John Powers

Le Carré's 1993 novel comes to life in a six-part AMC series. John Powers says the show, which jets from Egyptian streets to posh Alpine lodges, is one of the most enjoyable thrillers he's seen on TV.

Set amid Brazil's version of rodeo, Gabriel Mascaro's new film blends hope, melancholy, humor and poetry. Critic John Powers says Neon Bull is a remarkable feature that is filled with funny moments.

Arnaud Desplechin's new film centers on the memories of a middle-aged Frenchman who returns to Paris after years of living abroad. Critic John Powers says My Golden Days is "achingly romantic."

John Powers reviews a new graphic novel that he describes as an astonishing work of imagination by the Singaporean writer and illustrator Sonny Liew. It's called The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye.

FX resurrects the "trial of the century" in its new season of American Crime Story. Critic John Powers says every single episode "is an embarrassment of tawdry riches."

Fresh Air critic John Powers says the five-part BBC America show pulls off something ambitious: It keeps viewers enthralled with its intensity, while catching them in "a lingering emotional undertow."

Critic John Powers says viewers shouldn't expect to learn about the inner working of Wall Street from the glossy new series Billions. Instead, the show offers clipping action and punchy dialogue.

Every year, critic John Powers finds himself compiling a list of praiseworthy work he's read, watched or heard that he neglected to mention on the radio. This year, he's sharing his "Ghost List."

Five Turkish teens are censured by a culture threatened by their burgeoning sexuality in Deniz Gamze Ergüven's debut film. Critic John Powers says Mustang brims with "the zing and energy of life."

The French writer Pascal Garnier, who died in 2010, wrote more than 30 children's books, but he's best known for a series of acclaimed novels. Critic John Powers reviews the newly translated Boxes.

Tom Hanks plays an American attorney charged with defending a captured Soviet spy in Steven Spielberg's latest film. Critic John Powers calls Bridge of Spies a "highly entertaining new thriller."

Fiston Mwanza Mujila's novel, Tram 83, is a freewheeling tale about life in an imaginary place inspired by the author's home country, the Democratic Republic of Congo. Critic John Powers has a review.

The USA Network show centers on a brilliant computer wizard who gets involved with a mysterious cell of fellow hackers. Critic John Powers calls Mr. Robot an "addictive new psychological thriller."

Best of Enemies chronicles the 1968 debates between conservative editor William F. Buckley and liberal novelist Gore Vidal. Critic John Powers weighs in on the legacy of their verbal crossfire.

Two new works of art — the documentary film Cartel Land and the novel The Cartel — shine a light on the seemingly endless drug war in Mexico. John Powers says both works are bleak, but gripping.

In his first novel, The Meursault Investigation, Kamel Daoud retells The Stranger from an Arab perspective. John Powers says Daoud's retelling will forever change the way you read the Camus classic.

Indian director Satyajit Ray first came to prominence in the '50s with the three films known as The Apu Trilogy. John Powers says that even half a century later, the films "still expand our horizons."

Soho Press recently reissued the late British crime writer's final novel. Critic John Powers says Lewis' GBH is a pulp-fiction triumph worthy of Jim Thompson or James Ellroy.

My Struggle is about Karl Ove Knausgaard's wrangle with his father, with death, with his muse and so on. The 46-year-old Norwegian's pointedly unliterary book has become a literary sensation.

The show, based on Hilary Mantel's acclaimed novel, stars Mark Rylance as Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII's chief minister. Critic John Powers says it's darkly lit, finely acted and thoroughly compelling.