Glen Weldon
Glen Weldon is a host of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast. He reviews books, movies, comics and more for the NPR Arts Desk.
Over the course of his career, he has spent time as a theater critic, a science writer, an oral historian, a writing teacher, a bookstore clerk, a PR flack, a completely inept marine biologist and a slightly better-ept competitive swimmer.
Weldon is the author of two cultural histories: Superman: The Unauthorized Biography and The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture. He has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Republic, The Atlantic, Slate, McSweeney's and more; his fiction has appeared in several anthologies and other publications. He is the recipient of an NEA Arts Journalism Fellowship, an Amtrak Writers' Residency, a Ragdale Writing Fellowship and a Pew Fellowship in the Arts for Fiction.
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The third Guardians film assumes a strangely somber tone and a plot that features more cruelty to animals and children than audiences have any reason to expect from a wacky space yarn. -
A game cast, solid jokes and a refreshingly light touch when it comes to adapting the deep lore of the beloved tabletop role-playing game make for a breezily fun film for Nerd and Normal alike. -
The sequel to the 2019 film that starred Zachary Levi as the adult superhero persona of a lonely teen goes bigger. And goofier. But the fuel mixture's off and Levi's one-note performance grates. -
The Malaysian-born actor made history by winning the Academy Award for best actress in a leading role for her performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once. -
The third film in Marvel's Ant-Man trilogy sends the MCU's tinest titans into a subatomic universe, where they — and we the viewers — get stuck. -
In Hulu's sardonically silly comedy, everyone in the human race acquires different powers except for one young woman. And she's not happy about it. -
Like the video game it's based on, the HBO series about a mutated fungi that destroys civilization spotlights the connections between its compelling characters, not the monsters they face. -
Congressman-elect Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) will (eventually) swear himself in on a copy of the Constitution, a photo of his parents, his certificate of U.S. citizenship and ... a copy of Superman #1. -
Whether you plan to head out to the theater, or binge from the couch, our critics have gathered together their favorite films and TV shows of the year. Happy watching! -
Each week, the guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: Andor, Aftersun, Southern Baptist Sissies and more.
