PopaHALLics

Popa HALLics #90 "From Dickens to Dictators"
Just in time for the holidays comes a new high-spirited, self-aware musical  that reimagines Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" from the ghosts' perspective.  Meanwhile,  Kate is fascinated by a podcast that explores the origin stories of "the worst humans in history." First up: Hitler.

Steaming:

• "Spirited," Apple TV +. Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds sing and even tapdance as the Ghost of Christmas Present (Ferrell ) tries to convince an "unredeemable" PR sleazeball (Reynolds) to change his ways. With Octavia Spencer.
• "The Crown," Netflix. Season 5 finds the royal family struggling to show their relevance in the 1990s, as Prince Charles and Princess Diana spar in the media.  Imelda Staunton now plays Queen Elizabeth, Elizabeth Debicki is Princess Di, and Dominic West is Charles. 
• "Andor," Disney +.  The most grown-up, complex, nuanced "Star Wars" offering yet traces how a roguish thief (Diego Luna) eventually becomes a hero willing to lay his life on the line for the Rebellion. 
• "House of The Dragon," HBO Max. This worthy prequel to "Game of Thrones"  features intrigue, sex, and dragons during the reign of  House Targaryen.

Podcast:

• "Behind the Bastards." This podcast delves into the bizarre  stories of history's greatest real-life villains, from Hitler forming his monstrous ideology from young adult novels to Saddam Hussein's side gig as a trashy romance novelist. 

Books::

• "The Death of Jane Lawrence," by Caitlin Starling.  In this acclaimed Gothic horror novel, a young woman's marriage of convenience turns creepy when her new husband forbids her to visit his family estate—and she does.
• "Jade City," by Fonda Lee. This clever mix of "Godfather"-style gang intrigue and fantasy finds clans in an Asian-like nation struggling for power. Contact with jade makes them faster, stronger, more alert—but can also drive them crazy.
• "Sleeping Beauties," by Stephen and Owen King. This page turner asks the question: What would happen to the world if women disappeared from it?  Women begin falling asleep, a weird cocoon covering their heads, and not waking up.  The men left alone turn to violence. ...

Music:
The "Spirited" soundtrack got us thinking about all the other holiday musicals we love. Popahallics #90 Playlist contains gems from "A Muppet Christmas Carol," "Elf," "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer," and more—including "Spirited." Listen to it here. 

PopaHALLics #89 "Cool Yule""
Get your jingle on! For 16 years, Mike Bode and his wife Mary Kay have made "Cool Yule" collections of holiday music that they give to family and friends. This episode is a "re-podcast" of a broadcast on Toledo's Owens Community College Radio, where Mike—who writes and performs our PopaHALLics music—and Steve talk about their "Cool Yule" favorites. Consider it a mistletoe mixtape!

Listen to the Music
You can find the "Cool Yule" playlist  here. Or check out these videos of the songs:

• Brian Culbertson, "Jingle Bells" 
• Eddie Higgins, "Santa Claus is Coming to Town"
• Ilana Waldston, "Hanukah in Santa Monica"
• Dominic Bali, "Christmas in Cali"
• Mary J. Bilge, "Christmas in the City"
• Keb Mo, "Jingle Bell Jamboree" 
• Leon Redbone, "Blue Christmas"
• Straight No Chaser, "Nutcracker"
• Dropkick Murphys, "The Season's Upon Us"
• Die Roten Rosen, "Auld Lang Syne" 

PopaHALLics #88 "The Game is Afoot!"
It's elementary, my dear listener. Steve and Kate have fun discussing "Enola Holmes 2," about Sherlock's younger sister on the trail of a missing match girl. We also talk murder—both real (at Harvard, no less) and fictional (a coworker coverup in Japan)—and explore the curious case of a schlocky zombie movie that isn't what it seems. This  mystery is worthy of Baker Street!

