Book and Film Globe Podcast

by Book and Film Globe

Entertainment News Film Reviews TV Reviews

BFG Podcast #081: Holiday Special with 'The Menu,' 'The Peripheral,' 'Reboot' and 'Blockbuster'

Happy Thanksgiving, Book and Film Globe podcast fans. We're thankful for your support as we continue to press our nose against the glass on the low end of the Podcast 100. We've got a great episode for this holiday week, as Neal speaks to Stephen Garrett about The Menu, whose trailer kinda said it all. Then Chris Lites stops by to discuss something that's proven almost impossible -- successfully adapting William Gibson for the screen. Johnny Mnemonic was but one forgettable attempt. ‘The Peripheral' gets off to a promising start and might just cross the finish line as worthy visual companion to the rich and complex dystopias Gibson has created in print. Finally Paula Shaffer joins Neal to ponder: why are sitcoms no longer funny? They discuss Reboot, the new one from Modern Family creator Steven Levitan, and Blockbuster. The former feels precious and unfunny and the latter is "a clueless, clumsy sitcom that can’t even muster nostalgia for itself, much less the golden age of video rental stores."

Nov 21, 2022

38:24

Season 1

BFG Podcast #078: 'Derry Girls,' 'Triangle of Sadness,' 'Armageddon Time,' and 'Filmed in Brooklyn'

Chelsea Clinton disappoints in the finale of 'Derry Girls' in this week's edition of one of the world's most popular entertainment podcasts. Host Neal Pollack begins with a five-minute discourse on the absurdity of members of the "literary community" calling upon Random House to not publish the new Amy Coney Barrett memoir. They call it a "human rights violation." This is absurdity at its highest level, Stalinist garbage. Neal tells them where they can stick their "duty of care." Then Rachel Llewellyn stops by to lighten the mood by talking to Neal about the ridiculous Chelsea Clinton cameo at the end of 'Derry Girls.' Rachel found it annoying, but in general she thought the third and final season of Derry Girls was stretching the joke a bit thin. But they could have been on top if only they hadn't given Chelsea Clinton the final scene. Next our podcast welcomes the host of three other podcasts, Margo Donohue, the author of the new book 'Filmed In Brooklyn'. We liked her print interview with us so much that we invited her along to talk about Brooklyn movies again. Neal and Margo talk about 'The French Connection,' 'Saturday Night Fever,' 'Do the Right Thing', and 'Smoke,' alongside other Brooklyn films. Finally it's Stephen Garrett time again. Stephen seemed to like 'Armageddon Time' from James Gray pretty well, though he and Neal nearly come to blows over whether or not Charlie Hunnam (who starts in another James Gray movie) is a good actor. He is not. But Armageddon Time is warm and heartfelt. You can't say the same for 'Triangle of Sadness,' a vicious anti-capitalist satire that got a standing ovation and a Palme D'Or from all the rich socialists at the Cannes Film Festival. Neal and Stephen agree it's a film to be admired, not enjoyed. Stephen found the satire obvious. Neal liked the performances, especially Dolly DeLeon as a put-upon maid who takes her revenge. As always, our podcast has range. Enjoy the show!

S1 · E78

Oct 31, 2022

53:47

BFG Podcast #079: Bob Dylan, Interview With the Vampire, the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions, and more

We lead off this edition of the BFG podcast with a discussion of Nobel Prize laureate Bob Dylan. That’s the Literature Prize to you. Dylan has written a new book called Philosophy of Song, about songs he likes, and it’s as inscrutable as the rest of his body of work. Book and Film Globe contributor Jim Sullivan joins host Neal Pollack to talk about his review of The Philosophy of Modern Song. And they make fun of rock critics as well as Dylan’s somewhat purplish prose style. This might just be a joke that Dylan is playing on all of us. Halloween may be in the past, but vampire shows are still on TV. Scott Gold joins Neal Pollack to talk about Interview with the Vampire, a new adaptation of the classic Anne Rice novel. Scott admires the new setting in Jazz Age New Orleans, and finds the lead vampires dynamic and magnetic, but a bad casting decision of the orphan vampire Claudia brings the proceedings down a little. Just as biting is the Showtime adaptation of the classic Swedish vampire movie Let The Right One In. The setting is now America, and the girl vampire’s caretaker is now her aging father. But the basic premise remains the same. Scott has good things to say about the show but is critical of some somewhat convenient plot choices. In non-vampire news, it’s the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions. Neal and Daniel Cohen go deep into the weeds of the TOC, talk about why some players are favored over others, and discuss efficacy of using flash cards to study for trivia competitions. If you’re not ready, you’re not going to win. Also, Neal laments the fact that they never ask any questions about Park Chan-Wook on the show. Enjoy our podcast, this week and every week!

