Arts & Life

Carlotta (Marion Cotillard) suddenly returns, making the life of her old lover Ismael (Mathieu Amalric) a little more complicated in the process.

Arts

The Past Returns, Inscrutably, In 'Ismael's Ghosts'

5:00pm March 22, 2018

by Ella Taylor

French writer-director Arnaud Desplechin can't hold the thread of the story he seeks to tell, so this film about the mysterious return of an old lover fades into frustrating ambiguity.

Arts

With HBO's 'Barry,' Bill Hader Presents His Finest Work Yet

4:36pm March 22, 2018

by Eric Deggans

Bill Hader stars in a new HBO series, Barry. He plays a paid assassin who takes on a job in Los Angeles only to discover a passion for acting.

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Arts

HBO's Garry Shandling Biography Is An Affecting Take On The Meaning Of Life

2:25pm March 22, 2018

by David Bianculli

Filmmaker Judd Apatow examines the major influences in Shandling's life — as well the ways the late comedian influenced others — in his two-part documentary, The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling.

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Books
Arts

'The Gunners' Seems Simple At First ... But Keep Reading

7:00am March 22, 2018

by Lily Meyer

Rebecca Kauffman's new novel centers on a group of friends who reunite after a funeral, and spend an evening together. It's a deceptively simple story with a powerful message: Accept your feelings.

Books
Arts

Whiting Awards Announce 10 Winners, Aiming To Honor Future Bookshelf Staples

7:30pm March 21, 2018

by Colin Dwyer

Since it began in 1985, the annual prize has recognized emerging writers. And while you may not know the winners announced Wednesday, their futures are bright — if previous winners are any indication.

Roy Wood Jr. is a correspondent for The Daily Show.

Comic Roy Wood Jr. Taps Into America's Psyche On 'The Daily Show'

1:16pm March 21, 2018

by Terry Gross

Wood says the years he spent performing in comedy clubs in the South and Midwest — sometimes in places where he felt unsafe as a black man — prepared him for his work on The Daily Show.

In the April issue of National Geographic, the four letters that represent the genetic code — A, C, G and T — are projected onto Ryan Lingarmillar, a Ugandan.

Arts

'National Geographic' Turns The Lens On Its Own Racist History

10:36am March 21, 2018

by Elizabeth Blair

Generations of Americans had their worldviews shaped by photo and editorial choices that the magazine now says were racist. But some scholars and staff photographers knew that decades ago.

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Books
Arts

'Let's No One Get Hurt' Is A Lyrical, Powerful Coming-Of-Age Story

7:00am March 21, 2018

by Michael Schaub

Jon Pineda's new novel follows a young girl living with her father in an old boathouse, somewhere in the Southern United States. It's a well-written book that manages to be both honest and poetic.

A Chaplain Talks March Madness

6:39am March 21, 2018

NPR's Noel King talks to Sister Jean Dolores-Schmidt, the 98-year-old chaplain of the Loyola University Chicago men's basketball team.

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Science
Arts

Autism, Haircuts And A Nursery Rhyme

5:41am March 21, 2018

Haircuts can be traumatic for autistic children. It took two years for Australian barber Lisa Ann McKenzie to give Jordie Rowland a cut. The breakthrough was singing a favorite nursery rhyme.