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PODCAST

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Get obsessed with us. Four days a week, Pop Culture Happy Hour serves you recommendations and commentary on the buzziest movies, TV, music, books, videogames and more. Join arts journalists Linda Holmes, Glen Weldon, Stephen Thompson, and Aisha Harris - plus a rotating cast of guest pop culture aficionados. The Happy Hour team leaves room at the table for exploring a range of reactions and opinions on every bit of the pop universe. From lowbrow to highbrow to the stuff in between, they take it all

tv & film film reviews

All Episodes

14:12

The Consultant

Pop Culture Happy Hour ·

2023/03/01

In the darkly satiric, highly bingeable Amazon Prime series The Consultant, Christoph Waltz plays a mysterious businessman who takes over a videogame company upon the violent death of its founder and CEO. When two of the company's employees attempt to investigate Waltz's shady past, they get drawn into his sinister circle and realize that their jobs (and their lives) are on the line.Subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour Plus at plus.npr.org/happyhourLearn more about sponsor message choices:

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15:26

The Forty-Year-Old Version

Pop Culture Happy Hour ·

2023/02/28

In the wonderful film The Forty-Year-Old Version, playwright Radha Blank plays a variation on herself. Frustrated by a stall in her theater career, Radha finds a new passion: she becomes a rapper. The film is so good that we recently added it to the New Black Film Canon – a list of the best films by Black directors that we updated in partnership with Slate. And you can watch it on Netflix.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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27:31

The New Black Film Canon

Pop Culture Happy Hour ·

2023/02/27

NPR has teamed up with Slate to expand the Black Film Canon, a collection of the best films directed by Black filmmakers. The intent is to challenge both gatekeepers and makers of best of lists to consider the breadth of artistry black creators have demonstrated on screen–despite the odds being historically stacked against them. In this episode, we're picking a few of our favorite additions, and you can check out the full list of 75 movies here.Learn more about sponsor message choices:

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18:59

Cocaine Bear And What's Making Us Happy

Pop Culture Happy Hour ·

2023/02/24

A movie called Cocaine Bear needs two things: a bear, and some cocaine. Both are abundant in the new action comedy about a large quantity of cocaine that accidentally winds up deep in the Georgia forest. And who eats it? That's right: a bear. The movie was directed by Elizabeth Banks, and the cast includes Keri Russell, Ray Liotta, Margo Martindale, and O'Shea Jackson Jr.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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26:08

The Last Of Us

Pop Culture Happy Hour ·

2023/02/23

The HBO series The Last Of Us is a huge hit and it offers a novel, fungus-based twist on a zombie apocalypse. Civilization is in ruins, and its only hope is a young girl (Bella Ramsey) who's mysteriously immune to the fungal infection – and her gruff, taciturn protector (Pedro Pascal). Together they must travel across a desolate wasteland peppered with outposts of humanity that house violent factions competing for control, or at least, survival.Subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour Plus at

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16:37

Dear Edward

Pop Culture Happy Hour ·

2023/02/22

In the Apple TV+ series Dear Edward, a plane crashes, and there is only one survivor – a 12-year-old boy named Edward, who loses his whole family. He goes to live with relatives, and the web of people grieving loved ones who died in the crash grows and connects. The show was created by Jason Katims, who has a long history making high-octane emotional ensemble shows including Friday Night Lights and Parenthood.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy

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13:07

Books We Love: Nonfiction

Pop Culture Happy Hour ·

2023/02/21

NPR's Books We Love is full of stories. The feature rounds up fiction and nonfiction of many different kinds, and it gives you lots of ways to find what you might love, too. Today, we're diving into the category of nonfiction and highlighting some of our favorite picks.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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20:03

Top Gun: Maverick

Pop Culture Happy Hour ·

2023/02/20

Top Gun: Maverick has earned six Oscar nominations, including best picture, adapted screenplay, and original song. The movie stars Tom Cruise, and you can catch up with it on Paramount+. We really like Top Gun: Maverick, so we thought this would be the perfect moment to revisit our conversation about the movie.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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24:57

Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania And What's Making...

