Good sex scenes are like any other kind of good filmmaking: It comes down to execution with purpose and care, done relative to whatever the function of the scene might be.
Each week, Pop Culture Happy Hour guests and hosts share what's bringing them joy. This week: the show Baby Reindeer, Chappell Roan's Tiny Desk concert, a podcast about MTV, and retro gaming.
It's easy to notice when a sex scene is bad. But what makes a sex scene good? Today, we are recommending films with good sex scenes, including Bound, Love & Basketball, Magic Mike's Last Dance, and Oppenheimer.
The terrific new film Challengers is about being intense about tennis, sex, and competition. Directed by Luca Guadagnino, the film stars Zendaya as Tashi, a tennis coach and object of desire to two men. She's married to Art (Mike Faist), who is facing his old friend Patrick (Josh O'Connor) at a Challengers event. This reopens all the trio's old wounds, and they excavate all of their relationships with each other.
This week, President Biden signed a law that could ban TikTok nationwide unless its Chinese parent company sells the media platform within a year. Brittany is joined by NPR's Deirdre Walsh and Bobby Allyn to discuss the backdrop of this decision and its implications.
Then, the tradwife - aka "traditional wife" - has taken social media by storm. But there's more to this trend than homemade sourdough bread and homeschooled children. Writer Zoe Hu chats with Brittany about her article on the "fantasy" of the tradwife and what this influx in content says about how women feel about work and the modern world.
In the new Starz series Mary & George, Julianne Moore plays a low-born, scheming woman who recognizes that her handsome son George (Nicolas Galitztine) could seduce the king and become his favorite. Inspired by the true story of King James I, the series is packed with seduction, vicious dialogue, and ruthless political intrigue.
One of Brittany's latest TV obsessions has been Netflix's Love on the Spectrum. It's a reality series that follows several autistic adults as they wade through the dating pool, guided by relationship coach Jennifer Cook. Brittany sits down with Jennifer to unpack how her own experience with autism informs the advice she gives.
Then, Brittany is joined by Gender Reveal podcast host Tuck Woodstock and Flyest Fables producer Morgan Givens. Together, they discuss how the show deals with stereotypes, the problems baked into all dating shows and what it's like to watch the show as autistic viewers.
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Taylor Swift dropped an epic new albumthat spans two hours — and two high-profile breakups. The Tortured Poets Department delves deeply into two of the singer's recent relationships — one with the English actor Joe Alwyn and the other with Matty Healy, who's the lead singer of The 1975. And while Taylor Swift indulges in a few beefs on this record, the target she returns to most often is herself.
Each week, Pop Culture Happy Hour guests and hosts share what's bringing them joy. This week: The Wiz revival on Broadway, the podcast Koreaboo, and the game Balatro.
The new show Fallout is based on a hugely successful video game series known for its sardonic, very dark comedic sensibility, and its violence. It's set in the game's post-apocalyptic world – an America divided into factions wrestling for control of an irradiated wasteland. When the hopeful Lucy (Ella Purnell) steps out of the comfortable life she's known in an underground vault, the world she's confronted with is harsh, brutal, merciless – and kinda funny.
Hot Ones is the YouTube show where famous people answer questions while eating increasingly hot chicken wings. Hosted by Sean Evans, the series is a phenomenon. And Conan O'Brien is its most recent high achiever, and possibly the best guest ever. What exactly makes a good Hot Ones guest?
Redbone's hit cracked the Billboard Top 5 this month in 1974. It was a first for a band with all Native and Mexican American members — but the song itself had a quietly political message, too.