Pop Screen

Pop Screen

By The Geek Show

Pop Screen is The Geek Show's new podcast tackling movies starring, about or by pop stars - and that's all genres, from rock to hip-hop, jazz to disco. Each week Graham and one of his stable of trusty co-hosts picks a pop movie and examines its history, its film-making and its music in-depth. It's an irreverent ride through an oft-misunderstood strain of cinema, from era-defining masterpieces to kitsch atrocities.
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Dolly Parton in Nine to Five - Episode 122

Pop ScreenJun 12, 2024
00:00
53:17
The Village People in Can't Stop the Music - Pop Screen 141
Jun 04, 202559:49
FKA Twigs in The Crow (2024) - Pop Screen Episode 140

FKA Twigs in The Crow (2024) - Pop Screen Episode 140

What better time for a crossover than a comic book adaptation? This week, Graham is joined by Andrew and Mick, the two hosts of Behold!, to examine the 2024 remake of James O'Barr's cult comic The Crow. Famously the source for a 1994 film starring Brandon Lee, that star's on-set death sparked rumours that the property was cursed, rumours that can only have increased once people saw this.


Entering Pop Screen's airspace thanks to its decision to cast FKA Twigs as the hero's doomed love Shelly, the trio discuss her music and acting as well as the largely-ignored wider Crow mythology, the puzzlingly miscast films of Rupert Sanders, Bill Skarsgard's strengths and limitations as a leading man and the film's unexpected debts to Paddington 2. Also opera - the entire art form - catches some strays.


If you want to help us reach a state of eusexua, you can donate to our Patreon, where you'll get a bonus episode every month - there's one imminent right now, dealing with the great Miles Davis. Plus monthly reviews of classic Asian genre cinema in Fantastic Asia, weekly write-ups on classic TV science fiction and a nice everything-and-the-kitchen-sink podcast to round off each month in the form of Last Night... Follow us on Instagram and Facebook to find out more.

Apr 02, 202554:13
Selena Gomez in Spring Breakers - Pop Screen 139
Mar 20, 202557:39
Paul Weller in Blitz - Episode 138
Mar 06, 202555:44
Savages in Anatomy of a Fall - Pop Screen 137
Feb 20, 202546:19
The David Lynch Tribute Episode & Lost Highway - Pop Screen 136
Feb 06, 202558:35
The Four Tops & Little Shop of Horrors - Pop Screen Episode 135

The Four Tops & Little Shop of Horrors - Pop Screen Episode 135

It's suppertime! Yes, after our review of 2024 Pop Screen is back to its old tricks with a look back at 1986's Little Shop of Horrors, the horror-comedy-musical powered by an unforgettable voice performance from none other than The Four Tops's Levi Stubbs. As the "mean green. mother from outer space" Audrey II, Stubbs made Academy Awards history - but you'll have to listen to find out how...


Join Graham and Mike in their weird world as they discuss the songs and set-pieces both added to and taken from the stage musical, as well as the film's relationship with the Roger Corman film it's inspired by. We also unearth Little Shop of Horrors's unexpected connection to Kurt Vonnegut, its successfully unreal soundstage aesthetic, its cameos for everyone from John Candy to Miriam Margolyes... and THAT original ending.


If you want to keep us from being bought out by World Botanical Enterprises, you can join our Patreon where we're just about to drop an exclusive bonus episode about Better Man - yes, the Robbie Williams monkey film. You'll also find an end-of-month round-up podcast called Last Night..., Mike's Twilight Zone reviews, Graham's X-Files reviews, more written pieces about Red Dwarf and classic Asian genre cinema, and more. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for more.

Jan 23, 202501:03:18
Pop Screen's Best of 2024 (Part Two) July to December

Pop Screen's Best of 2024 (Part Two) July to December

You've heard the first half of our retrospective of 2024's cinema on The Uncut Network, now Pop Screen takes over for an even more epic second half - and that's just the bit where we all argue about The Substance. Join Graham, Robyn, Rob, Kat, Simon, Mike, Faye, Aidan, Andy and - in spirit if not in person - Ygraine as they run down their favourite UK releases from July to September. Which one reminds Aidan of Robert Altman? Which one does Kat think sums up modern motherhood? And which one features hundreds - possibly thousands - of beavers?


