Movies

The Movies Pitch The Audience: Come Back!

5:00am May 22, 2021

by Mandalit del Barco

At a star-studded Hollywood event this week, studio executives and filmmakers made the pitch for audiences to return to theaters: Come back, not just for the popcorn, but for the magic of movies.

Arts

Remembering Charles Grodin, Of 'Heartbreak Kid' And 'Midnight Run' Fame

1:57pm May 21, 2021

by Terry Gross

Grodin, who died May 18, was known for his deadpan humor and his ability to make even the most unpleasant characters likable and funny. Originally broadcast in 1989.

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David (Clayne Crawford) is hoping to keep his family together in The Killing of Two Lovers.

Arts

Gripping Marital Drama 'Killing Of Two Lovers' Is Brooding But Never Dull

8:49am May 21, 2021

by Justin Chang

Every era has its own great end-of-a-marriage movie. This psychologically raw film, about a small-town Utah couple who agree to a trial separation, is ours.

Arts

Actor John Boyega On 'Star Wars', 'Small Axe' And Telling 'Stories Of The Untold'

1:27pm May 19, 2021

by Sam Sanders

Boyega has been outspoken about systemic racism in Hollywood. Last year, he talked about how his character in Star Wars was sidelined, along with the other characters played by actors of color.

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National

Movies Bypass Asian And Pacific Islander Actors And Directors, Study Finds

9:28pm May 18, 2021

by Vanessa Romo

Hollywood's top grossing films rarely include API roles and when they do actors are cast in stereotypical roles. The exception: Dwayne Johnson, who accounts for a third of all API lead actor roles.

For Better Or Worse, 'Shrek' Changed Animated Movies 20 Years Ago

4:45pm May 18, 2021

Shrek seemed unlikely to change animated movies when it was released 20 years ago. But that's exactly what the disgusting, mean and lovable ogre did.

Seth Rogen and his producing partner Evan Goldberg recently founded a company that sells marijuana.

Books
Arts

Seth Rogen On The Comedy Advice He Got At 12 That He Still Thinks About

4:40pm May 18, 2021

by Terry Gross

Rogen's first comedy teacher taught him to write material based on conflict, so he focused his first stand-up routine on his grandparents. His new book of personal essays is Yearbook.

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Filmmakers Discuss New Documentary On 'March For Our Lives' Movement

4:57pm May 16, 2021

The documentary Us Kids showcases the rise of the "March for Our Lives" movement. NPR's Michel Martin speaks with the director, Kim Snyder, and two activists, Sam Fuentes and X Gonzalez.

Books
Arts

Andrew McCarthy Recalls His Brat Pack Years In A New Memoir

11:50am May 16, 2021

by Lulu Garcia-Navarro

The star of movies like St. Elmo's Fire and Pretty in Pink writes about his tumultuous 20s in Brat: An '80s Story. Of that era's movies, he says the emotions are timeless, the hair not so much.

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Arts

Timur Bekmambetov's Newest Movie Takes Place On The Screen Of A Laptop

7:59am May 15, 2021

Scott Simon speaks with director Timur Bekmambetov about Profile, a movie set on a computer screen that follows a journalist as she investigates ISIS online.

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