Pop Screen

The Geek Show

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Pop Screen

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.

1 DAY AGO

Thor in Rock N Roll Nighmare - Pop Screen 130

Bow before the mighty Thor! That's Jon Mikl Thor, obviously, the musclebound Canadian hard rocker whose mix of riffs and strongman stunts never quite led him to rock Valhalla. Not that it stopped him trying, and Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare was his biggest swing at the big leagues. On paper, it's a canonical hard rock horror movie, right down to the not-exactly-a-stretch casting of Thor as the frontman of a rock band. In practice, it is far, far stranger than that. Join Graham and Jeff as they discuss the film's alarmingly phallic puppets, its inexplicably long driving sequences and the insane third-act twist that seals its cult movie legend. We also discuss the twisty career of Thor himself, not least the time when he got a new manager who wanted to reshape his career path based on the channelled wisdom of the New Age entity "Seth". The '70s, everyone! If you want to hear us talking about rock - rock! Rock! - as well as several other musical genres, you'll find a monthly bonus episode of this show on our Patreon, as well as our monthly movie round-up Last Night..., weekly reviews of The X-Files and Red Dwarf, articles on classic Asian genre cinema and much, much more. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to keep up!

53 min
17 OCT

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

Phoebe Bridgers! Snail Mail! Fred Durst?! The list of Pop Screen-qualifying cast members is only the beginning of the weirdness in Jane Schoenbrun's sophomore film I Saw the TV Glow. Released in the UK after a wait almost as punishing as the film's devastating time-jumps, it's the story of two kids who really, really like a TV show. That is, if you're satisfied with a surface-level reading. If you're not, allow Graham and Robyn to take you through the film's multitude of trans and queer readings, its nods to 1990s telefantasy classics from Buffy to Twin Peaks, its use of - and critique of the abuses of - nostalgia, its subtle coding of each time period it's set in, and of course its soundtrack, whose mix of modern artists and '90s vibes has already made it a cult classic independent of the film it's soundtracking. We also discuss Harmony Korine's short films, the weirdness of early internet video and so much more. It's for the ladies, the fellas and the people who don't give a [censored] - which, we now realise, is an acknowledgement of nonbinary identity. Who knew? If your heart is like a claw machine, grab a subscription to our Patreon where we release an exclusive episode of this podcast every month, plus lots of other DVD bonus features: written reviews of The X-Files and Red Dwarf, classic Asian genre cinema under the microscope and even more. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to find out more.

1h 16m
2 OCT

Halsey & Moses Sumney in MaXXXine - Episode 128

It's time for Pop Screen's Halloween month, and as luck would have it one of the biggest new horror films of the year has plenty of pop connections. The final instalment in a trilogy which started with X, MaXXXine takes the story of Maxine Minx through to the '80s, and finds Halsey and Moses Sumney waiting for her there. Join Graham and Andrew from Behold! podcast as they dive into the film's period detail, which of its supporting actors get away with their outrageous accents, and the magic of Mia Goth. We also discuss Halsey's collaboration with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Moses Sumney's enviable satellite connection, and that world-class Buster Keaton scene. It's a film with balls, alright. Over on our Patreon, we're getting ready to drop a Patreon exclusive episode on Satan's Bed, an absolutely bizarre obscurity starring Yoko Ono with lots of strange stories attached to it. Subscribers also get monthly written reviews of classic Asian genre cinema, weekly reviews of The X-Files and Red Dwarf, and our end-of-month round-up podcast Last Night... Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to find out more.

57 min
20 SEPT

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.

56 min
4 SEPT

Ramones in Rock N Roll High School - Episode 126

Outside of documentaries and one unforgettable appearance on The Simpsons, The Ramones only made one film appearance - but what an appearance! Allan Arkush's chaotic, Joe Dante-scripted Rock 'n' Roll High School wasn't even meant to star da brudders, with Todd Rundgren and Cheap Trick considered for the film's musical guests. Then, one of the film's stars told producer Roger Corman there was a much hipper band whose asking price was much lower - and Corman, as ever, was sold on the second part. In the first of September's triple-headed shows, Graham is joined by Rob and Aidan to talk about that first wave of NY punk, as well as this film and The Ramones's unexpected connections with The Beatles, John Carpenter and Frank Sinatra. We also discuss why Joe Dante's films connect so well with da yoof, the experience of feeling old when you listen to Radio 1, bands who sell a lot of t-shirts and Rob's hatred of Blink-182. Hey! Ho! Let's go! For less than one pound ninety-nine you can subscribe to the lowest tier of our Patreon, where you'll get weekly reviews of The X-Files and our end-of-month round-up podcast Last Night... Up the amount and you can also get Red Dwarf reviews, revisits of classic Asian genre cinema and a bonus subscribers-only episode of this podcast - we're covering the Irish hip-hop biopic Kneecap this month! Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to find out more.