S1 · E79

Nov 8, 2022

42:54

BFG Podcast #080: 'Wakanda Forever,' 'The White Lotus,' and 'Weird'

On this week's podcast, "Marvel normie" Stephen Garrett is honored to join host Neal Pollack, a Marvel completist. Neal gives Stephen all the backstory of 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,' especially when it comes to Prince Namor, formerly of Atlantis, now of Talokan. Neal found Wakanda Forever an emotional sendoff for Chadwick Boseman, but was disappointed by the poorly-developed, visually murky underseas scenes. Stephen marvels at how the movie is full of strong Black heroines. And then he and Neal have to pick themselves off the floor after over-admiring Lupita N'yongo, who is in this movie, looking fine. Matthew Ehrlich checks in to discuss Season 2 of 'The White Lotus.' Matthew has lots of problems with this show, but he still finds himself tuning in eagerly on Sunday nights. Neal loves 'The White Lotus,' he thinks it's sexy and juicy and fabulous, qualities not always apparent in TV shows. And they both agree that Jennifer Coolidge is a comic masterpiece who must be protected at all costs. Finally, Danny Gallagher visits the show to discuss 'Weird,' the Weird Al Yankovic biopic. What could be more appealing than listening to two Gen-X guys talk about why Weird Al is awesome and funny? Nothing, we say! We have the courage to like Weird Al here at BFG. Screw all the haters, of which there are none. Enjoy the podcast!

S1 · E80

Nov 14, 2022

42:34

BFG Podcast #081: Holiday Special with 'The Menu,' 'The Peripheral,' 'Reboot' and 'Blockbuster'

S1 · E81

Nov 21, 2022

38:24

BFG Podcast #082

It's December, my dudes, and The BFG podcast is back on the air! This week we lead off with a discussion of another podcast, American Public Media's 'Sold A Story,' which has ignited a furious debate over how we teach children to read. Writer Sharyn Vane joins host Neal Pollack to discuss the difference between the old-school phonics method and the new-school, more context-based method of reading instruction, which appears to be the culprit in America's continually declining reading scores. While both Neal and Sharyn learned how to read contextually, as "early readers," this may not apply to everyone. Not every kid lives in a house with, as one of the new-school reading proponents did, with "monogrammed bath towels." A lively debate, and we're in the fray. Then Sara Stewart pops up to talk about 'She Said,' a new movie about the journalists who uncovered the Harvey Weinstein sexual assault scandal. Sara says that the Weinstein affair affects more people than Watergate, the subject of 'All the President's Men." Neal disagrees with her there, but admits that #metoo scandals are certainly more contemporary and relevant. Then they struggle to remember that Charlize Theron played Megan Kelly in 'Bombshell.' Shame on these two Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critics! Finally, Stephen Garrett appears because we say his name three times to talk about Steven Spielberg's autobiographical love letter to the cinema, 'The Fabelmans.' Stephen loved the movie's exploration of childhood trauma and neurosis, Neal found it all a little overlong and self-serving, but they both really liked the fantastic cameo at movie's end. Check it out, experience the wonder...of our podcast.

S1 · E82

Dec 6, 2022

41:44

BFG #083: 'Wednesday,' 'Harry & Meghan,' and 'Jeanne Dielman

On this week's podcast, Neal Pollack welcomes in Stephen Garrett for an exhaustive conversation about 'Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du commerce, 1080 Bruxelles,' which the once-a-decade Sight and Sound poll recently named the 'Greatest Film of All Time.' Such things are inherently subjective, and maybe two middle-aged men aren't the ones to discuss the film, but Stephen thinks it's a fascinating experiment and Neal mostly marvels at the fact that he actually lived in Brussels in 1975. I mean, who does that? In any case, Jeanne Dielman is waiting for you, for the next decade and beyond. Paula Shaffer stops in to discuss 'Wednesday.' She says it looks great but is not "fun." It would seem that "fun" is important for a show set in the Addams Family universe, but producer Tim Burton decides to take that universe in the "dark fantasy" direction of Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Riverdale. It's what the kids want, maybe. We have entered the Harry and Meghan discourse, as Matthew Ehrlich discusses the first half of 'Harry & Meghan,' the Netflix documentary. Matthew doubts the "falling in love" narrative that the documentary presents. Neal is surprised to learn that, by the end of the documentary, Harry & Meghan aren't even married yet. Are they heroes? Villains? Are they winning just because we're talking about them on the podcast? Probably.

