Movies

The cast and crew of Minari attends the 2020 Sundance Film Festival film premeire at Library Center Theater on Jan. 26, 2020 in Park City, Utah. Chung is second from the right.

Arts

'Minari' Director Reflects On The Yi Family's Experience, And Parallels To His Own

11:38am February 25, 2021

by Ailsa Chang

Director Lee Isaac Chung's film is loosely based on his childhood. He tells NPR he's not trying to refute the idea of the American dream, but to speak to the feeling of "maybe waking up from a dream."

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Tim O'Brien was a foot soldier during the Vietnam War. "The problem for me really is that I questioned the rectitude of the war," he says. "I thought I was doing the wrong thing by being there."

Books
Arts

Tim O'Brien On Late-In-Life Fatherhood And The Things He Carried From Vietnam

1:17pm February 24, 2021

by Terry Gross

Now 74, O'Brien didn't become a father until his late 50s. He reflects on writing, mortality and his experiences in Vietnam in the new documentary, The War and Peace of Tim O'Brien.

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Jacob (Steven Yeun) moves his family from California to farm in rural Arkansas in Minari.

Arts

'Minari' Follows A Family's Immigration With Humor, Humanity And Hope

11:07am February 23, 2021

by John Powers

Lee Isaac Chung's semi-autobiographical film centers on a South Korean family trying to make it as farmers in rural Arkansas. Minari proves that a small story can feel bigger than a blockbuster.

Sacha Baron Cohen, shown here in 2019, has been nominated for three Golden Globe Awards: two for acting in and producing Borat Subsequent Moviefilm and another for his supporting actor role in The Trial of the Chicago 7.

Arts

Sacha Baron Cohen On 'Borat' Ethics And Why His Disguise Days Are Over

9:17am February 23, 2021

by Terry Gross

Baron Cohen has been chased, sued and nearly arrested while in character. A scary experience with a gun rights rally while filming Borat 2 solidified his decision: "At some point, your luck runs out."

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Mia Farrow with her children Ronan (left) and Dylan.

Arts

'Allen V. Farrow' Digs Deep Into A Tale Of Celebrity, Power And Silence

1:36pm February 21, 2021

by Eric Deggans

For the new HBO documentary Allen v. Farrow, filmmakers spent three years examining records and interviewing people close to Mia Farrow and Woody Allen to investigate allegations of molestation.

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Nonfiction Techniques Underpin Film 'Nomadland'

6:03pm February 20, 2021

by Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi

In the new film Nomadland, director Chloe Zhao blends fact and fiction. The film follows the life of the modern-day American nomad in the aftermath of the 2008 housing and financial crises.

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Arts

Review: 'Nomadland,' Chloe Zhao's Heavily-Tipped Drama

4:16pm February 19, 2021

by Bob Mondello

Chloe Zhao's tale of a widow (played by Frances McDormand) who is reduced to living in her van after the Great Recession, is regarded as a front-runner for this year's Academy Awards.

Arts

Michelle Pfeiffer On Her Role In 'French Exit'

4:16pm February 19, 2021

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with actress Michelle Pfeiffer about her new film, French Exit.

Restless and tired of ordinary life, Fern (Frances McDormand) takes to the road in Nomadland.

Arts

In 'Nomadland,' Discover The Joy And Sorrow Of The Road Less Traveled

1:34pm February 19, 2021

by Justin Chang

Frances McDormand plays a widow who travels the U.S. taking on work wherever she can find it in a new film based on Jessica Bruder's 2017 book. Nomadland understands loss in a way that few movies do.

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Arts

Ava DuVernay On Array Crew, A Database To Diversify Hollywood Production Personnel

4:06pm February 18, 2021

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with filmmaker Ava DuVernay about her new database, Array Crew, and how it may help diversify who works on the sets of Hollywood productions.

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