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Chris Klimek

Chris Klimek

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Does 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' attain warp speed?

Anson Mount and Ethan Peck star on the Paramount+ series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Marni Grossman/Paramount+ hide caption

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Marni Grossman/Paramount+

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Does 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' attain warp speed?

In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, USS Enterprise Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), Spock (Ethan Peck) and their diverse crew boldly go exploring the galaxy. The Paramount+ series takes place a few years before the original series from the '60s, and new show's tone and narrative certainly feel like a return to old-school Star Trek.

Does 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' attain warp speed?

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'Titanic' was king of the world 25 years ago, and for good reason

Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in James Cameron's 1997 hit film, Titanic. Paramount Pictures/CBS Photo Archive via Getty Images hide caption

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Paramount Pictures/CBS Photo Archive via Getty Images

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Titanic' was king of the world 25 years ago, and for good reason

When Titanic pulled into theaters 25 years ago, it quickly became an inescapable cultural juggernaut. Everything about it was huge: Its budget, runtime, box office, and accolades. And it catapulted Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet into a whole new stratosphere of fame. Now that we've got some distance from Leo Mania and "king of the world" jokes, how does James Cameron's epic hold up all these years later? Vote for your favorite American Idol contestants at npr.org/AmericanIdol

'Titanic' was king of the world 25 years ago, and for good reason

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In 'The Northman,' it takes a pillage

Alexander Skarsgård stars as Amleth and Anya Taylor-Joy as Olga in director Robert Eggers' The Northman. Aidan Monaghan/Focus Features hide caption

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Aidan Monaghan/Focus Features

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In 'The Northman,' it takes a pillage

In The Northman, Alexander Skarsgård plays a Viking prince who flees his island kingdom when his uncle kills his father and marries his mother. It's based on a very old but familiar story that predates Shakespeare's Hamlet by a few centuries. Directed by Robert Eggers, The Northman is a tale of bloody revenge with painstakingly researched historical accuracy surrounding the gods and monsters of Viking culture. Vote for your favorite American Idol contestants at npr.org/AmericanIdol

In 'The Northman,' it takes a pillage

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Work/life get unbalanced in 'Severance'

Zach Cherry, Adam Scott, Tramell Tillman, John Turturro and Patricia Arquette star in the Apple TV+ series Severance. Atsushi Nishijima/Apple TV+ hide caption

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Atsushi Nishijima/Apple TV+

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

Work/life get unbalanced in 'Severance'

In the excellent new Apple TV+ series Severance, a group of office workers are experiencing work-life balance on a whole other level. Adam Scott, John Turturro, and others play employees that have undergone brain surgery that completely separates their memories of work from their memories of their regular lives. Severance is a workplace satire, a futuristic thought experiment about identity, and a drama about the dimensions of grief.

Work/life get unbalanced in 'Severance'

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A Rock and a Reynolds meet a Gal in 'Red Notice'

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds pack a few punches in Netflix's Red Notice. Frank Masi/Netflix hide caption

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Frank Masi/Netflix

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A Rock and a Reynolds meet a Gal in 'Red Notice'

What has a wisecracking Ryan Reynolds, a glamorous Gal Gadot, a muscled Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and a very convoluted story about priceless eggs? It's the new Netflix action comedy Red Notice, which combines cars, boats and secret safes with ballroom dancing and a jailbreak — all in the same frame as three big-budget action leads.

A Rock and a Reynolds meet a Gal in 'Red Notice'

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Daniel Craig is the bookend Bond, giving 007's story a beginning — and an end

In No Time to Die, Daniel Craig shows us a James Bond who's gone fishing. Nicola Dove/© 2021 DANJAQ, LLC and MGM. hide caption

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Nicola Dove/© 2021 DANJAQ, LLC and MGM.

Movies

Daniel Craig is the bookend Bond, giving 007's story a beginning — and an end

The last James Bond movie to star Daniel Craig is out today; Chris Klimek argues that Craig is the "bookend Bond," showing us 007 at the beginning and end, but never the prime of his career.

Daniel Craig is the bookend Bond, giving 007's story a beginning — and an end

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Only You Can Prevent Very Dramatic Fires: 'Those Who Wish Me Dead'

Angelina Jolie stars as Hannah in Those Who Wish Me Dead. Courtesy of Warner Bros. hide caption

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Courtesy of Warner Bros.

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Only You Can Prevent Very Dramatic Fires: 'Those Who Wish Me Dead'

The new movie Those Who Wish Me Dead is a lot of things at once. It's the story of a smokejumper, played by Angelina Jolie, who battles terrifying forest fires. It's the story of a young kid chased by killers. And it's the story of a pregnant woman forced to defend herself. The film is directed by Taylor Sheridan, who wrote 2016's Hell Or High Water, and is now streaming on HBO Max.

Only You Can Prevent Very Dramatic Fires: 'Those Who Wish Me Dead'

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'Star Wars' And Other Merchandise

Star Wars action figures are seen for sale at a Target store on September 4, 2015 in Miami, Florida. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption

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Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Star Wars' And Other Merchandise

Today is May the 4th, also known as Star Wars Day. The first Star Wars film spawned many sequels, TV series, videogames and a multi-billion dollar merchandise industry. So we thought it would be a good time to revisit our conversation about movie merchandise. In this encore episode, we talk about everything from Jar Jar Binks lollipops and E.T. dolls to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle cereal, and more.

'Star Wars' And Other Merchandise

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'Without Remorse': Michael B. Jordan, But Make It Clancy

Jodie Turner-Smith and Michael B. Jordan star in Tom Clancy's Without Remorse. Nadja Klier/Amazon Studios hide caption

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Nadja Klier/Amazon Studios

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'Without Remorse': Michael B. Jordan, But Make It Clancy

Michael B. Jordan has played a range of characters, from sympathetic figures like Wallace on The Wire, to an underdog in Creed and a swaggering antagonist in Black Panther. But Without Remorse marks a new era for Jordan as an action star. Based on Tom Clancy's best-selling 1993 novel of the same name, Without Remorse serves as the origin story for John Clark, an ex-Navy SEAL turned CIA operative.

'Without Remorse': Michael B. Jordan, But Make It Clancy

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'Die Hard': Welcome to the podcast, Pal

Bruce Willis in the 1988 film Die Hard. 20th Century-Fox/Getty Images hide caption

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20th Century-Fox/Getty Images

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'Die Hard': Welcome to the podcast, Pal

There's no wrong time to talk about an influential Hollywood classic. So that's why we are talking about Die Hard. We will never get tired of Hans Gruber versus John McClane — Alan Rickman versus Bruce Willis — the real clash of the titans. So that's why we are bringing you this encore episode.

'Die Hard': Welcome to the podcast, Pal

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Beyoncé to Bruce Springsteen: Our Favorite Concert Films

HOMECOMING: A film by Beyoncé captures the artist's process of putting on headlining appearances at the 2018 Coachella Music Festival. Courtesy of Parkwood Entertainment hide caption

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Courtesy of Parkwood Entertainment

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

Beyoncé to Bruce Springsteen: Our Favorite Concert Films

It's been more than a year since live concerts were a safe way to experience music. We miss the roar of a blissed-out crowd and experiencing art at the moment of its creation. Therefore, it feels like a good time to talk about some of our favorite concert films from Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Bruce Springsteen, and Aretha Franklin.

Beyoncé to Bruce Springsteen: Our Favorite Concert Films

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