Streaming:

• "Enola Holmes 2," Netflix. Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven on "Stranger Things") returns as an aspiring detective hoping to break out of the shadow of her famous brother. She talks directly to the camera as she gets into one hair-raising scrape after another. Big fun. With Helena Bonham Carter and Henry Cavill. 
• "One Cut of the Dead," Shudder and rental. This clever, hilarious Japanese zombie comedy written and directed by Shin'ichirō Ueda features a play within a play. We first see what appears to be a short, cheap zombie movie shot in one continuous take about a filmmaking crew attacked by real zombies. But then the camera pulls back to show us what's going on behind the scenes of the movie about the movie. In Japanese with English subtitles.
• "The School for Good and Evil," Netflix. In a movie based on a bestselling book series, best friends Sophie and Agatha find themselves on opposing sides when they join an enchanted school for aspiring heroes and villains.

Books:

• "Out," by Natsuo Kirino. This 1997 Japanese crime novel won Best Novel from the Mystery Writers of Japan. When a female factory worker murders her husband, her three coworkers try to help her get away with it. That sets off a deadly cat and mouse game with the police and a local gangster, as well as simmering tensions within the group.
• "We Keep the Dead Close: a Murder at Harvard and a Half Century of Silence," by Becky Cooper. In this critically acclaimed true crime narrative, a reporter sets out to find out the truth about the 1969 bludgeoning death of 23-year-old graduate student Jane Britton. The rumors were that  she had an affair with her professor, who murdered her when she threatened to go public ...
• "I'm Glad My Mom Died," by Jennette McCurdy.  in this fast read of a memoir, the former "iCarly" actress explores her complicated relationship with her show business-oriented mother.
• "The Final Girl Support Group," by Grady Hendrix. This sly horror novel asks the question: In slasher movies, the final girls are the ones left standing when the credits roll. They made it through the worst night of their lives…but what happens after?
  
  

Two Heartland Movies Coming to Theaters:
Previous episodes talked about two new movies at the Heartland Film Festival in Indianapolis: "The Whale,"  with Brendan Fraser's comeback as a 600-lb. college professor seeking to reconcile with his daughter (Sadie Sink), and "Corsage," a lush reimagining of one year in the life of the tragic Austrian Empress Elisabeth (Vicky Kreps).  The New York Times, says "The Whale" will debut in theaters on Dec. 9 and "Corsage" on Dec. 23. 

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

PopaHALLics #87 "Medieval Love - Modern Style"
Kate reviews two 2022 movies that tackle medieval love with modern sensibilities. In "Catherine, Called Birdy," the independent daughter of a financially destitute lord resists his attempts to marry her off. Meanwhile, "Rosaline" is a comic retelling of "Romeo and Juliet" from the viewpoint of Romeo's ex.  Steve reviews notable horror novels, causing dad and daughter to debate what's scarier: Horror or True Crime.

Streaming:

• "Catherine, Called Birdy," Prime. Writer/director Lena Dunham ("Girls") turns Karen Cushman's beloved children's novel into a medieval comedy  with Bella Ramsey in the title role. 
• "Rosaline," Hulu. In this romantic comedy directed by Karen Maine ("Yes, God, Yes"), the woman Romeo first claimed to love (Kaitlyn Dever) wrestles with her complicated feelings about him falling for her cousin, Juliet.

Coming to Theaters:

• "The Road Dance." In this powerful period drama set in Scotland's remote Outer Hebrides, a. young woman (Hermione Corfield) experiences a life-altering event just as her paramour goes off to fight in World War I.
• "Roise & Frank." In this sweet, heartfelt dramedy in Gaelic with subtitles, a widow who has given up on life becomes convinced that a stray dog is the reincarnation of her husband.

Books:

• "The Only Good Indians," by Stephen Graham Jones. In this dark horror novel "of revenge, cultural identity, and the cost of breaking from tradition" (GoodReads), a disturbing youthful mistake comes back to haunt—literally—four Blackfeet men.
• "Hell House," by Richard Matheson. Stephen King has called this classic from the "I Am Legend" author "the scariest haunted house novel ever written." Four researchers spend a week in a notorious house. It doesn't go well. 

Music:
Kate discovered Khruangbin, a trio whose music can be described as "vibe-y." Curious? Try our Popahallics #87 Playlist!

PopaHALLics #86 It Ain't Over Til the Fat Man Eats
In this weighty episode, Steve reviews Brendan Fraser's comeback role as a 600-lb. college professor, while Kate talks about modern dating in connection with a "comedy philosophy book." Also reviewed: "Corsage "and "Sins of Our Mother."

