2024 Pop Culture Favorites

Summary

Pop Culture Happy Hour: 2024 Pop Culture Favorites

NPR's "Pop Culture Happy Hour" returns with its December 11, 2024 episode, "2024 Pop Culture Favorites." Hosted by arts journalists Linda Holmes, Glen Weldon, Stephen Thompson, and Aisha Harris, the episode delves into the standout movies, TV shows, music, and performances that defined the year. Below is a comprehensive summary capturing the key discussions, insights, and notable quotes from the episode.

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1. Introduction: Reflecting on 2024

Linda Holmes opens the episode by highlighting the team's approach to curating their favorite pop culture moments of the year. She emphasizes their appreciation for both mainstream and offbeat selections, setting the stage for an eclectic mix of recommendations.

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2. Music Highlights

a. Charli XCX’s "Brat"

Aisha Harris presents her first pick, Charli XCX's latest album, Brat. She praises the album for its innovative electropop sound, describing it as a "celebration of being messy" with "hyper pop arrangements that are extremely loud and almost abrasively catchy" (03:00). Aisha highlights the standout track "Girl. So Confusing," noting its lyrical depth and the impactful remix featuring Lorde:

“... it was so refreshing to hear this song recast in such a deeply empathetic light, to kind of reassess this relationship by communicating and bringing in this other person's perspective.” (06:42)

Glen Weldon echoes Aisha's enthusiasm, appreciating the balance Charli XCX strikes between personal lyrics and danceable beats:

“This is just what it is. And I'm glad you chose this.” (06:42)

b. Sabrina Carpenter’s "Please, Please, Please"

Glen Weldon introduces his pick, Sabrina Carpenter's chart-topping single "Please, Please, Please" from her album Short and Sweet. He lauds Carpenter's delivery of the explicit language, particularly the line:

“Motherfucker.” (07:35)

Glen admires how Sabrina transforms a potentially vulgar moment into a poignant expression of frustration within relationships. He appreciates the authenticity and relatability of the song, especially in the context of its music video featuring Barry Keoghan.

“... it's the kind of moment that encapsulates how unique she is as a pop star.” (09:32)

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3. Movie Picks

a. The Fall Guy

Linda Holmes discusses her favorite movie of the year, The Fall Guy, starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt. She praises the film's blend of action and romantic comedy, highlighting its humor and heart.

“There are a couple of sequences that I just think are so just like weird and funny and fun.” (15:04)

The movie's meta-jokes and entertaining action sequences leave Linda with a "big goofy grin," underscoring its feel-good nature.

b. I Saw the TV Glow

Glen Weldon presents I Saw the TV Glow by Jane Schoenbrun, a film he describes as "dark and disturbing." He focuses on the film's final scene, where the protagonist, played by Justice Smith, confronts the realization of his false reality. Glen finds the ending both harrowing and inspiring, appreciating its raw portrayal of self-acceptance.

“The real world is waiting for you, but you gotta make the effort.” (19:03)

His analysis highlights the film's ability to evoke deep emotional responses without offering false hope, making it a standout narrative of the year.

c. Challengers

Aisha Harris shares her admiration for Challengers, a sports drama directed by Luca Guadagnino. She commends the film for its visceral excitement and complex character dynamics, particularly praising Zendaya's performance.

“I dug this movie from start to finish. Really was kind of edge of the seat.” (22:06)

The film's intense tennis sequences and intricate love triangle keep audiences engaged, making it a memorable entry in 2024's cinematic landscape.

d. Mr. and Mrs. Smith (TV Series)

Linda Holmes introduces the TV adaptation of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, starring Donald Glover and Maya Erskine. She appreciates the series' modern take on the classic espionage-romance trope, emphasizing its stylish direction and strong performances.

“It's gloriously art directed and it's really beautifully acted.” (24:09)

The chemistry between the leads and the show's aesthetic appeal make it a must-watch recommendation for the year.

e. Problemista

Glen Weldon discusses Julio Torres's film Problemista, highlighting a subtle yet impactful detail: the constant light on Tilda Swinton's iPhone. He appreciates how such minor elements add depth to the character and the story without overshadowing the narrative.

“These are small observations. These are not broad, overplayed clichés.” (33:18)

Weldon lauds the film for its meticulous attention to detail, contributing to its overall excellence.

f. Ripley (Netflix Adaptation)

Linda Holmes highlights the Netflix adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's Ripley, starring Andrew Scott as Tom Ripley. She praises Scott's haunting performance and the film's stylistic choices, particularly the 18-minute sequence following Ripley's confrontation and subsequent actions.

“It's such a great testament to the power of adaptation.” (36:22)

The black-and-white cinematography and Scott's intense portrayal bring a fresh perspective to the classic story, earning it accolades as one of the year's best adaptations.

g. Evil Does Not Exist

Glen Weldon introduces Evil Does Not Exist by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, focusing on a pivotal community meeting scene. He commends the film for its ability to create intense drama through simple, unembellished scenes that reflect real societal tensions.

“It just draws you in. And what I loved about this scene is the way that it really proves that sometimes, the least flashy and the simplest scenes can still hold so much drama.” (32:04)

The film's exploration of real estate and its impact on a small Japanese village offers a poignant commentary on modern societal issues.

