HBO’s Big Little Lies, created and written by David E. Kelley and directed by Jean-Marc Vallée, based on the novel by Liane Moriarty. The seven-episode limited series stars Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, and Shailene Woodley.
Kong: Skull Island, plus quick takes on Logan, Train to Busan, Feud, Girls (Season 6), Crashing, Love (Season 2), and Baskets (Season 2).
Paul and Elgin review #KongSkullIsland:
Kong: Skull Island(25:55), directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts and starring Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, John C. Reilly, Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, and Corey Hawkins. What does the latest reboot of King Kong offer that’s different from 1933 original, 1976 version with Jeff Bridges and Jessica Lange, or the 2005 Peter Jackson, Weta version? How conscious are the filmmakers about what some claim is Kong’s racist and imperialist legacy* — and do they (or even can they) do anything about it? Is this (trying to be) anything more than just a cynical, money-grabbing expansion of the MonsterVerse? Does it the deliver the CGI action — and is that enough?
*To discuss these aspects of all versions of Kong movies, Elgin draws heavily on a recent book of criticism called Strange Fruit of the Black Pacific.
In the lead-in free-for-all segment (02:00), we chit-chat about
Logan, the latest X-Men film, directed by James Mangold and starring Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, and Dafne Keen;
Train to Busan, a zombie thriller directed by Sang-ho Yeon and starring Yoo Gong and Soo-an Kim;
Ryan Murphy’s Feud, starring Jessica Lange (as Joan Crawford) and Susan Sarandon (as Bette Davis);
Judd Apatow-produced TV shows —
Girls, early episodes of the sixth and final season,
Crashing, its inaugural season, and
Love, its sophomore season — and
Baskets, starring Zach Galifianakis, Louie Anderson, and Martha Kelly.
Sky Atlantic, Canal+, and HBO’s The Young Pope, created by Paul Sorrentino and starring Jude Law, Diane Keaton, Silvio Orlando, Javier Cámara, and James Cromwell.
Screen Stuff Podcast 