Pop Culture Happy Hour ·

2023/02/17

In Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania, Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly return as Marvel's tiniest titans. With their extended family in tow, they get shrunk down into a subatomic universe called the Quantum Realm, and come to meet Jonathan Majors' Kang the Conqueror. He's a time-traveling villain who we'll be seeing a lot more of as the Marvel Cinematic Universe enters its next phase.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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21:24

How To Be A Better Movie Watcher

Pop Culture Happy Hour ·

2023/02/16

Our pal and Culture Desk reporter Andrew Limbong teamed up with NPR's Life Kit to get advice on how to be a better movie watcher – how to pick a film, get outside your comfort zone, and deepen your enjoyment of a movie.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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17:42

Shrinking

Pop Culture Happy Hour ·

2023/02/15

The Apple TV comedy Shrinking boasts a lot of big names in its cast, including Harrison Ford, Jason Segel, and Jessica Williams, all of whom play therapists. The series shares some of its creators with Ted Lasso. It has a big heart and a lot of jokes, even if you absolutely, definitely would not want your therapist to take any cues from it. Subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour Plus at plus.npr.org/happyhourLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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27:10

Titanic

Pop Culture Happy Hour ·

2023/02/14

Titanic was a box office juggernaut 25 years ago, and it catapulted Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet into a whole new stratosphere of fame. The film recently returned to theaters, but we've got some distance from Leo Mania and "king of the world" jokes. So how does James Cameron's epic hold up all these years later? In this encore episode, we're revisiting our conversation about Titanic.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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21:17

2023 Super Bowl

Pop Culture Happy Hour ·

2023/02/13

We recap this year's Super Bowl, including Rihanna's halftime show, the Kansas City Chiefs' win against the Philadelphia Eagles, and the most memorable commercials.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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27:17

Magic Mike's Last Dance And What's Making Us Happy

Pop Culture Happy Hour ·

2023/02/10

In the new movie Magic Mike's Last Dance, Channing Tatum returns as a dancer and male entertainer from Tampa. This time, he must put on a show bankrolled by a wealthy socialite played by Salma Hayek Pinault. The film is directed by Steven Soderbergh and is in theaters now.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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15:21

80 for Brady

Pop Culture Happy Hour ·

2023/02/09

In the movie 80 for Brady, four best friends (Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno, Sally Field) take a road trip to the 2017 Super Bowl so they can see their favorite quarterback Tom Brady play in person. The film stars four legends of stage and screen, one superstar quarterback and a boatload of cameos. Subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour Plus at plus.npr.org/happyhourLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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22:42

Infinity Pool

Pop Culture Happy Hour ·

2023/02/08

In the fantastic but terrifying thriller Infinity Pool, Alexander Skarsgård plays a struggling writer in search of inspiration. While vacationing with his wife on a fancy island resort, they meet a mysterious woman played by Mia Goth. She takes them on a trippy and disturbing journey that leads them far beyond the confines of the hotel. Directed by Brandon Cronenberg, Infinity Pool is in theaters now.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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19:13

Poker Face

Pop Culture Happy Hour ·

2023/02/07

The very entertaining Poker Face is an offbeat case-of-the-week mystery show starring Natasha Lyonne as a dryly witty, down-to-earth oddball who has an uncanny ability that helps her solves murders. The Peacock series comes from Rian Johnson (Glass Onion), and it features an impressive array of guest stars including Adrien Brody, Lil Rel Howery, Hong Chau, Judith Light and more.Subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour Plus at plus.npr.org/happyhourLearn more about sponsor message choices:

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24:17

2023 Grammys Recap

Pop Culture Happy Hour ·

2023/02/06

Beyoncé broke a major record at this year's Grammys and has now won more awards than any other artist. But she was shut out of the major categories and lost to Harry Styles, Lizzo and Bonnie Raitt. We break down the awards and telecast, including our favorite performances.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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22:18

Knock At The Cabin And What's Making Us Happy

Pop Culture Happy Hour ·

2023/02/03

In the horror film Knock at the Cabin, a gay couple and their young daughter are vacationing at a remote cabin when four strangers arrive and take them hostage. They are told the only thing that will prevent the apocalypse is if one of the family members willingly sacrifices his or her life. The film is directed by M. Night Shyamalan, with a cast that includes Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge, and more.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy

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13:49

Extraordinary

Pop Culture Happy Hour ·

2023/02/02

The very funny Hulu comedy Extraordinary is about a smart but directionless young woman named Jen who lives in London and doesn't feel great about herself. She hurls herself into a lot of hilariously bad choices and that's a familiar comedy premise. But there's more to Extraordinary because in the world of the series, Jen is the only one she knows who does not possess superpowers. Subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour Plus at plus.npr.orgLearn more about sponsor message choices:

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