John Powers

1 month ago | ideastream.org | John Powers

Every crime story takes place somewhere, but those "somewheres" can be very different in kind. There are the artificial somewheres of Agatha Christie's country houses and the mean streets of noir. There are the touristic somewheres of murder mysteries that serve up Paris or Tuscany as envy-inducing backdrops. And then there are the somewheres that are so gritty and confining they become a major character in the story — the Baltimore of The Wire, say, or Dennis Lehane's Boston.

1 month ago | npr.org | John Powers

Every crime story takes place somewhere, but those "somewheres" can be very different in kind. There are the artificial somewheres of Agatha Christie's country houses and the mean streets of noir. There are the touristic somewheres of murder mysteries that serve up Paris or Tuscany as envy-inducing backdrops. And then there are the somewheres that are so gritty and confining they become a major character in the story — the Baltimore of The Wire, say, or Dennis Lehane's Boston.

Jan 8, 2025 | npr.org | John Powers

Nicole Kidman plays a high-flying, married businesswoman who begins an affair with an intern half her age. It's a lead performance more daring than the film itself.

Dec 5, 2024 | npr.org | John Powers

Two good new spy series close out the year: 'Black Doves' and 'The Agency' Download Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/g-s1-36813/g-s1-36988" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> In the Netflix series Black Doves, the wife of Britain's defense minister is secretly working for a private spy firm. Paramount+'s The Agency is a reworking of the acclaimed French series The Bureau. Sponsor Message

Oct 4, 2024 | npr.org | John Powers

Brad Pitt and George Clooney are perfectly cast as two old pros in 'Wolfs'For most of its history, Hollywood made its money by putting stars the public liked to watch in stories that wouldn’t be worth watching without them. These days, such star-driven films are falling out of fashion — except on our streamers. That’s where you’ll find Wolfs, an AppleTV+ vehicle that features George Clooney and Brad Pitt skating through a crime plot in glamorously grizzled mode.