PopaHALLics #171 "Slow Horses, Couldn't Drag Me Away"

We talk the sixth season of the spy drama "Slow Horses," an Irish haunted house movie, how magicians at Yale accidentally left the door to Hell open, and whether Dracula was just a misunderstood romantic with a thing for French perfume.

Streaming:

• "Slow Horses," Apple TV. Someone's killing off former Slough House agents, and Diana faces the music for an unauthorized covert action. Can Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman) and his bumbling crew save the day?
• "East of Eden," Netflix. This sweeping limited series far surpasses the scope of the 1955 film with James Dean, which only covered the last third of John Steinbeck's novel. Florence Pugh, Christopher Abbott, Mike Faist, and Hoon Lee star In this more faithful adaptation from creator Zoe Kazan, the granddaughter of Elia Kazan, who directed the 1955 film.
• "Hokum," Hulu and Disney +. In this gripping horror movie with effective jump scares, An abrasive American novelist (Adam Scott, "Severance") discovers the haunted honeymoon suite at an Irish hotel is more than a folktale.
• "Dracula," Paramount + and Prime. Dracula a monster? Heck no. In this stylish French gothic horror film from Luc Besson ("La Femme Nikita," "The Fifth Element"), Vlad (Caleb Landry Jones) is a romantic hero pursuing the love of his life (Zoe Bleu) across the centuries. Some folks like a priest/scientist (Christoph Waltz) take issue with the whole bloodsucking thing.

Books:

• "Dead Beat," by Leigh Bardugo. In the action-packed conclusion to the "Ninth House" trilogy, demons flood the streets of New Haven and Yale to feast on the living. Can magician Alex Stern, who left Hell's gates open, stop them?
• "The Road to Tender Hearts," by Annie Hartnett. When eccentric old man PJ sets off on a road trip to woo his high school sweetheart, the crew accompanying him include his very reluctant daughter Sophie; his new charges, the grandchildren of his estranged brother; and a therapy cat that can predict death. A wonderful novel that is darkly comic and full of heart.

Music:

Ever hear of the Menahan Street Band? Us neither. Kate says this Brooklyn-based band consists of all-star touring and studio musicians for big-name acts. Check out their funk and soul on PopaHALLics #171 Playlist (Menahan).

PopaHALLics #170 "Little House on the Prehistoric"

Find out what happens when Anne Hathaway must battle dinosaurs ... "Little House on the Prairie" gets a reboot ... Coyote sues the ACME Corporation. Plus music by bands featuring a movie star AND movie star kids!

Theaters:

• "Coyote Vs. ACME." After years of injuring himself and NOT catching the Roadrunner with faulty products, Wile E. Coyote sues in this live-action animated comedy. Starring Will Forte, John Cena, Lana Condor, and all your Looney Tunes favorites.

Streaming:

• "The End of Oak Street," for rental. In this sci-fi thriller, a 1980s neighborhood mysteriously gets transported to a prehistoric landscape—with lots of hungry dinosaurs. Starring Anne Hathaway, Ewan McGregor, gas-guzzling cars and questionable fashion.
• "Little House on the Prairie," Netflix. Unlike the 1970s series, the latest adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder's books is more realistic about the harsh frontier of Kansas and includes more diverse perspectives, such as the Ingalls family's Osage neighbors. Starring Luke Bracey, Crosby Fitzgerald, Skywalker Hughes, and Alice Halsey as Laura.
• "The Gentlemen," Netflix. In season 2 of Guy Ritchie's dark comedy crime drama, reluctant aristocrat Eddie (Theo James) changes into a ruthless criminal mastermind expanding his drug empire with the help of Susie (Kaya Scodelario).
• "Colin from Accounts," Paramount +. Three years after Gordon (Patrick Brammall) awkwardly proposed to Ashley (Harriet Dyer) at their friends' wedding in this Australian rom-com, the two have moved on to other people. But have they, really? We'll find out if these star-crossed lovers end up together, since this is the show's final season.

Books:

• "Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingall Wilder," by Caroline Fraser. This comprehensive, Pulitzer Prize-winning 2017 historical biography looks at the life of Wilder, the author of the "Little House on the Prairie" books.
• "The Dog Stars," by Peter Heller. Skip the Ridley Scott movie version and go to the source, this moving novel about love and loss, physical and emotional survival, and hope in a time when a flu pandemic has wiped out most of humanity and the survivors are scrabbling for food, shelter, etc.

Music:

Movie stars and music! Kevin Bacon and his older brother have the Bacon Brothers Band. Josh Brolin's daughter Eden and Bill Pullman's son Lewis also have a band (Atta Boy). How are they? Find out with our PopaHALLics #170 Playlist (Bacon)!

PopaHALLics #169 "Raise Your Voice"

It's time to speak up: Ted Lasso for AFC Richmond's new female soccer team; the "Ride or Die" friends for reach other; a son of 1960s radicals for himself; even a killer robot for herself (itself?). And we talk protest songs too.

Streaming:

• "Ted Lasso," Apple TV. Once again Ted (Jason Sudeikis) returns across the pond to coach soccer in Richmond, this time for the new women's team. Returning are Hannah Waddingham (Rebecca), Juno Temple (Keeley), Brett Goldstein (Roy), and Brendan Hunt (Coach Beard), with Tanya Reynolds as the assistant coach passed over for the head job.
• "The Trouble with Jessica," YouTube. In this 2023 dark comedy, a couple (Shirley Henderson and Alan Tudyk) trying to sell their home hold a dinner party. The night turns into mayhem due to an uninvited guest (Indira Varma).
• "Ride or Die," Prime. Best friends Debbie (Octavia Spenser) and Judith (Hannah Waddingham) have secrets from each other in this action comedy series. Debbie hasn't read the book for her book club; Judith is an assassin.
• "Three," Kanopy. Kai''s bad day turns worse when a stranger (Eric Roberts) in a bar prophesies he will die in three days. Caleb Ruminer and Anna Grace Barlow star in this 2026 rom-com movie that veers from serious to whimsical.
• "Companion," HBO Max. In this 2025 sci-fi thriller, a weekend getaway at a remote cabin turns deadly thanks to the erratic behavior of a guest—who discovers she's a robot. Starring Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid.
• "Sneakers," streaming. In this high-tech caper, a team of renegade hackers is hired to retrieve an elusive black box. Starring Robert Redford, Sydney Poitier, Dan Aykroyd, River Phoenix, and David Strathairn.

Books:

• "Dangerous, Dirty, Violent and Young: A Fugitive Family in the Revolutionary Underground," by Zayd Ayers Dohrn. This 2026 memoir explores his childhood as the son of Weather Underground leaders, examining his parents' radical history on the run and the emotional toll of political extremism.
• "A Monster Calls," by David Ness and Siobhan Dowd. In this 2011 award-winning dark fantasy for young readers, a monster visits a boy in denial about his mother's terminal cancer. Ness wrote the book from an idea by Dowd, who died of cancer before she could start it.

Music:

Steve seeing protest singer Jesse Wells in concert inspired our PopaHALLics #169 Playlist (Protest), with protest songs old and new. We also include music by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, an old Kate favorite that she recently rediscovered.