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.