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Hafsa Fathima

Monday

In 'The Holdovers,' three broken people get schooled

Dominic Sessa, Da'Vine Joy Rudolph and Paul Giamatti star in The Holdovers. Focus Features hide caption

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Focus Features

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

In 'The Holdovers,' three broken people get schooled

In the funny, melancholic and weirdly moving new film, The Holdovers, Paul Giamatti plays a widely disliked teacher at a prestigious New England boarding school in 1970. He's forced to look after the boys who can't go home for the Christmas break, including one kid (Dominic Sessa) who's a particular pain in the butt. The film is directed by Alexander Payne, and also stars Da'Vine Joy Randolph as the school cook, who's spending the first Christmas without her son.

In 'The Holdovers,' three broken people get schooled

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Wednesday

In the time travel series 'Bodies,' one crime happens four times

Amaka Okafor as DS Hasan in Bodies. Matt Towers/Netflix hide caption

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Matt Towers/Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

In the time travel series 'Bodies,' one crime happens four times

The bingeable new Netflix series Bodies has a great hook: The same murdered corpse turns up in the same London location in four different periods. The four detectives assigned to the cases are played by Kyle Soller, Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, Amaka Okafor and Shira Haas. What each of them doesn't know is that their investigations are inextricably linked to the same dark secret that can change the world forever.

In the time travel series 'Bodies,' one crime happens four times

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Tuesday

Can a rebooted 'Frasier' still scramble our eggs?

Jack Cutmore-Scott as Freddy Crane and Kelsey Grammer as Frasier Crane. Chris Haston/Paramount hide caption

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Chris Haston/Paramount

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Can a rebooted 'Frasier' still scramble our eggs?

Kelsey Grammer is back as Frasier Crane. After nine seasons on Cheers and 11 more on the spin-off Frasier, the snobby psychiatrist joins the long list of characters rebooted for the streaming age. In the new Frasier series on Paramount+, Dr. Crane returns to Boston with a new supporting cast and a new set of challenges. But what made the original series so watchable, and how does the new show stack up?

Can a rebooted 'Frasier' still scramble our eggs?

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Wednesday

'Anatomy of a Fall' autopsies a marriage

Sandra Hüller stars in Anatomy of a Fall. Neon hide caption

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Neon

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Anatomy of a Fall' autopsies a marriage

In the complex and compelling French film Anatomy of a Fall, a husband is dead and his wife is the chief suspect. The investigation and trial expose the many rifts in their marriage, as the couple's young son yearns to understand what happened and why. Directed by Justine Triet and starring Sandra Hüller, the film won the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

'Anatomy of a Fall' autopsies a marriage

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Thursday

'The Fall of the House of Usher' is Poe-try in motion

Carla Gugino as Verna in episode in The Fall of the House of Usher. Eike Schroter/Netflix hide caption

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Eike Schroter/Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'The Fall of the House of Usher' is Poe-try in motion

The new Netflix horror miniseries The Fall of the House of Usher makes for a terrifically spooky October binge. It cleverly reimagines and remixes several works by Edgar Allan Poe in a modern setting. Created by Mike Flanagan, the series follows doomed siblings Roderick (Bruce Greenwood) and Madeline Usher (Mary McDonnell), and the dark secrets that even their unimaginable wealth and privilege can't manage to keep buried.

'The Fall of the House of Usher' is Poe-try in motion

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Wednesday

In 'Dicks: The Musical', broad jokes, narrow audience

Left to right: Megan Thee Stallion, Josh Sharp, and Aaron Jackson in Dicks: The Musical. A24 hide caption

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A24

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

In 'Dicks: The Musical', broad jokes, narrow audience

The frantic, absurdist new movie Dicks: The Musical is about a pair of misogynistic narcissists (played by Josh Sharp and Aaron Jackson) who discover they're long-lost twins. Also starring Megan Mullally, Nathan Lane, and Megan Thee Stallion, the movie's got cheeky song and dance numbers — plus crude humor and a distinctly queer sensibility.

In 'Dicks: The Musical', broad jokes, narrow audience

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Thursday

'The Changeling' is a nightmarish tale of parenthood

LaKeith Stanfield as Apollo in The Changeling. Apple TV+ hide caption

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Apple TV+

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'The Changeling' is a nightmarish tale of parenthood

The Changeling is an ambitious new series spanning generations and continents to tell an epic tale of a family torn apart by spirits and fairies. The Apple TV+ series stars LaKeith Stanfield as Apollo, a new dad whose dreams of fatherhood morph into nightmares following the birth of his son. Apollo's rude awakening sets him on a horrifying journey to confront his demons, past and present.