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4. Performer Spotlight: Katherine Hunter

Glen Weldon shines a spotlight on actress Katherine Hunter, praising her versatility and captivating performances across various projects in 2024. He highlights her roles in The Tragedy of Macbeth, Andor, and Poor Things, noting her ability to infuse characters with unique physicality and vocal expression.

“She never just punches in and punches out. She leaves her mark.” (38:26)

Hunter's performances, particularly as the character Solange in The Front Room, showcase her talent for blending humor and menace, making her a standout performer of the year.

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5. Conclusion: Celebrating Diversity in Pop Culture

The hosts wrap up the episode by emphasizing the diverse range of selections, from high-octane action films to deeply personal music and groundbreaking performances. They encourage listeners to share their own favorite pop culture moments from 2024, fostering a community of shared enthusiasm and appreciation.

“I think it's a good mix, which is what we always go for.” (41:16)

Linda Holmes signs off by thanking the team and acknowledging the rich tapestry of pop culture that made 2024 memorable.

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Notable Quotes:

• Aisha Harris on Charli XCX’s "Brat": “... it was so refreshing to hear this song recast in such a deeply empathetic light...” (06:42)

• Glen Weldon on Sabrina Carpenter’s "Please, Please, Please": “It's the kind of moment that encapsulates how unique she is as a pop star.” (09:32)

• Glen Weldon on I Saw the TV Glow: “The real world is waiting for you, but you gotta make the effort.” (19:03)

• Aisha Harris on Challengers: “I dug this movie from start to finish. Really was kind of edge of the seat.” (22:06)

• Linda Holmes on Ripley: “It's such a great testament to the power of adaptation.” (36:22)

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Final Thoughts:

This episode of Pop Culture Happy Hour offers a thorough and engaging exploration of the year's top pop culture moments. By blending enthusiastic reviews with thoughtful analysis, the hosts provide listeners—both avid followers and casual fans—with valuable insights and recommendations to reflect upon as the year concludes. Whether it's innovative music, compelling films, or standout performances, "2024 Pop Culture Favorites" captures the essence of a diverse and vibrant cultural landscape.

Transcript

[Stephen Thompson]

This message comes from Capital One. Your business faces unique challenges and opportunities. That's why Capital One offers a comprehensive suite of financial services backed by the strength of a top 10 commercial bank. Visit capitalone.com commercial memberfdic hey, it's Stephen Thompson.

[Aisha Harris]

Before we start the show, we are closing in on the end of another year and our team is looking back at all the great conversations we've been able to bring you in 2024. Because of your support, we dove into the sleeper hit, the shows you shouldn't sleep on, the sequels, the prequels, our favorite binge watches. We stayed up all night to catch you up on the Oscars and the Emmys and debated the best fictional bands and the pop culture hills will die on. And it's all because listeners like you step up to support our work, either by giving to your local station or by joining npr. NPR has grown a lot this year and we want to say an extra special thank you to those supporters right now. You know who you are if you don't know what I'm talking about. NPR is a sweet way to support the independent public media you rely on from npr. When you sign up for a simple recurring donation. You support our mission of creating a more informed public and get special perks for more than 25 NPR podcasts like sponsor free listening bonus episodes, even exclusive and discounted items from the NPR Shop and the NPR Wine Club. By donating now, you'll find not only NPR's award winning journalism across the country and around the world, but also the stories that make you laugh out loud, the ones that might make you cry because they resonate so deeply, and the quirky ones that can only come from the wonderful world of public radio. Join us on the plus side today at plus.npr.org thank you.

[Linda Holmes]

We check out a lot of things in a given year. Lots of movies, TV shows and music. It's safe to say we keep busy and at the end of the year we get together to talk about some of the things we enjoyed the most wherever we found them. I'm Linda Holmes. And today on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour, we're talking about our favorite things from 2024. Joining me today are my co hosts, Stephen Thompson. Hey, Stephen.

[Aisha Harris]

Hey buddy.

[Linda Holmes]

Aisha Harris. Hey Aisha.

[Glen Weldon]

You all are some of my favorite things, just so you know.

[Linda Holmes]

Oh, wonderful.

[Aisha Harris]

Right back at you, Bud.

[Linda Holmes]

And Glen Weldon, you want to tell us the same thing, how much you love.

[Gerard Carmichael]

I'm telling you with my eyes.

[Linda Holmes]

That's true. He is. I can see it I can absolutely see it. And, you know, I feel the same way. Obviously, we have had the opportunity to discuss many things this year. I feel like this brought back some memories of some of the shows we've done and some of the amazing things that we've managed to talk about amongst ourselves and with our panelists preparing for.

[Aisha Harris]

This always puts me in that mindset of how did that come out in 2024? Argyle was this year.

[Gerard Carmichael]

Yep.

[Glen Weldon]

Oh, God, it was.

[Linda Holmes]

Okay, we should mention before we get started, some of the things we're going to recommend today are produced by Amazon. So we wanted to note that Amazon, as you may have heard, supports NPR and pays to distribute some of our content. So we are not, however, starting with something from Amazon. We are starting, perhaps inevitably, with Brat. Given that this is Stephen's pick, I want to point out that it's Brat and not a brat.