From Oscar frontrunners like Anora to instant cult favourites like Strange Darling, from multiplex smashes like The Wild Robot to British debuts like Sky Peals, from the guts and gore of Terrifier 3 to the guts and glitz of, er, Guts and Glitz, this is your definitive guide to everything that mattered at the movies in the back end of 2024. And, at the end, our festival-going contingent give you some tips for what to look out for in 2025...


And we've got more! Over on our
Patreon we're putting out weekly written reviews of classic science fiction series including The X-Files, Red Dwarf and The Twilight Zone, our series on Asian genre cinema gems is about to relaunch, there's a freeform monthly podcast - Last Night... - where we catch up with anything we've been watching recently, and a monthly bonus episode of this very show - we're about to release one on the chimp-mendous Robbie Williams biopic Better Man. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to keep up.

Jan 09, 202502:45:11
Marvin Gaye in Chrome & Hot Leather - Pop Screen 134
Dec 26, 202451:28
George Michael & Last Christmas - Pop Screen 133

George Michael & Last Christmas - Pop Screen 133

Dec 11, 202452:23
Ice-T & Iggy Pop in Tank Girl - Pop Screen 132

Ice-T & Iggy Pop in Tank Girl - Pop Screen 132

The 1990s! A time when Hollywood's brightest minds were trying to solve the impossible problem of how to make a whole movie from those comic book thingies. Nowadays, they're trying to work out how to stop doing that, but that hasn't decreased the charm of things like Rachel Talalay's Tank Girl, a post-apocalyptic slice of pop feminism in which Lori Petty's titular antihero fights a scenery-chewing Malcolm McDowell while also - and there is no polite way to say this - getting it on with mutant kangaroos. One of whom is Ice-T.


It's fair to assume you won't be seeing this in Phase Whatever of Marvel, but plenty of people have sought it out since its legendarily unsuccessful initial release. On this episode, we're joined again by comics expert Andrew from Behold! podcast in order to properly assess the film's position in comic-movie history, talk about its quintessentially '90s soundtrack and tease out its connections to alt-rock icons like R.E.M., Devo and Bjork. Please note that our statement that Margot Robbie is usually well-cast was recorded before the Great Wuthering Heights Casting Disaster of 2024.


If you can forgive us for that, we'd be super-grateful if you could go over to our Patreon. In return, you get a bonus monthly episode of this show - the latest one, about House of Gucci, is a howl - as well as lots of other stuff that isn't available anywhere else: exclusive podcasts, reviews of The X-Files, Red Dwarf and The Twilight Zone, and much more. Follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for more.

Nov 28, 202447:10
Kris Kristofferson in Heaven's Gate - Episode 131
Nov 14, 202401:01:53
Thor in Rock N Roll Nighmare - Pop Screen 130
Oct 31, 202452:45
Phoebe Bridgers (and More) in I Saw the TV Glow - Pop Screen 129

Phoebe Bridgers (and More) in I Saw the TV Glow - Pop Screen 129

Oct 17, 202401:15:49
Halsey & Moses Sumney in MaXXXine - Episode 128
Oct 02, 202457:05
Tupac Shakur in Gridlock'd - Episode 127

Tupac Shakur in Gridlock'd - Episode 127

On 13th September 1996, Tupac Shakur died in a still-unexplained killing (well, unless Eminem just blew the case wide open). It left a lot of things in limbo, including Vondie Curtis-Hall's spiky, charming directorial debut. Nobody wanted to see a crime comedy starring someone who'd just been the victim of a horrific crime, even if - as Graham and Mark unpack on this week's episode - the crime in Gridlock'd is rather more small-time than the web of corruption that got Tupac killed.


Twenty-seven years later, and Gridlock'd has a deserved cult following for its tricky but successful blend of caper comedy and angry commentary on American healthcare. Join our hosts as they explore this, plus the wonders of Thandiwe Newton's accent, the movies Tim Roth nearly starred in, the iconic '90s hits that made this risky film possible, and the timelessness of G-funk production. Plus, Graham explains Tupac's odd, involuntary role in the Kendrick-Drake feud to Mark. All eyez on this!


If you can spare us some
Patreon money from your healthcare-and-smack budget this month, you'll get a wealth of riches, including our monthly what-have-you-been-watching? podcast Last Night..., weekly written reviews of The X-Files and Red Dwarf, retrospectives on classic Asian cinema and extremely niche genres, and a monthly bonus episode of this very show - we've just released our review of the new Irish rap biopic Kneecap, and it's only available on Patreon. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for more.

