poptransmission

Author: DSquared

  • Becoming Led Zeppelin: A Powerful Look at the Legendary Band’s Early Years

    I didn’t see Becoming Led Zeppelin in the theaters. My friends let me have it, too. “Man, I can’t believe you didn’t see it. This has your name all over it.” Some lucky folks in bigger markets even got to experience the film on an IMAX screen. All I could do at this point was…

  • Expats: A Tragedy Connects Three American Women in Hong Kong

    Expats is a limited series created and directed by Lulu Wang (The Farewell) based on the 2016 novel, Expatriates, by Janice Y.K. Lee. Starring Nicole Kidman, it explores the lives of three American women living in Hong Kong whose lives become intertwined when tragedy strikes one of their families. Margaret Woo’s (Kidman) young son disappears…

  • I’m Still Here: The Brazilian Film is Worthy of Its Praise

    Academy Award for Best International Picture. Golden Globe for Best Actress. Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Actress. Recognition at numerous film festivals. I’m Still Here is making a lasting impression on audiences worldwide. One of my favorite movie experiences is loving a film that I went into without much knowledge or with relatively…

  • SNL @ 50: The Anniversary Specials Deliver Nostalgic Wonder

    Saturday Night Live understandably went all out for its 50th anniversary. After all, it’s one of the longest-running programs in television history. The day before the historic season began on September 27th, the film Saturday Night, directed by Jason Reitman (Up in the Air), premiered in the theaters. The film begins as Lorne Michaels (Gabriel…

  • The Night Agent: Another Worthwhile Netflix Action Thriller

    An FBI agent is thrown into a vast conspiracy about a mole at the highest levels of the U.S. government. To save the nation, he launches into a desperate hunt for the traitor, while protecting his accomplice from the people who murdered her aunt and uncle. Sound familiar? Of course. In a genre that shows…

  • Academy Awards 2025: And the Oscars Go To…

    The show opened with a close-up of Dorothy’s ruby red slippers and her voice-over “there’s no place like home” during an homage to the L.A. fire victims. Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo brought the house down with “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and the Wicked anthem “Defying Gravity.” Host Conan O’Brien was delayed getting on stage…

  • Oscar Predictions 2025: Your Guess is as Good as Mine

    Often by now many of the Oscar categories are sure things by building an unstoppable momentum during the Awards season. (Think Oppenheimer last year and Everything Everywhere All at Once the year before.) While there are a few slam dunks, more toss-up races are in the field this year, particularly in some major categories. This…

  • The White Lotus Season 3: More Delicious Satire in Paradise

    “An all-star cast head to a resort and unleash their worst, most privileged impulses. The series is sharp social satire following the exploits of certain guests and employees of the fictional White Lotus resort chain, whose story becomes affected by their various dysfunctions. A week in the life of vacationers is unraveled as they relax…

  • Best of 1985: The Top Albums From 40 Years Ago

    Let’s look back 40 years and begin this year’s best album series. Before we get to the top 10, here are some musical headlines from 1985: Some new wave heavyweights released albums in 1985, but hard rock and alt rock were in the mix, as well. As usual, it was difficult to keep the list…

  • HBO’s Wise Guy: David Chase and the Sopranos is Enlightening

    The Sopranos is consistently regarded as one of the most influential shows of all time. The groundbreaking series that commenced the Golden Age of Television ran for six seasons on HBO (86 episodes) from 1999-2007. David Chase shares the inspiration, decisions, adjustments, stress, and luck that go into creating a series for the ages. The…

  • New Music Alert 2025 #1: Ten Songs to Explore

    A new year calls for a New Music Alert. As usual, I’ve stumbled upon these songs, most of them thanks to Sirius XMU radio. Some bands I’ve never heard of, others I’m a little familiar with, and one is a well-known rock artist. “(Tonight) Was a Long Time Ago” by Jack White – Jack White…

  • American Primeval: A Brutal Portrait of the Wild, Wild West

    Primeval. Synonyms include pre-historic and primitive. The United States could be considered primal in 1857. America’s growing pains were reaching a boiling point in the Utah Territory. The splintering issue of slavery had been deferred by the Compromises of 1820 and 1850. The bloodshed in Kansas was still raw. Utah had been established as a…