Pop Culture

Arts

'Floodlines,' The Story Of Hurricane Katrina, Tops The List Of 2020's Best Podcasts

1:17pm December 24, 2020

by Nick Quah

Podcasts have been doing a great job keeping people company during the pandemic. Critic Nick Quah shares some of his favorites, including Lost Notes: 1980, Reply All, My Year in Mensa and Floodlines.

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This is not a representation of what 2020 felt like — it's a screen shot from Dead Cells.

Arts

In 2020, Indie Games Were A Well-Deserved Distraction

11:31am December 24, 2020

by Keller Gordon

2020 is almost over — and if you're anything like us, you spent a lot of time this year escaping into video games. Here are five favorite independent games that helped us get through the year.

Tessa Thompson as Sylvie and Nnamdi Asomugha as Robert in Sylvie's Love.

Arts

Let 'Sylvie's Love' Wrap You In All Its Goodness

5:01am December 24, 2020

by Aisha Harris

Eugene Ashe's romance is a refreshing throwback to Classic Hollywood, starring Tessa Thompson and Nnamdi Asomugha.

do's and don'ts of caring for older people in the pandemic

11 Original NPR Comics That Brought Joy, Hope And Help During The Pandemic

3:16pm December 23, 2020

by Malaka Gharib

In 2020, NPR created and published more than a dozen comics for the pandemic — everything from how to explain it to kids to how to help the older people in your life.

She's Running: Diana (Gal Gadot) chases her quarry through the streets of Washington in the sequel Wonder Woman 1984.

Arts

'Wonder Woman 1984' And The One-Villain-Too-Many Problem

5:00am December 23, 2020

by Glen Weldon

The sequel to 2017's Wonder Woman is bright, entertaining, frequently funny — and overstuffed with villain backstories that crowd out the action.

Arts

In 'Cyberpunk 2077,' The Only Truly Punk Move Is Not To Play

7:00am December 22, 2020

by Jason Sheehan

CD Projekt Red's hotly-anticipated new game turned out to be a buggy mess — but beyond that, it's just a bad game that doesn't do justice to the gritty, anti-corporate nature of its source material.

Clockwise from top left: A scene from a comic about grocery store workers during the pandemic; a 2019 portrait of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg; Pilar Quilantang Galang was raped by members of the Japanese Imperial Army in 1944; Caleb Anderson

NPR's 40 Most Engaging And Popular Stories Of 2020

10:34am December 21, 2020

by Bill Chappell

The NPR stories that hit home in 2020 explain the complicated reality of life during a pandemic. They highlight moments of grace, surprise and persistence – and sometimes, stark disagreement.

Arts

After A Swarm Of Bugs, Microsoft And Sony Offer Refunds On 'Cyberpunk 2077'

4:33pm December 18, 2020

by Andrew Limbong

Sony also pulled the game from its online store. Developer CD Projekt Red delayed Cyberpunk several times for tweaks, but players on consoles, particularly older models, reported bugs and glitches.

Chadwick Boseman as Levee, Colman Domingo as Cutler, Viola Davis as Ma Rainey, Michael Potts as Slow Drag, and Glynn Turman as Toledeo in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.

Arts

Reclaiming Black Culture in 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom'

5:00am December 18, 2020

by Aisha Harris

George C. Wolfe's adaptation of the classic August Wilson play features electrifying performances by Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman.

All four critics agreed that Michaela Coel's series I May Destroy You was "one of the most exciting of 2020."

Arts

NPR Critics Pick Their Favorite TV From A Strange 2020

7:12pm December 14, 2020

If you could watch it at home in 2020, it's here — four NPR critics give their picks for the best in streaming or broadcast TV in a year when current events turned the industry upside down.