[Gerard Carmichael]

There we go. See, I saw what you did.

[Aisha Harris]

You know, bratwurst is often one of my 12 favorite things in any given year, no matter how long it's been since I've left the great state of Wisconsin. Yeah, I wanted to talk about Charli XCX's brat, which is clearly one of the pop cultural stories of the year. But I'm also gonna drill down to a specific moment that made me extraordinarily happy and that really felt substantial. For those who are somehow not familiar with Brat or Brat Sommer or Brat Green or Brats or Bratwurst, Charli xcx, a fantastic, really innovative electropop star. She reached this real culmination of her popularity in 2024 Collection of songs that are kind of celebrations of being messy, combined with these hyper pop arrangements that are extremely loud and almost abrasively catchy, but also just really pleasurable to listen to, whether you're at a party or on the beach or in the car. All the ways that we enjoyed summer, you could enjoy Brat. But I wanted to talk about a specific song on Brat called Girl. So Confusing. The lyrics to the song are about Charli XCX's relationship with another pop star, and that pop star in the original release of Girl, so Confusing was unnamed, and immediately Charli XCX fans who were digesting Brat were speculating, who is that pop star? And a lot of people figured out pretty quickly that she was talking about Lorde. So the song, there's a lot of stuff in there about like, I can't tell if you're my friend, I want to hang out, and then you cancel. It's kind of about one of These relationships where you're constantly trying to figure out what the status of the relationship is, but. But the only difference is that it's the relationship between these two pop stars. And just a little while later, Charli XCX drops a remix of Girl so Confusing, and it's called Girl so Confusing featuring Lorde. Let's hear a little bit of it. And it completely reinvents the song. Unlike so many songs about conflict, and there were many of those in 2024, this was a big year for pop star grievances. It was so refreshing to hear this song recast in such a deeply empathetic light, to kind of reassess this relationship by communicating and bringing in this other person's perspective. It was so, I think, useful for a lot of people just to be reminded that you're walking through the world carrying grievances about other people. And we all do, but every sing person out there is living their own life and has this incredibly complex inner life that we can't know about. This song managed to retain everything that was cool and mysterious and appealing about it while also suddenly becoming much deeper. And that was a process that played out with Brat all year long. She released these dynamite remixes, brought in different guests, allowed these songs to morph into new and different things, and it was just one of my favorite pop cultural stories of 2024, a record. I loved that. Evolving.

[Glen Weldon]

Yeah. I mean, look. Girl so confusing. Girl so relatable. And the fact that this album is both a banger but also super personal, it's so hard to walk that line. And a lot of pop stars can either make super personal music that doesn't necessarily, like, you don't want to dance to it, or you make, like, the most fluffiest thing ever. And it's a great confection. And finding that balance, I think, has really made this such a great year for Charlie. And I love this song. I love this album. It's the year of Brat. That's just what it is. And I'm glad you chose this.

[Aisha Harris]

Thank you.

[Linda Holmes]

She had a good year.

[Glen Weldon]

All right.

[Linda Holmes]

Thank you, Stephen. That is Charli XCX's remix of Girl so Confusing featuring Lorde. Aisha, your first pick is also one of the biggest pop music stories of the year. And we should warn people it contains some, I will say, very vulgar language.

[Glen Weldon]

Yes.

[Linda Holmes]

What did you pick?

[Glen Weldon]

Okay, this pic made me want to go and look up and see if there's evidence of Dolly Parton ever having dropped a curse word. And she has here and there. But when she does. It's very rare. And I, for one, haven't found evidence of her dropping the F bomb, but if she did, I'd imagine it would sound like this. Heartbreak is one thing, my ego's another.

[Linda Holmes]

I beg you, don't embarrass me. Motherfucker.

[Gerard Carmichael]

Please Sounds like clouds of angels.

[Glen Weldon]

A million tiny angels.

[Aisha Harris]

It just needed a children's chorus.

[Gerard Carmichael]

That's right.

[Glen Weldon]

Look. This is, of course, Sabrina Carpenter on the number one Hot 100 Billboard hit please, Please, Please from her album Short and Sweet. I have been obsessed with Sabrina Carpenter, not having known who she was a year ago. But this line on Please, Please, Please, and the way that Sabrina Carpenter says motherfucker, it's just like, lodged in my brain. What I love about the way she says this is that this line sort of just encapsulates how unique she is as a pop star of her caliber and who has reached these heights because her entire Short and Sweet album is just like double entendre, very snarky. Just like so much of Sabrina Carpenter's work is very relatable and that she's talking about men and boyfriends, but in a way that's like, please, please, please don't embarrass me. Like, I know you're going to, but don't do this. Like, it's so specific and yet so many people have dealt with that. You go out with your significant other and you're like, ugh, why'd you have to say that? Or just like, you shrivel up and you're like, oh, this is embarrassing. Or you've been that person who's just been the one who's embarrassing.

[Aisha Harris]

Much more the case for me.

