Book and Film Globe Podcast
151 episodes - English - Latest episode: 9 days ago - ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsEveryone’s favorite literature and pop culture site is now a podcast. Entertaining, enlightening chat about books, film, streaming TV, and more with Neal Pollack, editor of Book and Film Globe and its top writers. Pollack is the author of ten semi-bestselling books of fiction and nonfiction, including Jewball, Never Mind the Pollacks, Downward-Facing Death, and the memoirs Alternadad and Pothead: My Life as a Marijuana Addict in the Age of Legal Weed.
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Episodes
BFG Week in Review Podcast #051: ‘Ambulance,’ ‘Moon Knight,’ and More! Our critics bust into the culture
April 11, 2022 18:33 - 40 minutes - 46.5 MBThis week on the BFG Week In Review podcast, editor Neal Pollack and film critic Stephen Garrett sound the alarm about Michael Bay’s ‘Ambulance.’ Actually, Stephen liked this big, dumb loud action flick pretty well and the segment includes the added bonus of hearing our contributors try to pronounce the word “ambulance” in Castilian Spanish. Sharyn Vane is back on the show to talk about “book challenges” and “soft censorship,” two terms that we wish we didn’t have to put into quotes. Regard...
BFG Week in Review Podcast #050: ‘The Dropout,’ ‘WeCrashed,’ Morbius’…and more! Our editor and writers break into the culture
April 04, 2022 16:49 - 28 minutes - 33 MBIn this week’s groundbreaking 50th! episode of the BFG Week in Review, editor Neal Pollack welcomes Rachel Llewellyn into the pod dome to talk about the proliferation of lady scammer shows. Rachel posits that it’s easy to turn popular podcast material into drama, and that this is just an IP ploy by streaming services. Regardless, Neal says, these are entertaining shows and movies that will provide award bait and also entertain people of years to come. And then he tries to draw Rachel into a ...
BFG Podcast #049: Talking Smack About the Oscars
March 28, 2022 22:47 - 13 minutes - 25.2 MBWhere were you when Will Smith hit Chris Rock at the Oscars? An Emergency Episode of the Book and Film Globe Podcast.
BFG Podcast #048: Stacey Abrams, ‘The Lost City,’ Top Chef…and More! We bust down the culture
March 28, 2022 18:03 - 39 minutes - 45.6 MBIn this week’s exciting edition of the BFG Week in Review podcast, we do not cover last night’s Oscar ceremony. That’s coming soon in what we like to call a “Special Edition” of the show. However, we do cover other things ongoing in a culture, and there are a lot of them. First, William Schwartz stops by the Pod Dome to discuss why politician Stacey Abrams plays an idealized version of herself in the season finale of ‘Star Trek: Discovery.’ When celebrities appear on shows, it should be goo...
BFG Podcast #47: ‘Turning Red,’ ‘Everything Everywhere,’ and SXSW Our editor and writers break down the culture
March 21, 2022 18:44 - 33 minutes - 38.4 MBOn this week’s BFG Week in Review, editor Neal Pollack welcomes Rachel Llewellyn to deconstruct the ‘Turning Red‘ discourse. Rachel talks about the online controversy surrounding the movie and also praises its hybrid 2D/3D animation style. Hopefully Neal and Rachel don’t say anything offensive while comparing ‘Turning Red’ with other Pixar movies and with ‘Teen Wolf.’ Then it’s time for Omar Gallaga to make his first podcast appearance in a good long while. Neal and Omar were both at openin...
BFG Podcast #046: Dostoyevsky and ‘Abbott Elementary,’ Together Again Our editor and contribs break down the culture
March 14, 2022 17:47 - 28 minutes - 32.2 MBIn this week’s exciting BFG podcast, editor Neal Pollack welcomes in Michael Washburn, and together they take the bold stance that banning Russian authors is bad. Washburn points out, in the fact of a recent attempt to cancel a Dostoyevsky course, that Dostoyevsky himself was an anti-authoritarian who risked his life and career to oppose censorship. We know which side he’d be on today. Our contributor Lani Gonzalez comes on over to graciously listen to Neal rant for 20 minutes about the gre...
