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Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Twisters' has us spiraling

July 19, 2024 • Twister was one of the biggest disaster movies of the '90s. Now, it's finally got a sequel — one with an all-new cast, state-of-the-art effects, and a whole lot of tornadoes. The new film stars Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones as rival storm-chasers who have a habit of running into tornadoes while everyone else is fleeing. Twisters was directed by Lee Isaac Chung, who also directed the Oscar-nominated Minari.

'Twisters' has us spiraling

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

We unpack the 2024 Emmy nominations

July 17, 2024 • The nominations the Emmy Awards were just announced, and it was a good day for The Bear, which set a new record in the comedy category. And plenty of our favorites also got Emmy nods, including Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Shōgun, Reservation Dogs and What We Do in the Shadows. We'll help you unpack this year's the notable nominees and snubs.

We unpack the 2024 Emmy nominations

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'Fly Me to the Moon' soft launches Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Fly Me to the Moon' soft launches Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum

July 12, 2024 • The cheeky new romantic dramedy Fly Me to the Moon stars Scarlett Johansson as a NASA publicist at the height of the space race. She must stage a top-secret fake version of the moon landing as backup, just in case the real attempt fails. No one else at NASA can know about it — especially the upstanding launch director, played by Channing Tatum. The pair clash (and flirt) as they prepare for Apollo 11 to launch.

'Fly Me to the Moon' soft launches Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum

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We recommend three great sports documentaries

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

We recommend three great sports documentaries

July 11, 2024 • Sports aren't just games. They're intertwined with epic stories about struggle, human behavior, historic greatness and grand emotions. In other words, sports make for great documentaries. And if you're looking for some good ones, we've got recommendations: Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks, The Armstrong Lie, and Athlete A.

We recommend three great sports documentaries

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'Despicable Me 4' serves up 90 minutes of bankable mayhem

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Despicable Me 4' serves up 90 minutes of bankable mayhem

July 10, 2024 • Despicable Me 4 is the latest film in an animation franchise that made household names of reformed supervillain Gru (Steve Carrell) and his army of nattering Minions. The franchise has grossed billions of dollars, and the latest movie topped the weekend box office. But are these films growing up with their audience, or continuing to cater to young kids? And does that matter?

'Despicable Me 4' serves up 90 minutes of bankable mayhem

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How we entertain and amuse ourselves on a road trip

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

How we entertain and amuse ourselves on a road trip

July 8, 2024 • It's summer, so we're talking all about road trips. Should you blast music that's familiar or unfamiliar? What makes for a good road trip audiobook? What are some road trip games we hate? Pop Culture Happy Hour talked all about how to entertain and amuse ourselves in the car way back in 2012. Today, in this encore episode, we're revisiting that conversation.

How we entertain and amuse ourselves on a road trip

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'MaXXXine' closes a grisly trilogy in style

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

'MaXXXine' closes a grisly trilogy in style

July 5, 2024 • The new movie MaXXXine stars Mia Goth as an adult-film actress who gets her big break in Hollywood, only to be revisited by horrors from her past. Set in 1985 Los Angeles, it's the final film in director Ti West's beloved horror trilogy that began with the movie X. MaXXXine also features performances from Kevin Bacon, Elizabeth Debicki, and Giancarlo Esposito.

'MaXXXine' closes a grisly trilogy in style

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Megan Thee Stallion sheds her skin on 'Megan'

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

Megan Thee Stallion sheds her skin on 'Megan'

July 3, 2024 • A lot has happened to rapper Megan Thee Stallion over the last couple of years including a highly publicized trial after being shot by a former friend, a messy breakup, and a feud with artist Nicki Minaj. She confronts all of that and more on her boastful and vulnerable new album Megan. But she also has fun on playful tracks like 'Down Stairs DJ' and 'Otaku Hot Girl' that are odes to self-pleasure and her anime nerddom.

Megan Thee Stallion sheds her skin on 'Megan'

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Yes, chef: 'The Bear' has a lot going on in its third season

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

Yes, chef: 'The Bear' has a lot going on in its third season

July 2, 2024 • The Bear just returned for its third season and it's still one of the most stressful and most interesting shows on TV. Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) and Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) are launching their new fine dining restaurant, but he's estranged from some of the people who are closest to him just as he sneaks up on a new level of success. The series is streaming now on Hulu.

Yes, chef: 'The Bear' has a lot going on in its third season

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In 'A Quiet Place: Day One', Lupita Nyong'o makes silence golden

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

In 'A Quiet Place: Day One', Lupita Nyong'o makes silence golden

July 1, 2024 • In the post-apocalyptic world of A Quiet Place, aliens kill anyone who makes a sound, forcing humans into a near-silent existence. The new movie A Quiet Place: Day One takes us back to the beginning, but this time through the eyes of a terminally ill cancer patient played by the excellent Lupita Nyong'o.

