PopaHALLics

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...

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:

• "K-Pop Demon Hu...

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:

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...

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:

• "The Phoenician Scheme." Writer/director Wes Anderson's latest quirky, deadpan, exquisitely shot dark comedy...

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:

• "Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning." In the eighth film in the fra...

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:

• "The Four Se...

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 ...

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:

• "The Ballad of Walllis Island," written by Tim Key and Tom Basden and directed by James Griffiths. An eccentric lottery ...

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-nonsens...

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...

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 ...

"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...

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...

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. ...

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!

Theater...

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 ...

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) fa...

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&q...