Sep 20, 202455:41
Ramones in Rock N Roll High School - Episode 126
Sep 04, 202452:57
Mae West in Sextette - Episode 125
Jul 24, 202452:41
Adam Faith in What a Whopper! Episode 124
Jul 10, 202454:17
Nancy Sinatra in The Wild Angels - Episode 123

Nancy Sinatra in The Wild Angels - Episode 123

Jun 26, 202401:16:09
Dolly Parton in Nine to Five - Episode 122
Jun 12, 202453:17
The Weeknd in The Idol - Pop Screen 121
May 29, 202401:19:12
Tina Turner in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome - Episode 120
May 15, 202455:56
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story - Episode 119
May 02, 202452:31
Ice Cube in Boyz n the Hood - Episode 118
Apr 17, 202401:01:45
Rita Ora in 50 Shades of Grey - Episode 117
Apr 03, 202401:04:16
Jimmy Cliff in The Harder They Come - Episode 116
Mar 21, 202449:39
Lol Creme (10cc) with the Lunatic (1991) - Episode 115
Mar 07, 202401:03:51
The Alarm in Vinyl (2012) - Episode 114

The Alarm in Vinyl (2012) - Episode 114

In 2004, the veteran Welsh rock band The Alarm pulled off an audacious hoax, releasing their single '45 RPM' under the alias of The Poppy Fields. The Poppy Fields were supposedly a new band of teenage rock stars in skinny jeans, as was the style at the time. As the song ascended the charts, Alarm mainman Mike Peters revealed the deception, kicking off a debate about ageism in the music industry.


It's a fascinating story, so fascinating that Mick has dragged himself out of his sickbed to talk to Graham about Vinyl, the 2012 film loosely based on it. We discuss its many missed opportunities, its bizarre decision to make the Mike Peters analogue more or less totally unsympathetic, and the question of whether this con would work in 2012 - which is more of a cultural gap than the eight years it is on paper. We also discuss The Alarm's long career, the rock movie baggage of star Phil Daniels, and the irony that - these days - a middle-aged heritage act is a better money-spinner than a sexy young rock band.


We don't pretend to put out a load of extra content on our
Patreon - we actually do it, including a monthly bonus episode of this show (the latest one is about Priscilla), exclusive podcasts Last Night..., about anything our critics have watched this month, and From the Video Aisle, reviewing cultishly adored franchises, as well as written pieces on classic Asian genre cinema and British and American TV science fiction. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to find out more.


www.patreon.com/thegeekshow

Feb 22, 202446:30
Cyndi Lauper in Vibes (1988) - Episode 113
Feb 07, 202446:50
Mick Jagger in Performance (1970) Episode 112
Jan 25, 202453:25
Pop Screen Best of 2023
Jan 11, 202402:51:16
Metallica in Some Kind of Monster (2004) Episode 111
Jan 10, 202450:25
Mariah Carey in Glitter (2001) Episode 110
Dec 13, 202351:03
Nick Cave in 20,000 Days on Earth (2014) Episode 109

Nick Cave in 20,000 Days on Earth (2014) Episode 109

Get ready for (a) love (-in): Graham is joined once again by the Uncut Network's Rob for a look at Iain Forsythe and Jane Pollard's massively acclaimed sort-of documentary about Nick Cave. As well as providing an intimate look at the Australian legend's creative process and history, it also features appearances from his deeply unexpected celebrity friends: Ray Winstone and Kylie Minogue, together at last!

Along the way, there's time to consider the idiosyncratic concert demands of Nina Simone, while a look back at Forsythe and Pollard's career lets us talk about The Cramps and reveal the name of God. But mostly, this is a celebration of Cave - and there's more to come, with Andrew Dominik's duology of One More Time With Feeling and This Much I Know To Be True out tomorrow on our Patreon...
If you want to put stacks of green paper in our red right hands, you can donate to our Patreon, where you'll get the aforementioned Pop Screen bonus episodes plus reviews of Eastern genre cinema in Fantastic Asia, our monthly movie round-up Last Night..., cult franchises discussed in From the Video Aisle and weekly reviews of Doctor Who, Red Dwarf and The X-Files. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to find out more.

