Pop This!

Summary:   This week we are thrilled to have the ever so funny Katie-Ellen Humphries as our guest to discuss her new comedy album Lady Finger  as well as the incredibly terrible movie Interview with the Vampire.  Also discussed: the torment of boils, Lisa's broken foot, and the various ways in which Brad Pitt eats food in movies.     Show notes:   Let the Right One In trailer (YouTube)   Why Brad...

Summary:   We're on to week two of Gothic Horror Month and realize that we are very done with brooding bad boy love interests. Not coindidentally, this week's movie is the 2011 adaptation of Jane Eyre, directed by Cary Fukunaga and starring Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender.       Show notes:   An introduction to Wide Sargasso Sea (British Library)   Why are there so many movie adaptations of...

Summary:   This week we declare October Gothic Horror Month and kick it off by watching the 1940 adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's classic novel Rebecca . Also dicussed: Mrs. Danvers' pre-Manderley life, Kathie Lee Gifford's new rom-rom and OKAN's latest album Espiral .     Show notes:   Watch Rebecca (1940) on YouTube   Smartless podcast featuring Jennifer Aniston    Then Came You trailer   Rebec...

Summary:   "Sweatshirt season." This week we are forced to once again take stock of our feelings around rom-coms as we revisit the 2003 classic How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days . Also discussed: our favourite comfort clothes, the filmography of Matthew McConaughey and the music of Jeen.      Show notes:   Kate Hudson Thinks Andie in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days Would Be "Married" and "Miserable" (Harp...

Summary:   This week Pop This! revisits Miss Congeniality on its 20th anniversary. Also discussed: Golden Girls, the lyrics to "She's A Lady," and our feelings about beauty pageants.     Show notes:   Julia Roberts on Getty Images   "She's A Lady" by Tom Jones lyrics   Toddlers & Tiaras with Tom Hanks (Jimmy Kimmel Live/YouTube)     Recommendations: Lisa: Get Organized with The Home Edit (Netflix)...

Summary:   "Entanglement." This week many-time guest Natasha Tony joins us to talk about one of her current obsessions, Lovecraft Country . Also discussed: dating during a pandemic, Parable of the Sower and Rumi Hara's new graphic novel Nori .      Show notes:   More about Natasha Tony   Natasha Tony on Twitter     Pop This! Episode 179: Us with Natsha Tony     Lovecraft Country Is a Necessary Rei...

Summary:   "It's a cheerocracy." This week we invite bona fide Champion Cheerleading members Julia and Jaimee on the podcast to discuss the cult classic Bring It On on its 20th anniversary. Also discussed: James Marsden, True Blood , and Lisa's broken foot.     Show notes:   Champion Cheerleading - Flawless (Canada) [L5 International Open All Girl - Semis] (YouTube)   'Bring It On': From spirit fi...

Summary:   "Where's the sweat, Lisa?" This week we look at the surprisingly gritty 1980 teen musical drama Fame .  Also discussed: Buffy Sainte-Marie's new book Hey Little Rockabye , Dear White People and Lisa's stair-related misadventures.   Show notes:     Recommendations: Lisa: The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel (book)   Andrea W.: Hey Little Rockabye by Buffy Sainte-Marie (book) Andrea G...

Summary:   This week we take on one of the greatest movies of all time: Sunset Boulevard. We also discuss how Jennifer Lopez is now the same age as Norma Desmond, Orville Peck has a new EP, and find out that moving to #NewWest would be Andrea Warner's definition of remote living.     Show notes:   Sunset Boulevard: what Billy Wilder's satire really tells us about Hollywood (Guardian)    Feminist F...

Summary:   This week we invite many-time guest Hannah McGregor back on the podcast to talk about her feminist read of Jurassic Park and why she thinks it is a perfect movie. Also discussed: Boniface, Insecure and She-Ra and the Princess of Power.      Show notes:   Leandra & Harling Debate: Is Getting Dressed Only Satisfying If Other People See It? (Man Repeller)   Episode 3.1 - Jurassic Park (Sec...

Summary:   "Valid." This week we start watching Betty, and we can tell you that is probably the coolest show on TV right now. Also discussed: The Go-Go's, being an indoor kid, and Jody Glenham's new album Mood Rock .       Show notes:   HBO's "Betty" is a sun-soaked celebration of women who find freedom on skateboards (Salon)   Skate Kitchen (film trailer)   Recommendations: Lisa:  Deep Cuts with...

Summary:   "Your birth is my birth, your death is my death." This week we dive headfirst into the Michaela Coel's brilliant series I May Destroy You . Also discussed: drive-ins, period sex, and the excellent podcast It's Been A Minute .     Show notes:   Michaela Coel | James MacTaggart Lecture | Edinburgh TV Festival 2018 (YouTube)   Chewing Gum Season 1   (CBC Gem)   Michaela Coel's 'I May Destr...

