Diana and vampire geneticist Matthew seek to avoid the testing of their twins' magical skills. Attempting to forge a new future for her family, Diana must face "a confrontation with her family’s dark past and a reckoning for her own desire for even greater power."

Music:

On PopaHALLics #139 Playlist (Rev. Gary Davis), experience the music of the blind guitarist/street preacher (see "Say No to the Devil" above) as interpreted by Jackson Browne, the Rolling Stones, the Grateful Dead, Mavis Staples, and more, as well as Davis himself. We've also added a few tunes by Kate's new discovery, the 1960s/70s French rock band Les Variations.

Click through the links above to watch, read, and listen to what we're discussing.

PopaHALLics #138 "I'm Still Standing"

As the Who said: "People try to put us d-down" ... whether the "us" is Elton John, British gangsters, or a smartypants movie critic. But guess what: We're still standing, yeah, yeah, yeah!

Streaming:

• "Elton John: Never Too Late," Disney +. As his final American concert approaches at Dodger Stadium, Elton John looks back at his meteoric rise to success in the 1970s and his 50-year career in this warts-and-all documentary.
• "A Thousand Blows," Hulu. Two best friends from Jamaica (Malachi Kirby and Francis Lovehall) fight for survival in the melting pot of Victorian London. This crime drama series comes from the creator of "Peaky Blinders." 
• "Freud's Last Session," Netflix. On the eve of World War II, Sigmund Freud (Anthony Hopkins) and C.S. Lewis (Matthew Goode) have a charged conversation about family, love and God. Based on a stage play.

Books:

• The David Blake crime fiction series, by Howard Linskey. Blake, a smooth, intelligent white-collar criminal working for a British gangster, tells himself he's not really a bad guy. Until he is. Gripping crime fiction.
• "Movie Freak: My Life Watching Movies," by Owen Gleiberman. The longtime movie critic for Entertainment Weekly explores the movies that shaped him and the ups and downs of his personal and professional lives.
• "Blood in the Tracks: The Minnesota Musicians Behind Dylan's Masterpiece," by Paul Metsa and Rick Shefchik. Dissatisfied with the New York session recordings of five songs on his "Blood on the Tracks" album, Bob Dylan went back to Minnesota to have local musicians re-record them.
• "I'm Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself: One Woman's Pursuit of Pleasure in Paris," by Glynnis MacNicol. After a hermit-like existence in NYC during the pandemic, MacNicol journeys to Paris for friendship, sex, food, sex, etc.

Music:

Our PopaHALLics #138 Playlist includes Elton John, Bob Dylan's "Blood on the Tracks" songs recorded in Minnesota, and "Vegetable Soul," catchy, soulful songs about produce by Louie Zong.

"PopaHALLics #137 "Ch-ch-ch-changes"

Bridget Jones is dating again ... A new Captain America faces off against Red Hulk ... The sixth wife of Henry VIII tries to say alive ... and a cat faces off against a massive flood. Oh, and did we mention Kate's grandmother caused a fire at IU?

Theaters:

• "Captain America: Brave New World." The new Cap, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), takes up the shield just in time to get involved in an international incident. And the new president (Harrison Ford) is hulky and seeing red.

Streaming:

• "Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy," Peacock. Renee Zellweger returns as the foulmouthed diarist, now a widow nervously reentering the dating world. With Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Emma Thompson.
• "Widow Clicquot," Netflix. The film traces the true story of Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin Clicquot, the businesswoman who started the Veuve Clicquot champagne dynasty in France in the 1700s. 
• "Back in Action," Netflix. In this comic action thriller, CIA operatives Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx fake their deaths to start a family. Then the bad guys find out where they are. With Glenn Close, Kyle Chandler, and Andrew Scott.
• "Firebrand," Hulu. Alicia Vikander plays Katherine Parr, the sixth wife of Henry VIII (Jude Law), in this historical drama. When the king returns, ill and paranoid from warfare in France, his advisers try to turn him against her.
• "Flow," Hulu. In this Golden Globe-winning animated Latvian film with no human characters or dialogue, a cat, a dog, and other creatures try to survive a great flood. Beautiful visuals and amazing animation.
• "Say Nothing," Hulu. This limited series follows people growing up in Belfast during the Troubles, their involvement with the IRA, and the murder of Jean McConville. Starring Lola Pettigrew, Hazel Doupe, and Anthony Boyle.

