Hazel & Katniss & Harry & Starr

We're skewing extremely young with our latest pick: Emma Yarlett's 2014 picture book Orion and the Dark , and Sean Charmatz's 2024 animated adaptation. The book is fun and cute, perfect for young ones who have anxiety or fears. The film is from a screenplay by Charlie Kaufman ( Being John Malkovich and Adaptation ) so it has A LOT going on, including new characters, a focus on generational storyte...

You've never had a Wonka movie like this before! Well...unless you've seen writer/director Paul King's Paddington films, which have a lot of shared DNA, including a silly role for Hugh Grant (delightfully slumming it). We're not surprised at the incredible success of the film, which is anchored by Timothée Chalamet and a deep bench of character actors. And though the film doesn't quite hang t...

Now that we're recording regularly again, Brenna and Joe are back with new Mailbag episodes. To kick off 2024, Tea, Books and Chocolates writes in to tell us about a mom & daughter book club experience reading Twilight . Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod: > Brenna: @brennacgray (BlueSky/Instagram) > Joe: @bstolem...

It's Stephenie Meyer time as we, along with returning guest Jenny Nulf, tackle the second title in The Twilight Saga: New Moon. Our main take-away? This is a deeply boring book and while Chris Weitz's film isn't more interesting, at least the actors, particularly Michael Sheen, bring some fun/camp to the proceedings. Plus: Bella's misread of Romeo & Juliet , pop parties in Salt Lake City, why...

The second half of our "17" double bill concludes with Kelly Fremon Craig's The Edge of Seventeen (2016) which finds Hailee Steinfeld playing a frustrating/unlikable social outcast. C/W: Attempted sexual assault Plus: Why it's important to read the film from Nadine's perspective, the film's cringe-y but authentic scenarios, Joe mispronouncing Kyra Sedgwick's name, and Brenna spotting a Dawson's Cr...

It's finally time for Brenna and Joe to discover Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, Benjamin Alire Sáenz's award-winning 2012 novel and Aitch Alberto's 2022 film adaptation. We're *huge* fans of the book, which has 2(!) sets of great parents and a beautiful, heartwarming queer friendship/romance. The film is solid, but it's missing nearly all of the parents' backstory and ma...

Brenna wanted to remember Matthew Perry, so we're revisiting Burr Steers' 17 Again (2009) starring Perry and Zac Efron. While some of this hasn't aged well, this time travel/body swap has a lot of heart and Efron's comedic chops are solid. While Joe could do with less Thomas Lennon, the sweet romance between Efron and Leslie Mann generates a lot of goodwill. Plus: slaps, incest jokes, tired geeks,...

Brenna and Joe kick off 2024 with Abigail Hing Wen's fantastic 2020 book Loveboat Taipei ...and Arvin Chen's extremely generic 2023 film adaptation, Love in Taipei . The book is rich, readable and filled with complicated characters which only makes the film, bland even by YA rom-com standards, even more of a disappointment. Plus: class critiques, challenging female friendships, sexual mistakes, st...

Brenna and Joe squeeze in one final Mailbag for the year. At the request of listener Tea, Books and Chocolate , we're talking about the juiciest of YA scandals from recent years, including John Green leaving Tumblr, Maggie Stiefvater vs Halsey, Sarah Dessen's Twitter mob, Lauren M Davis vs Marvellous Michael Anson (unfolding *right* now) and Kathleen Hale stalking a Goodreads reviewer. Happy holid...

Brenna and Joe celebrate the holiday season with a look at the Stephanie Perkins-edited collection of seasonal stories. We chat about the stories we liked the best ("It’s a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown", "Krampuslauf", "Midnights", "The Girl Who Broke The Dreamer" and "Welcome to Christmas, CA") with special lumps of coal for a few less successful entries ("Polaris is Where You'll Find Me", "Wh...

Here's a short and sweet Mailbag from Tasmanian listener Emily, with a recommendation for a future read: Dark Rise by C.S. Pacat. Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod: > Brenna: @brennacgray (BlueSky/Instagram) > Joe: @bstolemyremote (Twitter/Instagram) or @joelipsett (BlueSky) Have a mail bag question? Email us at...

We've got a golden ticket! To coincide with the release of new film Wonka , Brenna and Joe dip into Roald Dahl's problematic 1964 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory , as well as Mel Stuart's 1971 adaptation and Tim Burton's 2005 "more faithful" take. There's *lots* to discuss: colonialism, racism, slavery, "the deserving poor," mixed moral messages, Anna Wintour hair, Michael Jackson and practical...

