PopaHALLics #134 "Wicked Good"
For our Thanksgiving weekend episode, we talk about the pop culture offerings we're grateful for: the new movie version of "Wicked"; movies about a mother and son's love in "The Blitz" and the quest for the first test tube baby in "Joy"; and more. There's always a turkey—"Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft." Oof!

Theaters:

• "Wicked, Part 1." Director Jon M. Chu ("Crazy Rich Asians") pulls off a Wizard of Oz and grants us our heart's desire: a fabulous movie adaptation of the hit Broadway musical. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande shine respectively as Elphaba and Glinda in the origin story of the Wicked Witch of the West.

Streaming:

• "The Blitz," Apple +. In this movie set during WWII, a London munitions worker (Saoirse Ronan) evacuates her 9-year-old son to the countryside to escape the bombings. He tries to get back to her, as she searches for him.
• "Bad Sisters," Apple +. As season 2 begins, the Garvey sisters appear to have gotten away with murder. But a macabre discovery soon has the police sniffing around again and threatening their lives.
• "Joy - The Birth of IVF," Netflix. Based on a true story, this movie follows three pioneering British scientists in the 1960s and '70s as they try to develop in vitro fertilization. Starring Thomasin McKenzie, James Norton, and Bill Nighy.
• "Wolf Like Me," Peacock. In season 2, wererewolf Mary (Isla Fisher) worries if her unborn baby will be wolf or human. And if she gives birth during a full moon, will she eat the baby?
• "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever," Disney +. Based on book six of the popular Wimpy Kid franchise, this animated special follows Greg trying to stay good so he will receive a special video game for Christmas. It's not going well.
• "Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft," Netflix. Hayley Atwell voices a trauma-haunted Lara in this animated adventure.

Books:

• "When Women Were Dragons," by Kelly Barnhill. In an alternate 1950s America, thousands of women have turned into dragons, upending ideas of a woman's place in the world. "A rollicking feminist tale" (Amazon).
• "Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania," by Erik Larson. Larson, a master of historical nonfiction, spins a pager-turner about the British passenger liner and the U-boat commander who sunk her during WWI.

Small Town Shenanigans Podcast
Steve talks about his days as a TV critic and some misadventures growing up in West Virginia on this funny podcast hosted by Montana boys Bill and Brian Burns. You can hear their conversation here.