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John Powers John Powers is the pop culture and critic-at-large on NPR's Fresh Air with Terri Gross.
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John Powers

Dementia Complicates The Search For 2 Lost Women In 'Elizabeth Is Missing'

Maud (Glenda Jackson) is haunted by two mysteries in the television film Elizabeth is Missing, based on a novel by Emma Healey. Marsaili Mainz/Courtesy of STV Productions hide caption

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Marsaili Mainz/Courtesy of STV Productions

Television

Dementia Complicates The Search For 2 Lost Women In 'Elizabeth Is Missing'

Fresh Air

A new PBS Masterpiece psychological thriller stars Glenda Jackson as a woman desperately trying to solve two mysteries — even as her own grasp of reality is slipping away.

Dementia Complicates The Search For 2 Lost Women In 'Elizabeth Is Missing'

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'Fresh Air' Critic Revisits The TV, Books And Movies That Helped Ease Lockdown

Micheal Ward and Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn are strangers who connect on the dance floor in Lovers Rock. Parisa Taghizadeh/Amazon Prime Video hide caption

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Parisa Taghizadeh/Amazon Prime Video

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Book Reviews

'Fresh Air' Critic Revisits The TV, Books And Movies That Helped Ease Lockdown

Fresh Air

From Lovers Rock to The Good Lord Bird, the titles on John Powers' year-end list didn't simply distract; they also delved into enduring questions of freedom, dignity and survival.

'Fresh Air' Critic Revisits The TV, Books And Movies That Helped Ease Lockdown

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Movie Reviews

'Collective' Chronicles The Nightclub Fire — And Corrupt System — That Killed 64

Fresh Air

A new documentary reveals how corporate and government corruption led to the use of diluted disinfectants in Romanian hospitals. Collective is a gripping story that speaks to the present moment.

'Collective' Chronicles The Nightclub Fire — And Corrupt System — That Killed 64

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Season 4 Of 'The Crown' Introduces Princess Diana — And More Juicy Drama

Emma Corrin plays Princess Diana in the latest season of The Crown. Des Willie/Netflix hide caption

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Des Willie/Netflix

Review

TV Reviews

Season 4 Of 'The Crown' Introduces Princess Diana — And More Juicy Drama

Fresh Air

The latest season of The Crown pulses with glamour and sizzle, as Elizabeth II greets the arrival of two women who threaten her preeminence: Margaret Thatcher and Princess Diana.

Season 4 Of 'The Crown' Introduces Princess Diana — And More Juicy Drama

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Television

'The Queen's Gambit' Centers On The Kind Of Chess Prodigy We Seldom See

Fresh Air

A brilliant young woman crashes the traditionally male world of chess in Netflix's seven-part miniseries based on Walter Tevis' addictive novel.

'The Queen's Gambit' Centers On The Kind Of Chess Prodigy We Seldom See

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David Byrne And Spike Lee Conjure Up A Joyous Vision Of 'American Utopia'

HBO's David Byrne's American Utopia captures a live performance of Byrne's acclaimed Broadway show. David Lee/HBO hide caption

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David Lee/HBO

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Movie Reviews

David Byrne And Spike Lee Conjure Up A Joyous Vision Of 'American Utopia'

Fresh Air

Lee's new film for HBO captures a live performance of Byrne's acclaimed Broadway show. David Byrne's American Utopia is a rousing blend of song, dance and revival meeting.

David Byrne And Spike Lee Conjure Up A Joyous Vision Of 'American Utopia'

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An Israeli Agent Finds Herself Stranded In 'Tehran' In A Gripping New Spy Series

Niv Sultan stars as a tech-savvy Mossad agent trying to escape Iran in the eight-part spy thriller Tehran. Apple TV+ hide caption

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Apple TV+

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TV Reviews

An Israeli Agent Finds Herself Stranded In 'Tehran' In A Gripping New Spy Series

Fresh Air

A Mossad agent is charged with crippling the Iranian power grid. After a deadly snafu, she must survive in a city not exactly known for its hospitality toward Israeli spies.

An Israeli Agent Finds Herself Stranded In 'Tehran' In A Gripping New Spy Series

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'Coup 53' Tells The Story Of A 1953 Campaign By MI6 And The CIA To Oust Iran's Leader

The new documentary Coup 53 tells the backstory of the ouster of Mohammad Mosaddegh, Iran's elected prime minister. Amirani Media hide caption

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Amirani Media

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Movie Reviews

'Coup 53' Tells The Story Of A 1953 Campaign By MI6 And The CIA To Oust Iran's Leader

Fresh Air

A new documentary shows how the CIA and Britain's MI6 engineered the forcible removal of Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh. The 1953 coup continues to rattle history to this day.

'Coup 53' Tells The Story Of A 1953 Campaign By MI6 And The CIA To Oust Iran's Leader

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Book Reviews

'Luster' Combines Nicely Tailored Prose With A Stinging Sense Of Humor

Fresh Air

Raven Leilani's novel centers on a young woman with a free-range libido who dreams of being a painter. Luster is a crackling debut about sex, art and the inescapable workings of race.

'Luster' Combines Nicely Tailored Prose With A Stinging Sense Of Humor

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Book Reviews

Zadie Smith Hopscotches From The Personal To The Political In 'Intimations'

Fresh Air

Smith began Intimations: Six Essays at the onset of the pandemic and finished it shortly after George Floyd's killing. Although only 100 pages, there's something worth quoting on virtually every page.

Zadie Smith Hopscotches From The Personal To The Political In 'Intimations'

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Groundbreaking 'Old Guard' Expands The Possibilities Of The Superhero Genre

Fresh Air

Charlize Theron plays the world-weary leader of a group of heroes in a new film that broadens the notion of who can be a superhero — and what it might feel like to be one.

Groundbreaking 'Old Guard' Expands The Possibilities Of The Superhero Genre

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TV Reviews

Addictively Suspenseful Thriller Series 'The Bureau' Will Keep You On Edge

Fresh Air

Currently in its fifth season on Sundance Now, the series focuses on the clandestine missions, office politics and kaleidoscopic personalities at France's big spy organization, the DGSE.

Addictively Suspenseful Thriller Series 'The Bureau' Will Keep You On Edge

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Book Reviews

Reissue Of 'The End of Me' Helps Cement Alfred Hayes' Status As A Great Novelist

Fresh Air

A poet, novelist and screenwriter, Hayes' name largely fell from view following his death in 1985. Now, with the re-issue of three of his novels, his reputation has been making a comeback.

Reissue Of 'The End of Me' Helps Cement Alfred Hayes' Status As A Great Novelist

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TV Reviews

Did They Or Didn't They? 'Quiz' Centers On 2 Accused Game Show Cheats

Fresh Air

A limited series premiering on AMC deftly sketches the portrait of a married couple who get put on trial for cheating to win the top prize on the British version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

Did They Or Didn't They? 'Quiz' Centers On 2 Accused Game Show Cheats

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'Tokyo Godfathers' Is A Touching, Streetwise Riff On The 3 Wise Men

Fresh Air

In 2003, Japanese animator Satoshi Kon presented an upbeat fable about three social outcasts who find an abandoned baby. Recently restored, Toyko Godfathers never sinks into moralizing or treacle.

'Tokyo Godfathers' Is A Touching, Streetwise Riff On The 3 Wise Men

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