Pop Culture Happy Hour
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Recent Episodes
Disclosure Day and What’s Making Us Happy
Stephen Spielberg brings aliens back to the big screen in Disclosure Day. But how does his new blockbuster compare to his alien classics like E.T. and Close Encounters of The Third Kind? Our heroes Emily Blunt and Josh O’Connor are compelled by something they don’t understand, and there are authority figures trying to keep a huge secret from the public. If you need more summer blockbusters, check out: ‘Jaws’ is still stuck in our teeth, 50 years laterThe summer blockbusters we finally watched Connect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport Pop Culture Happy Hour+ See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy
Summer House
Have you been keeping up with all the drama of Summer House? The cast of the Bravo reality series is currently embroiled in a scandal involving Kyle Cooke, Amanda Batula, West Wilson and Ciara Miller. We’re unpacking why people in and outside the Bravo fandom can’t stop talking about Summer House, what drives the drama of Bravo, and where the franchise might go from here. Do you like messy and fun reality shows? Check out these episodes: We're taking a chaotic trip to 'Love Island,' babe 'Vanderpump Rules,' 'Scandoval' and a fight that never ends Connect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport Pop Culture Happy Hour+ See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy
Office Romance
The new Netflix film Office Romance pairs rom-com veteran Jennifer Lopez with Brett Goldstein in a story about the hazards of falling for your boss. But is the on-screen chemistry there? And how does it fit into J.Lo’s rom-com history? Directed by Ol Parker (Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again), the film was written by Goldstein and Joe Kelly, one of the writers he worked with on Ted Lasso. If you need another Jennifer Lopez fix, check out these episodes:Can Jennifer Lopez's 'This Is Me... Now' say anything new?A silly 'Shotgun Wedding' sends J.Lo on an adventure Connect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport Pop Culture Happy Hour+ See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy
Scary Movie
The horror comedy franchise Scary Movie is back in theaters with a new movie. But does this legacy sequel that parodies other legacy sequels have anything new to say? Helmed by the Wayans Brothers, it lampoons horror tropes new and old amid a flurry of jokes and references, and brings back familiar faces like Anna Faris and Regina Hall. It also introduces a new generation to face the dreaded Ghostface. Do you want to hear about more legacy sequels? Check out these episodes: ‘Scream 7’ takes a weak stab at continuing the franchise 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' gets hooked on nostalgia Connect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport Pop Culture Happy Hour+ See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy
Masters of the Universe and What’s Making Us Happy
The new Masters of the Universe movie is packed with Easter eggs for fans of the old 80s cartoon and toys, but does this wannabe summer blockbuster have anything to offer for everybody else? It features big names playing the signature characters, like He-Man (Nicholas Galitzine), Evil-Lyn (Alison Brie), Man at Arms (Idris Elba), and Skeletor (Jared Leto). But the movie also adds a contemporary and comedic comic riff on the story. If you like nostalgic adaptations for superfans, check out these episodes: In 'Mortal Kombat II,' fatality meets fan service 'Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves' has high charisma Connect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport Pop Culture Happy Hour+ See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy
Power Ballad
In the wonderful new film Power Ballad, Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas play two musicians whose careers haven’t exactly gone to plan – but one song may change that. Rick (Rudd) is a wedding band singer in Ireland and Danny (Jonas) is a former boy band member. They collaborate on a song that Rick wrote a few years ago, but Rick later finds out that Danny is trying to pass off the song as his own. Power Ballad was directed by John Carney, who also made Sing Street and Once. If you like movies with great songs, check out these episodes: 'KPop Demon Hunters' is a viral smash that crushes the songs We debate the best movie musical numbers Connect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport Pop Culture Happy Hour+ See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy
Spider-Noir
Does Spider-Noir get its blend of noir and superheroes right? In the 2018 film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Nicolas Cage gave us a taste of a black and white, film-noir Spider-Man who talked in Dashiell Hammett dialogue. That cameo has spun into a full series that’s streaming on Prime Video. If you like off-the-wall superhero adaptations, check out these episodes: Marvel’s ‘Wonder Man’ is a low-key, low-stakes buddy comedy In 'The Penguin' a C-list villain gets an A-list series Connect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport Pop Culture Happy Hour+ See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy
Backrooms