Books:

• "The Book of Love," by Kelly Link. Three teenagers return from the dead to find themselves pawns in a supernatural power struggle in this acclaimed novel by Pulitzer Prize nominee Link.
• "Sick on You: The Disastrous Story of the Hollywood Bratz, the Greatest Band You've Never Heard Of," by Andrew Matheson. This pre-punk band of bad boys from London influenced the Sex Pistols and the Clash, among others. Matheson, their singer, traces their rise and fall in a memoir that's funny and entertaining even as they never quite make it. 

PopaHALLics #136 "Like a Rolling Stone"
How does it feel, to be on your own, a complete unknown, or a Dracula clone? We discuss the new Bob Dylan biopic "A Complete Unknown" as well as the gothic horror film "Nosferatu." Spy Keira Knightley goes after her lover's killer in "Black Doves," and Vince Vaughn investigates a severed arm, not his, in "Bad Monkey."

In Theaters:

• "A Complete Unknown," cowritten and directed by James Mangold. Timothee Chalamet and Edward Norton star in this look at Bob Dylan's early career, from his arrival in NYC tin 1961 to his infamously going electric at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965.
• "Nosferatu," written and directed by Robert Eggers. In this remake of the 1922 film, itself inspired by Bram Stoker's novel "Dracula," the mysterious Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgard) terrorizes a German couple (Lily-Rose Depp and Nicholas Hoult). Willem Dafoe plays a Van Helsing-like character.

Streaming:

• "Black Doves," Netflix. In this British thriller series, the wife (Knightley) of the Secretary of State for Defence learns that her secret identity as a spy is in danger after her lover is killed by London's underworld. An old friend, trigger man Sam (Ben Wishaw), is sent to protect her.
• "Bad Monkey," Apple +. A motormouth, irreverent cop in the Florida Keys (Vaughn) becomes involved in a strange case involving an arm missing its body, unscrupulous developers in the Bahamas, and a beautiful, scary practitioner of Obeah. This black comedy crime drama is based on the novel by Carl Hiaasen.

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

PopaHALLics #135 "We're Cold on These Xmas Songs"
Hey kids! Let's gather around the Christmas tree and play "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer"! What? Matricide doesn't make you merry? Well, OK, how about the Pussycat Dolls' "Santa Baby"? Too bump-and-grindy? Steve and Kate discuss a few Christmas songs that annoy us, and our playlist is full of them. As well as a few we like. Also: Kate's review of "Wicked," our takes on the holiday movies "Hot Frosty" and "Last Christmas," and the TV series "Life After Life."

Theaters:

• "Wicked." British actress Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande star in an adaptation of the hit Broadway show, the sympathetic origin story of the Wicked Witch of the West. With Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldbum, and surprises. As of this writing, the hit movie has made $455.5 million worldwide.

Streaming:

• "Hot Frosty," Netflix. In this 2024 holiday rom-com, a struggling widow (Lacey Chabert) accidentally brings a hunky snowman (Dustin Milligan) to life. Can romance ensue before he melts away? With Craig Robinson, Sherry Miller, and other familiar faces. 
• "Last Christmas," Max and streaming services. Actress Emma Thompson cowrote this 2019 holiday rom-com based on the Wham! song. A struggling singer (Emilia Clarke) begins to see London—and her messy life—in a new light after meeting a mysterious stranger (Henry Golding).
• "Life After Life," Prime. In this BBC Two TV series based on Kate Atkinson's novel, Ursula Todd (Thomasin McKenzie) experiences an endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth in the early part of the 20th Century.

Music:
Get ready for the holiday songs we love to hate! "The Christmas Shoes," Stevie Wonder singing from the perspective of the star atop your Christmas tree, that classic by the Killers "Don't Shoot Me Santa"—and more! We did you a favor and added some we love too. Listen to Popahallics Playlist #135 here.