Summary:   "When was the last time you invited death into your car?" This week we invite Joseph Clark, author and film scholar (and husband of Andrea Gin) on the podcast to talk about Ida Lupino's classic film noir The Hitch-Hiker . Buckle up, because we also discuss pandemic beans, Betty , and Andrea Warner's long-lost crush.     Show notes:   Joseph Clark's website   Andrea Warner and friends do...

Summary:   "Just because we keep living doesn't mean we stop hurting." We are very excited to dive into The Old Guard, a superhero film after our own hearts. Also discussed: baklava, I'll Be Gone in the Dark, and reality TV in the time of COVID-19.     Show notes:   Nadiya Hussain's Chocolate and Orange Blossom Baklava recipe (The Happy Foodie)   The Old Guard Through History | Netflix (YouTube)  ...

Summary:   This week we dive into The Lovebirds , starring two of our favourite actor-comedians Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani. Also discussed: Studio Ghibli, Las Culturistas, and the rules of rom-coms.     Show notes:   Perm week on Jimmy Fallon (Haircutting Fun)   So Long, Ice Queens and Gay Best Friends: Hollywood's New Rules of Rom-Coms (The Hollywood Reporter)     Recommendations: Lisa:  Las Cu...

Summary:   This week we are talking about Set It Off , one of the best heist films of all time starring Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Vivica A. Fox, and Kimberley Elise. Also discussed: Fast & Furious , #JusticeForHan and the idea of a good hair utopia.     Show notes:   Why Set It Off is an era-defining film that shouldn't be remade (EW) How Set It Off raked it up  (TIFF) Vivica A. Fox Answe...

Summary:   "It's going to last forever." This week we invite Leo Damian on the podcast to give us his thoughts about Jennifer Lopez's representation of his profession in the film the Wedding Planner. We also acknowledge that Scrabble is a nice hobby, Steve sucks, and Fran is the only good person in this movie.     Show notes:   Wish Events (Leo's wedding planning company)   We Watched 23 Jennifer...

Summary:   " Sometimes you have to create your own history." This week we watch Cheryl Dunye's masterpiece The Watermelon Woman . Also discussed: Code Switch ,  Clerks , and the music of Obuxum.    Show notes:   You can watch The Watermelon Woman on Criterion for free right now.   The Watermelon Woman: The Enduring Cool of a Black Lesbian Classic (Vanity Fair)   The Watermelon Woman Shows the Powe...

Summary:   This week we watch the poetic masterpiece Daughters of the Dust , a 1991 film written, directed and produced by Julie Dash, which tells the story of three generations of Gullah women living in a village on Saint Helena Island in South Carolina. Daughters of the Dust was named one of the most significant films of the last 30 years by Indiewire, it was the inspiration for Beyonce's Lemona...

Summary:   "Sperm stealer." This week we're paying tribute to Lynn Shelton's tremendous legacy as a writer, director, producer, and occasional actor and talking about her 2011 film Your Sister's Sister . Also discussed: mask fashion, All Rise , and Unorthodox.     Show notes:   Where to Begin with Mumblecore (BFI)   Lynn Shelton Left Behind a Bounty of Beautiful Television (Vulture) Remembering Ly...

Summary:   "I love to talk about people's colons." This week we dive into Mindy Kaling's hilarious new coming-of-age series Never Have I Ever . Also discussed: sister fights, Lisa's recipe for granola, and Andrea Warner recalls one of her most precious childhood memories.      Show notes:   Dr. Suess' The Sneetches (YouTube)   Yes, Never Have I Ever Is a Win for Representation—But Not For All (Fla...

Summary:   "Give 'em the old razzle dazzle." This week we revisit the classic musical Chicago and argue over our picks for the greatest musical of all time. Also discussed: 'sob sister' journalism, Michelle Obama, and the shocking fact that Andrea Warner has never seen the Sound of Music.     Show notes:   The Inspiration for CHICAGO: Two Merry Murderesses (Broadway in Chicago)   The "Sob Sisters"...

Summary:   "Don't F@*# with the babysitter!!" This week we revisit one of Andrea Warner's favourite childhood movies, Adventures in Babysitting , and debate whether Sarah is the true hero of the film. Also discussed: Sylvester Stallone's body of work, News Radio, and David Chang on Instagram.     Show notes:   You can buy or rent Adventures in Babysitting on YouTube     Adventures in Babysitting i...

Summary:   "Irrelative." This week we let Lisa decide what we should watch and she picks the 1995 cyber action thriller The Net starring Sandra Bullock. Also discussed: Hinterland , the Swiss Alps, and the best and worst boyfriends and husbands of Sex and the City.      Show notes:   ' Sex and the City': The Ladies' Boyfriends & Husbands ranked From Worst to Best (Hollywood Life)   What We Learned...

Summary:   "So, what have you been up to?" The Pop This! crew does a check-in from home this week as we tape our first-ever quarantine episode. Discussed: the Fast & Furious franchise, Chapagetti, Adventures in Babysitting and the Good Fight.     Show notes:   Team Body Project   Adventures in Babysitting   'Schitt's Creek' Ends with a CBC Doc that Reminds Us Why It's the Best in Canadian Televisi...