PopaHALLic #61 "Not So Home Alone"
Gathered for a holiday outing, Steve, Kate and the Resident Kid Expert (RKE) discuss seasonal offerings, including the fifth "Home Alone" movie, "Home Sweet Home Alone," on Disney +. Wait, you say, isn't Macauley Culkin like in his 40s now?! Yes —41, actually—but it's a different kid. The RKE gives his review. We also talk about:

Streaming:

• "Love Hard," Netflix. In this holiday-themed rom com, Nina Dobrev drops everything to fly across the country for Christmas with the hunk from her dating app that she's never actually met. Surprises await! Hijinks ensue!
• "Fatman," Peacock/rental. In this dark, violent action movie, a rich kid unhappy about getting coal for Christmas hires an assassin (Walter Goggins) to take out Kris Kringle (Mel Gibson). But Santa's got a brand new bag, and it's filled with ammo.

Books:

• "Out of Body," by Jeffrey Ford. In this dark fantasy thriller, the death of a girl in his arms leads to disturbing, "Twilight Zone"-like dreams for a small-town librarian.
• "The Year of the Witching," by Alexis Henderson. A young woman living in a puritanical society discovers dark powers within herself in this feminist fantasy debut.
• "The Hike," by Drew Magary. An ordinary guy tries to get back home from a parallel universe in this oddball fantasy mixing elements of fairy tales and video games.
• "Eyes That Kiss in the Corners," by Joanna Ho. This bestselling children's picture book is about learning to celebrate one's Asian heritage.
• "Milo Imagines the World," by Matt de la Pena. This poignant, timeless children's picture book is about how you can't really know anyone just by looking at them.

Popahallics #61 Playlist
Cool yule music from Ella Fitzgerald, Kay Starr, Louis Armstrong, Straight No Chaser, and more, including a few holiday tunes you've likely never heard before. Listen.