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Friday

'Smile 2' is a superior horror sequel, complete with pop bangers

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Paramount Pictures

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Smile 2' is a superior horror sequel, complete with pop bangers

The horror movie Smile was a massive hit. Its flashy new sequel Smile 2 finds the franchise's terrifying entity infecting a new host: a pop star (Naomi Scott) who's about to head out on tour after experiencing a trauma. And the movie has a lot to say about the horrors of pop stardom.

'Smile 2' is a superior horror sequel, complete with pop bangers

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Tuesday

'Disclaimer' is an absorbing and multi-layered melodrama

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Apple TV+

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Disclaimer' is an absorbing and multi-layered melodrama

In the powerful new Apple TV+ drama Disclaimer, Cate Blanchett plays a woman who's terrified after she's sent a novel that's based on a chapter of her past that she's desperate to keep secret. From Oscar-winner Alfonso Cuarón, the series was also stars Kevin Kline, as a man who's also consumed by the events recounted in the book.

'Disclaimer' is an absorbing and multi-layered melodrama

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Thursday

We talk pop culture pumpkin spice lattes: they're basic but we love them

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Greg Doherty/Getty Images

Pop Culture Happy Hour

We talk pop culture pumpkin spice lattes: they're basic but we love them

The word "basic" often gets thrown around to describe anything that's mainstream, popular, frictionless, or otherwise inoffensive. But sometimes basic stuff is just what we crave, whether it's a binge-watch, a popular song, or a pumpkin spice latte. It's fall, so today we're talking about what we're calling... Pop Culture Pumpkin Spice Lattes.

We talk pop culture pumpkin spice lattes: they're basic but we love them

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Friday

'Joker: Folie à Deux' is much a deux about nothing

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Warner Bros. Studios

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Joker: Folie à Deux' is much a deux about nothing

The new film Joker: Folie à Deux is the sequel to 2019's Joker, which won Joaquin Phoenix an Oscar. This new film is a courtroom drama and a romance tossed into a musical blender set to liquefy, as the Joker goes on trial for the murders he committed in the last film and falls in love with a groupie played by Lady Gaga.

'Joker: Folie à Deux' is much a deux about nothing

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Monday

HBO's 'Industry' is nasty, stressful, and irresistible

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Nick Strasburg/HBO Max

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

HBO's 'Industry' is nasty, stressful, and irresistible

The latest season of HBO's Industry was over the top. The drama is about backstabbing, morally compromised investment bankers. But it managed to make its characters even more backstabb-y and ethically dubious than ever before. Frenemies fought hard. Buried vices and addictions came to light. And death hovered over the entire season in shocking fashion.

HBO's 'Industry' is nasty, stressful, and irresistible

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Thursday

'His Three Daughters' puts three acting dynamos in one apartment

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Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'His Three Daughters' puts three acting dynamos in one apartment

Elizabeth Olsen, Carrie Coon, and Natasha Lyonne are often the best thing about their projects, and they're all together in the moving new Netflix film His Three Daughters. They play three sisters who are odds with one another, but must gather in their father's apartment when he's dying. As his illness progresses, their own sibling relationships are tested.

'His Three Daughters' puts three acting dynamos in one apartment

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Friday

'Transformers One' is an animated origin story with a light touch

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Paramount Pictures

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Transformers One' is an animated origin story with a light touch

The Transformers franchise has been around for decades, and it's brought us many toys, TV shows and movies. Now, in the new animated film Transformers One, the origin story of Optimus Prime and Megatron finally gets told. With a voice cast that includes Chris Hemsworth and Brian Tyree Henry, the movie hopes to offer a fresh entry point for the long-running franchise.

'Transformers One' is an animated origin story with a light touch

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Thursday

The delightful 'My Old Ass' seeks wisdom from hindsight

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Marni Grossman/Amazon MGM Studios

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

The delightful 'My Old Ass' seeks wisdom from hindsight

What would you do if you met your future self, who's a couple of decades older and maybe a little wiser? Would you freak out? In the delightful new movie My Old Ass, a teenager named Elliott (Maisy Stella) faces this very scenario. Her older self is played by Aubrey Plaza, and she's got some advice to impart. But her younger self may or may not take it.

