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When auteurs and film franchises meet

Director Taika Waititi made offbeat films like Hunt for the Wilderpeople before he leveled up to blockbuster director status with Marvel's Thor: Ragnarok. Dave J Hogan/Getty Images hide caption

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Pop Culture Happy Hour

When auteurs and film franchises meet

This fall, a number of auteurs are directing major blockbusters: Cary Joji Fukunaga took on the James Bond movie No Time To Die; Chloe Zhao joins the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Eternals; and Denis Villeneuve hopes to launch a film franchise with Dune. So we thought it would be a good time to revisit our conversation about how auteur directors shape genre films. In this encore episode recorded on stage in Los Angeles, we're talking about auteurs and film franchises — and dream up some great artists taking on unexpected genres.

When auteurs and film franchises meet

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Look who's (still) stalking on 'You' Season 3. (Spoiler: It's Joe, of course.)

Victoria Pedretti and Penn Badgley in the third season of the Netflix series, You. John P. Fleenor/Netflix hide caption

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Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Look who's (still) stalking on 'You' Season 3. (Spoiler: It's Joe, of course.)

When the Netflix thriller series You premiered three years ago, it started a lot of conversations. The show was told largely from the point of view of a charismatic serial killer named Joe, played by Penn Badgley, and it followed his obsession with and stalking of a young woman. Now in its third season, Joe hasn't changed much as a person, even though his circumstances have. He has a wife now, and a baby, although he's hardly living the typical suburban dad life.

Look who's (still) stalking on 'You' Season 3. (Spoiler: It's Joe, of course.)

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It's been 42 years since 'The Hitchhiker's Guide' answered the ultimate question

British author Douglas Adams, left, and Nick Landau read Adams' book The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy in October 1979. Colin Davey/Evening Standard/Getty Images hide caption

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Colin Davey/Evening Standard/Getty Images

Books

It's been 42 years since 'The Hitchhiker's Guide' answered the ultimate question

The first Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy book was published in October 1979. Fans are looking back at how the series has endured in popularity and why it's still relevant.

It's been 42 years since 'The Hitchhiker's Guide' answered the ultimate question

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In 'Squid Game,' children's games get awfully bloody

Park Hae-soo, Lee Jung-jae and Jung Ho-yeon star in the Korean Netflix series, Squid Game. Youngkyu Park/Netflix hide caption

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Youngkyu Park/Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

In 'Squid Game,' children's games get awfully bloody

The Korean drama Squid Game is a worldwide sensation. According to Netflix, it's topped their rankings in more than 90 countries. Written and directed by the filmmaker Hwang Dong-Hyuk, it's a violent and artful horror miniseries, a survival drama, and a commentary on debt and capitalism. With a plot that's both simple and ambitious, the series is fast-paced but character-driven, and unbelievably addictive to watch.

In 'Squid Game,' children's games get awfully bloody

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A new museum in Nashville centers the artistry of Black musicians

The National Museum of African American Music, in Nashville. NMAAM/353 Media Group hide caption

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Music

A new museum in Nashville centers the artistry of Black musicians

Nashville has long been associated with country music. But a museum devoted to African-American music, which opened earlier this year, sets the record straight about the city's diversity

A new museum in Nashville centers the artistry of Black musicians

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40 years ago, San Francisco lowriders organized to fight police harassment — and won

A Lowrider rides on three-wheels on Sunset Blvd., in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles in July. Damian Dovarganes/AP hide caption

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Damian Dovarganes/AP

Hispanic Heritage Month

40 years ago, San Francisco lowriders organized to fight police harassment — and won

"At one point it was bumper to bumper for 20 blocks. It was like a parade every Friday and Saturday night," Roberto Hernandez said. "It was something that the police just weren't able to manage."

'Maid' shines a light on a flawed safety net

Margaret Qualley and Rylea Nevaeh Whittet star in Maid. Ricardo Hubbs/Netflix hide caption

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Ricardo Hubbs/Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Maid' shines a light on a flawed safety net

Based on Stephanie Land's memoir, the Netflix series Maid stars Margaret Qualley as a single mom who must learn to survive on public assistance. While the series takes a hard look at the logistics of poverty, it's also a riveting personal story that will keep you guessing until the very end of its tenth episode.

'Maid' shines a light on a flawed safety net

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Matt Amodio's history-making run on TV's 'Jeopardy!' ends

Matt Amodio's historic run on Jeopardy! ended on Monday's show, leaving the Yale doctoral student with 38 wins and more than $1.5 million in prize money. Jeopardy Productions Inc. via AP hide caption

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Jeopardy Productions Inc. via AP

Television

Matt Amodio's history-making run on TV's 'Jeopardy!' ends

The Yale doctoral student, with 38 wins and more than $1.5 million in prize money, finished No. 2 on the all-time consecutive wins list behind only Ken Jennings with 74 wins.

1999's 'Latin Explosion' chased crossover hits. Today, Latino artists don't need them

In the third part of our series exploring crossover in pop music, we reexamine the so-called "Latin explosion" of the '90s: what it was supposed to be for audiences across the U.S., and what it actually came to represent. Blake Cale for NPR hide caption

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Blake Cale for NPR

It's Been a Minute with Sam Sanders

1999's 'Latin Explosion' chased crossover hits. Today, Latino artists don't need them

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Latino artists like Ricky Martin, Marc Anthony, Jennifer Lopez and Shakira ruled the pop charts. But who was that so-called "Latin Explosion" actually for, and what were the business considerations behind it? In the third part of our series exploring crossover in pop music, we examine how this supposed boom turned out to be more of a marketing creation, which evaporated when digital streaming entered the picture. You can follow us on Twitter @NPRItsBeenAMin and email us at samsanders@npr.org.

1999's 'Latin Explosion' chased crossover hits. Today, Latino artists don't need them

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'Y: The Last Man'? More like the walking dude

Ashley Romans as Agent 355 and Ben Schnetzer as Yorick Brown in the FX on Hulu series, Y: The Last Man. Rafy/FX hide caption

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Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Y: The Last Man'? More like the walking dude

The FX on Hulu drama Y: The Last Man is the latest in a long line of post-apocalyptic narratives of TV, but this one comes with a novel twist: A mysterious event wipes out every mammal on Earth with a Y chromosome, except for two: an aimless would-be escape artist named Yorick, and his companion monkey, Ampersand. In a world overrun by militias and fueled by paranoid conspiracy theories, a beleaguered government attempts to rebuild — and keep certain secrets from getting out.

'Y: The Last Man'? More like the walking dude

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