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The new movie The Lost Bus is a harrowing drama, a climate warning, and a disaster film, all based on a true story from the enormous campfire in California in 2018.

Matthew McConaughey and America Ferreira play a bus driver and a teacher who have to transport

more than 20 kids to safety when evacuation orders roll in. I'm Stephen Thompson.

And I'm Linda Holmes, and today we're talking about The Lost Bus on Pop Culture Happy Hour from NPR.

Joining us today is Ronald Young Jr. He's the host of the film and television review podcast, leaving the theater. Hello Ronald.

Hi, Linda. The Lost Bus stars Matthew McConaughey as Kevin McKay, a school bus driver in Paradise, California. He's been looking to pick up extra work, but he's still nervous when he learns that there are more than 20 kids who need help at an elementary school in an area that's being evacuated as the dangerous fire approaches.

Their parents cannot come and pick them up, so they have to be taken to a safe meeting place.

Kevin loads them onto his bus along with a teacher named Mary, played by America Ferreira.

Kids, this is our bus driver, Kevin.

Can we say hi to Kevin?

Can I get you in two straight lines, shortest in the front, tallest in the back?

What follows is a terrifying and unpredictable trip through streets blocked by cars, total confusion about what areas are on fire, and efforts to get in touch with family and authorities as networks fail. The film is directed by Paul Greengrass, who has made several fact-based films about different catastrophes like United

93, Captain Phillips, and 22 July. Maybe a little surprisingly, his other claim to fame is having

made several of the Jason Bourne movies. The Lost Bus is streaming now on Apple TV.

Stephen, I'm going to start with you. I saw this in Toronto. You just saw it more recently. What did you

think? I think it's a very, very effectively made disaster movie. It is several different kinds of

...