The delightful 'My Old Ass' seeks wisdom from hindsight

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Wednesday

The movies, TV and music we're excited about this fall

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Macall Polay/HBO

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

The movies, TV and music we're excited about this fall

Fall is beginning, and it's the perfect time to talk about all the great things we're excited to watch and listen to between now and the end of the year. Today, we're offering up a guide to spotlight some of the movies, TV, and music we are looking forward to this fall.

The movies, TV and music we're excited about this fall

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Wednesday

'Rebel Ridge' serves up revenge with restraint

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Allyson Rigg/Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Rebel Ridge' serves up revenge with restraint

In Netflix's new film Rebel Ridge, Aaron Pierre plays Terry, a young Black man who enters a small Southern town to post bail for his cousin. But when the local cops seize his money, he faces off against the corrupt chief of police (Don Johnson). Things escalate, and soon he uncovers a sinister conspiracy that threatens his life.

'Rebel Ridge' serves up revenge with restraint

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Friday

Is there any juice left in 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice?'

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Warner Bros Pictures

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Is there any juice left in 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice?'

There's a reason Beetlejuice was a hit back in 1988: it delivered both the spectacle and big stars of a major studio film, and the hilarious, weird vision of director Tim Burton. Now he returns with the sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice — which stars Winona Ryder, Catherine O'Hara, Michael Keaton, and Jenna Ortega. But does Beetlejuice Beetlejuice capture any of the original's silly, surreal, singular magic? Should it even try?

Is there any juice left in 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice?'

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Thursday

'The Crow' puts the ick in gothic

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Larry Horricks/Lionsgate

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'The Crow' puts the ick in gothic

In the new film The Crow, Bill Skarsgård plays a man who gets brutally murdered alongside his soulmate (FKA twigs). He returns to life as an unstoppable figure of vengeance, hunting down their killers. It's not a remake of the 1994 cult classic; the filmmakers are pitching it as a brand new reimagining of the comic book series that inspired the original film. But how does this new movie stack up?

'The Crow' puts the ick in gothic

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Friday

Zoë Kravitz's 'Blink Twice' is a very weird and ambitious big swing

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Zachary Greenwood/Amazon MGM Studios

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Zoë Kravitz's 'Blink Twice' is a very weird and ambitious big swing

In the new psychological thriller Blink Twice, Naomi Ackie plays a woman who is invited to the private island of a tech billionaire, played by Channing Tatum. He's recently re-entered public life after a scandal and has gathered his friends for a long party. But as the party stretches on, it's clear that something is seriously amiss. Blink Twice is the directorial debut of Zoë Kravitz, and the vibes are definitely pretty weird.

Zoë Kravitz's 'Blink Twice' is a very weird and ambitious big swing

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Tuesday

'Bad Monkey' is a shaky story with great vibes

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Apple TV+

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Bad Monkey' is a shaky story with great vibes

In the new Apple TV+ series Bad Monkey, a fishing boat in the Florida Keys pulls in a human arm, and a suspended detective is the only one who can crack the case. Created by Bill Lawrence (Ted Lasso) and starring Vince Vaughn, the series is a beachy, sun-drenched comedy-mystery with plenty of twists and turns as well as, yes, a monkey. But does it successfully capture the vibe of Carl Hiaasen's book that it's based on?

'Bad Monkey' is a shaky story with great vibes

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Thursday

'Didi' captures the awkwardness of adolescence almost too well

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Focus Features

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Didi' captures the awkwardness of adolescence almost too well

The movie Didi is a vibrant coming-of-age dramedy and was a Sundance film festival favorite. It stars Izaac Wang as a 13-year-old just trying to survive the awkwardness of puberty as a Taiwanese-American kid living in the Bay Area. He's got a crush to impress, complicated friendships to navigate, and family members who are sooooo embarrassing. Didi was directed by Sean Wang, who earned an Oscar nomination earlier this year for his documentary short Nai Nai & Wai Po.

'Didi' captures the awkwardness of adolescence almost too well

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Friday

'It Ends With Us' is a melodrama with serious undertones

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Sony Pictures

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'It Ends With Us' is a melodrama with serious undertones

The 2016 Colleen Hoover novel It Ends With Us was a massive bestseller. And now that book is a movie. Blake Lively stars as Lily Bloom, a woman who falls for a hot neurosurgeon played by Justin Baldoni — who also directs the film. But their relationship is complicated by the return of her old flame (Brandon Sklenar). She also has to reckon with her feelings about her abusive father and the mother who stayed with him.