Nov 30, 202352:20
Olly Alexander in It's a Sin! (2021) Episode 108

Olly Alexander in It's a Sin! (2021) Episode 108

On this week's Pop Screen, Graham has a very important and special guest: Mark's dog! And, fine, yes, also Mark, with our favourite quizmaster and Film Stories writer coming back to talk about Russell T Davies's most personal drama. Set across the early years of the AIDS crisis, It's a Sin has a cast full of breakthrough young stars, memorable cameos from acting veterans, plus Olly Alexander, whose day job in Years and Years allows us to cover the show.
Not that we need much of an excuse to talk about it, or indeed Davies's day job showrunning Doctor Who for its imminent 60th anniversary specials. There's also space for digressions on Prime Ministerial cameos, the real-life inspirations behind the central characters, an appreciation of Erasure and why Russell T Davies must be hopping mad at Stranger Things right now. The T stands for "Thatcherism has left a legacy of death and division", by the way.
If you want to fund our dreams of leaving the Isle of Man and becoming an actor, you can donate to our Patreon where you'll get a monthly bonus episode of this show - currently it's one about Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, as if you needed further incentive - plus our other podcasts Last Night... and From the Video Aisle. You'll also get weekly written reviews of Doctor Who, Red Dwarf and The X-Files, classic Asian genre cinema under the microscope in Fantastic Asia, and more. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for more information.

Nov 16, 202301:02:29
Dexter Gordon in 'Round Midnight (1986) Episode 107

Dexter Gordon in 'Round Midnight (1986) Episode 107

Our Halloween special is over and done with, but this week Graham faces his most terrifying challenge yet - enjoying a film about jazz. If you're going to watch one film about jazz, though, Bertrand Tavernier's 'Round Midnight is the one to watch. Its bona fides are impeccable: named after a Thelonious Monk song, starring Dexter Gordon, with a score by Herbie Hancock and inspired by the lives of Lester Young and Bud Powell.
That's a lot of jazz, and fortunately Aidan is back on the show to help Graham navigate it. But there's more to Tavernier's film than its music. It's a profoundly cinephilic film as well, with a memorable late appearance by notable Letterboxd user Martin Scorsese. Graham also gets to venture his classification system for 1980s French cinema, which won't be approved by Cahiers du Cinema any time soon but eh, it just about works. If you want to help us manage our tormented yet strangely stylish alcohol addictions, you can donate to our Patreon where we're about to drop an exclusive episode of this very podcast about Taylor Swift's Eras tour movie. We've got a lot of content that isn't available anywhere else, including reviews of underrated Asian genre films in Fantastic Asia, From the Video Aisle's new series on the V/H/S franchise, our end-of-month miscellany podcast Last Night... and weekly reviews of Red Dwarf, Doctor Who and The X-Files. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for more.

www.patreon.com/thegeekshow

Nov 02, 202348:28
Frankie Avalon in the House House of Horror (1969) Episode 106

Frankie Avalon in the House House of Horror (1969) Episode 106

Oh god, Graham's shining the spooky light under his face again - sounds like time for a Halloween special. And it is, with Mark Cunliffe of We Are Cult joining the show once again to talk about The Haunted House of Horror, a 1960s British horror movie with an all-bases-covered title. It's the familiar tale of a group of horny and stupid teens who go to an old house for a seance and end up beset by entities even older and more sinister than Frankie Avalon, the Beach Blanket Bingo star who plays a character described as the essence of Swinging London.


So, not entirely persuasive casting in the lead role, but there's an impressive supporting cast including Jill Haworth and Get Carter's George Sewell, who does not play one of the teens, as he was never young. Aside from exploring the varied CVs of cast and crew, Graham and Mark also appreciate the movie's surprisingly nasty kills, the reshoots that led to the ending making no sense at all, and the time when Mark accidentally went to a Chesney Hawkes concert.


If you want to keep us buying clothes at the Men's Shop, you can donate to our Patreon where Mark and Graham are about to reteam and tackle Taylor Swift's Eras concert film in a Pop Screen exclusive. You'll also find regular written reviews of classic British sci-fi television and our favourite Asian genre movies, the monthly movie miscellany podcast Last Night..., and cult franchises reviewed in From the Video Aisle. Follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for more news.