Coming to Theaters:

• "The Whale." In this drama drawn from a play, Fraser ("The Mummy") plays Charlie, who seeks to reconcile with his estranged daughter (Sadie Sink, "Stranger Things"). Their performances are powerful. The movie, on the other hand ... 
• "Corsage." In this vivid reimagining of a year in her life, Austrian Empress Elisabeth (Vicky Krieps) rebels against the role society—and history—has given her. "Corsage" recently won the top prize at the London Film Festival.

Streaming:

• "Sins of Our Mother, Netflix." Kate found this true-crime series about a woman who killed several people—including her children—a disturbing cautionary tale.

Books:

• "How to Date Men When You Hate Men," by Blythe Roberson. In a  humorous, "you're not alone" way, the New Yorker and Onion writer explores modern dating.

Music:
When Kate was growing up, Steve was often playing the music of his favorite cult band, Southern Culture on the Skids. Dad and daughter just went to a SCOTS show together! Check out their music, as well as some tasty surf rock, on this playlist!

PopaHALLics #85 "Witchy Women"
The witch, the witch, the witch is back! Namely, the Sanderson sisters, played by Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy in "Hocus Pocus 2." This sequel to the beloved holiday fave comes along 29 years later. The magic continues with the novels "The Witch's Daughter" and "The Good House," with voodoo at work. Ooooh!

Streaming:

• "Hocus Pocus 2," Disney +. Nostalgia for the original movie will likely make you forgive the flaws of the sequel, with the Sandersons back to terrorize Salem, Massachusetts.
• "The Outfit," various streaming. A tailor played by Academy Award winner Mark Rylance must use his wits to survive a tense night with gangsters in this thriller.
• "The Empress," Netflix. This German production focuses on the tragic empress of Austria. Kate: "Beautiful to look at ... not historically accurate at all."

Books:

• "The Witch's Daughter," by Paula Brackston. In this novel, a woman makes a bargain that helps her unleash her magical powers but finds her pursued for centuries.
• "The Good House," by Tananarive Due.  A black family pays a price for invoking the powers of voodoo in this acclaimed horror and humanistic novel.

Music:
The "Hocus Pocus 2" soundtrack has some fun tunes from the likes of B-52s and Rockwell. We took the best of those and added a few of our own for the spooky Popahallics #85 Playlist. Enjoy it here!

PopaHALLics #84 "Revenge, Lies, & Tammy Faye's Eyes"
Being wronged and doing wrong. We look at several movies ("Do Revenge," The Eyes of Tammy Faye") and a TV series ("Tell Me Lies") that do wrong right. We also talk books: The "Game of Thrones" mastermind does vampires on the Mississippi, and the Inspector Jury cozy mysteries investigate murders in quaint English villages.

Streaming

• "Do Revenge," Netflix. This dark, stylish teen comedy mashes "Clueless" and Hitchcock's "Strangers on a Train." Two teenagers (Camilla Mendes and Maya Hawke) at an elite Miami high school plot to bring down each other's enemies.
• "Tell Me Lies," Hulu. Based on the novel of the same name, this series "follows a tumultuous but intoxicating relationship" between a young woman (Grace Van Patten) and a man (Jack White, the actor, not the musician) good at being charming.
• "The Eyes of Tammy Faye," Hulu. Jessica Chastain, in over-the-top makeup, plays televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker in this sympathetic biopic.

Books:

• "Fevre Dream," by George R.R. Martin. The "Game of Thrones" creator mixes horror and history in a vampire novel set on a sidewheeler on the Mississippi River in 1857.
• Inspector Jury Mysteries by Martha Grimes. This British mystery series features an unlucky-in-love Scotland Yard inspector and his acerbic upper-crust friend investigating killings.
• "The Witch's Daughter," by Paula Brackston.  A young woman must confront the evil that has haunted her for centuries. 