BFG Week in Review Podcast #045: ‘Ulysses’, ‘1883’, and ‘The Batman’ Our editor and critics break down the culture
March 07, 2022 18:02 - 35 minutes - 40.4 MBIn this week’s groundbreaking edition of the BFG Week in Review Podcast, editor Neal Pollack welcomes Michael Washburn to discuss why, 100 years after its publication, ‘Ulysses‘ still generates controversy. Then Neal and Michael discover they both participated in the same Bloomsday reading of ‘Ulysses’ in 2001. In Philadelphia. It’s a small, small world. Adam Hirschfelder, our Taylor Sheridan correspondent, pops by to give his assessment of ‘1883‘, the historical extension of the ‘Yellowsto...
BFG Week in Review Podcast #044: ‘Encanto,’ ‘Flee,’ #Bendergate, and ‘Reacher’ Our editor and writers bust open the culture
February 28, 2022 16:29 - 33 minutes - 38.2 MBIn this week’s thrilling and amazing editing of the BFG Week in Review Podcast, old white guys Neal Pollack and Stephen Garrett unpack the intergenerational trauma of Disney’s Colombia-set ‘Encanto.’ Stephen enjoyed the clever wordplay of the Lin-Manuel Miranda lyrics, but Neal thought the movie was just plain bad. However, Neal is pretty much certain it’s going to win the Oscar for Best Animated Picture. Stephen prefers ‘The Millers Vs. The Machines,’ which seems like a long shot. They als...
BFG Podcast #043: ‘Pam & Tommy,’ ‘Ozark,’ and ‘Next Level Chef’ Our team breaks down the week in culture
February 21, 2022 20:10 - 36 minutes - 41.6 MBIn this week’s exciting edition of the Book and Film Globe Week in Review podcast, editor Neal Pollack asks the important question: Why do we enjoy watching shows that eliminate chefs? Contributor Daniel Cohen stops by to ponder the answer, and concludes that we all have to make dinner every night, and cooking competitions are almost like fantasy football. Meanwhile, Neal and Dan make fun of the new Gordon Ramsay show ‘Next Level Chef,’ which is almost like Ramsay on Xanax. You get the sense...
BFG Week in Review Podcast #042: Don Winslow and Joe Rogan, ‘Death on the Nile,’ and an Oscar Roundtable Our editor and writers break down the culture
February 14, 2022 20:28 - 39 minutes - 45.8 MBIn this week’s very nuanced Book and Film Globe Week in Review podcast, editor Neal Pollack and Canadian correspondent Jamie Mason examine the Joe Rogan controversy. You see, crime writer Don Winslow responded to The Rock issuing a statement of support for Rogan. Winslow pointed out that Rogan has a history of using the N-Word. Then Twitter pointed out that Winslow has a history of using the N-Word. Neal and Jamie both conclude that censorship is bad and we should ban no speech, whether peop...
BFG Week in Review Podcast #041: ‘Jackass’, ‘The Gilded Age’, and Kristen Bell Our editor and writers bust down the culture
February 07, 2022 18:41 - 31 minutes - 36.2 MBIn this week’s exciting edition of the BFG Week in Review podcast, Neal Pollack expresses his disdain for the work of Julian Fellowes. He and contributor Matthew Ehrlich do a little Google search and cannot figure out whether or not Fellowes is gay or just very British. Regardless, his new HBO show ‘The Gilded Age‘ is a real turkey. Matthew pans the acting, writing, and costumes. He closes his segment with a dramatic comparison between The Gilded Age and the 1986 “gay porn classic” The Pizza...
BFG Week In Review Podcast #040: Sundance, ‘Yellowjackets,’ and ‘Peacemaker’ Our editor and writers break down the week in culture
February 01, 2022 06:08 - 41 minutes - 47.1 MBIn this week’s (40th!) Book and Film Globe Week In Review podcast, editor Neal Pollack welcomes not one, but two film critics who are attending the virtual Sundance film festival. Stephen Garrett misses the crowds and the fanfare, but enjoyed holing up with a friend in upstate New York and watching 27 movies in five days. Sara Stewart doesn’t miss the real festival at all and says that despite its reputation as a downer this year, Sundance actually is the same celebration of indie film that ...
BFG Week in Review Podcast #039: Boba Fett, Macbeth, ‘How I Met Your Father’, and ‘Ghosts’ Our editor and writers bust up the culture
January 24, 2022 17:14 - 35 minutes - 40.1 MBIn this week’s record-setting 39th episode of the Book and Film Globe Week in Review podcast, Neal Pollack welcomes renowned Star Wars geek Scott Gold to talk about ‘The Book of Boba Fett‘. Neal and Scott, both of whom are still eight years old, are loving the extended looks that the series gives the rancor, the Tusken Raiders, the Twi’leks, and so much more. Scott marvels at how good Jennifer Beals, hidden from us all those years, still looks. And they both praise Temuera Morrison’s fantast...