'The Changeling' is a nightmarish tale of parenthood

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Friday

'The Creator' is based on big ideas — and a lot of spare parts

John David Washington as Joshua in The Creator. 20th Century Studios hide caption

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20th Century Studios

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'The Creator' is based on big ideas — and a lot of spare parts

In the new movie The Creator, humanity is at war with artificial intelligence. It stars John David Washington as a former soldier who's been recruited to find and kill the creator of a powerful AI weapon. Directed by Gareth Edwards, the film's big themes involve the role of AI, the brutality of war, and the building blocks of life and society.

'The Creator' is based on big ideas — and a lot of spare parts

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Wednesday

In 'Cassandro,' a gay luchador finds himself, and international fame

Gael García Bernal stars in Cassandro. Amazon Prime Studios hide caption

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Amazon Prime Studios

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

In 'Cassandro,' a gay luchador finds himself, and international fame

In the new film Cassandro, Gael García Bernal plays the real-life Mexican-American wrestler who came to international stardom by adopting the persona of the flamboyant Cassandro, the Liberace of Lucha Libre. It's the story of a queer man who challenges a macho and homophobic system through sheer showmanship – and earns the respect of his fellow wrestlers and audiences.

In 'Cassandro,' a gay luchador finds himself, and international fame

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Thursday

In 'Starfield', human destiny is written in the stars

Bethesda's new game Starfield features over 1000 planets. Bethesda Softworks hide caption

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Bethesda Softworks

Pop Culture Happy Hour

In 'Starfield', human destiny is written in the stars

Starfield is one of the biggest and most anticipated video game releases of the year. It's a massive open world game set in humanity's future, when we've settled on star systems throughout the galaxy. There's over 1000 planets to explore, multiple factions to join, spaceships to pilot and quests to go on. But does Starfield live up to the hype?

In 'Starfield', human destiny is written in the stars

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Tuesday

'The Other Black Girl' explores identity and unease

Sinclair Daniel and Ashleigh Murray in The Other Black Girl. Hulu hide caption

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Hulu

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'The Other Black Girl' explores identity and unease

Part blistering workplace satire, part creepy thriller, Hulu's The Other Black Girl packs a lot of punches. Nella (Sinclair Daniel) is a young editorial assistant who forms a fast-friendship with her new-coworker, Hazel (Ashleigh Murray) as they both navigate working in a mostly white publishing company. Hazel is confident, a bit mysterious, and full of secrets. The Other Black Girl is based on the novel by Zakiya Dalila Harris.

'The Other Black Girl' explores identity and unease

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Friday

The Fall movies, TV and music we can't wait for

Cailee Spaeny stars in Priscilla. A24 Films hide caption

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A24 Films

Pop Culture Happy Hour

The Fall movies, TV and music we can't wait for

Today we offer up a guide to some of the most exciting movies, TV, and music you can check out this fall.

The Fall movies, TV and music we can't wait for

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Friday

'My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3' heads for the homeland

Nia Vardalos stars as Toula and John Corbett stars as Ian in My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3. Focus Features hide caption

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Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3' heads for the homeland

The family comedy My Big Fat Greek Wedding was a very big hit back in 2002. So it was inevitable that the movie spawned a couple of sequels – thus, we now have My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3. Writer and director Nia Vardalos is back as Toula, John Corbett is back as her husband, and this time, they're headed to Greece for a family reunion.

'My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3' heads for the homeland

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Wednesday

For The Eras Tour, Taylor Swift takes a lucrative, satisfying victory lap

Taylor Swift performs onstage on the first night of her Eras Tour at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

For The Eras Tour, Taylor Swift takes a lucrative, satisfying victory lap

Taylor Swift's Eras Tour is on pace to become the biggest and most lucrative concert tour in history. Each night's show offers up a career-spanning three-hour epic, with a sprawling setlist that includes a nightly assortment of surprises. But what made the tour such a juggernaut this summer?

For The Eras Tour, Taylor Swift takes a lucrative, satisfying victory lap

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Thursday

NewJeans is a new kind of K-pop juggernaut

NewJeans released a new EP titled Get Up earlier this summer. ADOR hide caption

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ADOR

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

NewJeans is a new kind of K-pop juggernaut

In a little more than a year, NewJeans has become huge in the world of K-pop, with a reputation for upending industry conventions. They've become the fastest K-Pop act ever to reach one billion streams on Spotify, and their new EP, Get Up, just hit number one on the Billboard charts. Plus, their single "OMG" went viral on TikTok, spawning dance challenges and memes.

NewJeans is a new kind of K-pop juggernaut

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