In 'A Quiet Place: Day One', Lupita Nyong'o makes silence golden

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In 'Kinds of Kindness,' the cruelty is the point

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

In 'Kinds of Kindness,' the cruelty is the point

June 28, 2024 • Kinds of Kindness is a weird, dark, and bleak film. It's directed by Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things) and it re-teams him with Emma Stone and Willem Dafoe, along with Jesse Plemons. Each actor plays different characters in three different stories — which all involve someone going to extreme measures to regain something they've lost.

In 'Kinds of Kindness,' the cruelty is the point

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Lily Gladstone's 'Fancy Dance' is a road trip worth taking

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

Lily Gladstone's 'Fancy Dance' is a road trip worth taking

June 27, 2024 • The new film Fancy Dance offers something all-too-rare on screen: contemporary Indigenous perspectives, front and center. Lily Gladstone plays a woman trying to keep it together under stressful circumstances. Her sister's gone missing, and she steps in to look after her young niece (Isabel Deroy-Olson). The pair take what turns out to be a rocky road trip and a unique bonding experience.

Lily Gladstone's 'Fancy Dance' is a road trip worth taking

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Will they or won't they? Unpacking TV's eternal question

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Chuck Hodes/FX

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

Will they or won't they? Unpacking TV's eternal question

June 25, 2024 • Jim and Pam. Mulder and Scully. Janine and Gregory. Carmy and Sydney. Meredith and McDreamy. You know how it goes: two television characters with obvious chemistry who fight or look at each other longingly. You know that there's only one question: will they, or won't they? Today, we break down the different types of will-they-won't-they couples and discuss some of the best and worst couples in television, including Abbott Elementary, The Bear, Cheers, Grey's Anatomy, Dawson's Creek, and more.

Will they or won't they? Unpacking TV's eternal question

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Is 'The Acolyte' a Star Wars Force to be reckoned with?

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Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Is 'The Acolyte' a Star Wars Force to be reckoned with?

June 24, 2024 • The new Disney+ Star Wars series The Acolyte is a murder mystery. Someone is killing great Jedi masters, and while we learn the killer's identity early on, the real mystery driving the series is why they're doing it. It stars Amandla Stenberg as Force-sensitive twins Osha and Mae, and Squid Game's Lee Jung-jae as Osha's former Jedi master. By the time it's finished its eight-episode run, The Acolyte may shed new light on the nature of the Force, and the hidden history of the Jedi.

Is 'The Acolyte' a Star Wars Force to be reckoned with?

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June Squibb's 'Thelma' is the wrong grandma to mess with

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Magnolia Pictures

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

June Squibb's 'Thelma' is the wrong grandma to mess with

June 21, 2024 • Financial scams are an unfortunate phenomenon, but what happens when a fraudster messes with the wrong grandma? The very fun action-comedy Thelma imagines exactly this scenario. The movie stars June Squibb as a woman scammed by someone pretending to be her grandson. She then enlists her old friend (the late Richard Roundtree) to help get her money back.

June Squibb's 'Thelma' is the wrong grandma to mess with

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We debate the sweatiest movie of all time

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Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

We debate the sweatiest movie of all time

June 17, 2024 • Whether they're lightly perspiring, gently glowing, or soaked through from sweltering, people in the movies sweat a lot. But what movie has had people sweat the very most? With summer underway, we are debating what is the sweatiest movie of all time — including Do the Right Thing, Dog Day Afternoon, Y tu mamá también, and Body Heat.

We debate the sweatiest movie of all time

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Jake Gyllenhaal's 'Presumed Innocent' updates a legal thriller

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

Jake Gyllenhaal's 'Presumed Innocent' updates a legal thriller

June 13, 2024 • Presumed Innocent was a blockbuster legal thriller as a novel, and then a hit movie starring Harrison Ford. Now, Apple TV+ brings back the story of the accuser turned defendant as a limited series. Jake Gyllenhaal plays the lead this time, as a prosecutor who is accused of the murder of the colleague he'd had an affair with. David E. Kelley (Big Little Lies, The Practice, Ally McBeal) created the show.

Jake Gyllenhaal's 'Presumed Innocent' updates a legal thriller

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Our favorite graduation moments in pop culture

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

Our favorite graduation moments in pop culture

June 11, 2024 • This is the time of year when so many students graduate. Whether it's graduation episodes of our favorite TV series, high school songs, or movies about the last wild night of high school, we're revisiting our episode about the best moments about graduation in pop culture.

Our favorite graduation moments in pop culture

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'Am I OK?' is a coming-out movie for adults

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Am I OK?' is a coming-out movie for adults

June 10, 2024 • Am I OK? is a about what happens when you finally come to accept your sexuality much later in life than many do. It stars Dakota Johnson and Sonoya Mizuno as two women in their 30s who have been best friends a long time. But Johnson's character is grappling with the possibility that she's queer – and with the fact that her most treasured friendship is in trouble. Directed by Tig Notaro and Stephanie Allynne, it's streaming on Max.

