Arts & Life

Jean (Vincent Rottiers) assists his ailing father, the artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir (Michel Bouquet), in his studio on the French Riviera.

Arts

A Film So Sumptuous, 'Renoir' Himself Might Have Helped Out

7:55pm March 29, 2013

by Bob Mondello

The slow, silky pace of Gilles Bourdos' biopic Renoir might burden a lesser subject. But the beauty of the cinematography suggests the aesthetic of the Impressionist master, lending the whole film a surreally beautiful air. (Recommended)

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Rodney Ascher, director of the experimental documentary Room 237, leads an exploration of differing interpretations of Stanley Kubrick's classic horror film The Shining.

Arts

Hunting For Secrets In 'The Shining's' Room 237

2:05pm March 29, 2013

by John Powers

A new documentary looks at obsessive fans of Stanley Kubrick's 1980 horror film The Shining, starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall. These fanatics look for hidden meanings in the movie, and while some of their theories sound outrageous, it's too simple to call such thinking deranged.

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In Robot & Frank, a robot cares for an aging ex-burglar who has dementia. Frank Langella, who plays the burglar, says his character "becomes fond of the robot only because it is a tool for his wicked, wicked ways."

Arts

Frank Langella: A Career 'Like A Chekhov Play'

2:03pm March 29, 2013

In the movie Robot & Frank, the actor plays an aging ex-burglar who learns to take advantage of his robot caretaker. Langella, 74, tells Fresh Air why he was drawn to the role, and discusses the ups and downs of his long career.

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Tuscany's sweet spinach pie is a dish that's often associated with Easter and spring.

Arts

Tuscan Pie A Sweet Springtime Take On Spinach

12:55pm March 29, 2013

by NPR Staff

Francine Segan, author of Dolci: Italy's Sweets, discovered the unusual treat while traveling in Tuscany.

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Books
Arts

With Humor And Sorrow, 'Life After Life' Explores The Moment Of Death

7:17pm March 28, 2013

by NPR Staff

From an old man feigning dementia to a judge's widow who keeps a scrapbook of murder, the story of Pine Haven's retired residents isn't all seriousness and tragedy. In her new novel, Jill McCorkle draws from the sometimes sad, sometimes comical experience of watching her own parents age.

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Nick Wiseman, partner at DGS Delicatessen, inspects the kitchen as an employee prepares pastrami sandwiches for lunch in Washington, D.C.

Reviving The Spirit And Schmaltz Of The Jewish Deli

10:55am March 28, 2013

by Padmananda Rama

Smoked salmon pastrami may sound heretical, but owners of a revisionist Jewish deli in Washington, D.C., say it's all part of a revival of traditional Jewish cuisine.

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Arts

Hollywood's History Of Putting Gay Rights On Trial

9:55pm March 27, 2013

by Bob Mondello

With the Supreme Court hearing arguments this week on same-sex marriage, film critic Bob Mondello observes a parallel evolution in what he calls a Hollywood mini-genre: films in which gay characters are either taken to court or seek redress in court for issues involving their sexuality.

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A woman uses a new iPad and iPhone 4 in the office. Nizhnevartovsk, Russia, Sept. 16, 2012.

Books
Arts

In A World That's Always On, We Are Trapped In The 'Present'

5:59pm March 27, 2013

by NPR Staff

In Present Shock: When Everything Happens Now, Douglas Rushkoff cautions against living in the perennial, virtual now. "It's very hard for us to orient ourselves," he says, "to look forward to things, to join movements with goals, to invest in the future."

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DeGeneres performs on The Tonight Show in 1987.

Arts

How Ellen DeGeneres Helped Change The Conversation About Gays

5:59pm March 27, 2013

by Lynn Neary

In 1997, DeGeneres chose a very public forum — her television sitcom — to announce, "I'm gay." The entertainer's career has tracked the seismic shift in public opinion on gays and same-sex marriage.

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Tastes like chicken, but it's OK for Lent: Fried alligator, as served at New Orleans' Cochon restaurant.

Forget Fish Fridays: In Louisiana, Gator Is On The Lenten Menu

5:59pm March 27, 2013

by Tina Antolini

Move over, tuna fish, shrimp and clam chowder. Alligator is here for your Friday Lenten meals, thanks to confirmation from the archbishop of New Orleans that it is, in fact, a seafood.

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