Movie Interviews

Aaron Swartz was heavily involved in the popular 2012 campaign to prevent the passage of the federal Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA.

Arts

The Life And Death Of 'The Internet's Own Boy'

8:48am July 07, 2014

by NPR Staff

Programmer and activist Aaron Swartz was a "complex person," says filmmaker Brian Knappenberger. He tells Swartz's story, including his legal battle and suicide, in a new documentary.

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Roger and Chaz Ebert attended a benefit awards dinner in Chicago in October 2011. Just over a year later, Ebert agreed to be filmed for a documentary. And then his cancer returned.

Arts

'Life Itself': An Unflinching Documentary Of Roger Ebert's Life And Death

4:05pm July 03, 2014

In late 2012, filmmaker Steve James and Roger Ebert began talking about filming a documentary based on Ebert's memoir. Ebert's wife, Chaz, agreed. They didn't know that he would die within months.

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Comedian Joel McHale spoke at the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner in May. He says everyone wanted to see his jokes ahead of time, but he likes keeping them a secret.

Arts

Comedian Joel McHale Talks Dyslexia, Bad TV And Filming A Thriller

10:19am July 01, 2014

The host of The Soup co-stars in the thriller Deliver Us From Evil. "I felt like a 12-year-old getting to be in an action film," McHale tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross.

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Voice actor Peter Cullen has reprised his role as Optimus Prime in the series of live-action Transformers movies, including the latest, Transformers: Age of Extinction.

Arts

Behind Optimus Prime (And Eeyore), One Man's Signature Voice

8:20am June 30, 2014

by NPR Staff

Peter Cullen, whose oeuvre ranges from Sonny and Cher to Winnie the Pooh, voiced the heroic robot-truck in the 1980s Transformers cartoons. He returned to the role for the series of live-action films.

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Director Gillian Robespierre (left) co-wrote Obvious Child as a short film in 2009 with an empowered female lead in mind. Jenny Slate, who stars as Donna in the feature film, says she was excited about the role.

Arts

The Women Behind 'Obvious Child' Talk Farts, Abortion And Stage Fright

4:16pm June 26, 2014

For her first feature film, director Gillian Robespierre says she wanted to cast Jenny Slate in the role as an empowered, funny woman. They tell Fresh Air what shaped them as women in comedy.

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When Ben Stiller hears "chicken in the gate," rarely does he actually present someone with a live chicken.

Arts

A Tip From Ben Stiller: On Set, A 'Chicken' Is Not What It Seems

12:14pm June 25, 2014

by NPR Staff

To kick off the series "Trade Lingo," the actor decodes terms distinctive to filmmaking. He shares the meanings behind such cryptic phrases as "10-100" and "chicken in the gate."

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In Supermensch, talent agent Shep Gordon recalls arriving in Los Angeles in 1968, dropping acid and getting slugged by a woman who later identified herself as Janis Joplin.

Arts

Invisible 'Supermensch' Avoided The Spotlight While Making Others Famous

4:48pm June 09, 2014

Mike Myers' documentary Supermensch chronicles the work of Shep Gordon, who has "jump-started" the careers of superstar musicians and chefs. Now, it's Gordon's turn for a taste of celebrity.

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