Tom & Lorenzo’s Pop Style Opinionfest

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. 

T Lo explain the origins and goals of the annual Met Gala and unpack why they're ignoring any calls to boycott it because of the Bezos connection. Then it's a deep, non-spoiler dive into "The Devil Wears Prada 2" and how it turned out better than anyone had a right to expect.

For this week's BKMC, T Lo unpack the themes, motifs, and behind-the-scenes stories of director Christopher Nolan's brilliant neo-noir, "Memento."

T Lo look at the recent tour of Australia by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, pointing out how their faux-royal life is likely to evaporate if they keep monetizing it. PLUS: Non-spoiler reviews of "Hacks," "Beef," and "Margo's Got Money Troubles". 

T Lo take a deep dive into director Richard Linklater's slavish love letter to the French New Wave, "Nouvelle Vague," about the making of Jean-Luc Godard's "Breathless" in 1959. After unpacking the homages and references, as well as the importance of Godard's boundary-shattering work, they settle on a single question: Is it even possible to pay homage to an act of reckless artistry by meticulously recreating it? 

T Lo dive into 2017's "The Greatest Showman," starring Hugh Jackman, unpacking its themes and failures, comparing it to other musicals of the stage and screen, and analyzing the creative choices of its composers, director, and costume designer in order to tell a total fantasy story about a much more complicated figure.

T Lo take a moment to talk about the Artemis II mission and why everyone's fallen in love with the crew before unpacking recent pop culture drama surrounding the premise of the Zendaya/Robert Pattinson film "The Drama" and Chloe Fineman from "Saturday Night Live," who told a story she should have kept to herself. PLUS: Lorenzo reviews Raye's "This Music May Contain Hope."

In the inaugural episode of the BKMC, Tom and Lorenzo check in on Sofia Coppola's 2006 ode to bored, disaffected privileged girls everywhere, "Marie Antoinette," starring Kirsten Dunst. As a supplement to an essay on the film, they unpack the aesthetic, the shooting details, the history, and the response to this highly influential film.

T Lo dive into the celebrity and pop culture stories of the week, from the news surrounding Harry & Meghan's latest projects, to why you can't watch the upcoming Harry Potter series if you care about trans people -- or just people generally, to Kim Novak's surprising comments about Sydney Sweeney, to the horrifying AI "update" of a bona fide Hollywood masterpiece.

T Lo give the final word on the 2026 Oscars, from the snubs and surprises, to the minor scandals and mishaps. They give their thoughts on the winners, the losers, the films, the gowns, and the after-parties, all in one podcast for your convenience.

T Lo react (badly) to the suggestion that the Oscars skip the red carpet this year because of the war in Iran, before tearing into Timothée Chalamet for taking is dudebro act a little too far. Will it hurt his Oscars chances? PLUS: Daryl Hannah's righteous response to "Love Story" and the question of whether creators can simply play with real people's lives. And a recap of Netflix's "Vladimir," which had a lot of problems.

T Lo shout out to their trans siblings at this time of oppression and note the sad ways the Women's U.S. Olympics hockey team has had to deal with the politicizing of everything. Then it's a look at the Actors Awards upsets and what they mean for the Oscars and an examination of the potential Warner's/Paramount merger and how it represents a dangerous trend in American life.

T Lo weigh in on the former Prince Andrew's arrest and what it says about the royal family specifically at this time and elite impunity generally. They also weigh in on the recent Tourette's Syndrome controversy at the BAFTAs, how there are no villains here but several parties need to make amends ASAP. And finally, they recap the lovely and beautiful first season finale for "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms." PLUS: Lorenzo's TikTok Time!

T Lo get a little political and explain why the Trump administration's order to remove the rainbow flag at the Stonewall National Monument is an attempt to erase queer history and call for allies to stand up and call out. Then they review Reality Check: Inside "America's Next Top Model" and explain why it's worth your time even if it is a lot of bull. PLUS: reviews of "Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette," "How to Get to Heaven from Belfast," and the heartbreaking "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms." 

T Lo unpack the history, culture, and meaning behind Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show, pay tribute to the great Catherine O'Hara, and discuss Margot Robbie's somewhat mercenary approach to red carpet style and how it represents a shift in celebrity culture. PLUS: Why they love "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" and refuse to do any research on it.

T Lo take a moment for Renee Good and pay tribute to Valentino. Then they unpack the increasingly heated fandom activity surrounding "Heated Rivalry" and how it's part of a long tradition of fandom misbehavior. Plus: Recaps of "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy" and "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms".

For the final podcast of 2025, T & Lo each picked their three favorite movies and three favorite TV shows and tell you why you should catch them as soon as you can.

T Lo pay tribute to Rob Reiner and give an update on their holiday and publishing plans before launching into extensive discussions on "Jay Kelly" and "Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery."

T Lo talk about HBO's "Heated Rivalry" and why such stories tend not to appeal to them as gay men before launching into a deep recap of "With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration" and how it reveals both her strengths and her limitations as a TV show hostess, with some suggestions as to how she can improve her brand.