Movie Interviews

Disbelieved by doctors, Jennifer Brea turns the camera on herself to reveal the hidden world of ME, or chronic fatigue syndrome, in her film, Unrest.

'Unrest' Director Turns Camera On Herself To Document Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

3:14pm January 02, 2018

by Samantha Raphelson

When Jennifer Brea was just 28 years old, a routine infection brought her down for five years. Her new film, Unrest, documents her struggle with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Rosi Alvarez celebrated her quinceañera in Cuba, her father's home country.

Arts

Family Is The Life Of The Party In HBO Doc 'A Quinceañera Story'

8:36am December 31, 2017

by Lauren Frayer

The documentary series profiles five girls as they celebrate their quinceañeras. Director Matt O'Neill says the project taught him that "the core of these ceremonies is familial love."

A graphic representing some of Fresh Air's most popular stories of 2017.

The 10 Most Popular 'Fresh Air' Interviews Of 2017

1:41pm December 29, 2017

In 2017, Fresh Air marked 30 years as a nationally syndicated, daily radio program by doing what it does best: more in-depth interviews.

Arts

Lin-Manuel Miranda On Disney, Mixtapes And Why He Won't Try To Top 'Hamilton'

2:13pm December 26, 2017

Miranda says he doesn't feel the need to duplicate the success of Hamilton. "If you think in terms of topping, you're in the wrong business," he says. Originally broadcast Jan. 3, 2017.

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Arts

I'm Dreaming Of A (Black And Brown And Native And) White Christmas

6:00am December 23, 2017

by Leah Donnella

In need of some racially diverse children's Christmas literature? Here's our holiday Code Switch sampler.

Matt Damon as Paul Safranek and Jason Sudeikis as Dave Johnson in Downsizing from Paramount Pictures.

Arts

In 'Downsizing,' A New Addition To The Large History Of Tiny People In Film

7:24pm December 22, 2017

by Neda Ulaby

Alexander Payne's new film is about a couple who are made tiny as part of a solution to overpopulation. It's the latest in a long line of movies that revel in the cinematic joy of people shrinking.

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Arts

With 'Phantom Thread,' Director Paul Thomas Anderson Offers Audiences An Intimate Film

4:34pm December 22, 2017

by Ari Shapiro

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with director Paul Thomas Anderson about his new film, Phantom Thread. The film is about a fastidious British dressmaker named Reynolds Woodcock, played by Daniel Day Lewis, whose life becomes upended when he finds a new muse, who begins to challenge him.

Mediocre Meaty Ogre: Joel Edgerton is an orc named Nick, Will Smith is a human named Daryl in Netflix's Bright.

Arts

Will Smith Plays Cops-And-Monsters In Unremarkable 'Bright'

5:10pm December 21, 2017

by Chris Klimek

Smith is a police officer paired with an orc (Joel Edgerton) in this fantasy-inflected buddy-cop movie that's "lazy but not boring" and "perfectly, stubbornly mediocre."

Arts

A Filmmaker's 'Quest' For A Quiet Family Portrait Is Pierced By Unforeseen Trauma

1:41pm December 20, 2017

Jonathan Olshefski spent 10 years filming Christopher Rainey and his family, who run a recording studio in a working-class African-American section of North Philadelphia. Then their daughter was shot.

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Film director Rian Johnson at the premiere of Star Wars: The Last Jedi in London.

Arts

'Last Jedi' Is Only The Beginning For The New 'Star Wars' Team

9:12am December 15, 2017

by Mandalit del Barco

Director Rian Johnson and producer Ram Bergman have worked together for 15 years. Their new film, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, will kick off the first of four Star Wars movies they'll work on together.

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