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The new film <em>Gladiator II</em> is a sequel to <em>Gladiator</em>, Oscar-winning swords-and-sandals blockbuster that starred Russell Crowe. It tells a similar tale — a soldier, sold into slavery, becomes a gladiator in the Roman arena. This time out, it's Paul Mescal whose prowess in the coliseum earns him fame that threatens Rome's tyrannical rulers. Directed by Ridley Scott, the film also stars Pedro Pascal and Denzel Washington.<br><br><a href="https://letterboxd.com/nprpopculture/"><em>Follow Pop Culture Happy Hour on Letterboxd at letterboxd.com/nprpopculture</em></a><a href="https://plus.npr.org/happy">. </a><br><a href="https://plus.npr.org/happy"><br>Subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour Plus at plus.npr.org/happyhour</a>

The moving dramedy <em>A Real Pain</em> stars Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin as two very different cousins attempting to reconnect by going on a heritage tour of Poland. As they make their way across the country, they mourn their late grandmother, confront the fractures in their relationship, and reckon with the grief left in the wake of the Holocaust. <em>A Real Pain</em> was written and directed by Eisenberg.<br><br><a href="https://letterboxd.com/nprpopculture/"><em>Follow Pop Culture Happy Hour on Letterboxd at letterboxd.com/nprpopculture</em></a><a href="https://plus.npr.org/happy">. </a>

There are wild stories about the fraudsters who pretend to be Indigenous, but sometimes casting doubt on people's indigeneity can cause more harm than good. On this episode we hear from the person behind the "Alleged Pretendians List" and someone whose name appeared on that controversial list. The problem? He's legitimately Native.

The movie adaptation of <em>Wicked</em> brings a pop superstar and Tony winner together for career-high performances.

If you've ever loved a movie musical, then you've probably got a favorite movie musical number — a song that makes you want to sing along, swoon, celebrate, or simply dance with the nearest lamppost. But what makes these moments great? With <em>Wicked </em>hitting theaters, there's never been a better time to debate the best movie musical numbers.<br><br><a href="https://letterboxd.com/nprpopculture/list/our-favorite-movie-musical-numbers/"><em>For even more of our favorite movie musical numbers, check out our list at Letterboxd — at letterboxd.com/nprpopculture.</em></a><em></em>

In <em>Landman</em>, filmmaker Taylor Sheridan turns his attention to the dangerous and very masculine oil industry. TV critic Eric Deggans says the series often portrays women as caricatures.

After Timothée Chalamet showed up at his own celebrity lookalike contest, similar events have popped up in cities across and beyond the U.S. Here's a look at the winners — and what's behind the trend.

Each week, guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: <em>It's Florida, Man</em> on Max, Young Adult audiobooks and <em>Hot Frosty</em> on Netflix.

One is a YouTuber-turned-boxer. The other hasn't been back in the ring in nearly two decades. Tonight they'll fight in Texas.

Tavi Gevinson is a very talented actor and writer. She was just fifteen years old when she founded the fashion magazine <em>Rookie</em>, a smash success that is still beloved today. She returns to the show to talk about some of her new projects, what impacts social media has had on her career and how she dealt with the pressure of being called a wunderkind.

In the deeply goofy Christmas action comedy <em>Red One</em>, the holiday season comes to an emergency halt when Santa (J.K. Simmons) is kidnapped. It's up to his head of security, played by Dwayne Johnson, and a ne'er-do-well played by Chris Evans to save Christmas.<br><a href="https://letterboxd.com/nprpopculture/"><em>Follow Pop Culture Happy Hour on Letterboxd at letterboxd.com/nprpopculture</em></a>