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

PopaHALLics #134 "Wicked Good"
For our Thanksgiving weekend episode, we talk about the pop culture offerings we're grateful for: the new movie version of "Wicked"; movies about a mother and son's love in "The Blitz" and the quest for the first test tube baby in "Joy"; and more. There's always a turkey—"Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft." Oof!

Theaters:

• "Wicked, Part 1." Director Jon M. Chu ("Crazy Rich Asians") pulls off a Wizard of Oz  and grants us our heart's desire: a fabulous movie adaptation of the hit Broadway musical. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande shine respectively as  Elphaba and Glinda in the origin story of the Wicked Witch of the West.

Streaming:

• "The Blitz," Apple +. In this movie set during WWII, a London munitions worker (Saoirse Ronan) evacuates her 9-year-old son to the countryside to escape the bombings. He tries to get back to her, as she searches for him.
• "Bad Sisters," Apple +. As season 2 begins, the Garvey sisters appear to have gotten away with murder. But a macabre discovery soon has the police sniffing around again and threatening their lives.
• "Joy - The Birth of IVF," Netflix. Based on a true story, this movie follows three pioneering British scientists in the 1960s and '70s as they try to develop in vitro fertilization. Starring Thomasin McKenzie, James Norton, and Bill Nighy.
• "Wolf Like Me," Peacock. In season 2, wererewolf Mary (Isla Fisher) worries if her unborn baby will be wolf or human. And if she gives birth during a full moon, will she eat the baby?
• "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever," Disney +. Based on book six of the popular Wimpy Kid franchise, this animated special follows Greg trying to stay good so he will receive a special video game for Christmas. It's not going well.
• "Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft," Netflix. Hayley Atwell voices a trauma-haunted Lara in this animated adventure.

Books:

• "When Women Were Dragons," by Kelly Barnhill. In an alternate 1950s America, thousands of women have turned into dragons, upending ideas of a woman's place in the world. "A rollicking feminist tale" (Amazon).
• "Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania," by Erik Larson. Larson, a master of historical nonfiction, spins a pager-turner about the British passenger liner and the U-boat commander who sunk her during WWI.

Small Town Shenanigans Podcast
Steve talks about his days as a TV critic and some misadventures growing up in West Virginia on this funny podcast hosted by Montana boys Bill and Brian Burns. You can hear their conversation here.

PopaHALLics #133 "Martha My Dear—NOT!"
A new documentary fails to make Martha Stewart sympathetic, in Kate's view. We also discuss season 2 of "The Diplomat" and "Colin from Accounts," a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, and books about therapy, a cult, and a "normal" serial killer. Yikes.

Streaming:

• "Martha," Netflix. This documentary directed by Jay Cutler traces Martha Stewart's rise from working-class roots to pop culture icon, through interviews and Stewart’s private archives of diaries, letters, and footage.
• "The Diplomat," Netflix. Season 2 follows the personal and professional aftermath of the ship attack and car bombing. Kate (Keri Russell) and Hal (Rufus Sewell) begin to suspect the Brits are after the wrong suspects.
• "Colin from Accounts," Prime and Paramount +.  The delightful Aussie rom-com returns, with Ash (Harriet Dyer) and Gordon (Patrick Brammall) moving in together but uncertain whether they really want a relationship or just a dog.

Books: 

• "Demon Copperhead," by Barbara Kingsolver. This acclaimed novel moves Charles Dickens' "David Copperfield" story to modern Appalachia, casting its eye on the foster system, child labor, the opioid crisis, and other ills.
• "Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed," by Lisa Gottlieb. This "hilarious, thought-provoking" book explores one therapist's search for answers as both clinician and patient when she has a personal crisis. 
• "Normal," by Graeme Cameron. A charming, seemingly ordinary guy happens to be a serial killer who kidnaps young women and holds them captive in a secret basement. As his world threatens to collapse, you may find yourself rooting for him in this darkly funny thriller.
• "Dinner for Vampires: LIfe on a Cult TV Show (While also in an Actual Cult!)," by Bethany Joy Lenz. When the "One Tree Hill" star joined a Bible study group, she had no clue it was associated with a cult.

