Pop Culture Happy Hour: 'Thor: Ragnarok'
The panel takes on the latest from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with help from Code Switch co-host and established Taika Waititi fan Shereen Marisol Meraji.
Arts
If CBS's 'S.W.A.T.' Wants To Break Ground, It'll Have To Try Harder
S.W.A.T. is a rare CBS show with a nonwhite lead, but its simplistic take on heroes and villains feels awkwardly out of step, especially in the age of Black Lives Matter.
Sadr City Attack On U.S. Troops Retold In 'The Long Road Home'
Martha Raddatz' 2007 book chronicling the ambush has been turned into an 8-part National Geographic series. "I think it's been healing for a lot of the guys. It's been healing for me, too," she says.
In The Deft, Insightful 'Lady Bird,' A Girl Grows Up — And Grows Wiser
Greta Gerwig's directorial debut, a semi-autobiographical examination of her adolescence, vividly captures the stirrings of empathy that transform a selfish teen into a clear-eyed adult.
Portrait Of The Killer As A Young Man: 'My Friend Dahmer'
The film, based on the graphic novel by Derf Backderf, is neither lurid nor sensationalistic — instead, it's a "nuanced and sad high school movie."
'11/8/16': A Day That Changed America, Through Many Lenses
This documentary, compiled from 16 short films by different directors shot on Election Day 2016, offers "a tightly woven series of close-ups of a diverse, divided populace."
'Thor: Ragnarok' Is Hela Good
The comic sensibility of director Taika Waititi — and a lush, airbrushed-van visual aesthetic — make this the funniest and prettiest Marvel film yet.
In 'Last Flag Flying,' The Horror of War Is Brought Home — Literally
In this Richard Linklater dramedy, three Vietnam War veterans "embark on an endlessly digressive road trip at once uproarious and rife with detours of the soul."
Jann Wenner, 'Rolling Stone,' And The Decline Of Rock 'N' Roll
Joe Hagan's Sticky Fingers, compiled from unfettered access to Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner, steadfastly avoids hagiography. It can't avoid a sad ending.
How Should We Build And Design Cities To Make It Tougher For Terrorists To Hurt People?
This week's terror attack in Manhattan prompts a question: Can a city do anything to stop a truck attack? NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with architect Thomas Vonier about how we can better design big cities to make it harder for terrorists to harm people.