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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One of the most anticipated releases of the summer, Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" brings the epic to IMAX screens and beyond. Pop Culture Happy Hour's Glen Weldon has thoughts.
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Actor Robert Duvall died Sunday at 95. Critic Glen Weldon looks back at his career playing icons of American masculinity.
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There are no dragons, no maps and no internecine family trees in this Game of Thrones prequel about an underdog knight and his would-be squire. -
Horror films played well at the box office and with critics in 2025 -- in particular, "Sinners" and "Weapons." We revisit the genre's biggest hits and most acclaimed standouts.
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The grand final of this year's Eurovision Song Contest takes place on Saturday, May 17, in Basel, Switzerland. It's an annual celebration of melody, rhythm, fabulousness and glitter. -
The Academy Awards are Sunday night, and that means we're in the thick of Oscar predictions. Glen Weldon of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour helps prep us for the big night.
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Pop Culture Happy Hour host Glen Weldon joins NPR's Ayesha Rascoe to share a few of his favorite under-the-radar films from this year, including "National Anthem" and "Good One."
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The vampire mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows enters its sixth and final season this week. Meanwhile, Kathryn Hahn stars as a witch trying to regain her powers in Marvel's Agatha All Along.
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Folk horror is set in remote, isolated areas where nature — and the superstitions of the locals — hold sway. Think: The Wicker Man and Midsommar. It is perfect, spooky, autumnal viewing. -
The origin story of the "Joker" continues, as the sequel "Joker: Folie à Deux" hits theaters on Friday. Meanwhile on HBO, the origin story behind "The Penguin" is underway.