www.patreon.com/thegeekshow

Oct 19, 202358:29
Jack Jones in The Comeback (1978) Episode 105

Jack Jones in The Comeback (1978) Episode 105

Don't call it a comeback! Literally, given the number of alternative titles Pete Walker's 1978 chiller goes under. Best-known as The Comeback, stars crooner Jack Jones as crooner Nick Cooper - a stretch, then - who is all fresh from a stay in rehab and ready to record his comeback album. The process is interrupted by artistic conflicts, record industry politics, scary ghosts and a hag-masked killer armed with a sickle. Not necessarily in that order.
The first in Pop Screen's 2023 Halloween month sees Robyn Adams rejoin the show to talk about the genius of Sheila Keith, Walker's gift for an outrageous title - including some contradictory advice given to his female protagonists - and the sheer weight of classic comedy connections in this ostensibly straight-faced horror film. If you've ever wanted a slasher featuring the stars of This Is Spinal Tap, Not the Nine O'Clock News and Last of the Summer Wine, this is for you, you absolute weirdo.

If you'd like to help us detox from heroin and restart our tarnished careers, you can donate to our Patreon, where you'll get a monthly bonus episode of this show. The next one, about aliyah's posthumous role in Queen of the Damned, is out tomorrow. Plus a new series of reviews of Asian genre classics in Fantastic Asia, cult franchises go under the lens in From the Video Aisle, weekly reviews of Doctor Who, Red Dwarf and The X-Files, and much more. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and that which once was Twitter for more.

Oct 05, 202301:02:07
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2021) Episode 104
Sep 21, 202358:16
Madonna in Dick Tracy (1990) - Episode 103

Madonna in Dick Tracy (1990) - Episode 103

This week, Pop Screen is showing you Dick. As part of our ce-e-le-bration of the fortieth anniversary of Madonna's breakthrough single Holiday, we're taking you back to 1990, when Warren Beatty became one of the few men to ever tell her what to do as he directed his then-partner in the comic book hit of the summer, Dick Tracy.


Obviously, the landscape of comic book adaptations has changed since the days when a 1930s detective strip was a box office smash and Captain America was the subject of a cheap B-movie. But has it changed for the better? This question can only be answered by bringing back Andrew of Behold! podcast, who revisits his childhood favourite film to ask: does it hold up, and why isn't it set on the moon? Plus vital detours to discuss the film's excellent make-up, Al Pacino's, uh, high-intensity villain performance, the documentary Six by Sondheim and the insane excess of a film that can afford to get Kathy Bates for, essentially, one great sight gag.


If you'd like to help us hold on to the rights for a 1930s comic strip using a series of Zoom calls - seriously, it's a thing we discuss - you can back us on
Patreon, where you'll get an exclusive episode on Dangerous Game, another of the many curios in Madonna's screen career. Plus written reviews of Red Dwarf, The X-Files and classic series Doctor Who, From the Video Aisle works its way through the [Rec] series, the film and TV miscellany podcast Last Night... and more. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for more.

Sep 07, 202359:55
X-Ray Spex in Poly Styrene: I am a Cliche (2021) - Episode 102

X-Ray Spex in Poly Styrene: I am a Cliche (2021) - Episode 102

Some people think little girls should be seen and not heard, but Pop Screen says: welcome to our episode on Poly Styrene: I am a Cliche! Co-directed by Celeste Bell in collaboration with Paul Sng, it follows Bell's journey to explore her late mother's iconic time with the punk band X-Ray Spex, as well as her troubled life and - more important than it sounds, this - her one-of-a-kind fashion sense.
The documentary is based closely on the book Day-Glo, by Bell and Zoe Howe, and on this episode We Are Cult's Mark Cunliffe joins Graham to discuss what was left out from that text, as well as appreciate Poly Styrene's classic work with X-Ray Spex, her distance from the mainstream British punk scene, the afterlife of her band and her still-underrated solo career. We also pitch an ITV1 detective series starring Kate Bush, although we're still unsure why.
The free episodes are only part of our identity: subscribe to our Patreon and you'll also get a bonus episode on Barbie, as well as access to our other podcasts From the Video Aisle - about cult franchises past and present - and Last Night..., which is literally about what we watched last night. Both of those are only available on Patreon subscribers, as are our written reviews of classic TV science fiction serials Red Dwarf, The X-Files and Doctor Who. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for more.


