Tom & Lorenzo’s Pop Style Opinionfest

Tom and Lorenzo dive into director Guillermo Del Toro's gothic horror classic to kick off their spooky season film festival, pointing out the overwhelming aesthetic qualities of the film like the stunning production and costume design, the references to classic cinema, the reasons for certain casting decisions, and the differences between modern horror, gothic horror and gothic romance, which are all baked into the film.

T Lo weigh in on the biggest, dumbest celebrity story of the month: Kelly Clarkson vs. Brooklyn Boutiques, unpacking all the bad things it says about the culture and the media that kept this pointless story alive much longer than it should have. PLUS: Once again, what are Harry and Meghan even thinking? What's going on with Selma Blair? And why does Saturday Night Live keep bringing Shane Gillis on?

Tom and Lorenzo tuck into director Wes Anderson's whimsically melancholy story of a family of depressed geniuses and the patriarch who's the cause of all their problems, noting the film's innate darkness and how it manages to navigate tales of death, depression, failure and suicide with humor, kindness, and the director's unmistakably mannered style.

T Lo dive deep into the Netflix adaptation of John Steinbeck's "East of Eden," written by Zoe Kazan and starring Florence Pugh as the iconic Cathy Ames. Did Kazan turn Steinbeck's embodiment of evil into a girlboss or did she simply look at the world she lived in through a woman's eyes and write that? Plus: Hoon Lee's stunning work as Lee and why the elder Trask brothers were cast the way they were cast.

Tom and Lorenzo dive deep into director/screenwriter David Lowery's examination of fame, friendship, fashion and trauma, with an electrifying performance by Michaela Coel, stunning costume design, and songs written by the leading lights of pop. So why did it fail so bad at its basic task?

T Lo observe the first official Dolly Parton Day (9/25) by diving deep into her first, best film, unpacking the subtle meaning in the costumes, the liberal polemic that fuels the film, the brilliance of that title song, and the gay perspective that drives the aesthetic and style of the legendary "9 to 5."

Tom and Lorenzo dive deep into director Sebastian Lelio's moody, contemplative look at grief, religious mania, and the ways that men contrive to control the bodies of women.

Tom and Lorenzo take a look at the scandal surrounding Ed Sheeran's tour in the wake of Macklemore's firing and why suddenly everyone has an opinion about. Plus: the British royal family can't stop being drama queens. And a loving look at the life and culture-shifting work of the legendary Bob Mackie.

T Lo dive into the "The Drama," starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson and wrestle with the film's central question, which one of them found compelling and one of them didn't, as well as the film's somewhat problematic inability to engage with American gun culture and racial realities.

T Lo react to the news that the Met Gala has canceled its accompanying John Galliano exhibit in the wake of furious outcry against it for his past anti-semitic remarks. What was Anna Wintour thinking? What does this mean for her career? Will the Met Gala go on? PLUS: a salute to Tim Curry, who gave one of the most consequential, world-changing drag performances of all time in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show."

T Lo take a good hard look at director Spike Lee's pointed portrayal of Black Vietnam War vets dealing with their own trauma and trying to cash in on their troubles while rescuing a fallen comrade, unpacking the film's strange relationship with time, documentary-style choices, spectacular acting and problematic portrayal of the Vietnamese.

T Lo pay tribute to the Queen of America, Miss Dolly Parton, upon the news of her passing. They unpack her legacy, her philanthropy, her artistry, her fashion, and what we can all take from this singular human being and a life well lived. PLUS: More Harry Potter casting drama and what Hayden Panettiere's death should mean for Hollywood (but probably won't).

T Lo dive into director Emerald Fennell's ludicrously maximalist take on Emily Bronte's classic tragic novel, from the insane costumes and production designs to the questionable casting choices, to the ways it diverges from the book and why she chose to go that route. It's a fun, but heated take on this overheated film.

T Lo take everything they know from over a decade of opinionating on the royal family and try to unpack why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are making a shocking return to the UK, how it's likely to go bad for them, and the most likely reason why they made this decision.PLUS: Nicholas Hoult, Bel Powley and all the other stars lamely trying to justify their Harry Potter checks.

T Lo discuss and interpret director Sofia Coppola's take on female desire and repression against the backdrop of the civil war, unpacking whether it succeeds at its feminist goals or collapses under the many cliches it's trying to rewrite or upend.

T Lo review the "House of the Dragon" season 3 finale and unpack all of the ways the show has managed to keep its various plotlines clear and easy to understand and why it's better to prioritize that than fidelity to the books. PLUS: "One Night Only" is bafflingly sexless! Is Gen Z to blame?

T Lo return to an old classic, director Griffin Dunne's "Practical Magic," and unpack how it helped to establish the tropes of modern romantasy, how its aesthetic can reasonably be said to have created an entire genre of television movies, and how different a film like this would be if it were made today. PLUS: Were Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock miscast?

T Lo take a look at the rhetoric surrounding Ariana Grande's choice to step out of the public eye and what it says about our culture's need to talk about women's bodies as well as whether celebrities have any responsibility to be honest about their health with their fans. They also tackle the news that the next Met Gala will be celebrating John Galliano and why that's horrifying. PLUS: A recap of the latest "House of the Dragon."

T Lo take a look at director Richard Linklater's loving(?) homage to legendary musical theater lyricist Lorenz Hart, played by Ethan Hawke. From the theatrical easter eggs and cameos to the film's occasionally questionable choices of what to focus on, they unpack whether this biopic actually does what it set out to do and whether the film is kind to its subject or not.

