Screen Stuff Podcast

The Defiant Ones. Elgin and Paul review #TheDefiantOnes: The Defiant Ones, an HBO documentary about music icons (and Beats Electronics founders) Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine, directed by Allen Hughes and masterfully edited by Lasse Järvi and Doug Pray. Not your standard documentary, this four-part series walks us through the rise of both subjects as […]

Dunkirk, plus quicker takes on Spider-Man: Homecoming, Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King, The Big Sick, Okja, and episode 8 of Twin Peaks: The Return. Paul and Elgin review #Dunkirk: Dunkirk (28:10), written and directed by Christopher Nolan and and starring Tom Hardy, Mark Rylance, and Fionn Whitehead, among others, including Harry Styles. What is the effect of the unconventional structure […]

Claws. Elgin and Paul review #Claws: A new summer thriller from TNT, Claws produced by Eliot Laurence and starring Niecy Nash, Carrie Preston, Judy Reyes, Karrueche Tran, and Jenn Lyon, plus Dean Norris (of Breaking Bad). This show about nail salon workers laundering drug money in South Florida features a diverse cast, strong female characters (who certainly […]

I’m Dying Up Here. Paul and Elgin check out #ImDyingUpHere: Showtime’s I’m Dying Up Here, created by David Flebotte and Jim Carrey, and starring Melissa Leo, Ari Graynor, Al Madrigal, and Andrew Santino, plus Sebastian Stan (a.k.a. the Winter Soldier, in just the pilot). Is this new Showtime show about the 1970s comedy club scene in […]

Twin Peaks: The Return, plus quicker takes on Wonder Woman, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and GLOW. Elgin and Paul review #TwinPeaks: Twin Peaks: The Return (21:27) by David Lynch and Mark Frost and starring Kyle MacLachlan (as three characters) and many actors from the original series and/or longtime Lynch collaborators. Is this Showtime series — airing around 25 […]

Mommy Dead and Dearest. Paul and Elgin review Mommy Dead and Dearest from HBO Documentary Films: The HBO true-crime documentary Mommy Dead and Dearest, directed by Erin Lee Carr. This film centers on the events surrounding the 2015 murder of Dee Dee Blanchard — who had subjected her daughter, Gypsy Rose, to unnecessary medical treatments and lied […]

The Handmaid’s Tale. Elgin and Paul check out #TheHandmaidsTale: Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale, based on the novel by Margaret Atwood, showrun by Bruce Miller, and starring Elisabeth Moss, Yvonne Strahovski, Alexis Bledel, and Joseph Fiennes. This new show — perhaps the strongest original programming yet from Hulu — is set in the theocratic dystopia that is the Republic of […]

Alien: Covenant, plus quicker takes on Mikey Chen on YouTube, Desus & Mero, Great News, I Love Dick, American Gods, and the latest seasons of The Leftovers and Master of None. Paul and Elgin review #AlienCovenant: Alien: Covenant (35:17), directed by Ridley Scott and starring Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Demián Bichir, and Danny McBride. What does the follow-up to Prometheus (and the […]

Win It All. Elgin and Paul check out (and check-raise) #WinItAll: Netflix’s Win It All, directed by Joe Swanberg and starring Jake Johnson and co-written by them both. Neither your standard Hollywood fare nor a mumblecore independent film, Swanberg’s latest Chicago-based collaboration with Johnson is about the charming man-child Eddie, who tries to kick his poker […]

The Son. Paul and Elgin review #TheSon: AMC’s The Son, based on the novel of the same title by Philipp Meyer and starring Pierce Brosnan (who took over for Sam Neill, who dropped out of the project). Set in the early 20th century (with significant flashbacks to the mid-19th century), this drama tells the story of the First Son […]