BFG Podcast #038: ‘Scream,’ ‘Yellowstone,’ and ‘Cobra Kai’ Our editor and writers break down the culture
January 17, 2022 19:30 - 28 minutes - 32.7 MBIn this week’s groundbreaking episode of the BFG Week in Review, editor Neal Pollack welcomes writer Kristin Clifford to discuss the meta-meta ‘Scream‘ reboot. Or is it ‘Stab’? Regardless, Kristin attended a sold-out opening-night showing in Los Angeles. Fans were cheering when their favorite characters appeared. Pop culture is not dead, and either are the movies, apparently. Meanwhile, everyone, even now people on the coasts, has now seen ‘Yellowstone.’ Adam Hirschfelder, from Marin County...
BFG Podcast #037: Norman Mailer, ‘Don’t Look Up,’ and Losing on a Game Show Our editor and writers break down the culture and losing on a game show
January 11, 2022 16:55 - 33 minutes - 38.8 MBIn this week’s undeniably exciting BFGWeek in Review, renowned book critic Carolyn Kellogg joins Neal Pollack to talk about the posthumous Norman Mailer controversy, wherein Random House strangely pulled a Mailer book at the 11th hour, sending it over to a conservative pres. Carolyn refers to the second half of Harlot’s Ghost as a great book, and says that even when she didn’t agree with Mailer’s outrageous opinions, he always gave her something interesting to argue about. She also marvels a...
BFG Podcast #036: ‘The Witcher,’ ‘Jeopardy!’ and the Best Movies of 2021 Our editor and contributors break down the culture
January 04, 2022 02:02 - 42 minutes - 49.1 MBIn this extraordinary edition of the BFG podcast, the first of 2022, editor Neal Pollack reveals, for the first time, that he didn’t really like ‘The Power of the Dog.’ Well, actually, it’s the third time. But our critic Sara Stewart did like the Jane Campion revisionist Western. She places it on her list of the best movies of last year. Other winners include BFG favorites ‘Dune,’ ‘Pig,’ ‘West Side Story,’ and ‘Barb and Star Go To Vista del Mar.’ Sara concludes that people will continue to “...
BFG Podcast #035: Censorship and a One-Star Matrix Not just the week—the YEAR—in books, film and excellent tv
December 28, 2021 01:18 - 25 minutes - 29.7 MBThere’ll be much mistletoeing, And hearts will be glowing, And podcast hosts will be all-knowing. That’s right, America, it’s the most wonderful time of the year and editor in chief Neal Pollack’s got you covered. The world’s best writers on books, film and quality tv have weighed in with their best of 2021 lists. In condensed episode #035 of the Book and Film Globe podcast, Neal starts the conversation with Sharyn Vane, who covered “The Year in Censorship” for the site. Sadly, there was an...
BFG Podcast #034: Spider-Man, Sex and the City, and the Year’s Best Science Fiction Books Our editor and writers slice through the culture
December 27, 2021 03:08 - 41 minutes - 47 MBIn this week’s edition of the BFG Week in Review Podcast, our loud editor Neal Pollack welcomes sci-fi correspondent Dan Friedman to review the year’s best science-fiction novels. Not only was it a good year for sci-fi, but it was also a diverse year for sci-fi, a genre that keeps expanding its reach. Neal expresses skepticism about reading a sci-fi verse novel in the dialect of the Orkney Islands, but Dan encourages him to eat his vegetables. From vegetables straight to dessert, Stephen Ga...
BFG Week in Review Podcast #33: ‘West Side Story,’ ‘The Expanse,’ and the Year in Horror Fiction Our editor and writers bust through the week in culture
December 14, 2021 16:33 - 35 minutes - 40.5 MBIn this week’s suspenseful and brilliant episode of the BFG Week in Review Podcast, editor Neal Pollack welcomes first-time guest Philip Fracassi, who runs down a terrific year for horror fiction. A horror writer himself, Fracassi covers the community for BFG, and he’s amazed both by the prolific genre writers who brought out new stuff this year and also a new wave of diverse authors who are transforming this genre. It’s a Horrorsance! And we’re covering it all at BFG. Then here comes Steph...
