Accessibility links
Hafsa Fathima
Stories By

Hafsa Fathima

Friday

'MaXXXine' closes a grisly trilogy in style

Mia Goth and Halsey in MaXXXine. Justin Lubin/A24 hide caption

toggle caption
Justin Lubin/A24

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'MaXXXine' closes a grisly trilogy in style

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

Listen · 20:49
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197967394/1255174889" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Tuesday

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

Jeremy Allen White in The Bear. FX/Hulu hide caption

toggle caption
FX/Hulu

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

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

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

Listen · 24:48
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197967374/1255066785" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Monday

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

Amandla Stenberg as Mae in The Acolyte. Lucasfilm Ltd./Disney+ hide caption

toggle caption
Lucasfilm Ltd./Disney+

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

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

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?

Listen · 23:18
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197965415/1254555101" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Thursday

HBO's 'Fantasmas' is new and different and uniquely itself

Julio Torres stars in Fantasmas. HBO hide caption

toggle caption
HBO

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

HBO's 'Fantasmas' is new and different and uniquely itself

The brilliant and idiosyncratic new HBO series Fantasmas has a simple plot. Creator and star Julio Torres searches New York City for an earring he lost at a club. In the execution, that quest gets transformed into something epic and surreal and queer in every sense of the word. He keeps bumping into random New Yorkers whose stories play out in a series of sketch-like vignettes. They are played by actors including Emma Stone, Bowen Yang, and Tilda Swinton.

HBO's 'Fantasmas' is new and different and uniquely itself

Listen · 17:58
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197965257/1254351217" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Tuesday

'Bridgerton' closes out a crowded third season

Luke Newton in a scene from the series Bridgerton. Liam Daniel/Netflix hide caption

toggle caption
Liam Daniel/Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Bridgerton' closes out a crowded third season

The second half of Bridgerton's latest season just dropped on Netflix, and naturally the course of true love continues to not run smoothly. Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) may have finally declared their feelings for each other, but there's still a lot left to figure out. We previously talked about the first part of the third season in May, so today, we're diving in everything that happens in the conclusion.

'Bridgerton' closes out a crowded third season

Listen · 18:48
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197965236/1254310296" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Friday

'Inside Out 2' is a Pixar sequel worth celebrating

Amy Poehler as Joy and Maya Hawke as Anxiety in a scene from Inside Out 2. Pixar hide caption

toggle caption
Pixar

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Inside Out 2' is a Pixar sequel worth celebrating

Pixar's Inside Out introduced us to the core emotions inside an 11-year-old girl named Riley. We met Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), and Anger (Lewis Black). In Inside Out 2, Riley is experiencing puberty and a whole new crop of emotions have popped up. Most notably Anxiety (Maya Hawke) who has literally bottled up Riley's original core emotions and sent them hurtling into the back of her mind, where they plot to get back and set things right.

'Inside Out 2' is a Pixar sequel worth celebrating

Listen · 21:21
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197965158/1254161082" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Thursday

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

Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor in Doctor Who. Disney Plus hide caption

toggle caption
Disney Plus

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

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

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

Listen · 26:36
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197965021/1253713782" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Wednesday

'Clipped' recreates an embarrassing NBA scandal

Laurence Fishburne as Doc Rivers in Clipped. Kelsey McNeal/FX hide caption

toggle caption
Kelsey McNeal/FX

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Clipped' recreates an embarrassing NBA scandal

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

Listen · 21:20
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197965013/1253616208" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Thursday

Does 'The Sympathizer' worthily adapt its acclaimed book?

Hoa Xuande in The Sympathizer. HBO Max hide caption

toggle caption
HBO Max

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Does 'The Sympathizer' worthily adapt its acclaimed book?

It's rare to find a series with such an impeccable pedigree as HBO's The Sympathizer. It's based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, co-created by auteur director Park Chan-wook, and features Robert Downey, Jr. in four supporting roles. Set during and after the Vietnam war, the series follows a man (Hoa Xuande) juggling a position with the South Vietnamese military and one as a spy for the North Vietnamese. But is it a worthy adaptation?

Does 'The Sympathizer' worthily adapt its acclaimed book?

