Mike Katzif

The new movie Conclave is a fun and twisty political thriller. Ralph Fiennes plays a cardinal tasked to managing the secretive process in which the pope is replaced. The film offers plenty of scandals, surprises, and dark horses, along with some strong commentary on the state of the Catholic church. Directed by Edward Berger (All Quiet on the Western Front), the film also stars Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Isabella Rossellini.

Follow Pop Culture Happy Hour on Letterboxd at letterboxd.com/nprpopculture.

Subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour Plus at plus.npr.org/happyhour

We've all been there. A major movie is mentioned, you shrug, sheepishly, and someone says, "I can't believe you've never seen that!" Today, we make a dent in our own lists of classic films we somehow had not yet gotten to, including Erin Brockovich, Flower Drum Song, Enter the Dragon and Raging Bull.

We're in a pretty critical election year. And in times like these, a lot of us are turning to political comedy to help make sense of (and fun of) the bizarre, ongoing news cycle. Today on the show, we're talking about how late night comedy shows like Saturday Night Live, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, and The Daily Show are speaking to the moment.

Francis Ford Coppola, the legendary filmmaker behind The Godfather trilogy and Apocalypse Now, is back with his first new film in over a decade. It reimagines the fall of Rome through a futuristic American city, and has a lot of big and messy ideas about time and the fate of humanity. It's also jam-packed with stars like Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, and Aubrey Plaza. We try to make sense of it all.

Never visit your weird new friends at their enormous isolated country estate. That's a basic rule that an American family fails to follow in the new horror thriller Speak No Evil starring James McAvoy. By the time they figure out they are in way over their heads, it's much much too late.

The nominations the Emmy Awards were just announced, and it was a good day for The Bear, which set a new record in the comedy category. And plenty of our favorites also got Emmy nods, including Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Shōgun, Reservation Dogs and What We Do in the Shadows. We'll help you unpack this year's the notable nominees and snubs.

Subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour Plus at plus.npr.org/happyhour

Jim and Pam. Mulder and Scully. Janine and Gregory. Carmy and Sydney. Meredith and McDreamy. You know how it goes: two television characters with obvious chemistry who fight or look at each other longingly. You know that there's only one question: will they, or won't they? Today, we break down the different types of will-they-won't-they couples and discuss some of the best and worst couples in television, including Abbott Elementary, The Bear, Cheers, Grey's Anatomy, Dawson's Creek, and more.

The D.C.-based three-piece Ex Hex, in a word, rocks. For its new record, the band shakes up the frayed-but-taut tumult for which its known with some nods to '70s prog-rock and '80s hair-metal.

On its dark but buoyant new album, the artful pop band explores the complexities and contradictions in love, loss and learning to leave the past behind.

The Brooklyn-based musician reels off example after example of the barrage of harassment women face on a daily basis.

The Brooklyn band's first single from Good Fruit processes the sorrow and aimlessness felt after the death of a loved one, before becoming a life-affirming anthem.

Following the dissolution of their marriage and band, Exitmusic's Aleksa Palladino and Devon Church unleash a gorgeous if haunting storm of images and sound.

Domenic Palermo channels a lifetime of tragedy into Nothing's blustery distortion, scorching riffs and stirring melodies.

The solo debut from the Youth Lagoon frontman sounds like nothing Trevor Powers has made yet — gorgeous and ornate while bleakly unsettling.

Jenn Wasner of Wye Oak produces Perfect Shapes, the second album for the Oakland-based songwriter and musician, out Oct. 5.

Twerp Verse shows Sadie Dupuis and her band at their most pointed and fearless.

Recorded amidst the slow dissipation of the duo's marriage and after their separation, these nine songs unwind like a melodramatic love story pulling apart bit by bit.

The bittersweet first single from Snail Mail's debut album, Lush, exudes the confidence of an artist coming into her own right in front of us.

With "Always," the Oakland polymath songwriter delivers a blustery song of resolve in the face of external skepticism and internal fears.

Last year, Ellen Kempner faced the unexpected death of a friend and the passing of her grandmother. She channeled her grief into honest songs about mortality and the search for closure.