PopaHALLics #93: 'Trouble A-Popping!"
A wide-ranging discussion of various pop culture options has one thing in common: Trouble! Two best friends who don't realize they should be worst enemies ("RRR"). The zombie apocalypse ("The Last of Us"). Trying to bring someone back from Hell ("Hell Bent"). And more. Kate also discusses a very weird dating prompt.
Streaming:
- "RRR," Netflix. This alternative history finds two real-life Indian revolutionaries becoming best friends and taking on the English colonial government in the 1920s. The hyper-reality (reality-enhanced?) action and dance sequences will blow your mind.
- "The Last of Us," HBO Max. The video game that sold 20 million copies becomes a promising post-apocalyptic TV series. Joel (Pedro Pascal) develops a surrogate father/daughter relationship with teen Ellie (Bella Ramsey)—maybe the secret to mankind's survival—on a dangerous cross-country journey beset by human killers and zombies.
- "Emily in Paris," Netflix. Kate re-examines her feelings on the light, frothy series about the Chicago marketing executive (Lily Collins) who struggles with her job in fashion and romance in France. Was she too harsh?
- "Confess, Fletch," Showtime and rental. Chevy Chase played the reporter/sleuth with a penchant for goofy disguises in two 1980s movies. Now Jon Hamm ("Mad Men") takes on the role with considerable charm but a less jokey, more low-key approach in a lighthearted mystery about a murder, an art theft, and a kidnapping.
Books:
- "Hell Bent," by Leigh Bardugo. In this worthy sequel to "Ninth House," Yale's Alex Stern, who can see ghosts, is determined to steal a soul out of Hell. But she's dealing with forces beyond her control. Kate loves it.
- "The Last Flight," by Julie Clark. In this can't-put-it-down thriller, two women desperate to escape their troubled lives exchange identities at the airport. Things quickly go south.
- "The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West," by David McCullough. The Pulitzer Prize-winning historian rediscovers the story of the settlement of the immense Northwest Territory (the future states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin). Steve's entranced because it details the taming of the "howling wilderness" not far from where he grew up.
Music:
Let's vibe! Kate's enjoying the music of Los Bitchos, "four gals from the underground realms of London, tripping out on Tequila and Cumbia" (their website), and possibly defunct Six Parts Seven. Hear them and similar bands on PopaHALLics Playlist #93.
Click through the links to watch, listen, and read about what we're talking about.