53 min
24 JUL

Mae West in Sextette - Episode 125

When David and Graham are on the show together, you should be on high alert for a camp catastrophe, and lord do we get it in the form of Ken Hughes's Sextette. An innuendo-stuffed sex farce starring Mae West, it could have been a smash hit if it was made in the 1930s, when she was in her forties. Instead, it was made in the 1970s, when she was 84, and the result is the vanity project to end all vanity projects. Join us as we discuss the star-studded cast, including a relentlessly hammy Keith Moon, an unrecognisable Alice Cooper, and Ringo Starr; discuss ways in which an OAP sex comedy could actually have worked; catalogue the film's strange relationship to both Britain and the laws of physics; and talk about Sextette's unbelievable musical numbers. Plus, discover the secret of Mae West's shoes and find out how true love brought David to this highly special film. Aww. If you want to hear our scandalous secret memoirs, well, tough. But if you sign up to our Patreon you can get a bonus episode of this show every month, plus exclusive written articles on The X-Files, cinema's most niche genres, Red Dwarf and classic Asian genre cinema. At the end of every month we've also got a fun, chaotic podcast called Last Night..., about our month's most memorable viewing, which like all this content isn't available anywhere else. Follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to find out more.

53 min
10 JUL

Adam Faith in What a Whopper! Episode 124

What was the British pop movie like before The Beatles? They were quite a lot like What a Whopper, as Graham and Mark discover this week. A featherweight farce in which a struggling writer and his bohemian friends try to fake a Loch Ness Monster sighting - just go with it, OK - it features a plethora of British comedy legends, a script by Dalek creator Terry Nation, and, as its lead, one Adam Faith. It's easy to forget what a massive name Faith was in his heyday, and our hosts examine every aspect of his wild career, from his other acting roles in Budgie and Beat Girl through his career in financial advice to his delightful last words. We also discuss the real-life Loch Ness Monster hoaxes that may have inspired Nation's script, the tragic life of female lead Carol Leslie, the film's not-wholly-unstereotypical vision of Scotland and the state of Michael Winner's finances. It's a monster of an episode! If you don't want to see us reduced to hoaxing cryptids to make ends meet, you can donate to our Patreon, where you'll get a bonus episode of this podcast every month. There's a new one, about the classic blaxploitation movie Truck Turner, out in just one day's time! You also get written reviews of The X-Files, Red Dwarf and classic Asian genre cinema, and our monthly miscellany podcast Last Night... Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to find out more.

54 min
26 JUN

Nancy Sinatra in The Wild Angels - Episode 123

Get your motor running, head out on the highway... wait, it's not that Peter Fonda-starring 1960s biker movie. No, The Wild Angels came a few years before Easy Rider, and it centres around a noticeably less idealistic group of bikers. Director Roger Corman hired several real Hell's Angels to serve as extras in his film, and if you're thinking there's probably stories from that set, you're right. Let Ben and Graham tell you them: from Corman's sociological reasons for having Bruce Dern's character work at an oil refinery to the unexpected trouble he had involving a coffin and the letter "Z". And, because this is Pop Screen, we also talk about the film's musical legacy - Primal Scream are certainly fans - and its female lead Nancy Sinatra. whose career teaches us many valuable lessons. Here's one: if you're accused of being a nepo baby, why not get together with an incredibly rum country singer and release a series of duets that are so unwholesome as to sound actively diseased? All this and Frank Sinatra's prog album, discussed herein! If you wanna get loaded, and have a good time, there are few better venues than our Patreon, where you'll find a bonus episode of this show every month, plus two exclusive podcasts concerning cult genre franchises (From the Video Aisle) and whatever we feel like (Last Night...). There's also written articles on cult Asian genre cinema, Red Dwarf and The X-Files, plus plenty more - follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to find out more.

1h 16m

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.

Creator

The Geek Show
Years Active

2015 - 2024
Episodes

133
Rating

Explicit
Copyright

© The Geek Show
Show Website

Pop Screen