BFG Podcast #032: ‘The Power of the Dog,’ ‘Hawkeye,’ ‘Succession,’…and More! Neal Pollack and the BFG writing corps break down the week in culture
December 09, 2021 17:57 - 41 minutes - 47.7 MBIn this week’s essential episode of the Book and Film Globe Week in Review podcast, editor Neal Pollack calls the new Jane Campion revisionist Western, ‘The Power of the Dog,’ “sour and misanthropic.” Film critic Stephen Garrett has nicer things to say about the movie, praising Campion for her gorgeous Montana landscapes and for her ability to juggle a variety of well-written characters. It’s also interesting, he says to see a female director’s take on “toxic masculinity.” He cannot turn Nea...
BFG Podcast #031: Gary Shteyngart, ‘House of Gucci,’ ‘Licorice Pizza,’ and ‘The Wheel of Time’ Editor Neal Pollack and our site’s writers break down the week in culture
December 02, 2021 19:51 - 33 minutes - 38.2 MBIn this week’s thrilling edition of the Book and Film Globe Week in Review, editor Neal Pollack welcomes Ayun Halliday to talk about ‘Our Country Friends,‘ the new novel from Gary Shteyngart. This first real COVID-19 novel isn’t about the virus at all, but is, instead, a juicy comedy of manners about fancy art-type people trying to escape New York City. Ayun highly recommends this book, an homage to Anton Chekhov that is also very much of the moment. Stephen Garrett pops by to talk about tw...
Book and Film Globe Podcast #030: Dave Eggers, Kurt Vonnegut, and ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ Our editor and writers break down the week in culture
November 23, 2021 00:11 - 30 minutes - 35.1 MBIn this week’s exciting edition of the Book and Film Globe Week in Review, editor Neal Pollack bravely addresses his longstanding one-sided literary rivalry with author Dave Eggers. Contributor Raymond Cummings has no such baggage and is able to discuss Eggers’s new novel, ‘The Every,’ with a degree of neutrality. Cummings finds The Every to be an exciting dystopian satire that has a lot to say about how we interact with ourselves and our corporate masters, both online and off. From the onc...
BFG Podcast #029: Neal Stephenson, ‘Belfast,’ and ‘Spencer’ Our editor and writers break down the week in culture
November 15, 2021 21:18 - 32 minutes - 36.9 MBIn this week’s record-setting 29th episode of the Book and Film Globe Week in Review podcast, Neal Pollack talks about Neal Stephenson (no relation) with Dan Friedman (also no relation). Stephenson tackles the subject of climate change in his latest semi-speculative novel ‘Termination Shock.’ One of the results of climate change, Stephenson posits, will be the evolution of man-eating feral hogs in Texas. Pollack says “that’s just another Saturday night at the bars down here.” Stephen Garret...
BFG Podcast #028: ‘Eternals,’ ‘Inside Job,’ and, Believe it or Not…Censorship! Our editor and writers bust open the week in culture
November 08, 2021 20:00 - 30 minutes - 35.4 MBIn this groundbreaking episode of the Book and Film Globe Week in Review Podcast, editor-in-chief Neal Pollack takes his usual bold stand against censorship. Whether you’re warning parents about Beloved or pulling Lord of the Flies from shelves because it promotes the patriarchy or just plain sending threatening letters to Texas school boards, censoring what kids read in school is wrong. Then here comes Stephen Garrett to talk with Neal about ‘Eternals,’ the latest Marvel movie that Neal ca...
BFG Podcast #027: Jonathan Franzen, ‘Last Night in Soho,’ and ‘The French Dispatch’ Our editor and writers bust through the week in culture
November 01, 2021 19:43 - 30 minutes - 34.6 MBIn this week’s thrilling edition of the Book and Film Globe Week In Review Podcast, editor-in-chief Neal Pollack puts his irrational anti-Jonathan Franzen bias aside to absorb Ted McClelland’s glowing review of Franzen’s new novel ‘Crossroads.’ As a middle-aged Midwestern Protestant man, Ted stands right in Franzen’s bullseye for this first book in a proposed trilogy called “The Key to All Mythologies.” Stephen Garrett makes his weekly appearance, this week talking about Edgar Wright’s ‘Las...
