PopaHALLics

PopaHALLics

Dad and daughter dish on popular culture while enjoying a drink! Steve covered TV professionally; Kate is an opinionated consumer of pop culture. They often don't agree. Join the conversation: popahallicspodcast@gmail.com

Episodes

November 13, 2025 12 mins

PopaHALLics #154 "It's Alive!"

In this mini-episode, Steve's solo with his review of Guillermo del Toro's "Frankenstein" and the book "Tonight in Jungleland: The Making of Born to Run," by Peter Ames Carlin. Kate provided rapid-fire reviews of new albums by female artists.

Streaming:

  • "Frankenstein," Netflix. Del Toro's version of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel is visually...
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PopaHALLics #153 "Popping Up Secrets"
Dad and daughter dish on Lily Allen's "divorce album," the new seasons of "Slow Horses" and "The Diplomat," a late-to-the-party discovery of TV's "Interview with a Vampire," a funny, wise novel called "I See That You've Called in Dead"—and more!

Streaming:

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PopaHALLics #152 "Guinness, Ghosts, and Valley Girls"

Dad and daughter dish on "House of Guinness," about a family struggle for control of the brewery; "Presence," a ghost story told from the ghost's POV; variety show host Ed Sullivan and civil rights; and more! Plus the duo likes looking back at "Romy & Michele's High School Reunion." Me too!

Streaming:

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PopaHALLics #151 "Halls on Holiday: The PNW (Part Two)"

Steve's almost month-long "retirementmoon" in the Pacific Northwest continues! In this episode: A whirlwind trip to Canada, Bainbridge Island, and Seattle. The Aquarium, the Space Needle, the Museum of Pop Culture, the Fremont Troll, Jimi Hendrix's grave—and more! Join us.

Some memorable places and experiences:

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September 25, 2025 28 mins

PopaHALLics #150 "Halls on Holiday: The PNW" (part one)

Join us for a special adventure into the Pacific Northwest! Steve celebrates his retirement with a "retirementmoon" - an almost month-long trip in Oregon and Washington State - and Kate joins him in Seattle. In part one, Steve and his wife travel cross-country on the Empire Builder train; explore funky Portland; travel along the scenic Oregon and Washington ...

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September 11, 2025 29 mins

PopaHALLics #149 "Pasta & Politics"

Season 7 kicks off with us digging into two food movies designed to make your mouth water, as well as action thrillers involving getaway drivers and ... politicians?! 

Streaming:

  • "Nonnas," Netflix. A man (Vince Vaughn) risks everything to honor his late mother by opening an Italian restaurant with real grandmothers as the chefs in this 2025 movie. With Susan Sarandon, Lor...
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August 21, 2025 28 mins

PopaHALLics #148 She Pop

Dad and daughter discuss pop culture with strong women, from a K-pop group battling demons with song to the women in a Mafia family to Taylor Swift.

Theaters:

  • "Freakier Friday." In this comedy, Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan from 2003's "Freaky Friday" switch bodies again, this time with daughter and soon-to-be stepdaughter. Hijinks ensue!

Streaming:

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August 7, 2025 29 mins

PopaHALLics #147 "Pop and Politics"

Steve and Kate weigh in on "South Park" taking on Trump; the cancellation of Stephen Colbert's late-night show; and the demise of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Then we talk Lena Dunham's new show; Happy Gilmore—and more! NOTE: Steve's voice is muted in spots due to recording difficulties, not interference by government overlords. We think.

Streaming:

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July 10, 2025 27 mins

PopaHALLics #146 "Bad Boys"

Is it possible for bad men to redeem themselves, as when twin black gangsters face off against white vampires in "Sinners"? What makes a man bad—his personality, upbringing, status in life, as the Bluebeard-themed novel "Sour Cherry" asks? And would it really be so bad to save the family fishing business by running drugs ("The Waterfront")? Find out more on our show...

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PopaHALLics #145 "Schemers & Dreamers"

In this week's offerings: A businessman trying to con investors, improv actors trying to con criminals, a group hoping to draw attention to black string bands, and cops trying to solve murders despite long odds. Will they succeed or fail? 

In Theaters:

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June 5, 2025 32 mins

PopaHALLics #144 "Mission ImPOPible"

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to learn if these pop culture offerings are enjoyable: "Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning." "Thunderbolts." "Fountain of Youth." "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives." "Wolf Man." And more!

In Theaters:

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PopaHALLics #143 "Pop Go the Generations"

Dad and daughter discuss the thrill of introducing your kid to your childhood pop culture faves. Also: Tina Fey does a series remake of an old Alan Alda/Carol Burnett movie. A documentary looks at Anita Pallenberg, "a rock and roll goddess." And Steve examines the making of the classics "Double Indemnity" and "High Noon."

Streaming:

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PopaHALLics #142 "Aren't You Somebody?"

We know the face, but not the name, whether that's members of the Eagles (biography "Life in the Fast Lane") or comedian Martin Short being mistaken for a waiter (memoir "I Must Say"). But being somebody can also apply to coming into your own, whether you're seeking your first orgasm after a terminal diagnosis ("Dying for Sex") or finding ...

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April 17, 2025 28 mins

PopaHALLics #141 "Sing Me a Song"
A folk duo's pricey gig for one rich prerson. A utopian paradise hiding a dark secret. A serial killer tale: Is it real true-crime or made-up horror? And who IS Kate's favorite Mr. Darcy in "Pride & Prejudice"?

Theaters:

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April 3, 2025 29 mins

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:

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March 20, 2025 28 mins

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...
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March 6, 2025 32 mins

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:

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February 20, 2025 27 mins

"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:

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January 9, 2025 28 mins

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 Thea...

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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. ...

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