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The delightful 'My Old Ass' seeks wisdom from hindsight

Maisy Stella as Elliott in My Old Ass. Marni Grossman/Amazon MGM Studios hide caption

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Marni Grossman/Amazon MGM Studios

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

The delightful 'My Old Ass' seeks wisdom from hindsight

September 19, 2024 • 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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The movies, TV and music we're excited about this fall

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

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

September 18, 2024 • 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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Jean Smart won the Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series for her performance in Hacks. Frazer Harrison/Getty Images hide caption

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

Our 2024 Emmys Recap

September 16, 2024 • Last night's Primetime Emmy Awards included big wins for Hacks, The Bear, Shōgun, and Baby Reindeer. And if you're nostalgic for shows like Schitt's Creek or Happy Days, the telecast had you covered.

Our 2024 Emmys Recap

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Never visit James McAvoy's house, and other lessons of 'Speak No Evil'

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Susie Allnutt/Universal Studios

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

Never visit James McAvoy's house, and other lessons of 'Speak No Evil'

September 13, 2024 • Never visit your weird new friends at their enormous isolated country estate. That's a basic rule that an American family fails to follow in the new horror thriller Speak No Evil starring James McAvoy. By the time they figure out they are in way over their heads, it's much much too late.

Never visit James McAvoy's house, and other lessons of 'Speak No Evil'

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'Rebel Ridge' serves up revenge with restraint

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Allyson Rigg/Netflix

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Rebel Ridge' serves up revenge with restraint

September 11, 2024 • 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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Strong performances highlight the scary (and funny) 'The Front Room'

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

Strong performances highlight the scary (and funny) 'The Front Room'

September 10, 2024 • Maybe you think you've seen every scary mother-in-law fiction has to offer — you absolutely haven't. In the new movie The Front Room, a pregnant woman (Brandy Norwood) allows her mother-in-law (Kathryn Hunter) to move in. In a film that's part creepy and part very darkly funny, the two women square off for control of the house and the child on the way.

Strong performances highlight the scary (and funny) 'The Front Room'

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'The Perfect Couple' is your next addictive beachy mystery

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Netflix

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

'The Perfect Couple' is your next addictive beachy mystery

September 9, 2024 • We all love a fancy wedding. The music, the flowers — the body washing up on the beach. At least that's what happens in Netflix's fun new thriller The Perfect Couple. Based on the novel by Elin Hilderbrand, the series stars Nicole Kidman as the matriarch of a wealthy Nantucket family that suddenly finds itself in the middle of a whodunit. And in this family, it seems like almost anybody could be guilty.

'The Perfect Couple' is your next addictive beachy mystery

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Is there any juice left in 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice?'

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

Is there any juice left in 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice?'

September 6, 2024 • 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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'Kaos' takes on the Greek gods, but is it a hit or a myth?

Jeff Goldblum plays Zeus in Kaos. Justin Downing/Netflix hide caption

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Justin Downing/Netflix

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Kaos' takes on the Greek gods, but is it a hit or a myth?

September 3, 2024 • In the clever new Netflix series Kaos, the Greek Gods are a rich and powerful modern-day family. They're led by an impulsive and deeply insecure Zeus (Jeff Goldblum), who lives on Mount Olympus with his wife Hera (Janet McTeer). But there is a plan to overthrow Zeus that depends on a slew of gods, demigods and mortals working together, whether or not they are aware of the roles they each are playing.

'Kaos' takes on the Greek gods, but is it a hit or a myth?

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Afraid': A not-OK computer

August 30, 2024 • The new movie Afraid is latest in the well-established genre of "the computer is alive" stories. John Cho plays a dad who has a chance to try out a very advanced AI system at his home — and it does a lot more than talk back.

'Afraid': A not-OK computer

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

'The Crow' puts the ick in gothic

August 29, 2024 • 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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Sabrina Carpenter's 'Short n' Sweet' is smart and silly

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

Sabrina Carpenter's 'Short n' Sweet' is smart and silly

August 28, 2024 • Sabrina Carpenter has had two of the year's biggest hits with "Espresso" and "Please Please Please." Now, she's released a new full-length album called Short n' Sweet, which serves up more catchy silliness and high drama. But does the album keep that "Espresso" magic alive?

Sabrina Carpenter's 'Short n' Sweet' is smart and silly

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Martin Short and Zach Galifianakis in the fourth season of Only Murders in the Building. Eric McCandless/Hulu/Disney hide caption

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

When celebrities portray themselves

August 27, 2024 • It's practically a tradition for famous people to portray a really offbeat version of themselves in TV and movies. The latest season of Only Murders in the Building features Eugene Levy, Zach Galifianakis, and Eva Longoria all playing fictional versions of themselves. So we thought it would be the perfect time to talk about about the many ways actors portray themselves on screen, and why it does and doesn't work.

When celebrities portray themselves

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

Channing Tatum stars as Slater King in Blink Twice. Zachary Greenwood/Amazon MGM Studios hide caption

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

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

August 23, 2024 • 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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Food Network

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The reality TV shows we'd actually win

August 21, 2024 • Part of the fun of reality TV is putting yourself in the shoes of the people you're watching. Maybe you'd make a great Real Housewife. Maybe you could win The Amazing Race. Maybe you could even win the fickle hand of The Bachelor. We're not here to make friends, but we are here to pick the reality shows that we think could thrive on.