BFG Podcast #026: ‘Dune,’ ‘Titane,’ and Mel Brooks Our editor and writers bust open the week in culture
October 26, 2021 15:59 - 32 minutes - 37.7 MBIn this week’s brief but thrilling edition of the Book and Film Globe Week in Review podcast, Neal Pollack and Stephen Garrett talk about movies! Yes, it’s two white guys talking about movies. You don’t get that anywhere else. Stephen Garrett loves the new version of ‘Dune.’ It’s epic and gripping and even occasionally funny. He recommends you see it on the big screen. Don’t watch it on your phone! Neal grapples with ‘Titane.’ On the one hand, it’s gross and weird and tense. On the other ha...
BFG Podcast #025: ‘Fauci,’ Chappelle, ‘Maid,’ and More! Our editor and writers break down the culture
October 19, 2021 18:45 - 47 minutes - 54.2 MBIn this week’s electric episode of The Book and Film Globe Week in Review podcast, editor Neal Pollack welcomes sometimes guest editor Sharyn Vane to talk about the insane trend of parents trying to ban books that are not about pedophilia–but which they claim are about pedophilia–from school reading lists. This is a strange and disturbing trend that we’ll continue to cover. Then first-time contributor Matt Brown joins Neal to talk about the ludicrous hagiographical documentary ‘Fauci’, now ...
BFG Week In Review Podcast #024: ‘No Time To Die,’ ‘The Many Saints of Newark,’ and ‘Squid Game’ Our editor and writers break down the week in culture
October 19, 2021 18:35 - 46 minutes - 42.3 MBIn this week’s death-defying episode of The BFG Week in Review Podcast, editor-in-chief Neal Pollack dies while reading the Booker Prize novels so you don’t have to. Always literary, never fun, the Booker novels inspire Neal to great vitriol, especially this year’s entry that summons the beginning of its story with the words “Come, dust.” Then it’s time to talk about movies with BFG chief film critic Stephen Garrett, who this week reviews the finally-arrived James Bond movie, ‘No Time To Di...
BFG Podcast With Neal Pollack #023: ‘Cloud Cuckoo Land,’ ‘Venom,’ ‘Foundation,’ and Midnight Mass Our editor and writers break down the culture
October 05, 2021 15:29 - 33 minutes - 31.1 MBIn this week’s exciting edition of the Book and Film Globe Week In Review Podcast, editor Neal Pollack welcomes contributor and fellow novelist Chris Farnsworth to discuss ‘Cloud Cuckoo Land,’ the new book from bestselling novelist Anthony Doerr. Chris loves this big fat book. While Neal says he’s sick of books that imply we’re all connected along gossamer strands of time, Chris disagrees and says, you’ll like this one, I swear. It’s a masterpiece. Venom: Let There Be Carnage is no masterpi...
BFG Podcast #022: ‘The Eyes of Tammy Faye,’ ‘Clickbait,’ and More! Our editor and writers break down the week in culture
September 28, 2021 20:39 - 46 minutes - 21.2 MBOn this week’s fabulous edition of the Book and Film Globe Week in Review podcast, Neal Pollack welcomes Sharyn Vane to talk about censorship….again. Schools in Ohio and Pennsylvania and Texas are bringing in elected officials, and, in some cases, the police, to control what teenagers are reading. Unsurprisingly, Sharyn and Neal think this trend needs to stop. Then Rachel Llewellyn stops by to talk about the new biopic, ‘The Eyes of Tammy Faye.’ While Rachel has good things to say about Jes...
BFG Podcast #021: ‘Dune,’ ‘Dear Evan Hansen,’ ‘Y: The Last Man,’ and More! Our editor and writers bust open the week in culture
September 23, 2021 00:30 - 46 minutes - 43 MBIn this week’s wondrous edition of the Book and Film Globe Week in Review podcast, editor Neal Pollack welcomes in our film-critic exiles from the Toronto International Film Festival. Sara Stewart stops by to ponder the strange casting decision to have 27-year-old Ben Platt reprise his Broadway role in the movie adaptation of the teen-suicide musical ‘Dear Evan Hansen.’ Like so many critics, Stewart left the movie a little less sympathetic to modern teenagers, though she did like supporting ...
BFG Podcast #020: Colson Whitehead, ‘Nine Perfect Strangers,’ ‘Cinderella,’ and More Our editor and writers break down the week in culture
September 13, 2021 20:04 - 29 minutes - 40.6 MBThis week, editor-in-chief Neal Pollack welcomes Art Edwards to talk about the new Colson Whitehead period crime novel, ‘Harlem Shuffle‘. Edwards acknowledges Whitehead’s immense gifts but wonders if the hype outreaches the content on this book. He’s disappointed in the low-stakes vibe of the plot, and feels like the book is mostly atmosphere, no sizzle. Then Neal celebrates the box-office success of ‘Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,’ emphasizing that it’s safe to go to the movies...