The new horror movie Backrooms is about some of the creepiest places imaginable: the nondescript, beige-carpeted rooms that populate countless office spaces and discount furniture warehouses. The film stars Chiwetel Ejiofor as the manager of a pirate-themed furniture store, who, as he discusses with his therapist (Renate Reinsve), discovers a secret labyrinth of backrooms – each with a strange and unsettling design. Directed by Kane Parsons, based on his “creepypasta”-inspired web series, the movie doesn’t have a plot so much as a deeply unnerving sense of place. If you’re looking for more moody horror, check out these episodes:In ‘Obsession,’ love hurts. It really, really, really hurts. Adam Scott checks in to a haunted inn in ‘Hokum’ Connect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport Pop Culture Happy Hour+ See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy
Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed and What’s Making Us Happy
The Apple TV series Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed pulls you in almost immediately. Tatiana Maslany plays a newly divorced woman who finds comfort in an online relationship with a camboy, but that comfort is cut short by a frightening incident. As things escalate, every aspect of her life comes under threat. The show also has a colorful cast that features Jake Johnson and Murray Bartlett, with a sharp script that lives up to its hook. If you like fast-paced, mysterious thrillers, be sure to check out these episodes: Hilariously caustic 'Big Mistakes' drags Dan Levy into organized crime ‘The Boroughs’ lets a veteran cast shine in a sci-fi monster mystery Connect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:Letterboxd / FacebookOur weekly newsletterSupport Pop Culture Happy Hour+ See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy
The Four Seasons
Netflix’s charming comedy The Four Seasons follows a group of couples whose friendship dynamic is rocked by their mid-life crises. The impressive cast includes Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Colman Domingo, and Will Forte. And while the jokes may not fly quite as fast as they did on 30 Rock, Fey’s comedic sensibilities are written all over it. The Four Seasons just returned for a second season, so we’re revisiting our conversation about the series. Subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour Plus at plus.npr.org/happyhour See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy
I Love Boosters
In the new film I Love Boosters, Keke Palmer is the ringleader of a shoplifting crew that squares off with an unethical fashion CEO played by Demi Moore. It's from the bizarro visionary director Boots Riley (Sorry to Bother You) and it may be his most delightfully unhinged project yet. Follow Pop Culture Happy Hour on Letterboxd at letterboxd.com/nprpopculture Subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour Plus at plus.npr.org/happyhour See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy
The Boroughs
Something is definitely up in the fantastic new Netflix series The Boroughs. Monsters, or maybe aliens? It’s set in a seemingly idyllic mid-century modern retirement community in the middle of the desert, and focuses on a septuagenarian Scooby Gang formed by Geena Davis, Alfred Molina, Alfre Woodard, Denis O’Hare and Clarke Peters. Subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour Plus at plus.npr.org/happyhour See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy
Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu and What’s Making Us Happy
The Mandalorian has made the jetpack-assisted leap to the big screen with the new movie Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu. The laconic bounty hunter (Pedro Pascal) and his cute sidekick Grogu are hired by the good guys to do a job for some bad guys. You know what you’re gonna get – creatures, droids, easter eggs, and lots of fights. But, after three seasons on Disney+, will folks go out to the theaters to watch something they’ve gotten to know on their couches? Follow Pop Culture Happy Hour on Letterboxd at letterboxd.com/nprpopculture Subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour Plus at plus.npr.org/happyhour See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy
Stephen Colbert and late night
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert comes to an end this week amid a lot of changes in the business and the country. Some of the sources of tension include the economics of late night, the approaching merger of Paramount and Warner Brothers, and President Donald Trump's constant criticism of late-night hosts. But for Colbert's fans, it's the end of a friendly, funny, candid show. So we’re talking about the legacy of Stephen Colbert in late night. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy
Is God Is
You should make sure to check out the new film Is God Is. It’s a kinetic movie about twin sisters (Kara Young and Mallori Johnson) who set out to kill their abusive dad (Sterling K. Brown). It’s an exciting road trip movie akin to Thelma & Louise mashed up with the affecting themes of sisterhood in The Color Purple. The promising feature debut from acclaimed playwright Alesha Harris also features Janelle Monáe, Vivica A. Fox and Erika Alexander. Follow Pop Culture Happy Hour on Letterboxd at letterboxd.com/nprpopculture Subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour Plus at plus.npr.org/happyhour See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy