John Powers
John Powers is the pop culture and critic-at-large on NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross. He previously served for six years as the film critic.
Powers spent the last 25 years as a critic and columnist, first for LA Weekly, then Vogue. His work has appeared in numerous publications, including Harper's BAZAAR, The Nation, Gourmet, The Washington Post, and The New York Times.
A former professor at Georgetown University, Powers is the author of Sore Winners, a study of American culture during President George W. Bush's administration. His latest book, WKW: The Cinema of Wong Kar Wai (co-written with Wong Kar Wai), is an April 2016 release by Rizzoli.
He lives in Pasadena, California, with his wife, filmmaker Sandi Tan.
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Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki's melancholy romantic comedy about two lonely souls trapped in dead-end jobs builds to a gorgeous ending — with a great and revelatory final joke. -
Two lonely souls bond over an injured border terrier with thousands of dollars in medical bills in Colin from Accounts — a bawdy, Australian series brimming with life and honesty.
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Helen Garner, 80, embraces the many-sidedness of life. Her books crackle with curiosity and unpredictability — they win big prizes, kickstart controversies and say things other people rarely dare.
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While the drama of the 1954 film hinged on the high stakes of the Pacific theater during World War II, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial involves an all-volunteer navy and no sea battles.
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This zippy six-part Paramount+ series, based on a 1983 theft of three tons of gold bars, focuses on the outlaws' efforts to elude capture and legitimize their booty.
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Fifty years ago, the U.S. government backed a coup that ousted Chile's democratically elected socialist president. Rotting in the Sun and El Conde offer subversive glimpses into the coup's legacy.
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Imagine if Logan Roy from Succession had to solve a murder. That's the vibe of the third and final season of this Danish thriller, which focuses on a heartless developer's attempt to solve a crime.
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The strangely addictive Japanese series is set in a small, all-night joint, run by a chef whose dishes helps strangers tap into something deep and universal.
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In Naomi Hirahara's mystery novel, a Japanese American family interned during the war returns home to a changed city. They're still settling in when their daughter is caught up in a murder.
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Set in New Mexico in the 1970s, Dark Winds stars, is written by, and is largely directed by Native Americans. The resulting series treats Navajo culture not as sociology but as lived experience.