BFG Podcast #019: ‘Shang-Chi,’ ‘Only Murders In The Building,” and More Our editor and writers break down the week in pop culture and literature
September 06, 2021 00:06 - 29 minutes - 40.4 MBIn this week’s excellent edition of the Book and Film Globe Week in Review podcast, editor-in-chief Neal Pollack welcomes Sharyn Vane to talk about the strange and unsettling phenomenon of parents “opting out”of their children’s school reading list. This justifiably outrages Sharyn, and Neal says, “short of The Turner Diaries, there’s nothing I would mind my kids reading in school.” That societal problem solved, Neal moves on to talk to Pablo Gallaga about ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the T...
BFG Podcast #018: YA Books, ‘Candyman,’ and ‘The Chair’ Our editor and writers break down the week in culture
August 30, 2021 18:54 - 32 minutes - 44.6 MBA neat-and-tidy week — we got books, a movie and a tv show that’s become a surprise hit. Editor-in-chief Neal Pollack talks to Lily Moayeri, who’s not only a skilled journalist but a teacher and librarian IRL. Moayeri’s piece last week “A Realistic List of Books You Can Get Young Adults To Actually Finish” explains the surprisingly wide gap between the books Time magazine says young adults ought to be reading and what they actually are reading. “As a Gen Xer, Judy Blume novels signposted my...
BFG Podcast #017: ‘Ted Lasso,’ ‘The White Lotus,” and Lin-Manuel Miranda Our editor and writers break down the week in culture
August 22, 2021 22:10 - 35 minutes - 48.7 MBHere we are again, in Book and Film Globe podcast land! Editor-in-chief Neal Pollack has a bone to pick with Ted Lasso, and pick it he does! But first, Neal welcomes William Schwartz to talk about Lin-Manuel Miranda’s curious interpretation of Cuban culture in ‘Vivo.’ Then Adam Hirschfelder takes time out of his busy, busy schedule to wonder why we need a second season of HBO’s ‘The White Lotus.’ Adam also hilariously states that critics are part of the “one percent,” probably because he has...
Book and Film Globe Podcast #016: Censorship, Danny Trejo, and ‘Free Guy’ Our editor and writers break down the week in culture
August 19, 2021 17:34 - 33 minutes - 45.5 MBOn this week’s exciting edition of the Book and Film Globe Week in Review podcast, editor-in-chief Neal Pollack welcomes contributor Sharyn Vane (and the Beach Boys) to talk about censorship. It seems that the Leader Independent School District in Central Texas has taken it upon itself to ban a series of popular award-winning young-adult books, yet again. We don’t take too kindly to censorship at Book and Film Globe. Then Rachel Llewellyn drops by the podcast barn to talk about the autobiog...
BFG Podcast #015: ‘The Suicide Squad,’ Val Kilmer, ‘Jeopardy!’….and More! Our editor and writers break down the week that was in culture
August 10, 2021 01:27 - 58 minutes - 26.9 MBIn this week’s exciting edition of the BFG Week in Review Podcast, editor Neal Pollack welcomes Rachel Llewellyn to expand on her piece on the cancellation of the ‘Cops Vs. Monsters’ anthology. Rachel points out the irony that women and writers of color seem to be bearing the brunt of literary cancellations. But Scarlett Johansson has her own problems. Jake Harris appears in the chat to talk about her lawsuit against Disney+ to try to get some of that sweet, sweet streaming money. Jake give...
BFG Week In Review Podcast #014: ‘Summer of Soul,’ ‘Manifest’, ‘The Green Knight,’ ‘Jungle Cruise,’ ‘Schmigadoon,’…and More! Our editor and writers discuss the week that was in popular culture
August 02, 2021 19:59 - 58 minutes - 26.9 MBOn this week’s exciting edition of The Book and Film Globe Week in Review, editor-in-chief Neal Pollack welcomes Lily Moayeri to talk about her investigative piece about the true origins of the Summer of Soul documentary. Pablo Gallaga stops by to trip out about ‘The Green Knight.’ Stephen Garrett, a real-life film critic who has apparently never heard of Jon Lovitz’s ‘The Critic,‘ wishes ‘Jungle Cruise’ had been as good as the movies it blatantly rips off. It’s a film that longs for the gol...