www.patreon.com/thegeekshow

www.wearecult.rocks

Aug 24, 202301:00:20
Austin Butler in Elvis (2022) - Episode 101

Austin Butler in Elvis (2022) - Episode 101

This week, Mark Harrison from Film Stories rejoins Pop Screen to taunt Graham about one of his most extravagantly failed predictions. Remember our The Dead Don't Die episode? Where we looked at that film's star Austin Butler's upcoming movies and decided there was no way an Elvis biopic was going to make bank in 2022? WELL... Actually, the strangest thing is not that it made money, but that we enjoyed it. Join Mark and Graham as they discuss their mixed feelings towards Baz Luhrmann, the "crisis in media literacy" and the many ways in which Colonel Tom Parker could have been a better mother to Elvis. There's also room to talk about Parker's role in the birth of PR, the changing image of Elvis following his death in 1977, and why this was the best superhero movie of 2022. Thank you - thank you very much! There's much more than a one for the money over on our Patreon - as well as Mark and Graham reuniting for a Patreon exclusive Pop Screen episode on Greta Gerwig's Barbie, there's reviews of Red Dwarf, The X-Files and Doctor Who, a look at Asian films that need a UK distributor, and two exclusive podcasts. From the Video Aisle is about to begin a retrospective on the found-footage horror franchise [Rec], and Last Night... is just covering anything it wants to, as usual. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads for more.

Aug 10, 202350:27
Olivia Newton John in Xanadu (1980) - Episode 100

Olivia Newton John in Xanadu (1980) - Episode 100

It's our 100th episode! And what better way to celebrate than to look back at one of the great musical flops of all time, 1980's Xanadu. Starring Olivia Newton-John, Gene Kelly and a guy from The Warriors, it's the story of a Greek Muse sent to Earth on a mission to inspire. If she knew she was going to inspire him to make a swing dancing/roller disco fusion club, she'd have stayed on Mount Olympus.


One of the films that led to the foundation of the Golden Raspberry awards, Xanadu nevertheless has a devoted cult following, two members of which - previous co-hosts David and Jeff - are here to guide Xana-newbie Graham through this bewildering film. Is it bad? Good? So bad it's good? Only the 100th edition of Pop Screen can solve the mystery!


Making content is not quite as lucrative as this film suggests, so if you want us to keep creating you can donate to our Patreon, where you'll get a monthly bonus episode of this show, our film and TV miscellany Last Night..., From the Video Aisle's retrospectives on cult franchises (currently going through the Cube sequels), Unseen Asia, reviews of Red Dwarf, The X-Files, and Doctor Who... it's a lot, and you can keep up with what's going on by following us on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. it is still Twitter too, nobody's ever going to call it X. Give it up, plastic-face.

Jul 27, 202352:45
Diana Ross & Scott Walker in Beach Ball (With Mick Snowden)

Diana Ross & Scott Walker in Beach Ball (With Mick Snowden)

After last week's voyage into self-importance courtesy of U2, Pop Screen tackles a film that couldn't possibly be more lightweight - the 1965 teen comedy Beach Ball. Strange, as it features one of the most tortured souls in '60s pop - Scott Walker - and one of its defining divas, Diana Ross. But this is an entry in the brief but prolific fad for beach party movies, in which mysteriously parent-free teenagers meet on the shore to date and do nothing that threatens a U certificate while listening to the drumming stylings of... exploitation film stalwart Sid Haig?!
Yes, there's some stuff that needs unpacking in here alright, and Mick from our sister podcast
Behold! is on hand to help Graham unpack it. Join them as they run through the now-forgotten history of the beach party movie, discuss which of this year's summer blockbusters is most inspired by it (a clue: it's not Oppenheimer) and work out how this stacks up against the genre's avant-garde masterpiece Gonks Go Beats. It's like an endless summer, except this podcast does actually end, so it isn't.
If you'd like to help us buy our own musical instruments without having to beg the crusty old dean for money, you can donate to our Patreon where you get three exclusive monthly podcasts - a bonus episode of Pop Screen, our latest show From the Video Aisle, and the movie and TV miscellany Last Night..., plus written reviews of Asian films that need UK distribution, classic series Doctor Who and Graham's new series going through The X-Files's conspiracy episodes. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for more news.

