PopaHALLics #127 "Let's Do the Twist-er"
Despite her tornado fears, Kate gets sucked into the new disaster movie "Twisters." Steve goes samurai with "Shogun." Also: Murders! Mysteries! Monkeys! (Haven't you always wanted a mon-KEY?)

In Theaters:

• "Twisters." In this "stand-alone sequel" to the 1996 hit, a woman (Daisy Edgar-Jones) testing a new tornado tracking system in Oklahoma crosses paths with a reckless, charismatic storm chaser (Glen Powell). Things are about to get stormy!

Streaming:

• "Twister," Max, Prime, and other streaming services. In this 1996 Jan de Bront thriller, Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton play two storm chasers on the brink of divorce who put themselves in harm's way to test an advanced weather alert system. With Philip Seymour Hoffman, Alan Ruck, Jami Gertz, and Cary Elwes.
• "Shogun," FX, Hulu. Based on the James Clavell novel, this much-Emmy-nominated historical drama focuses on the collision/collusion of two ambitious men, an English sailor marooned in Japan (Cosmo Jarvis) and a Japanese lord (Hiroyuki Sanada) fighting for his survival.
• "Grantchester," PBS. Season 9 is one of change, as vicar Will (Tom Brittany) receives a surprise offer, DI Geordie (Robson Green) must learn to work with a new vicar (Rishi Nair) and Geordie's independent daughter Esme (Skye Degruttola) is out in the big wide world of 1961.
• "Man Up," Peacock, Prime, and other streaming services. In this 2015 British romantic comedy, a journalist (Lake Bell) whose life is a mess pretends to be the blind date a marketing manager (Simon Pegg) was expecting. Comedy ensues. With Sharon Horgan ("Bad Sisters") and Rory Kinnear.
• "Wild Target," Prime, Peacock, and other streaming services. In this 2010 romantic comedy, a reclusive, middle-aged hitman (Bill Nighe) is flummoxed by his latest assigned hit, a beautiful, impetuous art swindler (Emily Blunt). With Rupert Grint, Rupert Everett, and Martin Freeman.
• "Homicide Los Angeles," Netflix. This docuseries from the creators of "Law and Order" tells the stories of notorious murders from the viewpoints of the detectives and prosecutors who cracked them.
• "Hit Monkey," Disney +/Hulu. Just another animated mismatched buddy action drama in which a Japanese snow monkey and the ghost of a hit man seek vengeance on bad guys. Bloody, bloody vengeance. With the voice talents of Olivia Munn, Jason Sudeikis, and George Takei.

Books:

• "Killingly," by Katharine Beutner. Based on the real-life disappearance of a Mount Holyoke student in 1897, this "haunting" novel delves into academia, family trauma, and the risks faced by unconventional women in the late 19th century.
• "Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone," by Benjamin Stevenson. An Australian comic has written a fun, witty novel that cleverly—very cleverly—blends classic and modern murder mysteries.

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

PopaHALLics #126 "Hit Man & Hitmakers"
Wouldn't it be nice to learn more about the Beach Boys and Neil Young? We enjoy a documentary and a biography giving new insights into these influential musicians and their place in pop culture. We also laugh at a sexy fake hit man, cheer on "The Bear" and "Sweeth Tooth," and are very glad Lady Jane Grey does not lose her head in the swashbuckling, dryly funny reimagining "My Lady Jane."

Streaming:

• "Hit Man," Netflix. In this action comedy directed by Richard Linklater, a dweeby college professor (Glen Powell, "Anyone But You") pretends to be a hit man for police investigations. What happens when he falls for a sexy suspect (Adria Arjona) who thinks he's a cool, confident killer?
• "My Lady Jane," Amazon Prime. Wait, Lady Jane Grey does NOT get "the chop" at the Tower of London? This reimagining of her life is like "The Princess Bride," with adventure, oodles and oodles of sex, and magic realism. As in people can turn into animals!
• "The Bear," Hulu. Season 3 finds tormented chef Carmie (Jeremy Allen White) continuing to chase a Michelin star, with lots more yelling in the kitchen and more emphasis on the characters around him.
• "Sweet Tooth," Netflix. The third and final season of this sweet, gentle drama finds Gus the deer boy and his friend Big Man trying to get to Alaska and hook up with Gus' mom, who's trying to stop the plague "the Sick."
• "The Beach Boys," Disney +. This fan-friendly documentary traces the history of the band known for surf anthems through "Pet Sounds," a revolutionary album in its time, and beyond. Tons of never-before-seen photos, great stories, and critical insights into the band's importance from the likes of Lindsey Buckingham, producer Don Was, and Janelle Monae.

