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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With Hollywood on strike for most of the summer it's shaping up to be a strange year for television. We scoured the streaming sites to find fantastic new releases and great shows worth revisiting. -
Pee-wee's creator, Paul Reubens, died Sunday of cancer. He was 70. Pee-wee was a petulant man-child and a trickster spirit, a burst of joyous id that snuck his brand of anarchy into the mainstream. -
Glen Weldon is among the cohort of LGBTQ+ folk constitutionally averse to crowds, midday sun and dancing. But Pride feels more needed, more urgent than ever this year — and he'll be out there. -
Studios raced to finish summer attractions ahead of the writers strike. So we're back with a great big, filterable guide of what to watch — and where to find it — as the days get hotter and longer. -
Some of Marvel Studios' recent movies have been more critically divisive and less profitable at the box office than their predecessors. Is superhero fatigue starting to kick in?
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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. -
The new vampire comedy stars Nicolas Cage as Dracula and Nicholas Hoult as his servant. It's an update to the Renfield character, and an homage to the way he's been played in the past.
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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.
