Arts & Life

Arts

Inconsistent Memories Are Revisited In 'The Affair,' A Captivating New Drama

2:06pm October 10, 2014

by David Bianculli

The Showtime show is about two people who betray their spouses and fall into a relationship. It's told from more than one perspective, and the actors are so likable, you forgive them their trespasses.

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Arts

In 'Whiplash,' A Young Drummer Plays Till He Bleeds

2:06pm October 10, 2014

by David Edelstein

Director Damien Chazelle's second film centers on the agony of a drummer in a high-powered music school. The movie ties you into knots: The fear of failure is omnipresent. So is the jazz vibe.

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Books
Arts

'You Can't Be This Furry' And Other Life Lessons From Gary Shteyngart

2:06pm October 10, 2014

In Little Failure, the novelist recounts his emigration from the USSR to the U.S. when he was 7. For the first few years, he says, he would sit alone in the cafeteria, talking to himself in Russian.

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The documentary I Am Ali pulls from Muhammad Ali's personal archive of audio journals and interviews with members of his inner circle.

Arts

'I Am Ali' Doesn't Open Many New Doors, But It Offers Fresh Voices

10:44am October 10, 2014

by Chris Klimek

A new documentary accesses tapes of Muhammad Ali in conversation with those closest to him, and uses new interviews with others to shed light on him as a father and friend.

Young Mike (Joseph Carlson) antagonizes Mike (Michael Patrick Thornton) during a physical therapy session with Jerry (James Whalen).

Sports
Arts

Play, Ball: A Theatrical Look At The 'Beauty And Brutality' Of Football

10:15am October 10, 2014

by Elizabeth Blair

In the new play Colossal, a former football player, paralyzed after taking a bad hit during a game, reflects on his glory days and his struggles as a gay man in the macho culture of football.

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A drawing of two clinking martini glasses.

Arts

Pop Culture Happy Hour: 'Gone Girl' And What Pop Culture Can Teach

9:34am October 10, 2014

by Linda Holmes

On this week's show, we get around to a discussion (as unspoiled as practical) of the film adaptation of Gone Girl, and we talk about what we've learned from movies, books, and television.

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"If she be worthy." A mysterious masked woman has taken up the hammer — and mantle — of Thor.

Books
Arts

Where's Thor When You Need Her? Women In Comics Fight An Uphill Battle

9:03am October 10, 2014

by Mallory Yu

The new female Thor has picked up her hammer, but the mainstream comics industry is still experiencing some growing pains as it figures out where women fit in as characters, creators and fans.

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Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons face off in Damien Chazelle's impressive drumming-as-sport film, Whiplash.

Bang The Drum Ever Faster In The Different Sports Arena Of 'Whiplash'

8:56am October 10, 2014

by Tomas Hachard

Damien Chazelle's heart-pounding teacher-student drama, Whiplash, sets a combination of a sports film and a genius tale like The Social Network in the world of jazz drumming.

Bill Murray and Jaeden Lieberher in St. Vincent.

Arts

Bill Murray Doesn't Do Much, But He Does It So Well In 'St. Vincent'

8:17am October 10, 2014

by Ella Taylor

Murray plays a grumpy geezer in this gentle comedy alongside a dialed-back Melissa McCarthy. There's nothing new here, but Murray is the perfect guy to carry the movie's pleasantly ordinary tune.

Patrick Modiano, who's typically known for being media-shy, steps into the spotlight for a press conference in Paris following his Nobel win on Thursday.

Books
Arts

Book News: Get To Know Patrick Modiano, The Newly Minted Nobel Laureate

7:58am October 10, 2014

by Colin Dwyer

The French novelist may enjoy a vast audience in his own country, but for most English-only speakers, Modiano is still a mystery. Read a few profiles of the man — and excerpts of his actual writing.