Glen Weldon

The Battle of Winterfell is finally here, and it's the most brutal episode of the series yet — one that comes with a body count and a surprise, truly shattering conclusion.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is hosting world leaders in a forum on China's Belt and Road Initiative. Also, a look at a district that voted for Obama and then Trump.

The culmination of the Avengers franchise proves a remarkably intimate and somber affair until it concludes with a climactic battle more thrilling than anything superhero cinema has delivered to date.

On the eve of the biggest battle yet, the series pauses for an episode that delivers old-school Game of Thrones thrills: characters talking in rooms — including a milestone Jaime/Brienne moment.

The first episode of the final season was dense with reunions, recriminations and revelations as just about the entire cast made it to Winterfell.

Just 6 episodes — an estimated 7 hours and 20 minutes — remain. Here are our predictions for which characters will (and especially won't) make it through to the end of the final season — and why.

The CW's romantic-comedy-drama-fantasy-musical just aired its series finale, after four seasons and 157 original songs. Critic Glen Weldon ranks the all-time best tunes the series served up.

The breezy, funny elements of DC's latest superhero film feel so fresh they throw the movie's duller, more rote sections into sharper relief.

The Caped Crusader turns 80 years old on Saturday. He keeps evolving in ways other heroes don't — which is one reason his fans come from all walks of life.

Amazon's adaptation of the quirky, dreamlike 2011 film about a young girl trained as the perfect assassin lacks the movie's distinctive visual flair, but it's got a bigger heart.

The U.S. adaptation of the hilarious 2014 New Zealand mockumentary about vampire roommates infuses the film's dry-as-gravedust humor into new characters and strong storylines.

The Starz series based on Neil Gaiman's novel about a clash between gods of the Old World and the New is back for season 2, having assembled a huge cast of characters — too huge, arguably.

A couple of indie writer/directors get to play in the Marvel sandbox in this film about an intergalactic warrior (Brie Larson) who arrives on Earth with a warning about a secret alien invasion.

Everybody gets an arc in Netflix's adaptation of a beloved school-for-superheroes comic, which captures some of the madcap zest, but parcels out each character's revelations too slowly.

The guileless Emmet (voiced by Chris Pratt) and the fearless Wyldstyle (voiced by Elizabeth Banks) once again team up to save their extruded-plastic universe in a sequel that, mostly, clicks.

The next Batman movie will debut in 2021 — sans Ben Affleck. NPR's resident Batman expert Glen Weldon ranks the best — and worst — actors to play Batman, from Adam West to Christian Bale.

Jake Gyllenhaal re-teams with Nightcrawler writer-director Dan Gilroy for this funny Netflix horror film set in the art world that's better at delivering quotably arch lines than sharp satire.

The latest take on the live musical format premiered Sunday night on Fox with a production of Rent, but a cast member injury forced Fox to air a taped dress rehearsal instead.

When their 13-year-old brother (Case Walker) becomes a YouTube star, directionless New Yorkers Brooke (Heléne Yorke) and Cary (Drew Tarver) reluctantly find themselves drawn into his entourage.

Linda Holmes takes a look at the list of this year's nominees, which includes some heartening nods and surprising snubs.