Pop culture critic Linda Holmes has been making this annual list since 2010. Big, small, inspirational, silly — what these items have in common is that they are all wonderful and brought her joy.
Each week, Pop Culture Happy Hour guests and hosts share what's bringing them joy. This week: 5-Second Films, an eye-opening Melrose Place article, the song "Ça plane pour moi" and rewatching 30 Rock.
Sure, some people like to lean into wintry movies at Christmas time, but maybe you've had enough "let it snow" and are looking for something a little ... schvitzy-er? We have some suggestions for you.
Each week, Pop Culture Happy Hour guests and hosts share what's bringing them joy. This week: The movie Tenet, ventriloquist Megan Piphus,Season 3 of Virtual Big Brother, and Christmas decorations.
In Cord Jefferson's directorial debut, Jeffrey Wright plays a frustrated author who echoes earlier Black protagonists in movies like Hollywood Shuffle and Bamboozled.
Drawing on four decades of debate and analysis, this reincarnation is a remarkable departure from Alice Walker's Pulitzer-winning novel and its polarizing 1985 adaptation directed by Steven Spielberg.
Each week, Pop Culture Happy Hour guests and hosts share what's bringing them joy. This week: new Doctor Who specials, Beedle the Bardcore's version of Usher's "Yeah!," and remembering Andre Braugher.
If you find yourself in Hanukkah withdrawal, take Round and Round for a spin: This time-loop romance embraces the holiday in a way that feels complete and thoughtful.
Wonka, starring Timothée Chalamet as the titular candy mogul, is a much brighter story than Roald Dahl's original telling. But its sunny salute to dreaming your dreams has a charm all its own.
In 1989 Charles Stuart killed his wife in what he claimed was a carjacking by a Black man. A series about that murder and the police investigation that followed is more than another true-crime story.
Each week, Pop Culture Happy Hour guests and hosts share what's bringing them joy. This week: the book Razorblade Tears, the game Assassin's Creed Mirage, and the shows Solitary and Murder in Boston.
Squid Game: The Challenge is a reality game show based on the sensational South Korean drama series. But this gruesome, creatively misbegotten concept should never have made it past the first meeting.
Each week, guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: Nora Ephron films, Wheatus' "Christmas Dirtbag," an oral history of The O.C., and Dick Van Dyke.
Each week, guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: the song "Farrah Fawcett Hair" and the shows Blue Eye Samurai and Ghosts UK.
Each week, guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: the Goosebumps TV series, New Blue Sun from André 3000, and Matt Rogers' Christmas album.
