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 Seasons," Netflix. In this TV series remake of the Alda/Burnett movie, the decades-long friendship of three couples is tested when one divorces, complicating their quarterly weekend getaways. With Fey (co-creator), Steve Carell, Colman Domingo, and Will Forte.
• "Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg,," Hulu. We tend to focus on Pallenberg's involvement with the Rolling Stones, but his documentary based on her unpublished autobiography shows how she was so much more. Scarlett Johanssen narrates.
• "Press Play," Hulu. In this 2022 sci-fi romantic drama, Chloe (Clara Rugaard) uses a mixtape to travel back in time to try to save her true love (Lewis Pullman). Danny Glover plays his boss.
• "Poker Face," Peacock. Charlie (Natasha Lyonne) continues to get into messy scrapes because of her ability to tell if someone's lying. The second season features such guest stars as Cynthia Erivo ("Wicked"), Giancarlo Esposito ("Breaking Bad"), comedian John Mulaney, and Akwafina.

Books:

• "From the Moment They Met, It Was Murder: Double Indemnity and the Rise of Film Noir," by Alain Silver and James Ursini. The behind-the-scenes story of the making of the film noir classic starring Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray and co-written by novelist Raymond Chandler and director Billy Wilder. The book also explores the cultural impact of the film.
• "High Noon: The Hollywood Blacklist and the Making of an American Classic," by Glenn Frankel. Frankel takes us behind the scenes of the making of this classic Western starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly and shows how the movie's themes were shaped by the Hollywood blacklist in the 1950s.
• "Demon Copperhead," by Barbara Kingsolver. An acclaimed retelling of "David Copperfield," set in modern Appalachia.

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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 new purpose in your life in a tiny Arctic village ("North of North"). Welcome to this episode's pop offerings!

Streaming:

• "North of North," Netflix. A goodhearted, if bumbling, Inuk woman (Anna Lambe) tries to reinvent herself in this warm, lighthearted comedy set in a tiny Arctic town. Also starring Maika Harper as her feisty mother and Mary Lynn Rajskub (Chloe on "24") as her boss
• "Dying for Sex," Hulu, FX, Disney +. In this comedy drama based on a real woman's podcast and memoir, Molly (Michelle Williams) is diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer and decides to explore her sexual desires before it's too late. With Jenny Slate, Rob Delaney, Sissy Spacek and Jay Duplass.
• "Small Things Like These," Hulu. A coal merchant (Cillian Murphy) uncovers disturbing secrets about the convent in an Irish village. This 2024 historical drama is adapted from Claire Keegan's novel.

Books:

• "Life in the Fast Lane: The Eagles' Reckless Ride Down the Rock & Roll Highway," by Mick Wall. This no-holds-barred biography written with rock 'n roll attitude traces the rise of one of the best-selling acts of all time. And how money, cocaine, and egos affected their relationships and music.
• "A Thousand Threads," by Neneh Cherry. This joyful autobiography looks at the fascinating life of the Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter. She grew up in a bohemian family in Stockholm, New York, and London. Her own music—a mix of punk funk, hip hop, and UK street soul—helped usher in a new wave of black British club culture.
• "I Must Say: My Life as a Humble Comedy Genius," by Martin Short. This 2014 memoir is funny, heartfelt, and chock full of celebrities (from buddies like Steve Martin to cringey encounters with Sinatra, Hepburn, and Tony Bennett). It's surprisingly poignant, as Short recounts the loss of a beloved brother and his parents by age 20 and his wife Nancy's battle with cancer. The memoir was published seven years before "Only Murders in the Building" would make Short a TV star again.

Music:

PopaHALLics #142 Playlist (Eagles) features the California band's hits as well as music from Neneh Cherry (memoir "A Thousand Threads") and her talented family. It's eclectic—and fun!

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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 winner (Key) recruits his favorite musical duo (Basden and Carey Mulligan) to play a private concert on his remote island home in this British comedy/drama. But old feelings and tensions threaten his dream gig.

Streaming:

• "Paradise," Hulu. In this political thriller set in an underground bunker after a doomsday event, a Secret Service agent (Sterling K. Brown) comes under suspicion of killing the President of the United States (James Marsden)
• "Slow Horses," Apple TV.+ In the riveting third season of this spy thriller, the MI5 rejects at Slough House must find the abducted Catherine Standish (Saskia Reeves) and a sensitive file. All six episodes of the fourth season about the search for a London bomber are available.
• "Pride and Prejudice" (2005), available on Netflix, Prime, Apple TV+, etc. Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyn star in Jane Austen's classic tale of the turbulent relationship between Elizabeth Bennet, the daughter of a country gentleman, and Fitzwilliam Darcy, a rich aristocratic landowner.

Books:

• "Chasing the Boogeyman," by Richard Chizmar. The author narrates, first-person, how a serial killer terrorized his small Maryland hometown. But is this gripping story true crime or horror fiction? Compelling, creative, and scary.
• "Lady MacBeth," by Ava Reid. In this reimagining of Shakespeare's most famous villainess, the Lady has a voice, a past, and witchy powers she needs to survive her husband, a Scottish brute, and his hostile court.
• The John Milton thriller series, by Mark Dawson. One of the world's deadliest assassins tries to give it up and help people as a way of making amends to those he killed. The British government who "created" him wants him dead. Jack Reacher fans will find a lot to like in this series (24-some books).
• "Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead," by Olga Tokarczuk. An eccentric recluse on the Czech/Polish border becomes convinced she knows why dead bodies keep turning up around her. Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Music:
PopaHALLics #141 Playlist (Wallis Island) features the folky music of the film "The Ballad of Wallis Island."

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