[Glen Weldon]

So what I love about it, specifically this line, is the way she delivers it. She is given the side eye. She's like, don't do this. And if you watch the video, the music video stars her now then boyfriend. They have recently broken up, according to a source who shared the info with People magazine. But it stars her then boyfriend, the movie star Barry Keoghan. If you've seen him in anything, whether it's Saltburn, you know, he's just like the ultimate. You can tell he's gonna be a problem person. Like, he has that look. He's just a swaggering guy who's, you know, he's very hot, but he's gonna be a problem. And the music video uses that to its advantage. And when you see her say this line, please don't embarrass me, it just works so well. So for me. This is just a standout moment that also says, you know, we can be fun, we can be specific, and we can be very just expressive in the way we deliver our lines. And I love that Sabrina Carpenter is one of those pop stars this year who has really honed in on like we're gonna act. Like I'm actually acting out these words. I'm not just saying these words.

[Aisha Harris]

She really speaks to the advantages of the Disney Channel, slash Nickelodeon, those kind of entertainment machines or factories that start kids out really young, put them as actors on TV shows as Sabrina Carpenter was, as Olivia Rodrigo was, as Miley Cyrus was mild, as a lot Ariana Grande. A lot of our pop stars nowadays are trained for this from childhood and obviously that has dis disadvantages. But one of the advantages that it gives somebody like a Sabrina Carpenter and a lot of the people I just named is they're very funny. She has comic timing and it comes through in her phrasing, especially in this basically perfect song.

[Linda Holmes]

Yes. All right, so that is Sabrina Carpenter's Please, please, please. We are going to take a very quick break and when we come back we're going to have a bunch more picks, so don't go away.

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[Stephen Thompson]

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[Unknown]

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[Stephen Thompson]

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[Linda Holmes]

Welcome back. We are going to get right into our next pick. Specifically, I'm going to get into my first pick. You know, we talk sometimes on this show about we appreciate smaller movies, we appreciate offbeat movies. I was thinking about the fact that I also want better big movies. And that is one of the reasons why I was a big fan of the Fall Guy, starring Ryan Gosling, directed by David Leitch, who used to be a stuntman himself. Emily Blunt is also in it and it's kind of an action rom com, which is something that I always really love. It is, technically speaking, Based on the 80s TV series with Lee Majors, but only in the sense that like he's a stuntman who does cool stuff. And that's about it, really. It's about this guy who has suffered an injury, so he's been kind of out of the game. His girlfriend, who he was dating when she was a camera operator on a movie that he did previously, they got together but then he got injured. They. He kind of faded away from her. She is now directing a blockbuster movie and he comes in as one of the stunt guys. Really the reason why I love this movie is just that it is so funny and good hearted and the action sequences are so much fun. I just watched this movie with a big goofy grin on my face the entire time. There are a couple of sequences that I just think are so just like weird and funny and fun. There's also a great little kind of meta joke about split screen conversations where of course Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt are having a split screen conversation.

[Gerard Carmichael]

Split screen, right.

[Aisha Harris]

Do you think that it's like nostalgic, super cool or do you think it's a gimmick? I think it could be super cool.

[Linda Holmes]

She's sitting there sort of thoughtfully with her chin in her hand as you would in any romantic comedy, except that she has a big rubber creature hand. And it's just the kind of completely unnecessary but really delightful touch that I love. This is the kind of movie that I could watch 10 of them a year. And I just, I loved it. I really, really loved it.

[Aisha Harris]

And it's made with such deep affection. It's made with affection for the craft of stunt work. It's made with affection for its own characters.

[Glen Weldon]

This feels like an action movie that also like feels real.

[Linda Holmes]

A lot of Stunt work in this movie.

[Glen Weldon]

Yeah. So it's great to see that throwback because it does make it feel more, like, tactile in that way.

[Linda Holmes]

So that is the fall guy. It is streaming now. You can find it on Peacock. All right, Glenn, you also chose a movie. What did you pick?

[Gerard Carmichael]

Y. I'm going to be living up to my reputation as the captain bringdown of pop culture happy hour. We got kind of a whiplash here, going from a fun, light, breezy, crowd pleaser to a film that is dark and disturbing. But I loved and that is I Saw the TV Glow, which is a film by Jane Schoenbrun. I'm talking about the final scene here, which I think is harrowing. So that means I got to spoil the movie. So be warned. In this film, Justice Smith plays this kid who comes to realize that they don't belong where they are. They're trapped in this false reality, and they don't belong in the body that they are in. So it is a very cool, queer film. It is a trans allegory, very specifically. And over the course of this movie, they are given the ability to escape, to, you know, realize their true self and self actualize. But the thing that I love about this movie is that we soon come to realize that they're the hero that refuses the call, that never crosses the threshold, that they just stay in their sad little village. And in the last scene, they have this moment of realization and defiance. They're in this sad little party room at this fun center arcade that they work at, and they have this moment.

[Aisha Harris]

Happy birthday.

[Gerard Carmichael]

You need to help me.

[Linda Holmes]

I'm dying right now.

[Gerard Carmichael]

What happens in that moment is that everything around them freezes. But what's actually happened is that that moment of truth has shattered the fake reality around them. They're a glitch in the Matrix, right? Because that's what a moment of truth like that does. It has the power to let you break free because this is a movie about human beings. Of course, what happens most of the time is that when we come to a moment like that, we could address it, but most of the time, we just push it down. And that's exactly what happens to the Justice Smith character. They push it down, and the world starts up again around them. And the film ends in a really harrowing way with them just going around this sad little fun center apologizing to everyone.

