PopaHALLics #164 "Damaged Goods"

Damaged people make for good pop in this episode, from a Neil Diamond tribute band with trouble at the door to a widow keeping busy to cope with her son's disappearance over 30 years ago in "Remarkably Bright Creatures."

Streaming:

• "Remarkably Bright Creatures," Netflix. This movie adaptation of Shelby Van Pelt's novel stars Sally Field as a night shift aquarium worker who forms a bond with a curmudgeonly giant Pacific octopus (voiced by Alfred Molina).
• "Widow's Bay," Apple TV. A new mayor (Matthew Rhys) tries to turn his island town into a tourist destination despite its dark past in this comedy horror series. With Stephen Root and Kate O'Flynn.
• "Patience," BBC. An autistic police archivist (Ella Maisy Purvis) helps a detective inspector (Laura Fraser) solve crimes in this Belgian/British drama.
• "Song Sung Blue," Hulu. Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson star as a Neil Diamond tribute band in Milwaukee in this heartwarming movie about the trials and tribulations of their relationship.
• "Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord," Disney Plus. Animated. The horned, red and black devilish villain from "The Phantom Menace" tries to rebuild his criminal empire and woo a Jedi apprentice to the Dark Side.

Books:

• "The Twelve LIves of Alfred Hitchcock: An Anatomy of the Master of Suspense," by Edward White. This 2021 Edgar Award-winning biography explores the famed director through 12 distinct facets of his life, such as "The Voyeur," "The Entertainer," and "The Murderer."
• "Hex House," by Amy Jane Stewart. A dark feminist horror novel set in Scotland. Hex House is a magical safe haven that turns abused women into vessels of revenge.
• "Hitchcock's Blondes: The Unforgettable Women Behind the Legendary Director's Dark Obsession," by Laurence Leamer. This book covers some of the same subjects as "The Twelve Lives," but puts the women at the center of the story, with an emphasis on misbehavior (mainly Hitchcock's) and sex (mainly them).

Music:

PopaHALLics #164 Playlist (Kacey) features selections from Kacey Musgraves' new album "Middle of Nowhere," as well as Jackman and Hudson performing Neil Diamond's hits from the "Song Sung Blue" soundtrack.

The Fair Use Doctrine of U.S. copyright law allows for the limited unauthorized use of copyrighted material for purposes of comment and criticism.

PopaHALLics #163 "Pop-ping up Everywhere"

Buckle up, kids! On this episode, we zoom around from deep space to 1998 New York to Palestine to Ireland to a Mormon community in Utah to Elle Fanning's bedroom. Note: Three of the trailers below open with someone waking up gasping. Prepare to be breathless!

Theaters:

• "Project Hail Mary." In this huge sci-fi hit, a high school science teacher (Ryan Gosling) must reluctantly save the Earth. And make an unlikely friend in the process. Based on the novel by Andy Weir ("The Martian").

Streaming:

• "Caught Stealing," Netflix. Watching his neighbor's cat forces a former baseball prodigy (Austin Butler) into contact with some very bad gangsters in this violent dark comedy. With Regina King, Zoe Kravitz, Liev Schreiber, and Vincent D'Onofrio. Extra points if you spot Griffin Dunne!
• "Margo's Got Money Troubles," Apple TV. A single mom college student (Elle Fanning) uses her creative skills to get money through an Only Fans account in this comedy drama. With Michelle Pfeiffer and Nick Offerman.
• "Trust Me: The False Prophet," Netflix. In this documentary, a cult expert and her husband embed themselves in a Mormon community, where Samuel Bateman claims to be the successor to imprisoned prophet Warren Jeffs.
• "War Machine," Netflix. During the final stage of Army Ranger selection, an elite team's training exercise turns into a very real fight for survival against an alien threat in this action thriller. Starring Alan Ritchson and Dennis Quaid.
• "The Truth and Tragedy of Moriah Wilson," Netflix. This documentary explores "the vibrant life of a pro cyclist, her shocking murder, and how far her killer went to evade capture" (Netflix).

Books:

• "Too Soon," by Betty Shamieh. This 2025 debut novel follows three generations of Palestinian women as they navigate love, identity, and displacement from 1948 to the present day.
• "Murder in G Major: A Gethsemane Brown Mystery," by Alexia Gordon. In this 2015 cozy mystery, a struggling African-American conductor' takes a job working with high school musicians in Ireland and living in a cliffside cottage. The ghost of the cottage''s owner, a famous composer, asks for her help in clearing his name of the murders of his wife and himself. Witty and fun.

The Fair Use Doctrine of U.S. copy[right law allows for the limited unauthorized use of copyrighted materials for purposes such as comment and criticism.