PopaHALLics #122 "Pop for the People"
Aliens headed for Earth! An amnesiac pursued by killers! Julia Roberts suffers the apocalypse! And did we mention Shakespeare's young son and John Wilkes Booth? We discuss pop culture offerings that are all over the place. In a good way.

Streaming:

• "3 Body Problem," Netflix. In a sci-fi series based on Chinese author Cixin Liu's novels, a group of friends try to prevent an invasion by aliens after a bitter astronomer invites them to Earth. From the makers of "Game of Thrones."
• "The Tourist," Netflix. The Man (Jamie Dornan) wakes up in a hospital with no memory of who he is. Unfortunately, the bad guys remember all too well in this British series set in the Australian Outback.
• "Renegade Nell," Disney +. A young woman (Louisa Harland) falsely accused of murder discovers she has unpredictable powers and becomes the most notorious outlaw in 18th-century England. Just don't call her "Nellie."
• "Manhunt," Apple +. This miniseries, a conspiracy thriller, follows the first American presidential assassination and the fight to preserve and protect Lincoln's ideas for Reconstruction. With Anthony Boyle as Booth, Hamish Linklater as Lincoln, and Patton Oswalt as, well, kinda himself, playing a detective.
• "Leave the World Behind," Netflix. When the apocalypse begins happening in this foreboding drama, characters played by Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Mahershala Ali, Myha'la Herrold, and Kevin Bacon try to make sense of it.

Books:

• "Hamnet," by Maggie O'Farrell. This gorgeous bestseller uses William Shakespeare's son (a real person, who died young) to explore Shakespeare's family dynamics and the beginning of his writing career.

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

PopaHALLics #121 "This Ain't Texas"
Kate and Steve wrestle with existential questions: Is Beyonce country enough? Is Steve Martin a sad and lonely guy instead of a wild and crazy one? And why does James Taylor's biography start in Scotland hundreds of years ago?!

Streaming:

• "Steve (!) Martin, a Documentary in 2 Pieces," Apple +. Morgan Neville's documentary (180 minutes total) follows Martin's career from his days as a kid magician through rock-star standup to TV star/happy guy today.
• "The Gentlemen," Netflix. This action comedy from Guy Ritchie ("Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels," "Snatch") follows a duke's second son who inherits his father's estate—and a whole heap of trouble.

Books:

• "What You Are Looking for is in the Library," by Michiko Aoyama. In this charming international bestseller from Japan, the perfect book recommendation can change the reader's life.
• "James Taylor: Long Ago and Far Away," by Timothy White. This authorized biography by a well-known music writer views the singer/songwriter's life and career through the prism of his family—immediate and ancestral, too.

Music:
Curious about Beyonce getting country with it? Check out our playlist with selections from "Cowboy Carter" and for good measure Taylor Swift too: "Tay Tay Bey Bey Yay Yay."

PopaHALLics #120 "Let the Bite One In"
Dracula's sister is undead with evil intent in "Dracula: The Count's Kin," an indie film shot in the Indianapolis area. We talk to writer/director Eric Pascarelli and actors Daisy Hickey and James Tackett for a behind-the-scenes look at this movie starring Leanne Johnson ("Extraction USA"). We also pick our favorite screen vampires!