PopaHALLics #83 "Expensive, My Precious"
With a $1 BILLION commitment over five years, Amazon Prime's "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" would be the most expensive TV series ever made. Steve talks about what Jeff Bezos is getting for his money. We also discuss:

Streaming

• "Bad Sisters," Apple TV+. In this Irish dark comedy thriller, a group of  women (Sharon Horgan, Eve Hewson, Eva Birthistle and Sarah Greene) are suspected of murdering a despicable man.  Twisty and funny.
• "Extraordinary Attorney Woo," Netflix. In this charming Korean drama, an autistic attorney is brilliant at the law and struggles with everything else. Don't ask her about whales!
• "Prey," Hulu. This prequel to the "Predator" movies is easily the best in the series since the original. A young Comanche woman (Amber Midthunder) must protect her people from an alien hunter with super-cool weapons and the ability to make himself invisible.
• "An Everlasting Piece," rental. In this funny 2000 comedy set in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, two barbers—one Protestant, one Catholic—set out to win the monopoly on hairpieces in the country. Directed by Barry Levinson ("Rain Man"). 

Books

• "Cult Classic," by Sloane Crosley. Kate liked this novel a lot. Amazon says: "a masterfully crafted tale of love, memory, morality, and mind control."

Music
Preparing for a concert by ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro,  Steve listens to a lot of uke covers. Kate's  listening to '70s acoustic classics. We mash them together on this fun playlist! 

PopaHALLiics #82 "Do the Hulu"
Kate and Steve reunite to talk pop culture, only to discover they've both been streaming mostly Hulu offerings. If you like comedic murder mysteries, thrilling and sometimes thoughtful space adventures, and feisty princesses, you should do the Hulu too.

Streaming:

• "Thirteen Lives," Amazon Prime. Ron Howard directs and Viggo Mortensen and Colin Farrell star in a gripping true-life story about the rescue of a Thai soccer team from a flooded cave.
• "Only Murders in the Building," Hulu. New season, new murder for intrepid podcasters Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez to solve. Kate says season 2 follows the same formula as the first, but the show's still enjoyable and satisfying. 
• "The Orville," Hulu and Disney +. Seth Macfarlane's "Star Trek" tribute/parody has evolved from a jokey mess into some of TV's best sci-fi.
• "The Princess," Hulu. "Sleeping Beauty"? No! In this movie, Joey King stars as a sword-y beauty—also a punchy, kicky one—who must save her family and the kingdom from a sociopath (Dominic Cooper) who has seized control of the castle.

Books:

• "Tell Me Lies," by Carola Lovering. This sexy,  thrilling novel is about the one that got away. It' will soon debut as a TV series on—wait for it—Hulu.

Music:

• "Renaissance," Beyonce. The pop star's seventh solo album finds "escape, rebirth, community, pleasure and control in decades of dance music," as The New York Times puts it.  Kate's amazed at how seamless the release is. Give it a listen here. 

PopaHALLics #81: "Our POP History"
Dad and daughter hop from pop topic to pop topic. "Crying in H Mart," a memoir by Michelle Zauner (in photo ) about how food ties us to those who have passed, prompts Kate to talk about food in connection with her mom's illness and death from cancer.  Meanwhile, Steve makes his life musical with a series of concerts and long drives enjoyable by listening to the myth-busting podcast "Our Fake History."

Streaming:

• "The Gray Man," Netflix. Ryan Gosling stars in a thriller with beautifully choreographed action scenes. And Kate still has no clue what he was trying to stop.
• "Free Guy," Disney +. Bank teller Ryan Reynolds discovers he's a background character in a video game—and decides to become its hero. Jodie Comer ("Killing Eve") also stars in this comedy thriller.

Books:

• "Crying in H Mart," by Michelle Zauner. Zauner, leader of the indie rock band Japanese Breakfast, writes about navigating her life before and after her mother's death from cancer, and the role food played in their relationship.
• "Panpocalypse,"  by Carly Moore. During the coronavirus pandemic, a queer disabled woman bikes through a locked-down NYC for the ex-girlfriend who broke her heart.

Music:
Our Popahallics #81 Playlist has music by everyone we talk about: Buddy Guy, John Hiatt, Lake Street Dive, the Brook and the Bluff, and yes, Japanese Breakfast too. LIsten to it here.