Book and Film Globe Week In Review Podcast #013: ‘Pig,’ ‘Old,’ ‘Fear Street,’ Anthony Bourdain…and More! Our editor and writers discuss everything that’s important in culture
July 27, 2021 18:06 - 39 minutes - 36.4 MBIn this week’s exciting edition of the Book and Film Globe Week in Review, editor Neal Pollack meets up with contributor Scott Gold to chat about ‘Pig,’ starring Nicolas Cage. Scott says the food satire in ‘Pig’ is “right out of Portlandia,” but that it goes to a deeper, darker level. Then Stephen Garrett pops by to make fun of M. Night Shyamalan’s new movie ‘Old,’ and Neal hopes that Night doesn’t make a sequel called ‘Old 2: The Oldening.’ Finally, Jake Harris calls in for an extended se...
Book and Film Globe Week In Review Podcast #012: ‘Space Jam,’ Dave Eggers, the Cannes Film Festival, ‘Loki,’…and More! Our editor and writers break down the week in culture
July 19, 2021 19:51 - 1 hour - 28.2 MBIn this week’s excellent edition of the Book and Film Globe Week in Review, editor Neal Pollack reveals the sad unspoken truth behind his “rivalry” with the writer Dave Eggers. He also welcomes Sharyn Vane, live from the parking lot of a Chicago pizza joint, to talk about the new literary thriller ‘Such A Quiet Place.’ Then Neal and Sharyn continue their endless debate over censorship in the book industry as they break down the controversy at the Society of Childrens Book Writers and Illustr...
Book and Film Globe Week in Review Podcast #011: J.R.R. Tolkien, Steven Soderbergh, ‘Zola,’ and More! Our editor and writers break down the week in culture
July 06, 2021 20:20 - 52 minutes - 48.2 MBIt’s the exciting 11th edition of the Book and Film Globe Week In Review podcast, recorded live on Clubhouse! Editor-in-chief Neal Pollack chats with G.L. Ford about big woke trouble at the Tolkien society. Mr. Ford doesn’t think that contemporary political concerns should enter into Tolkien’s world of “Fairy Stories.” Meanwhile, Sara Stewart stops in to offer a counter-perspective on the movie ‘Zola,’ throwing the brakes on people’s praise of it, finding the “funny” celebration of sex work ...
Book and Film Globe Week in Review Podcast #10: Lin-Manuel Miranda, ‘F9,’ Annie Murphy, ‘Kim’s Convenience,’ and More! Our editor and writers discuss the summer’s hottest culture topics
June 28, 2021 01:06 - 45 minutes - 41.4 MBWhere were you the night the lights went out in New York City? Were you listening to the Book and Film Globe Week in Review podcast? Probably! Editor-in-chief Neal Pollack opens the show by talking to Sharyn Vane about the new teen-romance New York anthology ‘Blackout,’ which Sharyn says is a landmark for inclusivity in publishing. Then Stephen Garrett pops into the Clubhouse to talk about ‘F9,’ which he and Neal agree would be a great movie to watch at a Thai youth hostel. Jake Harris appe...
BFG Podcast #009: ‘Forget the Alamo,’ Jean Smart, ‘Loki,’ and More! Our editor and writers break down the week that was in culture
June 23, 2021 17:24 - 59 minutes - 27.4 MBOn this week’s exciting edition of the Book and Film Globe Week in Review podcast, editor Neal Pollack talks to reporter Katie Smith about content warnings in books, and decides they aren’t a good thing. Then Omar Gallaga appears to tell Neal that he did not, in fact, kill Davy Crockett. They talk about the terrific new book ‘Forget the Alamo,’ a fresh interpretation of Texas history. Stephen Garrett drops in from his vacation to review ‘The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard‘ and complain about Ital...
BFG Podcast #008: ‘Sex and Vanity,’ ‘In The Heights,’ ‘Feel Good,’ Bo Burnham, and More; Our editor and writers break down the week in culture
June 13, 2021 19:27 - 49 minutes - 45 MBIn this week’s exciting Book and Film Globe Week in Review podcast, recorded live on the Clubhouse app, editor-in-chief Neal Pollack opens up with a rant about how entitled readers are forcing publishers to censor works of fiction...after they publish them. This is wrong. Then Neal welcomes Paula Shaffer to join him in eviscerating ‘Sex and Vanity’ novelist Kevin Kwan’s despicable and vulgar modern take on ‘A Room With A View.’ “I’ve read catalogs that are more entertaining,” Shaffer says. ...