[Aisha Harris]

I'm sorry about performance.

[Gerard Carmichael]

You're watching a person apologizing for who they are, for merely existing. That is harrowing. But what keeps this film from being so depressing that you just want to lie on the floor is that throughout the film, somebody has been planting messages, clues for this character to find this chalk message on the street of this suburban cul de sac that just says, there's still time. We're not watching the hero who will never take the journey. We're just watching the hero in the throes of refusing the call. There is still time. One day they will make this journey. One day they will find themselves. And it's such a perfect moment. If it had a perfect little moment of uplift there at the end, it would feel completely false to the film that preceded it. It would feel wrong.

[Glen Weldon]

I mean, I was on the episode where we covered this film, and I was the critic who was like, I don't know how I feel about this, but I will say those last 10 minutes of that film were, to me, some of the best of this entire year. It's a moment that you can't burn out of your brain in the best way possible.

[Gerard Carmichael]

And the hope that it is offering feels timely because it's not this kind of hope that descends from on high. It's not something that gets bestowed upon you. The film is telling you, if you want this, you gotta work for it. You have to take the journey. You gotta cross the damn threshold. The real world is waiting for you, but you gotta make the effort. And that's why this movie just left me feeling inspired.

[Linda Holmes]

Awesome. Thank you very much, Glenn Weldon. That is the harrowing final scene of I Saw the TV Glow. Stephen Thompson, what is your second pick?

[Aisha Harris]

Well, I'm gonna go with one of my favorite movies of 2024. Challengers. A fantastic sports movie, weird love triangle. A story that kept me guessing and yet still gave me a lot of the excitement that I've experienced when I watch sports. It manages to check so many. Bo and I wanted to talk specifically about the way Luca Guadagnino directs this film. And I'm gonna use a phrase that Linda Holmes used when we talked about Challengers on this show back in the spring. I was trying to get at the heart of one of the things that I really appreciated about this film. And I was talking about the way the different characters in this film are shot, specifically the love triangle among these characters played by Mike Feist, Josh O'Connor and Zendaya. And this film, this lusty way of looking at all of them. And, Linda, you used the phrase pansexually shot to describe this film. I remember on the show using, like, 600 words and you came in there with two. That summed up exactly what I was trying to say. There are many shots in this film of the tennis ball's perspective. And it's one of the things that people remember from the film. One of the other things that stand out most about the way this film is shot is the number of shots there are of thighs dripping with sweat, just rippling thigh muscles. And I'm not purely speaking about this from kind of a lustiness standpoint so much as this film loves looking at everybody's thighs and the way they are dripping with sweat. And it's part of what gives this film the tension. It gives you a rush. The score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross gives you a rush. The tennis, this action is shot in a way that is viscerally exciting. The way these relationships in this film are constantly putting you on edge and trying to figure out where these people are coming from and where they might be going next. Even just the results of the big match at the end, you're left guessing until the final second of the film. I so appreciated everything this film was trying to do. I think Zendaya, this is probably Zendaya's best performance. I think she is magnificent in this film. I dug this movie from start to finish. Really was kind of edge of the seat. And I still just have individual images from this film kind of stuck in my head.

[Gerard Carmichael]

Yeah, I came to this film late, after the culture had kind of churned it up and spat it back out. So I was thinking, this can't possibly live up to everything I've heard about it and the memes and everything. And it did. It totally did.

[Linda Holmes]

I was a big fan of this movie, too. And all of it's extraordinarily sexy shooting. That is true. All right, so that is Challengers. It is streaming on Prime Video. We like this one, too. Also streaming on Prime Video. This is the show Mr. And Mrs. Smith, which I absolutely loved, starring Donald Glover and Maya Erskine. It is essentially an adaptation of the Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie movie, which I think is mostly remembered as a chapter in the story of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, more than as an actual movie. But all that remains is the idea of these married spies. In this case, they are strangers who are brought together to go undercover as a couple and act as spies and do various missions and things like that. And they are kind of forced to live together. It's kind of, in many ways, a classic romance trope, but they play it in a way that is so Cool. I love how cool this show is. It's cool like cat burglar movies in the 60s were cool. It's like that. It's gloriously art directed and it's really beautifully acted. So this is a scene in the first episode where they have been brought together into this house and they are getting to know each other and they're not sharing a room. And he comes into her room to say goodnight and he, for whatever reason doesn't have a shirt on. And this conversation ensues. Warm downstairs.

[Glen Weldon]

That's why I had no shirt.

[Linda Holmes]

It's colder up here. The heat rises.

[Glen Weldon]

You probably turn the air on.

[Linda Holmes]

I didn't, but I was warmed up.

[Glen Weldon]

I was working.

[Linda Holmes]

I'll talk to you tomorrow. Okay. So.

[Glen Weldon]

Awkward.