Jul 13, 202354:01
U2 in Rattle and Hum (with Joe Millar)

U2 in Rattle and Hum (with Joe Millar)

It's a story we keep running into here on Pop Screen: a band are so big, so acclaimed, that they think "We could make a film, how could that go wrong?" and the universe then demonstrates exactly how that could go wrong. Coming just one year after their worldwide smash The Joshua Tree,

U2 decided to make Rattle & Hum, a documentary about their American tour. It earned them their first negative reviews, and caused people to reflect - for the first time, if you can believe it - that Bono was quite annoying sometimes.
And yet... you might like it all the same. Joining Graham this week, Joe from
Dreaming Machine talks about his complex relationship with U2 after a mammoth revisiting of all their albums. They discuss the failures and the less-heralded triumphs of Rattle & Hum, also finding space to wonder about the Manic Street Preachers' album reissues and tell a delightful anecdote about Joe's old alarm clock. You've given us love, now give us money money money over at Patreon, where you'll find all sorts of content not available anywhere else: a bonus monthly episode of this podcast, for one, reviews of Asian films that need UK distribution in Unseen Asia, our latest podcast From the Video Aisle, which kicks off with an episode about the Canadian SF/horror classic Cube, X-Files reviews and our monthly movie and TV round-up Last Night...


Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for more.

Jun 29, 202301:05:60
Martin Kemp in Embrace of the Vampire (with Robyn Adams)

Martin Kemp in Embrace of the Vampire (with Robyn Adams)

Vampires! Undead creatures of the night who people also find really hot! If you think fancying a walking corpse is #problematic, wait until you see the actions of Vampire, the imaginatively-named vampire played by Martin Kemp in 1995's Embrace of the Vampire. In Anne Goursaud's film, he's looking to get his fangs on an underage girl before she's legal, just like [NAME REDACTED ON LEGAL ADVICE]


There are more tangents than usual on this episode, possibly so Graham and guest host Robyn Adams don't have to spend any more time talking about this deeply gross central plot. Aside from the cult-icon-heavy cast including Jennifer Tilly, Rachel True and Alyssa Milano, there's also room for conversations on Ace of Base, Charles Band's financial woes and the sex lives of the Blind Dead. You are not ready for this episode.


If you don't want us to end up living in a derelict church, you can donate to our Patreon where you get an exclusive episode of this show every month, as well as Graham's new X-Files review series, Rob's championing of Asian films that lack a British distributor in Unseen Asia, the everything-and-the-kitchen-sink podcast Last Night... and more upcoming. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for more.

Jun 15, 202301:00:18
Motley Crue in The Dirt (2019) (With Kat Hughes)

Motley Crue in The Dirt (2019) (With Kat Hughes)

Pop Screen doesn't cover much metal, and a cynical listener might counter that we're not about to start now, as we look at the 2019 Netflix film The Dirt. A biopic of Motley Crue, it offers a visceral look at sex, drugs and rock and roll, but maybe not enough into why hair metal (the stuff Americans heretically call "glam rock") remains so divisive.



To address this and so many other questions, Graham is joined by
Kat from The Hollywood News to talk about their mutual soft spot for the much-maligned rock biopic genre, our feelings on the Crue and the grunge scene that essentially ended their career, and how well the film handles its many darker strands. We are gentler on Machine Gun Kelly than you might think, though there's a good Eminem diss if that's your thing.



If you want to give us a slice of your pie, you can donate to our Patreon where all sorts of things are going on - Graham is winding down his Doctor Who reviews and starting on The X-Files, Rob is championing Asian films that don't have UK distribution, our TV and film miscellany podcast Last Night... goes from strength to strength... oh yeah, and there's an exclusive episode of this show coming out tomorrow, about Rudy Wurlitzer and Robert Frank's rock road trip movie Candy Mountain. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for more.

Jun 01, 202355:13
Run DMC in Tougher than Leather (with Jeffrey Pizek)
May 18, 202351:46
The Undertones in Good Vibrations (2012) (With Mark Cunliffe and Rob Simpson)

The Undertones in Good Vibrations (2012) (With Mark Cunliffe and Rob Simpson)

If there's one thing pop music needs almost as much as it needs musicians, it's people who won't hear the words "Actually, that's a really bad idea". Terri Hooley was one such man. Record shop owner, record label owner and focal point for Belfast's punk scene, what he lacked in business sense he made up for in passion. Glenn Leyburn and Lisa Barros d'Sa's biopic Good Vibrations tells his unbelievable story.


We've got an expanded cast on the show to celebrate the film, too, with Graham joined by
Directors Uncut's Rob and another regular co-host, Mark from We Are Cult. As well as the film, they also describe the odd experience of actors you love starring on shows you don't care about, discuss the films that did - and didn't - get punk right, and invent at least one new musical genre. There are some bad impersonations again, but it's definitely within the spirit of the film this time.


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May 04, 202301:06:12