Film offers 'Hard Truths' about why some people are happy — and others are miserable
Marianne Jean-Baptiste gives a phenomenal performance as a profoundly unhappy woman. There isn't a lot of plot, but director Mike Leigh builds his stories from the details and detritus of daily life.
'Buzzin' The Blues' Revisits The Declarative Harmonica Style Of Slim Harpo
Born in Baton Rouge in 1924, the blues musician known as Slim Harpo influenced rock bands like the Rolling Stones, the Kinks and Pink Floyd. Rock Historian Ed Ward shares Harpo's story.
'Call Me Lucky': A Documentary Of Friendship, Childhood Abuse And Survival
Barry Crimmins mentored Bobcat Goldthwait when they were up-and-coming comics in the '80s. A film directed by Goldthwait details their relationship — and the sexual abuse Crimmins suffered as a child.
New Release Features Jazz Flutist Sam Most's 'Breathy, Punchy Sound'
From the Attic of My Mind is a batch of reissues drawn from the old Xanadu catalog of Sam Most recordings. Critic Kevin Whitehead says the late flutist makes "every note in a fast phrase pop out."
'Fresh Air' Remembers 'Billy Bathgate' Author E. L. Doctorow
Doctorow, who died Tuesday at the age of 84, was the author of dozens of novels, many of which combined fictional characters and real people in a historical context. Originally broadcast in 1989.
'Fresh Air' Remembers Broadcast News Pioneer Marlene Sanders
Reporter and newscaster Sanders died Tuesday at the age of 84. In 1964, she made broadcast history when she was the first woman to anchor a network evening newscast. Originally broadcast in 1988.
Rediscovering The Thrill Of George Balanchine's New York City Ballet
Lloyd Schwartz discusses the timeless appeal of the late choreographer George Balanchine. "[He] was our Shakespeare. ... watching a Balanchine ballet is like watching music come alive," he says.
A Holocaust Survivor Searches For Her Past In Christian Petzold's 'Phoenix'
A concentration camp survivor seeks a reunion with the husband who may have betrayed her in a new film set in post-war Berlin. Critic David Edelstein calls Phoenix a "morbidly romantic drama."
