Kevin and Lauren are back, sans Andrew, this week, and they are discussing Bring Her Back, Too Much, Task, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, Friendship, and Our Little Secret.

It's another packed week, despite being down a man. Kevin kicks off the show talking about a recently released horror film, Bring Her Back. It's available for rent or purchase right now, but not any streamers just yet. As a rental, it's definitely worth the $6. Kevin touts it as one of the better horror films he's seen in recent memory, and, as pure horror goes, it may actually be better than Weapons (which he absolutely loved). It's a possession story involving teenage kids and a crazy foster mom, but it's tense all the way through, and all of the actors, kids included, are spectacular.

After the scares, Lauren flips the switch and takes us over to comedy with the Netflix series, Too Much. And, if Lauren's review is any indication, it may be just a little too much... This is a Lena Dunham project starring Megan Stalter of Hacks fame, and it tells the semi-autobiographical story of a woman's move to London, post-breakup. While the premise sounds familiar and it has a host of solid actors, the comedy itself feels just a bit too broad, and, though the potential is there, the show just misses the mark by a little bit. That said, if you love Lena Dunham, you may still enjoy this one.

Next up, Kevin takes us over to HBO for the new crime drama, Task, starring Mark Ruffalo and Tom Pelfry. This is from the creators of Mare of Easttown and, if you liked that one, this seems like it'll scratch that same itch. Ruffalo and Pelfrey are on opposite sides of the law as a washed-up FBI task force leader and small-time criminal, respectively. Their worlds are on a collision course by the end of the first episode, which sets up some serious drama for the rest of the season. It's a slow burn at first, but worth jumping in on now.

Once again, lightening the mood, is Lauren, with 2023's Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. The Judy Bloom classic stars Rachel McAdams and Kathy Bates, and manages to beautifully tell the original story without losing any of the charm. It's a coming-of-age story for women everywhere, filled with questions we all struggle with in our teen years. The performances are wonderful, and the story is a classic, so give this one a shot if you need that solid, heartfelt film.

Somehow, Kevin can't just let us be happy today. His next review is of the film, Friendship, now on HBO, and starring Paul Rudd and Tim Robinson. It's not often that Kevin comes in this hot on a film, but he absolutely HATED this one. It's billed as comedy, and the trailers set it up as a very dark comedy, but really, it's just a cringe-inducing depression-fest that left Kevin feeling very disappointed. We definitely invite anyone who has seen this one to share their thoughts, good or bad, because Kevin has never been quite so confused by the hype over a film before.

Lauren takes us out on a fun, albeit formulaic, romcom, Our Little Secret. This is your typical Christmas movie fare, but the draw here for Lauren was the chance to check up on the career of former child star, Lindsey Lohan. Films like these have been able to keep her working until the recent Freaky Friday sequel, which actually did quite well at the box office. It'll be interesting to see what her career trajectory is now that she's a mom and has been out of the public eye for a while, but it does look like she has a path forward, which is great!

As always, thank you for watching. If you haven't already, don't forget to Like & Subscribe. We love new viewers! Also, leave us comments and let us know how we are doing and what we can be doing better. Enjoy the episode and have a great week!

Facebook: @apncpodcast Twitter: @APNCPodcast Instagram: AllPopNoCulture