'Am I OK?' is a coming-out movie for adults

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Glen Powell's 'Hit Man' won't kill you, but he may seduce you

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Netflix

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

Glen Powell's 'Hit Man' won't kill you, but he may seduce you

June 7, 2024 • Netflix's entertaining dark comedy Hit Man is not about a hired killer. It's about a guy who pretends to be a hired killer. Director Richard Linklater co-wrote this film with movie star of the moment, Glen Powell. Based very loosely on a real guy, Powell plays a mild-mannered professor who also works undercover for the police as a fake hitman.

Glen Powell's 'Hit Man' won't kill you, but he may seduce you

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'Doctor Who' is enlivened by its new Black, openly queer star

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Disney Plus

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Doctor Who' is enlivened by its new Black, openly queer star

June 6, 2024 • The venerable British science fiction series Doctor Who is back with a new season. Ncuti Gatwa — who is Black and openly queer — brings a vibrant energy to the story of an alien who travels through space and time in a blue box. The series, now streaming on Disney+, also features the return of showrunner Russell T. Davies, who birthed the modern era of Doctor Who. But what does this mix of new and old mean for the sci-fi institution?

'Doctor Who' is enlivened by its new Black, openly queer star

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'Clipped' recreates an embarrassing NBA scandal

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Kelsey McNeal/FX

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Clipped' recreates an embarrassing NBA scandal

June 5, 2024 • The new FX limited series Clipped tells the story of Donald Sterling, the then-owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, who was outed as a racist. Sterling's girlfriend – who was Black and Mexican – secretly recorded their conversations. When those tapes leaked, he was embroiled in a scandal that upended the NBA – an industry that profits off the star power of its majority Black players. The series stars Ed O'Neill and Laurence Fishburne as the owner and the head coach who clashed as it all went down.

'Clipped' recreates an embarrassing NBA scandal

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Looking back at 'The Sopranos,' the godfather of prestige TV

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

Looking back at 'The Sopranos,' the godfather of prestige TV

June 4, 2024 • The Sopranos changed television. The HBO series was centered on mobster Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a deeply flawed male antihero. That then- innovative approach cast a long shadow on television, but what really set The Sopranos apart was the fact that Tony was in therapy — a genius touch that granted viewers special access to his inner conflicts. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the show's premiere, so we're revisiting our conversation about the series.

Looking back at 'The Sopranos,' the godfather of prestige TV

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

We debate the best fictional bands

May 31, 2024 • Sometimes, our favorite musical artists are too good to be true because they're sprung from the imaginations of Hollywood screenwriters. But what makes a fake band great? Today, we are debating the best fictional bands in TV and film — including from Mamma Mia!, Josie and the Pussycats, It's Your Move, and Miami Connection.

We debate the best fictional bands

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Mike Katzif

Producer, Pop Culture Happy Hour

Friday July 19, 2024

Review

'Twisters' has us spiraling

Wednesday July 17, 2024

We unpack the 2024 Emmy nominations

Friday July 12, 2024

Review

'Fly Me to the Moon' soft launches Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum

Thursday July 11, 2024

Review

We recommend three great sports documentaries

Wednesday July 10, 2024

Review

'Despicable Me 4' serves up 90 minutes of bankable mayhem

Monday July 8, 2024

How we entertain and amuse ourselves on a road trip

Friday July 5, 2024

Review

'MaXXXine' closes a grisly trilogy in style

Wednesday July 3, 2024

Review

Megan Thee Stallion sheds her skin on 'Megan'

Tuesday July 2, 2024

Review

Yes, chef: 'The Bear' has a lot going on in its third season

Monday July 1, 2024

Review

In 'A Quiet Place: Day One', Lupita Nyong'o makes silence golden

Friday June 28, 2024

Review

In 'Kinds of Kindness,' the cruelty is the point

Thursday June 27, 2024

Review

Lily Gladstone's 'Fancy Dance' is a road trip worth taking

Tuesday June 25, 2024

Review

Will they or won't they? Unpacking TV's eternal question

Monday June 24, 2024

Review

Is 'The Acolyte' a Star Wars Force to be reckoned with?

Friday June 21, 2024

Review

June Squibb's 'Thelma' is the wrong grandma to mess with

Monday June 17, 2024

Review

We debate the sweatiest movie of all time

Thursday June 13, 2024

Review

Jake Gyllenhaal's 'Presumed Innocent' updates a legal thriller

Tuesday June 11, 2024

Our favorite graduation moments in pop culture

Monday June 10, 2024

Review

'Am I OK?' is a coming-out movie for adults

Friday June 7, 2024

Review

Glen Powell's 'Hit Man' won't kill you, but he may seduce you

Thursday June 6, 2024

Review

'Doctor Who' is enlivened by its new Black, openly queer star

Wednesday June 5, 2024

Review

'Clipped' recreates an embarrassing NBA scandal

Tuesday June 4, 2024

Review

Looking back at 'The Sopranos,' the godfather of prestige TV

Friday May 31, 2024

Review

We debate the best fictional bands