Pretty Much Pop #10: The Handmaid’s Tale

  Mark, Erica, and Brian take on both Margaret Atwood's 1985 novel plus the Bruce Miller/Hulu TV series through season 3. There's also a graphic novel and the 1990 film.   We get into what's needed to move a novel to the screen like that: The character can't just remain passive as in the novel in order to keep us suffering with her past the first season as  Continue Reading …

Pretty Much Pop #4: “Chernobyl” and the Art of Suffering

On the HBO mini-series Chernobyl. Mark, Erica, and Brian first get into the various degrees of looseness in something’s being “based on a true story.” Does it matter if it’s been changed to be more dramatic? We then consider the show as entertainment: Why do people enjoy witnessing suffering? Why might a drama work (or not) for you? We also touch on Game of Thrones, The  Continue Reading …

Woody Allen Is Coming To Television: Revolution or Regression?

It’s the new golden age of television, and Amazon Studios has signed Woody Allen to create a full season’s worth of it. “I have no ideas,” said Allen, following Amazon’s announcement in January. Having by now wrapped up post-production on Irrational Man, surely the prolific filmmaker, comedian, musician, and magician has something up his sleeve. What can Allen, returning to  Continue Reading …