The reality TV shows we'd actually win

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'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

August 20, 2024 • 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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Pop Culture Happy Hour

The physical media we still treasure

August 19, 2024 • The vinyl record, the CD, the DVD, the VHS tape — even the paper book has been the subject of debate and concern over its future. But we haven't given up our collections just yet. Today, we're revisiting our conversation about the physical media we still treasure.

The physical media we still treasure

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'Alien: Romulus' goes deep (space) into the horror

Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson in Alien: Romulus. Murray Close/20th Century Studios hide caption

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Murray Close/20th Century Studios

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Alien: Romulus' goes deep (space) into the horror

August 16, 2024 • Alien: Romulus is the latest entry in the venerable Alien sci-fi/horror film franchise, and it leans hard into the horror. The new movie stars Cailee Spaeney as one of a young crew of space miners, along with David Jonsson as her android brother. You'll never guess what species of slimy extraterrestrial evil they encounter. Faces get hugged, chests get burst, and acid blood eats through everything.

'Alien: Romulus' goes deep (space) into the horror

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'Didi' captures the awkwardness of adolescence almost too well

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Focus Features

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Didi' captures the awkwardness of adolescence almost too well

August 15, 2024 • 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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Hunter Schafer's 'Cuckoo' serves up Alpine horror

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Felix Dickinson/Neon

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

Hunter Schafer's 'Cuckoo' serves up Alpine horror

August 12, 2024 • In the new, stylishly odd horror film Cuckoo, Hunter Schafer plays an American teenager who reluctantly moves with her family to a mysterious resort in the German Alps. Her rebellious spirit clashes with the resort's creepy proprietor, played by Dan Stevens. When weird stuff starts happening, long-buried family secrets come to light and the resort's true nature stands revealed.

Hunter Schafer's 'Cuckoo' serves up Alpine horror

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

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Sony Pictures

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

August 9, 2024 • 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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Pop Culture Happy Hour

Three great fiction audiobooks

August 8, 2024 • It's summer, and whether you're taking a trip – or simply staying out of the heat with the AC running – there's nothing like relaxing with a good audiobook. So in this encore episode, we are recommending three of our favorite fiction audiobooks.

Three great fiction audiobooks

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

Simone Biles celebrates during the Women's Gymnastics Team Final medal ceremony at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Naomi Baker/Getty Images hide caption

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

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

August 6, 2024 • 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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Colman Domingo's 'Sing Sing' is a rare empathetic prison drama

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A24

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

Colman Domingo's 'Sing Sing' is a rare empathetic prison drama

August 5, 2024 • The moving drama Sing Sing stars Colman Domingo as the leader of a tight-knit theatre ensemble within one of the most notorious maximum-security prisons in the United States. Most of the cast are alumni of the actual program who had input on the filmmaking process. The movie showcases the ups and downs of putting on a show without being overly sentimental or cliché.

Colman Domingo's 'Sing Sing' is a rare empathetic prison drama

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Jessica Reedy

Thursday September 19, 2024

Review

The delightful 'My Old Ass' seeks wisdom from hindsight

Wednesday September 18, 2024

Review

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

Monday September 16, 2024

Our 2024 Emmys Recap

Friday September 13, 2024

Review

Never visit James McAvoy's house, and other lessons of 'Speak No Evil'

Wednesday September 11, 2024

Review

'Rebel Ridge' serves up revenge with restraint

Tuesday September 10, 2024

Review

Strong performances highlight the scary (and funny) 'The Front Room'

Monday September 9, 2024

Review

'The Perfect Couple' is your next addictive beachy mystery

Friday September 6, 2024

Review

Is there any juice left in 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice?'

Tuesday September 3, 2024

Review

'Kaos' takes on the Greek gods, but is it a hit or a myth?

Friday August 30, 2024

Review

'Afraid': A not-OK computer

Thursday August 29, 2024

Review

'The Crow' puts the ick in gothic

Wednesday August 28, 2024

Review

Sabrina Carpenter's 'Short n' Sweet' is smart and silly

Tuesday August 27, 2024

When celebrities portray themselves

Friday August 23, 2024

Review

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

Wednesday August 21, 2024

Review

The reality TV shows we'd actually win

Tuesday August 20, 2024

'Bad Monkey' is a shaky story with great vibes

Monday August 19, 2024

The physical media we still treasure

Friday August 16, 2024

Review

'Alien: Romulus' goes deep (space) into the horror

Thursday August 15, 2024

Review

'Didi' captures the awkwardness of adolescence almost too well

Monday August 12, 2024

Review

Hunter Schafer's 'Cuckoo' serves up Alpine horror

Friday August 9, 2024

Review

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

Thursday August 8, 2024

Review

Three great fiction audiobooks

Tuesday August 6, 2024

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

Monday August 5, 2024

Review

Colman Domingo's 'Sing Sing' is a rare empathetic prison drama