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.

PopaHALLics #124 "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Pop, Love, & Understanding?
Multiverse mayhem, bodice-ripping romance, and female comedians! Dueling Joel Edgertons! Music by a rising young singer/songwriter and a crafty popsmith of old! Steve and Kate return with a little something for everyone.

Streaming:

• "The Boys in the Boat," Prime. George Clooney directed this fact-based movie about the University of Washington rowing team's quest to compete in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Joel Edgerton plays their coach.
• "Dark Matter," Apple TV+. A college professor (Edgerton again) finds himself abducted into an alternate version of his life in this sci-fi thriller. Can he find his way back to his family and save them from, in essence, himself?
• "Loot," Apple TV+. Season 2 finds Maya Rudolph's super-rich character still ineptly trying to do good. The comedy has more of a focus this time on side characters, who turn out to be weird in a funny way.
• "Hacks," Max. In this smart, blistering, yet intimate comedy, legendary Vegas comedian (Jean Smart) is paired with an entitled, unemployable young writer (Hannah Einbinder) in the hopes of revitalizing both's careers.
• "Bridgerton," Netflix. Season 3 of Shonda Rimes' period bodice-ripper finds possible romance between dweeb-turned-hunk Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and secret gossip columnist Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan).

Books:

• "Night Train" and "All My Colors" by David Quantick. An Emmy-winning TV writer ("Veep") writes clever horror novels. "All My Colors" is like a great lost "Twilight Zone" episode: When no one else remembers a bestselling book, a writer with no talent churns it out—and bad things start happening. In the surreal, gory "Night Train," a woman wakes up on a train speeding through the darkness with no idea who she is or what she's doing there. She heads for the front of the train, with each railroad car more nightmarish than the last.

Music:
Our hosts are listening to very different pop artists. Kate's enjoying breakout singer/songwriter Chappel Roan ("Pink Pony Club," "Femininomenon"), while Steve's humming Nick Lowe tunes like "Cruel to Be Kind" and "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, & Understanding" thanks to a reissue of his 1979 LP "Labour of Lust." Both are on our latest playlist!

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