'It Ends With Us' is a melodrama with serious undertones

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Tuesday

If you're on the fence(-ing), here's why we love the Olympics

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Naomi Baker/Getty Images

Pop Culture Happy Hour

If you're on the fence(-ing), here's why we love the Olympics

There is nothing better for the summer doldrums than a blast of Olympic glory. For a couple of weeks this summer, athletes are showing us how they flip, run, swim, climb, and paddle and even breakdance to prove they are the best in the world. We're checking in with the 2024 Olympics, including wins for gymnast Simone Biles, swimmer Katie Ledecky, and sprinter Noah Lyles.

If you're on the fence(-ing), here's why we love the Olympics

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Friday

M. Night Shyamalan lays his own parent 'Trap,' and it's truly bonkers

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Warner Bros. Pictures

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

M. Night Shyamalan lays his own parent 'Trap,' and it's truly bonkers

M. Night Shyamalan's new thriller Trap stars Josh Hartnett as a father attending a pop concert with his teenage daughter. But all is not as it appears. It quickly turns out that the entire concert is surrounded by police who are trying to catch a dangerous serial killer in the most difficult way possible. There is a lot going on in this bonkers movie: lots of pop songs, and lots of strange decision-making.

M. Night Shyamalan lays his own parent 'Trap,' and it's truly bonkers

Listen · 25:22
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Thursday

'House Of The Dragon' season 2 makes it Rhaen(yra)

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Theo Whiteman/HBO

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'House Of The Dragon' season 2 makes it Rhaen(yra)

The second season of HBO's House of the Dragon is almost over. The war between two rival factions of the Targaryen dynasty is fully underway, complete with stealth missions, palace intrigue, battle scenes and hot dragon-on-dragon action. But now that the Dance of the Dragons is in full swing, has the Game of Thrones prequel finally hit its stride?

'House Of The Dragon' season 2 makes it Rhaen(yra)

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Wednesday

'Time Bandits' maps contemporary vibes over a cult classic

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Apple TV+

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Time Bandits' maps contemporary vibes over a cult classic

The dryly funny new Apple TV+ series Time Bandits reimagines the 1981 Terry Gilliam film of the same name. A squad of inept thieves — including their sort-of leader, played by Lisa Kudrow — have stolen a map of the universe. They use it to jump through portals to various time periods to steal stuff. One jump takes them into the bedroom of a British kid (Kal-El Tuck), who tags along as they're chased by Taika Waititi's Supreme Being and Jemaine Clement's Pure Evil.

'Time Bandits' maps contemporary vibes over a cult classic

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Friday

'Deadpool & Wolverine' is a feast of inside jokes

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Jay Maidment/20th Century Studios/Marvel

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Deadpool & Wolverine' is a feast of inside jokes

In the highly meta Deadpool & Wolverine, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman finally meet up for their own big movie. Deadpool is still smarmy, Wolverine is still tragic, and they have to get together to save the world. Along the way, Deadpool continues his usual routine of endless wisecracking. The movie is jam-packed with fan service and Easter eggs. But how will casual Marvel fans like the movie?

'Deadpool & Wolverine' is a feast of inside jokes

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Thursday

In 'The Decameron,' the Black Death makes for black comedy

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Giulia Parmigiani/Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

In 'The Decameron,' the Black Death makes for black comedy

In Netflix's weirdly compelling dark comedy The Decameron, the bubonic plague is ravaging Florence in 1348. A group of rich nobles and their servants decide to retreat to a picturesque villa in the country to wait it all out. The large ensemble includes Tony Hale and Zosia Mamet. Every character is hiding something, and those secrets get revealed — and more than a few uglies get bumped.

In 'The Decameron,' the Black Death makes for black comedy

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Monday

'Sunny' is a robot buddy comedy about loss

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Apple TV+

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Sunny' is a robot buddy comedy about loss

In the new Apple TV+ series Sunny, Rashida Jones stars as a woman living in Kyoto, whose husband and young son go missing in a plane crash. To help console her, her husband's electronics company gives her a robot companion. The show is an interesting mix of styles and genres – it's a buddy comedy, a crime thriller and a drama about loss. But at the center of it all is the mystery of what happened to her husband and son – and why.

'Sunny' is a robot buddy comedy about loss

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Friday

'Twisters' has us spiraling

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Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Twisters' has us spiraling

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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