[Linda Holmes]

Well, and the thing is like the way that that all starts is he comes in and she says, you lost your shirt. And so by the time they're having that conversation, like he's now justifying why he doesn't have a shirt on. And you know that he doesn't have a shirt on because he looks really good without a shirt. And they. But like he doesn't want to say, I came in here without a shirt on to impress you. And it's a really, really fun thing. This series also unfolds with a lot of wonderful guest stars. I recommend this show so much. I was so pleased to have it sort of do well and get a lot of kind of good notices. I really admire both of these actors and the work that they do in it. But also it's just so good looking. It's just delicious. It's delicious. I loved this show. N probably will be watching it again very soon. So that is Mr. And Mrs. Smith, which you can find on Prime Video. Aisha, we are going to go to your next pick. I haven't seen this one. Tell me about this one.

[Glen Weldon]

Well, this is for me at least one of the most bewildering and also moving things I've witnessed this year on TV or movies in general. It's Gerard Carmichael reality show. It's streaming on Max. And look, if you're familiar with Gerard Carmichael, you remember him, I think, I think his breakout was of course, Nathaniel, which was a standup special where he wasn't standing up, he was sitting down. And it was more like a therapy session than it was actually comedy. But it had humorous moments. But that was where he came out publicly for the first time as gay. And he also really dug deep into his family and the fact that his father had an entire other family that he didn't know about for years, growing up and siblings that he didn't know about. Gerard Carmichael reality show picks up up after. So basically, this is like a full length documentary series that shows him navigating his life after Rathaniel. This show is him trying to repair his relationship with his parents and other things. But, like, that's kind of one of the central things. And this was such a weird rollercoaster of a ride, because with Nathaniel, he had so much goodwill because it was just him on stage, you know, pouring his heart out in a very therapeutic way. And here, now he decides, I'm gonna bring my family into this on whether.

[Gerard Carmichael]

They want to or not.

[Glen Weldon]

Yeah, exactly. And he's a lot more confrontational now. He's a lot more prickly. And what I loved about seeing this, even though a lot of the times I was cringing and felt, should we be seeing this? Why are you doing this in front of a camera? But I also think, you know, there's something important to be said about seeing someone confront their family members in ways that I think we are often told we shouldn't be. And one of those moments really comes out very clearly when he takes a road trip with his dad, Joe, and he starts pelting him with questions about why he did what he did, Having a secret affair and having an entire different family, whether or not he felt any remorse. And then they have this exchange, like in front of a campfire.

[Aisha Harris]

Why are you doing this? What's.

[Gerard Carmichael]

What's like.

[Aisha Harris]

I mean, that's. That was then, this is now.

[Gerard Carmichael]

It's not.

[Aisha Harris]

Then stop saying it's also now. I thought this trip was gonna be about you and I and bonding. Let's stop talking about my past and move on forward.

[Glen Weldon]

That is almost always the response when people are confronted with their wrongdoings or with anything they might have done that might have hurt someone else. Seeing someone at least be confronted with it on screen in real time. There's just something so magnetic about it. Empowering. And. And for all of the uncomfortableness. And again, I don't think any therapist would recommend that you do all this in front of cameras to be shown on prestige tv. I still think there is value in seeing this, and I hope that it might help others who might be in similar situations feel comfortable enough to have those conversations with their family. I think that's why I was so drawn to this, and I think more people should watch it, even though it is very uncomfortable to watch. Over the course of several episodes, I'm still thinking about it all these months later, and it's just really, really powerful.

[Gerard Carmichael]

I'm so glad you picked this, because I was almost gonna. Because this is a stage of a lot of people's coming out process where once the relief is done and you're out to everyone, then you start to remember every slight that has happened to you over the course of your life and you start to roll up your sleeves and you go, well, let's talk. And inevitably, as you say, people will say, well, why are we talking about. About not my mistakes? Why are we talking about the past? They will say, you always think this is another stage of the coming out process where you think there's gonna be accountability. There's not accountability. So you have to kind of make your own peace with it. And the way he's doing it in this house of mirrors where there's just layers and layers and layers of like him cheating on his boyfriend and then having people film him cheating on his boyfriend. And you realize that every conversation everybody's having is miked. Right. So they had to strap into a mic back before they had this heart to heart. Heart.

[Glen Weldon]

These were choices, conscious choices made.

[Aisha Harris]

There's craft services tables.

[Gerard Carmichael]

There's a craft services table just off screen. Yeah. It's a fascinating, often frustrating, but always fascinating show.

[Linda Holmes]

Yeah. All right, that is Gerard Carmichael reality show streaming on Max. Thank you very much, Aisha. So if that is about reckoning with your past, we are going to flip over to Stephen who brought a pic about reckoning with your future. Possibly. Tell me about this one, Thompson.

[Aisha Harris]

Well, I haven't seen, you know, I certainly haven't seen every movie that came out in 2024. I haven't even seen all the awards contenders that are coming out in 2024. But my favorite movie of the year so far, an absolutely exquisite film called My Old Ass. And this film, which is like 90 minutes long, written and directed by Megan park, who is very much somebody I will be watching going forward. It stars Maisie Stella as an 18 year old who. Who takes mushrooms with her friends as she's out in the woods and she encounters herself, but in her late 30s, played by Aubrey Plaza, and is understandably skeptical. And they have this conversation. Your teeth. Those aren't my teeth. What about my teeth?

