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Hafsa Fathima

Friday

'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny' is a whip-crackin' good time

Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Lucasfilm Ltd. hide caption

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Lucasfilm Ltd.

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny' is a whip-crackin' good time

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is the fifth and apparently final film starring Harrison Ford as everyone's favorite globe-trotting, whip-cracking, Nazi-punching archeologist. The movie finds Indy on the cusp of retirement, when he's forced to chase an ancient artifact around the world to keep it from falling into the wrong hands. Directed by James Mangold, and also starring Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Mads Mikkelsen, it's in theaters now.

'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny' is a whip-crackin' good time

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Tuesday

In 'No Hard Feelings,' Jennifer Lawrence throws herself into comedy

Andrew Barth Feldman and Jennifer Lawrence star in No Hard Feelings. Sony Pictures Entertainment hide caption

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Sony Pictures Entertainment

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

In 'No Hard Feelings,' Jennifer Lawrence throws herself into comedy

Jennifer Lawrence has starred in The Hunger Games, played a member of the X-Men, and won an Oscar — but she hasn't done a ton of broad comedy until now. She makes a left turn in the movie No Hard Feelings, in which rich helicopter parents hire a woman to seduce their teenage son, in the hopes that he'll come out of his shell in time for college.

In 'No Hard Feelings,' Jennifer Lawrence throws herself into comedy

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Thursday

We gaze (again) into 'Black Mirror'

Annie Murphy in the Black Mirror episode "Joan Is Awful." Nick Wall/Netflix hide caption

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Nick Wall/Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

We gaze (again) into 'Black Mirror'

It's been four years since the Netflix anthology series Black Mirror made new episodes of terrifying speculative fiction. The series is now back with a new season that dives into questions of identity, celebrity, apocalyptic demons, and the true crime explosion. This season's cast includes Annie Murphy, Aaron Paul, Zazie Beetz, Salma Hayek Pinault, Kate Mara, and more.

We gaze (again) into 'Black Mirror'

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Wednesday

Is 'Elemental' on fire, or watered down?

Mamoudou Athie voices Wade and Leah Lewis voices Ember in the new Disney Pixar film Elemental. Disney/Pixar hide caption

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Disney/Pixar

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Is 'Elemental' on fire, or watered down?

Disney and Pixar's latest film Elemental is a family story and a love story. And yes, it's about fire and water and how they come together. Full of the studio's usual imaginative visuals, it also dives into the experience of a family of immigrants who sometimes find it tough to be who they are when they're shut out of parts of their own community.

Is 'Elemental' on fire, or watered down?

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Tuesday

'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' has got your fightin' robots right here

Peter Cullen voices Optimus Prime in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. Paramount Pictures hide caption

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Paramount Pictures

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' has got your fightin' robots right here

In Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts, good space-robots and evil space-robots battle for the fate of the universe. Led by Optimus Prime, the Autobots return to do battle with the forces of the villainous Unicron, and our heroes enlist new helpers along the way. Directed by Steven Caple Jr., the movie stars Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback, Pete Davidson, Michelle Yeoh and more.

'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' has got your fightin' robots right here

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Friday

'Never Have I Ever' is the show we wish we had in high school

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as Devi in Never Have I Ever. Netflix hide caption

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Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Never Have I Ever' is the show we wish we had in high school

In the Netflix comedy series Never Have I Ever, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan plays Devi, an overachieving high schooler, who will go to extreme lengths to climb the social ladder. In the show's final season, Devi's dealing with raging hormones and doing whatever she can to get into her dream college, stumbling a lot along the way.

'Never Have I Ever' is the show we wish we had in high school

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Wednesday

'Past Lives' is a story about love and choices

Teo Yoo as Hae Sung and Greta Lee as Nora in Past Lives. Jon Pack/Twenty Years Rights/A24/A24 hide caption

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Jon Pack/Twenty Years Rights/A24/A24

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Past Lives' is a story about love and choices

The new film Past Lives follows Nora (Greta Lee), a writer who lives in New York with her husband, and meets up again with a man she knew long ago as a girl in South Korea. Written and directed by Celine Song, the movie is an emotional study of how Nora tries to understand both the path she took and the many paths she didn't.

'Past Lives' is a story about love and choices

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Friday

'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse' thrills in every dimension

Miles Morales returns in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Sony Pictures hide caption

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Sony Pictures

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse' thrills in every dimension

The new animated film Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is the sequel to the Oscar-winning Into The Spider-Verse. It continues the story of Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), as he battles a new villain, The Spot (Jason Schwartzman). The stakes grow as Miles and Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) face greater conflicts as they traverse the multiverse.

