Screen Stuff Podcast

Paul and Elgin share their picks for best scene, best performance, and best overall work across all of screendom in the past 12 months. The final edition of the annual screenies awards before we go on indefinite hiatus. We bid you a bittersweet goodbye. Thank you, all, for listening over the past five years!!! We […]

BlacKkKlansman. Elgin and Paul review #BlacKkKlansman: BlacKkKlansman, directed by Spike Lee and written by Charlie Wachtel and David Rabinowitz, and starring John David Washington and Adam Driver. We share our takes on Lee’s latest joint–and they’re both against the critical consensus. Download Podcast (right click and select Save as …) Subscribe on iTunes Subscribe to […]

Crazy Rich Asians, with briefer takes on Mission: Impossible–Fallout, Howard’s End on Starz, Wild Wild Country, and How to Make It in America. Paul and Elgin review #CrazyRichAsians: Crazy Rich Asians (35:35), directed by Jon M. Chu from the screenplay by Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim, based on the novel by Kevin Kwan, and starring Constance […]

A Very English Scandal. Paul and Elgin review A #VeryEnglishScandal: A Very English Scandal on Amazon Prime (originally on the BBC), written by Russell T Davies, directed by Stephen Frears, and starring Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw. This three-part minseries tells the stories of Jeremy Thorpe (Grant), a Member of Parliament, and Norman Josiffe/Scott (Whishaw), […]

Sharp Objects, plus some chit-chat on the 2018 Emmy nominations. Paul and Elgin review #SharpObjects: Sharp Objects on HBO, created by Marti Noxon and directed by Jean-Marc Vallée, based on the novel by Gillian Flynn, and starring Amy Adams and Patricia Clarkson. An eight-episode prestige drama (and Vallée’s follow-up to Big Little Lies), Sharp Objects tells the story of journalist Camille […]

Sorry to Bother You, with briefer takes on Kim’s Convenience, Something in the Rain (밥 잘 사주는 예쁜 누나), First Reformed, and Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot Paul and Elgin chat about #SorryToBotherYou: Sorry to Bother You (36:00), written and directed by Boots Riley and starring Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Steven Yeun, and Armie Hammer.  […]

Succession. Elgin and Paul chat about #SuccessionHBO: HBO’s Succession, created by Jesse Armstrong (with executive producers Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, among others) and starring Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong, Alan Ruck, Kieran Culkin, Sarah Snook, and Hiam Abbass as the Roys — a rich, powerful New York family that runs a global media empire. Does this latest prestige drama from HBO […]

Dietland Paul and Elgin review #Dietland: Dietland on AMC, created by Marti Noxon, based on the novel by Sarai Walker, and starring Joy Nash and Julianna Margulies. This show is a dark satire about dealing with the beauty industrial complex during the #MeToo era. We discuss Nash’s central performance as Alicia “Plum” Kettle (the show’s plus-size protagonist, who […]

Pose, with briefer takes on Solo: A Star Wars Story, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Incredibles 2, and MoviePass (user experience, plus upcoming changes and competition for the service). Elgin and Paul review #PoseFX: Pose (22:00) on FX, created by Steven Canals, Brad Falchuk, and Ryan Murphy and starring Mj Rodriguez, Indya Moore, and Ryan Jamaal […]

The Letdown. Paul and Elgin review #TheLetdown: The Letdown on Netflix, created by Sarah Scheller and Alison Bell (originally for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation) and starring the latter as Audrey, a woman facing the challenges of being a new mom. A dark-ish half-hour comedy about the pressures of modern-day motherhood (and fatherhood), this new show tackles […]

Cobra Kai. Elgin and Paul chat about #CobraiKai: YouTube Red’s Cobra Kai, created by Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg and starring William Zabka and Ralph Macchio. A sequel set some 30 years after the events of the original The Karate Kid, the hit dramedy has already been renewed for another season on YouTube’s paid streaming […]

Fahrenheit 451, with briefer takes on Dear White People (season 2), The Handmaid’s Tale (season 2), The New Girl (the final season), Avengers: Infinity War, and director Hiro Murai’s work on Barry and Atlanta, among other topics. Paul and Elgin review #Fahrenheit451: Fahrenheit 451 (29:30) on HBO, adapted and directed by Ramin Bahrani and starring […]

The Last O.G., with briefer takes on Pacific Rim: Uprising and The Lost in Space reboot on Netflix. Elgin and Paul chat about #TheLastOG: TBS’s The Last O.G., created by John Carcieri and Jordan Peele and starring Tracy Morgan and Tiffany Haddish. After a terrible auto accident in 2014, the controversial SNL alum Morgan returns to […]

Barry, with briefer takes on High Maintenance (HBO’s season 2), screen supremacy for Sunday night (the latest seasons of Showtime’s Homeland and Billions versus HBO’s and AMC’s past offerings), and Atlanta (season 2 on FX, a.k.a. Robbin’ Season, with a focus on the episode “Teddy Perkins“). Paul and Elgin review #HBOBarry: HBO’s Barry (27:05), created by Alec […]

Killing Eve, with briefer takes on Netflix potentially buying a movie theater chain, the impact of MoviePass, and Ready Player One. Elgin and Paul review #KillingEve: Killing Eve (29:30) on BBC America, adapted for the small screen by Phoebe Waller-Bridge (of Fleabag fame) from the Villanelle novels by Luke Jennings and starring Sandra Oh (as […]

The Looming Tower. Paul and Elgin review #TheLoomingTower: Hulu’s The Looming Tower, based on the 2006 nonfiction book of the same title by Lawrence Wright., stars Jeff Daniels, Tahar Rahim, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Peter Sarsgaard. This ten-episode drama explores the failures in the U.S. intelligence community (most of  them having to do with the rivalry and […]

Ugly Delicious. Elgin and Paul check out #UglyDelicious: Ugly Delicious, a new documentary series from Netflix, produced by and starring Momofuku chef David Chang and New York Times food critic Peter Meehan. Rather than covering a single place, as do so many other food and travel shows, this one focuses on a particular type of food […]

Annihilation, with briefer takes on The Darkest Hour, Brad’s Status, and The Only Living Boy in New York. Paul and Elgin review #Annihilation: Annihilation (21:01), written and directed by Alex Garland and starring Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tessa Thompson, Gina Rodriguez, Tuva Novotny, and Oscar Isaac. Veering away from Jeff VanderMeer’s novel of the same name, Garland’s […]

The Alienist. Elgin and Paul check out The #Alienist: TNT’s The Alienist, a crime drama based on the 1994 novel by Caleb Carr, stars Daniel Brühl, Luke Evans, and Dakota Fanning. This ten-episode thriller (which has nothing to do with space aliens and much to do with the early days of criminal psychology and forensics) […]

The Chi. Paul and Elgin check out #TheChi: The Chi, a new Showtime drama from Lena Waithe, starring Jason Mitchell, Alex R. Hibbert, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, and Jacob Latimore. Set on the South Side of Chicago, this sprawling series has already been renewed for a second season. But should you bother trying to get through […]