Arts & Life

Arush Nand plays the young Arjie at his make-believe wedding in Funny Boy.

In 'Funny Boy,' A Young Sri Lankan Gay Man Comes Of Age As Ethnic Tensions Explode

7:49pm December 16, 2020

by Bilal Qureshi

Deepa Mehta's new film, Funny Boy, is Canada's Oscar submission. It's being distributed by Ava DuVernay's company and premieres on Netflix. It's based on the novel by Shyam Selvadurai.

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Arts

'Late Night' Comic Amber Ruffin On Her New Show — And Telling Jokes Seth Meyers Can't

1:36pm December 16, 2020

by Ann Marie Baldonado

The Late Night writer and performer hosts The Amber Ruffin Show on NBC's streaming service, Peacock. "I've earned (hopefully) enough grace to do whatever I want," she says of her new hosting gig.

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Director Christopher Nolan (left) and actor John David Washington on the set of Tenet.

Arts

Christopher Nolan On 'Tenet' And Time, 'The Most Cinematic Of Subjects'

7:12pm December 15, 2020

by Ari Shapiro

The director, producer and writer discusses the making of Tenet, directing actors who are moving and talking forwards and backwards, and why he's drawn to exploring time in his films.

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I Came As a Shadow: An Autobiography, by John Thompson with Jesse Washington

In 'I Came As A Shadow,' Georgetown's John Thompson Offers Some Surprising Moments

1:37pm December 15, 2020

by Tom Goldman

The Hall of Fame basketball coach, who died in August, leaves us with the private thoughts of a public man, one who both raged against racial injustice and embraced chances to make things better.

Riz Ahmed plays plays a drummer who goes deaf in Sound of Metal.

Arts

MC And Actor Riz Ahmed Embraces A New Kind Of Role In 'Sound Of Metal'

12:51pm December 15, 2020

by Terry Gross

Ahmed plays a drummer who loses his hearing in Sound of Metal. To prepare for the role, he immersed himself in deaf culture — an experience that changed the way he thought about communication.

Ann Reinking, pictured holding her Tony Award for best choreography for the musical Chicago in 1997, died on Saturday, her family said in a statement.

Arts

Actress, Dancer, Choreographer Ann Reinking Dies At 71

9:56am December 15, 2020

A mainstay in Broadway musicals, her standout turn as Roxie Hart in Chicago in 1977 earned her widespread praise. She reprised the role in 1996 and won a Tony.

John le Carré, master of the spy thriller, died this past weekend at the age of 89.

Books
Arts

'He Makes Us Love George Smiley:' Robert Harris On The Legacy Of John Le Carré

7:29pm December 14, 2020

by Mary Louise Kelly

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with British writer Robert Harris about the legacy of John le Carré, whom he's called "one of the great post-war British novelists" and who died Saturday at age 89.

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All four critics agreed that Michaela Coel's series I May Destroy You was "one of the most exciting of 2020."

Arts

NPR Critics Pick Their Favorite TV From A Strange 2020

7:12pm December 14, 2020

If you could watch it at home in 2020, it's here — four NPR critics give their picks for the best in streaming or broadcast TV in a year when current events turned the industry upside down.

Books
Arts

Remembering John Le Carré, British Spy Turned Best-Selling Novelist

3:48pm December 14, 2020

by Terry Gross

Le Carré, who died Dec. 12, worked for MI5 and MI6 early in his career and later drew on that experience in thrillers like The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. Originally broadcast in 1989 and 2017.

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Adventurer and filmmaker Aloha Wanderwell working on her 1929 film "With Car and Camera Around the World," which joined the National Film Registry this year.

Arts

'Grease,' 'Shrek' And A Record Number Of Women Directors Join National Film Registry

7:26am December 14, 2020

by Neda Ulaby

Every year, the Library of Congress adds 25 movies to the National Film Registry to be preserved for posterity. This year's list includes a record number of female directors and directors of color.