'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse' thrills in every dimension

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Wednesday

'Barry' fades to black (comedy)

Bill Hader in the final episode of Barry. HBO hide caption

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HBO

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Barry' fades to black (comedy)

The HBO series Barry ended on Sunday. Throughout its run, the dark comedy brought a delicate tonal balance to Bill Hader's hitman-turned-actor. Its sharp take on Hollywood was funny, but it never let us forget that Barry was a violent sociopath. Barry's final season made choices so surprising and emotionally brutal that everything that came before it looked almost light and frothy.

'Barry' fades to black (comedy)

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Wednesday

In 'American Born Chinese,' a beloved graphic novel gets Disney-fied

Ben Wang as Jin Wang and Jim Liu as Wei-Chen in American Born Chinese. Disney+ hide caption

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Disney+

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

In 'American Born Chinese,' a beloved graphic novel gets Disney-fied

In the Disney+ show American Born Chinese, Jin is an insecure Chinese-American kid just trying to get through high school when he befriends the new kid in town, Wei-Chen. Wei-Chen is actually a god on a divine quest, and he drags Jin along with him. And the two come to realize they're more alike than they ever imagined.

In 'American Born Chinese,' a beloved graphic novel gets Disney-fied

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Thursday

In 'Primo,' a kid comes of age with the help of his colorful uncles

Ignacio Diaz-Silverio as Rafa and Stakiah Washington as Mya in Primo. Jeff Neumann/Amazon Freevee hide caption

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Jeff Neumann/Amazon Freevee

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

In 'Primo,' a kid comes of age with the help of his colorful uncles

In the charming Amazon Freevee sitcom Primo, Rafa is a typical 16-year-old kid navigating life with the help of his enterprising mom and five very colorful uncles. The show was created by journalist and podcaster Shea Serrano and is executive produced by Mike Schur (The Good Place, Parks & Recreation). So unsurprisingly, there's no shortage of pop culture references, silly situations, and a heartfelt moment or two.

In 'Primo,' a kid comes of age with the help of his colorful uncles

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Tuesday

In 'Book Club: The Next Chapter,' the ladies live, laugh, and love in Italy

Mary Steenburgen, Candice Bergen, Diane Keaton, and Jane Fonda in Book Club: The Next Chapter. Riccardo Ghilardi/Focus Features hide caption

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Riccardo Ghilardi/Focus Features

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

In 'Book Club: The Next Chapter,' the ladies live, laugh, and love in Italy

Book Club: The Next Chapter is a sequel that reunites four legendary actresses: Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, Candice Bergen, and Mary Steenburgen. In this iteration, the ladies jet-set to Italy. It's a light-hearted, very silly romp with a meet-cute, an old paramour, lost luggage, and multiple jokes about meatballs.

In 'Book Club: The Next Chapter,' the ladies live, laugh, and love in Italy

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Tuesday

'Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story' tweaks the formula with uneven results

India Amarteifio as Young Queen Charlotte and Corey Mylchreest as Young King George in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Netflix hide caption

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Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story' tweaks the formula with uneven results

After two seasons of Bridgerton, Netflix is ready for a spin-off. The new series Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story dives into the past as it explores the monarch's long marriage to King George III, the way her racial identity affects her experience and her country, and her early relationship with her dear friend Lady Agatha Danbury. It both is and is not like the Bridgerton we know.

'Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story' tweaks the formula with uneven results

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Friday

'Polite Society' kicks butt in the name of sisterhood

Priya Kansara stars as Ria Khan in Polite Society. Parisa Taghizadeh/Focus Features hide caption

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Parisa Taghizadeh/Focus Features

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Polite Society' kicks butt in the name of sisterhood

In the fun, genre-mashing action comedy Polite Society, Priya Kansara plays Ria, a spunky teen who aspires to be a movie stuntwoman. When her older sister Lena (Ritu Arya) suddenly gets engaged, Ria becomes determined to sabotage the wedding. The movie is the feature debut of Nida Manzoor, who created the acclaimed series We Are Lady Parts. And it's a sharp, yet loving exploration of sisterhood — though with a bit more fighting and stunts.

'Polite Society' kicks butt in the name of sisterhood

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Friday

Marriage and politics are tough negotiations in 'The Diplomat'

Keri Russell in the Netflix series The Diplomat. Netflix hide caption

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Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Marriage and politics are tough negotiations in 'The Diplomat'

In the new Netflix drama, The Diplomat, Keri Russell plays an ambassador who's thrust into an international incident with massive stakes. She's also sorting through a tumultuous marriage with her husband, a hotshot veteran diplomat (Rufus Sewell). The series combines the tension of Homeland with the administrative drama of The West Wing – which makes sense, given that The Diplomat's creator worked on both shows.

Marriage and politics are tough negotiations in 'The Diplomat'

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