[Linda Holmes]

What?

[Aisha Harris]

There's a gap in your teeth. I don't have a gap in my teeth. Yeah, dude, wear your retainer in your hair. It's so dry and it's dark.

[Unknown]

Take it easy.

[Aisha Harris]

You've been bangs.

[Glen Weldon]

Yes.

[Aisha Harris]

I love this scene so, so much. One, because it feels real. But what I love so much about the line, wear your retainer. First of all, it's just. It's exactly what an older version of yourself would say to you. It's what an older sibling would say to you, just as I would tell the younger version of myself to wear earplugs at concerts. This is a good piece of advice. But you know what else this particular moment does? It speaks to what I love the most about this, which is its economy. They could have easily spent 40 minutes of runtime coming up with Lore for how she encounters her older self. Oh, there's this portal, and every time there's a full moon, this happens. It doesn't need any of that. It just happens. You didn't have to explain it. I just love this film.

[Glen Weldon]

Wear your retainer.

[Linda Holmes]

Wear your retainer and also wear your retainer. Absolutely. Thank you very much, Stephen Thompson. That is my old ass. Currently streaming on Prime Video. I'm sure you can find it. Glenn, we are going to you next. Tell me about this.

[Gerard Carmichael]

Okay, I'm talking about the film Problemista, but more specifically, I'm talking about the light on Tilda Swinton's iPhone in the film Problemista. Problemista is a film written and directed by Julio Torres. It's about a young man played by Torres, who becomes the assistant to an art critic played by Swinton. Swinton's character in this is a mess. She's a monster of a very specific east coast art world type. And this film is about, you know, two generations of people together. It is told from the point of view of Torres generation, but in several scenes we just notice that the light on Swinton's iPhone is on and it stays on. And the important thing, the reason I'm talking about it here at the end of the year is that no one ever comments on it once. It's just there it is just a tiny character beat that is treated as part of the scenery, as like part of the production design. Right. And you know, she's become attached to this one specific kind of software in her case, Filemaker Pro, as she says. And so that's it. These are small observations. These are not broad, overplayed cliches. There's nothing hack about these observations. They're actually new. And that's why this film and that moment and that light on Tilda Swinton's iPhone is so great.

[Linda Holmes]

Oh, all right. Thank you very much, Glenn Weldon. That was the light on Tilda Swinton's iPhone in Problemista. Well, I am Delighted that Netflix decided to do a fresh adaptation of the Patricia Highsmith novel, the talent of Mr. Ripley. As you may know, if you have seen the film adaptation, you have seen Matt Damon as Tom Ripley. And by the way, this movie is over 20 years old, but we love you. So we're going to warn you, we are going to talk about what happens to to Tom Ripley and the people who are foolish enough to be his friends. This casts Andrew Scott, who is older and very different, as Tom Ripley, a more sort of experienced con artist version of Tom, as opposed to the kind of sweet, young, doomed sociopath Tom. As you will know if you have seen the movie or read the book, Tom Ripley ends up eventually murdering his friend Dickie. And the scene that I want to talk about that is the focus of my love for this Netflix series adaptation is the one where Tom and Dickie go out on the boat and they have this little conversation. You're taking this better than I thought you would.

[Gerard Carmichael]

Why wouldn't I? I don't know.

[Aisha Harris]

Maybe because all I've offered you is my French and respect and ask for nothing in return.

[Linda Holmes]

That's the issue.

[Aisha Harris]

What else would it be?

[Linda Holmes]

Do you want me to say it? Yeah. Dickie doesn't know that he's doomed, but we all know he's quite doomed. And shortly thereafter, Tom kills Dickie as he must, in the boat. What follows is an 18 minute sequence, approximately, with no dialogue. It is just Andrew Scott trying to figure out what to do with the body and the boat. It seems like, you know, it could be very easy. You attach something to the body, throw it out over into the water and, you know, you're all done. It gets very complicated trying to get rid of this body. There is a sequence that I think is Bugs Bunny, like, where the boat kind of gets away because he has, in a very kind of slapsticky moment and falling out of the boat, and then the boat is running with nobody in it. It's so funny and I kept giggling and it's so terrible. This is also, to me, one of the most haunting performances of the year from Andrew Scott. It's always so great and yet it's also so funny. And this episode, when I watched this episode, I said, that's gonna be one of my very favorite episodes of anything that I see this year. I saw, I thought that the minute that I watched, I loved it. One of my favorite shows of the year.

[Gerard Carmichael]

This is so gorgeously filmed in black and white. It is so cold. And his eyes, oh, my God, his eyes in this just look like shark's eyes.

[Linda Holmes]

Little black marble.

[Glen Weldon]

Speedy little black marbles.

[Gerard Carmichael]

Beady as hell. It's just such a great testament to the power of adaptation.

[Linda Holmes]

It won me over very, very quickly. So that is Ripley. It is streaming on Netflix. Glenn, you are also going to talk about a performer that I really loved this year. Speaking of people who don't always need dial to do the things that they do, talk to me about this pic.