Music:
We love Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit." Know who else does? Paul Anka ("Put Your Head on My Shoulder," "Having My Baby"). Anka's cover of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" swings, baby! Enjoy.

PopaHALLics #132  "Into the Great Unknown"
Can a rabbi and an agnostic shiksa find true love? Can humans meddle in the affairs of gods? If you could survive the zombie apocalypse, would you want to? Our pop culture offerings delve into these burning questions—and more!

Streaming:

• "Nobody Wants This," Netflix. Sex podcast co-host Joanne (Kristen Bell) and "hot rabbi" Noah (Adam Brody) fall for each other in this charming rom-com. Their families and friends try to keep them apart.
• 'Kaos," Netflix. This British dark comedy reimagines Greek mythology in a contemporary way. Three humans become involved in a power struggle among the corrupt, arrogant gods, played by the likes of Jeff Goldblum, Debi Mazar, Janet McTeer, and David Thewlis.
• "Agatha All Along," Disney +. Kathryn Hahn plays "the Witchkiller," Agatha Harkness, who goes on a quest on "The Witches' Road" to increase her powers. With Patti LuPone and Aubrey Plaza.
• "Shadow in the Cloud," Netflix. Shades of a famous "Twilight Zone" episode! A female WWII pilot (Chloe Grace Moretz) traveling with top-secret documents sees a creature on the wing of a B-17 Flying Fortress. 

Books:

• "From Here to the Great Unknown," by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough. Julia Roberts narrates the autobiography of Elvis' daughter, who died before completing it. It was finished by Lisa Marie's daughter, actress Riley Keough.
• "I Will Do Better," by Charles Bock. In this heartbreaking memoir, a writer and his young daughter struggle to find their way after his wife dies. 
• "Zone One," by Colson Whitehead. This literary zombie novel examines themes of societal priorities, the trivialities of our lives, and gentrification as a 3-person squad rids New York neighborhoods of the undead.

Click through the links to watch and read what we are talking about.

PopaHALLics #131 "Won't You Take Me to, Spooky Town!"
We return from fall break with some super supernatural offerings featuring that demonic scamp Beetlejuice, a new twist on the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, macabre goings-on in the fashion world—and more! 

In Theaters:

• "Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice." Michael Keaton reprises his iconic role in this sequel to the cult classic horror comedy "Beetlejuice" (1988). Catherine O'Hara and Winona Ryder are also back, while new cast members include Jenna Ortega, Willem Dafoe, Justin Theroux, and Monica Bellucci. 

Streaming:

• "Will and Harper," Netflix. Will Ferrell and his longtime buddy, former "SNL" head writer Harper Steele, embark on a cross-country road trip after Harper comes out as a trans woman in this documentary.

Books:

• "Tiny Threads," by Lilliam Rivera. In this "slow-burn novel of supernatural suspense," a young woman's dream of working for a famous designer turns into a nightmare: Seeing strange things, hearing voices at night ... 
• "Horseman: A Tale of Sleepy Hollow," by Christina Henry. Henry has written several books that take classic tales in new directions. Here, non-gender-conforming Ben begins to experience terrifying encounters in the spooky woods featured in Washington Irving's tale of hapless Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman.
• "The Which Way Tree," by Elizabeth Crook. In this acclaimed novel that may remind you of Charles Portis' classic "True Grit," a teen boy in the remote Texas hill country reluctantly helps his obsessed younger stepsister pursue the panther that seriously mauled her and killed her mother.
• "It Had to be You," by Eliza Jane Brazier. In this sexy thriller, two contract killers hook up on a nighttime train from Florence to Paris. They grapple with their attraction to each other in a high-stakes adventure across Western Europe.

Music:
For his latest solo tour, singer/songwriter Martin Sexton is performing the Beatles' 1969 album "Abbey Road" in its entirety, from "Come Together" all the way through the 16-minute medley on side 2. In this clip, he plays "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window." Our latest playlist features Martin's own songs and his "soul-marinated voice" (Rolling Stone).

Click through the links above to watch, read, and listen to what we're talking about.