Books:

• "Disobedient," by Elizabeth Fremantle. This novel based on the life of Artemisia Gentileschi—the greatest female painter of the Renaissance—finds her refusing to be silent about a rape and having "visual revenge" in the creation of her masterpiece, "Judith Beheading Holofernes."
• "Shakey: Neil Young's Biography," by Jimmy McDonough. This 2002 mammoth biography is the definitive look at the life and art of the enigmatic rocker. It was authorized by Young and yet still manages to hold his feet to the fire for questionable creative decisions and the many times he treated those closest to him badly.

Music:
Since we talk about the Beach Boys and Neil Young, let's have fun, fun, fun with a playlist featuring lots of music from both! PopaHALLics #126 Playlist kicks off with a song by the Four Freshmen, who heavily influenced Beach Boys' leader Brian Wilson's ideas about harmonies.

Click through the links above to watch, read, and listen to what we're talking about.

PopaHALLics #125 "Who Are You, Who Who, Who Who?"
We review the new "Dr. Who" ... but the Halls are hearing a lot of other Whos, too. Who's zooming who in the comedy "Argylle" and the thriller novel "The Poison Bed"? Who am I, asks the daughter of a prisoner in the acclaimed memoir "Somebody's Daughter." And who's at fault in the creepy TikTok dance cult? It's enough to make a pop culture fan say "Who-eeee!"

Streaming:

• "Dr. Who," Disney +. The 15th Doctor (Nigerian-born, Scottish-raised Ncuti Gatwa, in photo above) and his companion Ruby Sunday (Millie GIbson) have adventures from dinosaur days to war-torn future worlds in this entertaining coproduction by Disney and the BBC.
• "Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult," Netflix. This 3-part documentary explores the unsettling details and "dark realities" that occur after TikTok dancers join a management company and its associated church.
• "Godzilla Minus One," Netflix. In this emotionally-driven Japanese film, an Academy Award winner for special effects, a failed kamikaze pilot seeks to protect his makeshift family and find redemption when Godzilla heads for Tokyo. One of the best Godzilla films ever.
• "Argylle," Apple+. In this spy spoof, a reclusive author (Bryce Dallas Howard) gets swept up into real-life espionage when one of her novels cuts too close to home. With Henry Cavill, Samuel L. Jackson, Sam Rockwell, Dua Lipa, John Cena, and more.
• "Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World," Max, Prime, Hulu, & others. In this imaginative, clever 2010 comedy, a bass player (Michael Cera) must win the heart of the enigmatic Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) by video game-like duels with her 7 Evil Exes. Look at this supporting cast: Kieran Culkin, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Evans, Jason Schwartzman, Brie Larson, Anna Kendrick, and Bill Hader as "The Voice."

Books:

• "Somebody's Daughter: A Memoir," by Ashley C. Ford. A poor black girl in Indiana, the daughter of a man in prison, comes to question her environment and identity. "A classic in the making," says bestselling YA author John Green.
• "The Poison Bed," by Elizabeth Fremantle. In this thriller set in the Jacobean Court of 1615, a famed couple is imprisoned on suspicion of murder. Ah, but can we really trust Lord Robert or Lady Frances' separate accounts of what happened?
• "Romantic Comedy," by Curtis Sittenfeld. In this comic romance, a female writer for a SNL-style show invents a rule that ordinary, shlubby guys can wind up with beautiful, successful women, but the reverse is not true. Then a dreamy pop star hosts the show ...

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