Movies

(L-R): Sprite (Lia McHugh), Druig (Barry Keoghan), Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani), Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry), Karun (Harish Patel), Sersi (Gemma Chan) and Ikaris (Richard Madden) in Marvel's Eternals.

Arts

5 things to know about the MCU's first openly gay super-powered character

3:57pm October 04, 2021

by Glen Weldon

A new trailer confirmed that Eternals will feature Phastos, a gay character played by Brian Tyree Henry, who's married with a kid. Never heard of him? You're not alone.

New documentary remembers the tragic life of folk singer Karen Dalton

2:12pm October 04, 2021

by Allyson McCabe

Karen Dalton, an enigmatic artist beloved by colleagues Bob Dylan and Phil Ochs, and idolized by followers like Nick Cave and Courtney Barnett, is the subject of a new film.

National

In 'The Sopranos' prequel set in the '60s, James Gandolfini's son plays a young Tony

5:00pm October 01, 2021

It seemed unlikely there would ever be a follow-up to 'The Sopranos' after lead actor James Gandolfini died. Now, prequel movie features a young Tony Soprano played by Michael Gandolfini, James' son.

Arts

Remembering Melvin Van Peebles, the 'Godfather' of Black cinema

1:42pm October 01, 2021

by Terry Gross

Van Peebles, who died Sept. 21, was best known for his 1971 film, Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song. He spoke with Fresh Air in 1990. His son Mario, also an actor/director, was interviewed in 2004.

Queue Listen Now

Tommy Kirk, here with his canine co-star in 1957's Old Yeller, has died. Kirk appeared in a string of hit Disney movies such as Swiss Family Robinson and The Absent-Minded Professor.

Arts

Tommy Kirk, The Fresh-Scrubbed Face Of Disney As A Child Actor, Dies At 79

5:23pm September 30, 2021

by Bill Chappell

Generations of children, and more than a few adults, cried along with Kirk when his character Travis Coates tearfully pulled a rifle trigger in Old Yeller.

National

'Old Henry' Honors The Western Genre While Offering Surprises

5:00pm September 30, 2021

by Bob Mondello

The "elevated Western" Old Henry stars Tim Blake Nelson as a farmer in the Oklahoma Territory whose past comes back to haunt his adversaries.

Cristina Ibarra and Alex Rivera, the first married couple to win MacArthur grants at the same time

Latino Filmmakers Are The First Married Couple To Win MacArthur Grants In Same Year

7:36pm September 28, 2021

by Mandalit del Barco

Filmmakers Alex Rivera and Cristina Ibarra are both winners of MacArthur Genius grants this year. The married couple do separate but related work dealing with immigration and migrant labor.

Britney Spears performs onstage at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas in 2016.

What New Netflix And Hulu Documentaries Reveal About Britney Spears' Conservatorship

7:08pm September 28, 2021

by Eric Deggans

Netflix's Britney vs Spears and Hulu's Controlling Britney Spears — released right before an important hearing on the singer's conservatorship — piece together how Spears lost control of her life.

Arts

'Dear Evan Hansen' Actor Ben Platt Escapes From Anxiety By Being In The Spotlight

2:27pm September 27, 2021

by Terry Gross

Platt frequently worries about the past and what's to come, but there's one place where his anxiety tends to subside. "Being on stage, for me, is kind of the antidote to that," he says.

Queue Listen Now

With 'Blue Bayou,' Filmmaker Justin Chon Asks: Who Decides Who Is American?

5:26pm September 26, 2021

by Alyssa Jeong Perry

Justin Chon's new film Blue Bayou is about a Korean-born, American-raised adoptee who faces deportation back to Korea. Many adoptees without U.S. citizenship face that same problem in real life.