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 Hunters," Netflix. In this animated musical action film with a bestselling soundtrack, Korean girl group Huntrix uses music and dance to defeat demons. One problem: Leader Rumi is secretly half demon.
• "Fresh Kills," Hulu. A wife and daughters' lives are complicated by their husband and father, a mobster, in this drama. Starring Emily Bader, Odessa A'zion, and Jennifer Esposito, who also directed.

Podcasts:

• "New Heights." Taylor Swift gives her most extensive interview ever on this sports podcast hosted by her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, and his brother Jason.

Books:

• "Splinters: Another Kind of Love Story," by Leslie Jamison. In this memoir, Jamison examines the complexities of being a woman, artist, teacher, and lover.
• "The Peacock and the Sparrow," by I.S. Berry. In this Edgar Award-winning mystery, a jaded CIA agent's mission during the Arab Spring goes wrong.
• "Blue Graffiti," by Calahan Skogman. A girl blows into a small town, changing everything for a painter/construction worker in this Beat-inspired debut.

Music:

PopaHALLics #148 Playlist (K Pop) features music from "K-Pop Demon Hunters," real-life K-Pop acts like Blackpink and BTS, and Brave Combo, a Texas group that polkas in intriguing ways.

Click through the links above to watch, read, and listen to what we discuss.

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:

• "Too Much," Netflix. In this rom-com mini-series created by Lena Dunham ("Girls"), New Yorker Jessica (Megan Stalter) flees to London with a broken heart. Almost immediately she is attracted to Felix (Will Sharpe). Trouble!
• "Happy Gilmore 2," Netflix. In this sequel to the 1996 film, Adam Sandler's hockey player turned golfer returns to the links to help pay for his daughter's ballet training. With Christopher McDonald, Julie Bowen, Ben Stiller, Bad Bunny, and more.
• "Scrapper," Hoopla. After her mother's death, 12-year-old Georgie (Lola Campbell) is living alone in London, pretending to the authorities she's being raised by her uncle. Then her estranged father shows up. This British comedy drama was named one of the top 10 independent films of 2023 by the National Board of Review.

Books:

• "Bad Nature," by Ariel Courage. "Armed with a terminal diagnosis, a grudge and a rental car" (amazon.com), Hester sets out on a road trip to kill her father. Things don't go as planned in this bleakly funny debut novel.
• "The Buffalo Hunter Hunter," by Stephen Graham Jones. In this much-praised novel deftly mixing history, indigenous culture, and the supernatural, a Blackfoot warrior turned vampire seeks justice for a massacre.
• "The Lesser Dead," by Christopher Buehlman. It's 1978 in New York City, and things are going great for a group of vampires living in abandoned subway tunnels. Until the creepy kid vampires show up.

Music:

Our PopaHALLics #147 Playlist (Wet Leg) features new songs by British indie rock band Wet Leg; neosoul/pop/jazz singer/songwriter Olivia Dean; and singer/songwriter Eric Bettencourt. Enjoy!

Click through the links above to watch, read, and listen to what we discuss.

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!

Streaming:

• "Sinners," Max. It's really hard to make a go of your new juke joint in 1930s Mississippi when white vampires show up on opening night. Michael B. Jordan plays gangster brothers in this horror film from writer/director Ryan Coogler (the "Black Panther" movies, "Creed").
• "The Bear," FX, Hulu. In season 4, the clock is ticking; Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) and company must turn the chaotic restaurant around or close down.
• "The Waterfront," Netflix. In this soapy drama from Kevin Williamson ("Dawson's Creek," "Scream"), a feuding family tries to save their family fishing business through drug-running. Starring Holt McCallany, Maria Bello, Melissa Benoit, and Jake Weary.
• "My Cousin Vinny," Disney +. When two carefree pals are mistakenly arrested and charged with murder in Alabama, they turn to a cousin (Joe Pesci), an auto mechanic who recently passed the bar on his sixth try. Marisa Tomei won an Oscar playing Vinny's fiancee, Mona Lisa Vito, in this 1992 comedy.

Books:

• "Sour Cherry," by Natalia Theodoridou. This acclaimed debut novel uses the Bluebeard fairy tale to "deconstruct the systems of gender, power, and the excuses people make for bad men" (Chicago Review of Books).
• "Less," by Andrea Sean Greer. A failed novelist tries to ignore his ex marrying another man as well as an unwelcome birthday by traveling around the world. This 2017 satirical novel, funny and poignant, won the Pulitzer Prize.
• "If It Bleeds," by Stephen King. This 2020 collection of four novellas includes stories that inspired the 2024 Tom Hiddleston sci-fi movie "Life of Chuck" and the 2022 horror movie "Mr. Harrigan's Phone." The title story features one of King's personal favorite characters, socially awkward, obsessive compulsive private investigator Holly Gibney. There's also a writer and a rat.

Click through the links to watch and read about what we discuss.