T Lo take a good, hard look at director Christopher Nolan's star-studded epic "The Odyssey," predicting who'll win Oscars, mentioning who should have never been cast, and unpacking all of the themes and creative choices of this dense film. PLUS: A look at where independent media is after 20 years of blogging and a quick discussion on the latest "House of the Dragon" and where it's all heading.

T Lo dive into the indie darling of 2006, "Little Miss Sunshine," and try to answer the question: Does a film's aesthetic matter as much as its performances, directing and writing?

T Lo dive into the Netflix remake of "Little House on the Prairie" and unpack the ways it tries to deepen and correct the work of Laura Ingalls Wilder and the ways it fails to modernize it. PLUS: Emmy snubs and surprises and where "House of the Dragon" is getting it wrong.

T Lo dive deep into director Wong Kar-Wai's moody, dreamy reflection on unrequited love in 1960 Hong Kong, "In the Mood for Love," starring Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung. The dresses! The sets! The music! The sensuously moody and occasionally steamy atmosphere! The noodles! They unpack all of it in order to get to the answer of whether or not these two people were in love or just in pain together.

T Lo take a look at director Celine Song's musings on modern romance and class distinctions, starring Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans, unpacking where the film was working and when the tonal shifts and character interactions stopped making much sense.

T Lo dive into the "Queen's Landing" episode of "House of the Dragon" and unpack all the ways it revitalized the series and set up new conflicts to come. PLUS: The Great American State Fair debacle, the silly attention-seekers who climbed the Empire State Building, and Taylor Swift's increasingly insane wedding plans.

T Lo take a good look at director Maggie Gyllenhaal's feminist take on the Bride of Frankenstein and unpack its themes, references and flaws and look at how it compares to other recent adaptations of Mary Shelley's work.

T Lo unpack the first episode of the third season of "House of the Dragon" and explain what still works and what's starting to weigh down the series. PLUS: Reviews of "Spider-Noir," "I Will Find You" and "Proud," only one of which gets an actual thumbs-up.

T Lo dive deep into director Paul Schrader's mournful, contemplative take on despair vs. hope and whether faith can help or hinder in that battle, starring a never-better Ethan Hawke and an inscrutable Amanda Seyfried.

Tom and Lorenzo address the controversy surrounding Pride Nights in Major League Baseball in the wake of the San Francisco Giants mess and offer their thoughts on a way forward. Then it's a happy deep dive into the season finale of "Widow's Bay" and what it suggests about where the show is headed.

Tom and Lorenzo dive deep into director Axel Gabriel's art house and foodie cinema classic "Babette's Feast," unpacking the themes and examining the artistry of its writing, cinematography, costume design and amazing performances.

T Lo take a look at all of the stars showing up for the Knicks at Madison Square Garden and debate whether it's turned into too much of a fashion show before weighing in on the latest controversy surrounding "Heated Rivalry"'s Hudson Williams, unpacking why Jinkx Monsoon has reached the level of success she has, and gushing over the latest "Widow's Bay."

Tom and Lorenzo revisit director Joe Wright's classic romantic tragedy, "Atonement," starring Kiera Knightley, James McAvoy and Saiorse Ronan. From the iconic green dress to the jaw-dropping war scenes to the tragic twist ending, they unpack why this film became a classic and how it rises above some of the cliches of its settings and themes by not lingering too long on them.

T Lo unpack the Patagonia vs. Pattie Gonia case and how it revolves around issues of queer expression and whether corporations can have a say. Then it's a look at all the online drama surrounding Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding plans, before recapping the latest "Widow's Bay" and a non-spoiler review of "Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed."

T Lo unpack the final season and finale of "Hacks," running down the ways the show went off the rails, how it corrected course, and how it almost screwed up the ending before launching into a rave review for "Widow's Bay" and why it needs to be your next must-watch. PLUS: Billy Eichner needs to get over it, Tom Hardy sounds like a nightmare, and Olivia Rodrigo gets an education on the babydoll dress.

This week's BKMC takes a look at director Gus Van Sant's black comedy "To Die For," starring Nicole Kidman. Tom and Lorenzo unpack how the film sits perfectly in a 1990s cultural continuum that includes everything from the Menendez brothers to Cher Horowitz as well as all the ways it eerily predicted the cultural shifts of the internet and social media.

T Lo unpack the stupid controversies surrounding Christopher Nolan's film of "The Odyssey," including the classism surrounding accents and the racism about western beauty idols as embodied by Lupita Nyong'o. After that, it's a look at Harry Styles' concert drama, Jacob Elordi dating Kendall Jenner, Colbert's long goodbye, Disney's poorly received Mandalorian stunt and who should be the next James Bond.

This week's BKMC pod pays tribute to director Craig Brewster and star Eddie Murphy's glorious salute to the Blaxploitation era and unpacks the ways the film upholds a unique and important take on cultural history that shares a lot of DNA with queer culture.

T Lo rant about a range of topics this week, from how everyone gets bent out of shape every time Billie Eilish opens her mouth, to the alarming developments in how stars are treating red carpets, to the threat of AI in Hollywood and lazy costume design on "Euphoria."

Tom and Lorenzo dive deep into director Wim Wenders' 1987 art house classic about life, love, death, time and the city of Berlin, unpacking the genesis, production, themes and legacy of "Wings of Desire."

For this week's BKMC, Tom and Lorenzo unpack the themes, designs, and origins of director Janicza Bravo's ZOLA, probably the only major film based entirely on a viral social media thread.