Listen · 17:46
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197964774/1252929143" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Monday

The sexy sex is back in 'Bridgerton' season 3

Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Featherington in Bridgerton. Netflix hide caption

toggle caption
Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

The sexy sex is back in 'Bridgerton' season 3

The Netflix series Bridgerton is back, as gossipy and over-the-top as ever. Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and her crush on childhood best friend Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) take center-stage. When Penelope is determined to find a husband, Colin wants to help her and they start spending extra time together. But where will this lead? Well, you know the answer to that. It's all about the journey, and the clothes, and the nudity, and obviously, the Queen's hair.

The sexy sex is back in 'Bridgerton' season 3

Listen · 21:56
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197964707/1252103638" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Friday

'Back to Black' misses Amy Winehouse's point of view

Marisa Abela as Amy Winehouse in Back to Black. Olli Upton/Focus Features hide caption

toggle caption
Olli Upton/Focus Features

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Back to Black' misses Amy Winehouse's point of view

The new music biopic Back to Black chronicles the life of singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse. The film stars Marisa Abela, and follows Winehouse as she records her breakthrough album, gets married, and struggles with addiction. But does the movie do justice to the singer and her music?

'Back to Black' misses Amy Winehouse's point of view

Listen · 24:04
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197964632/1251860708" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Wednesday

Looking to the past and future of Black Twitter

Stand-up comic W. Kamau Bell is featured in Black Twitter: A People's History. Hulu/Disney hide caption

toggle caption
Hulu/Disney

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Looking to the past and future of Black Twitter

For years, Black Twitter was the watering hole. It was where we could pop off jokes about Olivia and Fitz on Scandal. It's also where you could call out social injustices. It was both a state of mind and a state of being online. A new Hulu docuseries called Black Twitter: A People's History puts the massive global reach of that space into perspective. But what's changed now that it's owned by Elon Musk?

Looking to the past and future of Black Twitter

Listen · 22:09
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197964557/1251430038" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Friday

'Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' swings us back to a familiar franchise

Owen Teague as Noa in the film, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. 20th Century Studios hide caption

toggle caption
20th Century Studios

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' swings us back to a familiar franchise

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes follows Noa (Owen Teague), an extraordinary chimpanzee whose clan is enslaved by a mercenary ape king named Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand). As he sets out to gets them back, he's joined by a sage orangutan (Peter Maykin) and a scavenging human (Freya Allan). The movie is set hundreds of years after the recent Planet of the Apes trilogy, but the spirit of Andy Serkis' revolutionary character Caeser still looms large over this new film.

'Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' swings us back to a familiar franchise

Listen · 23:35
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197964530/1250205937" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Thursday

We process the explosive Drake-Kendrick beef

Drake onstage during Drake's Till Death Do Us Part rap battle in 2021. Amy Sussman/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Amy Sussman/Getty Images

Pop Culture Happy Hour

We process the explosive Drake-Kendrick beef

2024 seems destined to go down as the Year of Pop Culture Grievances. Megan vs. Nicki. Beyoncé vs. Nashville. But above all: Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake, who are currently engaged in the nastiest lyrical warfare rap fans have seen in a minute. Today, we're talking about all the pettiness: Why so much beef, and what makes a good battle? And is there ever a clear "winner" in these battles?

We process the explosive Drake-Kendrick beef

Listen · 21:47
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197964460/1250059986" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Wednesday

Dua Lipa's 'Radical Optimism' is loaded with hyper-catchy bangers

Radical Optimism is the latest album from Dua Lipa. Tyrone Lebon/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

toggle caption
Tyrone Lebon/Courtesy of the artist

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Dua Lipa's 'Radical Optimism' is loaded with hyper-catchy bangers

The British singer Dua Lipa has become one of the world's biggest pop stars. Now, she's back with Radical Optimism, a sort of concept record about moving through life with a more mature and constructive attitude. But it's also a pretty straightforward collection of grievance-free, hyper-catchy bangers.

Dua Lipa's 'Radical Optimism' is loaded with hyper-catchy bangers

Listen · 21:31
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197964457/1249759402" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript