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Due to the contractual nature of the Fresh Air Archive, segments must be at least 6 months old to be considered part of the archive. To listen to segments that aired within the last 6 months, please click the blue off-site button to visit the Fresh Air page on NPR.org.
15:34

Netflix does Nordic noir right in 'Jo Nesbø's Detective' series

Critic at large JOHN POWERS reviews the new Netflix series Jo Nesbo's Detective Hole. It's based on a character who is the hero of a series of international bestsellers by the Norwegian crime writer Jo Nesbo (Yo NES-buh) Harry Hole (HAR-eh ho-leh) is a tortured Oslo police detective.

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Due to the contractual nature of the Fresh Air Archive, segments must be at least 6 months old to be considered part of the archive. To listen to segments that aired within the last 6 months, please click the blue off-site button to visit the Fresh Air page on NPR.org.
08:38

'Stay Alive,' about daily life in Nazi Berlin, shows how easy it is to just go along

John Powers reviewed "Stay Alive" by Ian Buruma.

Review
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Due to the contractual nature of the Fresh Air Archive, segments must be at least 6 months old to be considered part of the archive. To listen to segments that aired within the last 6 months, please click the blue off-site button to visit the Fresh Air page on NPR.org.
09:30

'Derry Girls' creator returns with a gleeful riff on the murder mystery

John Powers reviewed the Netflix series "How To Get To Heaven From Belfast."

Review
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Due to the contractual nature of the Fresh Air Archive, segments must be at least 6 months old to be considered part of the archive. To listen to segments that aired within the last 6 months, please click the blue off-site button to visit the Fresh Air page on NPR.org.
08:10

This quiet epic is the top-grossing Japanese live action film of all time

The new Japanese film "Kokuho" set box office records in its home country. It's now playing in theaters here. The movie, which received an Oscar nomination for hair and makeup, tells the story of a gangster's son who dreams of being a star in Japan's famously rigorous Kabuki theater. Our critic-at-large John Powers says "Kokuho" carried him away into a fascinating subculture whose demands are at once familiar and unfamiliar.

Review
Exclusively on
Due to the contractual nature of the Fresh Air Archive, segments must be at least 6 months old to be considered part of the archive. To listen to segments that aired within the last 6 months, please click the blue off-site button to visit the Fresh Air page on NPR.org.
09:00

'Crime 101' is an old-fashioned heist film that pays off

The new thriller "Crime 101" stars Chris Hemsworth as an LA jewel thief who gets involved with a police detective and a high-end insurance agent. The movie also stars Halle Berry and Mark Ruffalo. Our critic-at-large John Powers says the movie is a deliberate throwback, and he had a swell time watching it.

Review
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Due to the contractual nature of the Fresh Air Archive, segments must be at least 6 months old to be considered part of the archive. To listen to segments that aired within the last 6 months, please click the blue off-site button to visit the Fresh Air page on NPR.org.
08:54

'Islands' is a spare and satisfying slow-burn thriller

In the new film "Islands" out this week, a washed-up tennis pro gives lessons at a fancy hotel in the Canary Islands. But when he meets an elegant woman with an unlikable husband, things take a noir-ish turn. Our critic at large, John Powers, says the plot may sound familiar, but "Islands" takes you places you don't expect.

Review
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Due to the contractual nature of the Fresh Air Archive, segments must be at least 6 months old to be considered part of the archive. To listen to segments that aired within the last 6 months, please click the blue off-site button to visit the Fresh Air page on NPR.org.
10:39

A critic's year-end 'ghost list' wanders from Italian movie sets to 'Demon Hunters'

Critic-at-large John Powers gives his due to the movies, TV and books he wasn't able to cover earlier in the year, including La Grazia, Andor, Mississippi Blue 42 and the documentary Mr. Scorsese.

Review
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Due to the contractual nature of the Fresh Air Archive, segments must be at least 6 months old to be considered part of the archive. To listen to segments that aired within the last 6 months, please click the blue off-site button to visit the Fresh Air page on NPR.org.
08:29

Let 'The Secret Agent' fill you in on what it's like to live under a dictatorship

The new Brazilian film "The Secret Agent" is set during that country's dictatorship, which ran from 1964 to 1985. It stars Wagner Moura as an honorable scientist who becomes a target of powerful forces. The movie, which was directed by Kleber Mendonca Filho, won two big prizes at Cannes and is Brazil's submission for this year's Academy Awards. Our critic-at-large, John Powers, says it's even better than "I'm Still Here," the Brazilian movie that won an Oscar earlier this year.

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