BFG Podcast #007: ‘The Other Black Girl,’ ‘Undine,’ Prequels, and ‘The Bad Batch’: Guest editor Sharyn Vane and BFG writers discuss the week that was in culture
June 07, 2021 20:57 - 49 minutes - 45 MBThis week, guest host Sharyn Vane leads an exciting episode of the Book and Film Globe Week in Review podcast. Adhering to Neal Pollack’s can’t-miss books-to-movies-to-tv formula, Vane speaks first about her own review of the hot summer read “The Other Black Girl” with BFG contributor Katie Smith. They cover the “delicious irony” of how one of the must-reads this season from an overwhelmingly white publishing industry struggling with inclusivity is a Black author’s thriller depicting exactly...
BFG Podcast #006: Jhumpa Lahiri, ‘Demon Slayer,’ ‘A Quiet Place 2’…and More: Our editor and writers discuss the week that was in culture
June 01, 2021 14:32 - 50 minutes - 46.1 MBOn this exciting edition of the Book and Film Globe Week in Review podcast, recorded live on the Clubhouse app, editor-in-chief Neal Pollack shares his not-so-fond memories of summer camp. He talks to Maya Sinha about ‘The Unbroken Thread,’ a book of parental wisdom by the editorial page editor of The New York Post. Amanda Fortini stops by to discuss her review of the new Jhumpa Lahiri novel and the burgeoning genre of books about aimless child-free middle-aged women wandering the world whil...
BFG Podcast #005: Michael Lewis, ‘Mare of Easttown’, the Golden Globes, and More: Our editor and writers discuss the week that was in culture
May 19, 2021 14:56 - 1 hour - 30 MBOn this week’s exciting edition of The Book and Film Globe Week in Review podcast, recorded live on Clubhouse, editor Neal Pollack rants about Michael Lewis and COVID-19, Jake Harris breaks down the Golden Globes controversy, Stephen Garrett reviews ‘The Underground Railroad,’ Sara Stewart lights into ‘The Woman in the Window,’ “a power smoothie of unreliable female narrator books.” Meanwhile, Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell undresses ‘Halston,’ Katie Smith reviews the Philadelphia accent work in...
BFG Podcast #004: Bookstagram, Andy Weir, 'Made For Love', and More: Our editor and writers cover the week in culture
May 10, 2021 16:15 - 1 hour - 34 MBOn this week's exciting BFG Week In Review podcast, nine of our contributors join editor Neal Pollack to discuss what's going on in the culture. Katie Smith talks about Bookstagram and BookTok, Neal argues with Sharyn Vane about cancel culture and censorship in the publishing industry, and Dan Friedman stops by the Clubhouse to discuss the new Andy Weir novel, 'Project Hail Mary.' We also discuss the new Guy Ritchie/Jason Statham movie, Sara Stewart reviews the new Dutch movie 'The Columnist...
The Book and Film Globe Week In Review podcast: Our editor and writers break down the week in culture
May 04, 2021 14:38 - 59 minutes - 27.3 MBOn this week’s edition of the Book and Film Globe Week in Review podcast, recorded live on the Clubhouse app, editor-in-chief Neal Pollack talks to Sharyn Vane about the week’s literary controversies. Kenji Fujishima discusses the new film from Swedish auteur Roy Andersson. Neal and film critic Stephen Garrett break down the Oscars. Stephen talks about his review of ‘Stowaway.’ Paula Shaffer discusses the new Netflix YA adaptation ‘Shadow and Bone.‘ And Pablo Gallaga warns us all away from ‘...
The Book and Film Globe Week in Review Podcast: The second edition of our weekly show that covers the cultural waterfront
May 04, 2021 14:31 - 55 minutes - 25.3 MBIn this second edition of the Book and Film Globe Week in Review podcast, recorded live on the Clubhouse app, BFG editor-in-chief Neal Pollack talks to Lily Moayeri about Iranian fiction. Pablo Gallaga stops by to chat about the new 'Mortal Kombat' movie. Michael Giltz appears to review this year's New York Independent Film Critics awards. And a panel of BFG contributors previews this year's Oscars show. Check it out!