Thanks to listener Charlotte, we're checking out The Shamer's Daughter, book one in Lene Kaaberbøl's The Shamer Chronicles , as well its 2015 film adaptation by Kenneth Kainz. This medieval fantasy novel has a fantastic protagonist, strong female friendships, and complex moral stakes. The film is less memorable: it is a little too grey and happy to forego politics for explosions, but it does keep...

After our episode on You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah , listener Tea, Books & Chocolate wrote in to share her experiences, including expensive gifts and a Mitzvah project that involved a protest rally with grandma! Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod: > Brenna: @brennacgray (BlueSky/Instagram) > Joe: @bstol...

Brenna and Joe are working on our Mitzvahs as we discuss Fiona Rosenbloom's 2005 book You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah and its 2023 Netflix adaptation by Sammi Cohen. While both texts are relatively slight, we found these quite enjoyable. The book's conflict is a little manufactured and the Judaism lessons can be a little after school special, but we're big fans of Stacy's relationship wit...

We're responding to mail from listeners Aimee, who has an Alanna -inspired contemporary recommendation, and Victoria, who is drawing on lessons from Imogen, Obviously and There's Someone Inside Your House to confront toxicity in her personal life. Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod: > Brenna: @brennacgray (BlueSky/Instag...

Brenna and Joe return to Panem for The Hunger Games prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes , directed by franchise regular Francis Lawrence. While Joe struggles with the transition from Part 2 to 3, Brenna is unconvinced by lead actor Tom Blyth or the romance between Snow and Lucy Gray. We do, however, have plenty of praise for Viola Davis, Hunter Schafer and Jason Schwartzman, as well as the...

We're wrapping up Mockingjay which means our resident The Hunger Games expert Alex Heeney of Seventh Row is back! We're closing out the back half of Suzanne Collins' book (Chapter 13 -> End) and Francis Lawrence's Mockingjay Part 2 (2015) with a discussion about PTSD, the Capitol as arena, and the heteronormative baby-centric ending. Plus: settling the Peeta vs Gale debate once and for all, the...

Brenna and Joe gush over new listener Chantal's cool grandmother (reader of Harlequin romance novels), then sidestep into a conversation about cursive writing as a lost art form and how it can connect us. Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod: > Brenna: @brennacgray (BlueSky/Instagram) > Joe: @bstolemyremote (Twitte...

Brenna and Joe bid a sad farewell to S03 of Reservation Dogs. We spend a lot of time discussing the use of elders, the unique portrayal of the effects of residential schools, cycles, and where our fave characters wind up. Plus: stunt casting Elora's dad and Graham Greene, the spin-off we want, and that exquisite finale. Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and BlueSky @HKHS...

Brenna and Joe wrap up another Spooky Season with Stephanie Perkins' 2017 slasher novel There's Someone Inside Your House and Patrick Brice's 2021 Netflix adaptation. The book is fast-paced, although it loses its message and winds up being a little forgettable, while the film starts off strong, then nosedives. Plus: gory murder descriptions, a case *against* colour-blind casting in the film, and w...

We're still on the gateway horror track with a look at three R.L. Stine texts and Rob Letterman's 2015 film adaptation, starring Jack Black (again!) Guiding the discussion with encyclopedic knowledge is Goosebumps super fan Paul Farrell, who advised Brenna and Joe to read The Ghost Next Door , The Blob That Ate Everyone , and Night of the Living Dummy 2 to prepare. Plus: terrible families, brightl...

Spooky Season continues as Brenna and Joe tackle Alvin Schwartz's collection of folklore urban legends, as well as André Øvredal's 2019 adaptation. We heap praise on the illustrations by Stephen Gammell and acknowledge Schwartz's campfire tales as gateway horror. The film doesn't work as well: the Vietnam backstory is undercooked, villain Tommy is dispatched too early and the monsters aren't persu...

Spooky Month continues, but we're moving away from scares into drippy monsters! Thankfully Michael Matthews's Love and Monsters features plenty of comedy and heart, courtesy of star Dylan O'Brien's voice over and a script from Matthew Robinson and Brian Duffield (the latter wrote previous episode Spontaenous ). We're big fans of the best good boy, Dog, the way the film handles Joel's relationship...

Mailbag returns with an Alanna apology to Earl, a political dystopia discussion for Tea, Books & Chocolate and a thank you to Eric, who appreciates Brenna's musical taste. Wanna connect with the show? Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and BlueSky @HKHSPod or use the hashtag #HKHSPod: > Brenna: @brennacgray (BlueSky/Instagram) > Joe: @bstolemyremote (Twitter/Instagram) or @joelipsett (...