[Gerard Carmichael]

Yeah, but when she gets it, she knocks it out of the park. This is the great Katherine Hunter. She's having a moment this year. She's been around for a long time as a theater actor and director. She's getting more and more screen work now. I first noticed her in Joel Cohen's the Tragedy of Macbeth where she played the witches as kind of a contortionist. She also played Cyril's mother in Andor. She was hilarious in that. She was the brothel keeper in Poor Things. This year she had a couple where she just nailed it. First she played the tiny creepy racist mom Solange in the front room.

[Linda Holmes]

It must be my Norman's Belinda. It's lovely to meet you, Solange. Insane.

[Glen Weldon]

You were expecting and the best that.

[Linda Holmes]

Says the days of miracles have come and go.

[Glen Weldon]

No, Solange, I snatch.

[Linda Holmes]

You know, if you listen to this show, you know that Jordan Cruciola and I talked about how much we loved this movie and how unexpected it was for both. It is your basic like Brandy Norwood is this pregnant woman who moves in with her mother in law and her kind of useless husband and she ends up having to kind of defend herself. I think Brandi Norwood's quite good in it. But the reason to see this is this absolutely off the charts crazy good Katherine Hunter performance. It's everything. It's the physicality, it's the way she talks, it's the face, the voice. The voice again, it's Bugs Bunny level, kind of slapstick. But also she's scary. Oh my gosh. Anyway, talk about the rest of it, Glenn.

[Gerard Carmichael]

She also plays a small time London mob boss named Lenny in the Netflix series Black Doves, which we just talked about on the show early in the week. It's not a big role. She just doesn't do much than sit in various restaurant booths in a tracksuit and be intimidating. That's all she needs to do. But she nails it.

[Linda Holmes]

Because you didn't deal with him when.

[Glen Weldon]

I asked you and now he is a pro. He is a problem for everyone and everyone knows that I'm the prick who sent the prick to kill the prick and you didn't.

[Gerard Carmichael]

She has quickly become an actor that you just seek out because of that voice, that physicality, that whole approach are unlike anyone else. This is idiosyncratic. This is only her. She never just punches in and punches out. She leaves her mark. She changes the thing around her and makes it better. It is hunter season.

[Linda Holmes]

Absolutely. Thank you very much, Glenn, for all of Aisha. You are bringing us home with your final pick. Oh, my goodness. Tell us all about it.

[Glen Weldon]

All right. Well, this is a very specific scene in the movie. Evil Does Not Exist. This was written and directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, whose last film was Drive My Car. Love that film. This is also a really great film. Although the ending is very confounding. Months later, I still have no idea what happened. In Evil Does Not Exist, there are multiple storylines. It's set in a small Japanese mountain town, and all these sorts of storylines kind of converge, including one about a widower who's living with his daughter. But the central plot sort of revolves around this big developer who plans to turn the village into a glamping site to attract tourists. And of course, the villagers are all wary of this proposal. Around 35 minutes into the movie, Hamaguchi drops us in on a community meeting that's being led by the company's Talon agent representation. Multiple residents are expressing their concerns about the site. There's tension, but it's like a very matter of fact tension. I kind of liken it to watching C Span, except it manages to be the most riveting thing you could watch. It just draws you in. And what I loved about this scene is the way that it really proves that sometimes, like, the least flashy and the simplest scenes can still hold so much drama. Like, as soon as I saw that scene and when I realized how long it was going on, but it didn't feel like it was going on for long, I was just like, oh, this is one of the best crafted scenes of the year. Like, it does it so well. It places the villagers into context. And the movie overall is like a really fascinating study of the most basic. But the thing that affects us all, which is, like, real estate, a small change can change the climate. It changes the inhabitants in different ways, but ways that can have huge consequences. And I just really loved it. So that is Evil Does Not Exist. It's streaming on the Criterion Channel, but also available on vod, y'all. We did it. It's another year.

[Aisha Harris]

We did it.

[Glen Weldon]

We did it.

[Aisha Harris]

So much weird stuff. So much good stuff. So much crowd pleasing stuff.

[Gerard Carmichael]

Yeah.

[Aisha Harris]

So much I haven't gotten to.

[Gerard Carmichael]

It's stuff I haven't gotten to, which is my most exciting part.

[Linda Holmes]

Yeah, absolutely. I think it's a good mix, which is what we always go for. Some stuff you probably know about and maybe some stuff that you didn't know about. And in the case of Katherine Hunter in the front room, something that maybe you don't know about and you should know about and you might regret knowing about. But that's okay because it's in the fun way. All right. Well, we want to know about your favorite things from the year. Find [e-mail] PCHH that brings us to the end of our show. Stephen Thompson, Glenn Weldon, Aisha Harris, thank you so much for being here.

[Aisha Harris]

Thank you.

[Glen Weldon]

Thank you.

[Linda Holmes]

This episode is produced by Mike Katzeff and edited by Jessica Reedy. Hello. Come in. Provides our theme music. Thank you for listening to Pop Culture Happy Hour from npr. I'm Linda Holmes and we'll see you all tomorrow.

[Stephen Thompson]

This message comes from NPR sponsor Rosetta Stone, an expert in language learning for 30 years. Right now, NPR listeners can get Rosetta Stone's lifetime membership to 25 different lang for 50% off. Learn [e-mail] NPR this message comes from Warby Parker.

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