S1 · E83

Dec 13, 2022

50:21

BFG Podcast #084: 'Avatar: The Way of Water,' and This Year's Best and Worst TV Shows

The holidays are in full force but BFG never stops bringing you the culture. This week's podcast features editor Neal Pollack talking with critic Sara Stewart about 'Avatar 2: The Way of Water.' Sara is a devoted Avatar-head. Though she liked the long-awaited sequel, she admits that she's "exhausted" after its nearly three and a half hour runtime. Both Neal and Sara admire the film's technical accomplishments and action setpieces, but admit that the characterizations and dialogue, not James Cameron specialties, leave much to be desired. Sara is happy to see Jemaine Clement in action. Neal is unhappy about the character of Spider, a "Monkey Boy" who really chews up a lot of screen time. Regardless, The Way of Water is here. Our discussion covers the waterfront. We do the same with a roundtable discussing the year's best and worst TV shows. JonPaul Guinn and Paula Shaffer join Neal to go over the disasters of "Mexican Week," House Hunters, 'She Hulk: Attorney At Law,' and various Star Wars shows. The usual suspects make our top lists, like The White Lotus, The Bear, Severance, Better Call Saul, and House of the Dragon, while JP chooses 'Our Flag Means Death' as an idiosyncratic choice, and Paula has nothing but good things to say about Upload on Amazon Prime. It's our usual idiosyncratic assortment, the kind that only BFG can bring. We will all be watching TV until we die, which may be soon. So watch more TV.

S1 · E84

Dec 19, 2022

43:53

BFG Podcast #085: 'Glass Onion,' 'Babylon,' and '1923' - A new year, but the same great content

Welcome to 2023! The BFG podcast has turned the calendar with you, with no changes whatsoever, as it's a perfect show. Host Neal Pollack switches it up and welcomes Stephen Garrett back for the 70th time. This week Neal and Stephen talk about 'Glass Onion.' This big, expensive sequel to 'Knives Out' resembles a big-budget live-action adaptation of Scooby-Doo, but it's fun as long as you don't take it too seriously. And if you are taking it too seriously, you might want to consult a doctor. Stephen immediately knocks down the idea that Janelle Monae might get an Oscar nomination. No nominations forthcoming for this picture, now on Netflix. 'Babylon', directed by Damien Chazelle, will also not get an Oscar nomination, but it has a chance to sweep the Razzies, thanks to over-the-top performances, insane scatology, and a manic stupidity and pretentiousness that just won't quit. Stephen seems to like the film more than Neal does, and he certainly knows more about the silent-film era of Hollywood, but no one can deny that the movie lacks humor, character development, or the courage to unfold a plot that makes any sort of sense. One of the great turkeys of all time, that's what we say! Associate professor of Duttonology Adam Hirschfelder stops by the podcast bank to talk about '1923,' the latest prequel to 'Yellowstone that Taylor Sheridan has churned out of its factory. Not only does this show star Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren, it also gives the most detailed account of life inside "Indian Boarding Schools" ever put to film. The great project of American history-telling is underway. And Hirschfelder is here for it, without having to convene a New York Times focus group. No one covers the Yellowstone universe like Adam. It is his entire life. Happy New Year! Enjoy the program.

S1 · E85

Jan 2, 2023

37:01

BFG Podcast #086: 'White Noise,' 'M3GAN,' and 'Jack Ryan'

In this week's audio-enhanced edition of the BFG Podcast, editor Neal Pollack, an AI-assisted lifeform, welcomes contributors JonPaul Guinn and Pablo Gallaga. JP proves his versatility and then some, starting off by talking about the Noah Baumbach adaptation of Don DeLillo's 'White Noise.' JP prefers the middle part of the movie, when the "Airborne Toxic Event" means there's actually some action, and also the closing credits, a dance sequence in a 1980s grocery store set to an LCD Soundsystem song. The rest of the movie, not so much. He doesn't find statements like "men are killers. They kill" to be very profound. And both he and Neal agree that DeLillo's jokes about "Hitler Studies", made in a novel nearly 40 years ago, have aged quite poorly. An arthouse rendition of a book we previously thought was unfilmable, this is definitely not family fun. Later, JP pops back to talk about season 3 of 'Jack Ryan.' This is an odd show, he says, because there's no actual spy intrigue, and not a lot of fun chase scenes. It's just kind of boring, and no one will ever be as good a Jack Ryan as Alec Baldwin was in The Hunt For Red October. He and Neal find the Jack Ryan universe so unengaging that they actually end up talking about better pulp-fiction characters who have become TV heroes, like 'Reacher' and 'Bosch." And then they make fun of the CIA for a bit. Pablo Gallaga had the fun job of reviewing 'M3GAN' for us, and he and Neal both really appreciate the spot-on satire of artificial intelligence, as well as the many memorable and meme-able creepy doll movements sprinkled throughout the Blumhouse pulp hit. Pablo's thesis is that horror movies have moved out of their brutal dissection-of-personal trauma phase, and have now just transitioned into bonkers fun. Just like BFG itself. Enjoy the show!

S1 · E86

Jan 10, 2023

34:40

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