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It's been 42 years since 'The Hitchhiker's Guide' answered the ultimate question

British author Douglas Adams, left, and Nick Landau read Adams' book The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy in October 1979. Colin Davey/Evening Standard/Getty Images hide caption

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Colin Davey/Evening Standard/Getty Images

Books

It's been 42 years since 'The Hitchhiker's Guide' answered the ultimate question

The first Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy book was published in October 1979. Fans are looking back at how the series has endured in popularity and why it's still relevant.

It's been 42 years since 'The Hitchhiker's Guide' answered the ultimate question

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'The Last Duel' is a 'Rashomon'-style #MeToo story — and a messy medieval epic

Adam Driver and Matt Damon play real-life combatants Jacques Le Gris and Sir Jean de Carrouges in The Last Duel. Patrick Redmond/20th Century Studios via AP hide caption

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Patrick Redmond/20th Century Studios via AP

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Movie Reviews

'The Last Duel' is a 'Rashomon'-style #MeToo story — and a messy medieval epic

Fresh Air

Ridley Scott's epic, which opens in 1386 Paris, tells the story of a duel between a squire of a knight from three points of view — including that of the woman they're fighting over.

'The Last Duel' is a 'Rashomon'-style #MeToo story — and a messy medieval epic

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Todd Haynes' new film takes us deep into The Velvet Underground

Paul Morrissey, Andy Warhol, Lou Reed and Moe Tucker from archival photography in a split-screen frame from "The Velvet Underground." Apple TV+ hide caption

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Apple TV+

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Music

Todd Haynes' new film takes us deep into The Velvet Underground

In his first documentary, filmmaker Todd Haynes uses the language of experimental cinema to spotlight the Velvet Underground, a legendary band that flowered within New York's avant-garde art world.

Todd Haynes' new film takes us deep into The Velvet Underground

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Ruthie Tompson, an animator with the longest history at Disney, dies at 111

Ruthie Tompson at a screening at the 2018 TCM Classic Film Festival on April 28, 2018 in Hollywood, California. The legendary Disney animator passed away on Sunday at the age of 111. Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for TCM hide caption

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Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for TCM

Arts & Life

Ruthie Tompson, an animator with the longest history at Disney, dies at 111

Ruthie Tompson's painting and animation work at the Walt Disney Company dates back to the 1920s — from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to The Rescuers.

Documentary follows the divers who risked it all in the Thailand cave rescue

The Rescue chronicles the 2018 rescue of 12 boys and their soccer coach who were trapped deep inside a flooded cave in Northern Thailand. National Geographic hide caption

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National Geographic

Movie Interviews

Documentary follows the divers who risked it all in the Thailand cave rescue

Fresh Air

The Rescue follows the 18-day effort to rescue 12 boys and their coach from an underwater cave. Filmmakers Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin recount the harrowing mission with diver Rick Stanton.

Documentary follows the divers who risked it all in the Thailand cave rescue

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'No Time to Die' shows how the Bond franchise can stay relevant — and profitable

Advertisements in a theater in London's Leicester Square show Daniel Craig as James Bond in No Time to Die. Ahead of its opening in the U.S. this weekend, the film had taken in more than $120 million in 54 foreign markets. Frank Langfitt/NPR hide caption

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Frank Langfitt/NPR

Business

'No Time to Die' shows how the Bond franchise can stay relevant — and profitable

In the 25th Bond film, 007's fellow spies include strong female characters, part of an evolution aimed at attracting new audiences and brands as the franchise makes some big transitions.

'No Time to Die' shows how the Bond franchise can stay relevant — and profitable

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Governor run or no, Matthew McConaughey is full of campaign slogans

Matthew McConaughey, the star of Dazed and Confused and Dallas Buyers Club, isn't not thinking about throwing his cowboy hat in the race for "CEO" of Texas. Noam Galai/Getty Images for HISTORY hide caption

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Noam Galai/Getty Images for HISTORY

Arts & Life

Governor run or no, Matthew McConaughey is full of campaign slogans

In a Twitter Spaces chat hosted by NPR, the actor discussed his potential run for Texas governor, where he fits — or doesn't — on the political party spectrum, abortion, Amazon unions and more.

Governor run or no, Matthew McConaughey is full of campaign slogans

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Daniel Craig outshines 'No Time To Die' in his final turn as James Bond

Bond (Daniel Craig) teams up with secret agent Paloma (Ana de Armas) in Havana in No Time to Die. Nicola Dove /Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios hide caption

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Nicola Dove /Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios

Review

Movie Reviews

Daniel Craig outshines 'No Time To Die' in his final turn as James Bond

Fresh Air

Craig has been a terrific James Bond, maybe even the best. But there's something a little too strained about the tragic emotional arc his character has carried with over the past several movies.

Daniel Craig outshines 'No Time To Die' in his final turn as James Bond

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'Venom: Let There Be Carnage' is a chaotic love story

Tom Hardy stars as Eddie Brock and the voice of the alien inside him in Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Sony Pictures hide caption

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Sony Pictures

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Venom: Let There Be Carnage' is a chaotic love story

Venom: Let There Be Carnage is not your standard superhero action flick. With more human-on-goo romance and symbiote-on-symbiote violence, the sequel to 2018's Venom already posted the biggest box-office opening weekend of the pandemic. Tom Hardy returns as reporter Eddie Brock and voices Venom, and he's joined by Michelle Williams, Woody Harrelson, Naomie Harris and Reid Scott in a film that makes up for lack of plot with plenty of action, passion and utter chaos.

'Venom: Let There Be Carnage' is a chaotic love story

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Daniel Craig is the bookend Bond, giving 007's story a beginning — and an end

In No Time to Die, Daniel Craig shows us a James Bond who's gone fishing. Nicola Dove/© 2021 DANJAQ, LLC and MGM. hide caption

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Nicola Dove/© 2021 DANJAQ, LLC and MGM.

Daniel Craig is the bookend Bond, giving 007's story a beginning — and an end

The last James Bond movie to star Daniel Craig is out today; Chris Klimek argues that Craig is the "bookend Bond," showing us 007 at the beginning and end, but never the prime of his career.

Daniel Craig is the bookend Bond, giving 007's story a beginning — and an end

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