Movies

'The Trial Of The Chicago 7' Is Passionate, Political — And Uncannily Pertinent

1:28pm October 15, 2020

by David Bianculli

Based on a trial from 1969, Aaron Sorkin's new Netflix film draws from actual transcripts — as well as a series of flashbacks to political unrest that took place in Chicago in the summer of 1968.

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YouTuber Creates 1st Retractable 'Star Wars' Lightsaber

6:33am October 14, 2020

James Hobson has a following of 10 million subscribers on YouTube. He has developed the world's first retractable, plasma-based lightsaber. Hobson is a huge Star Wars fan.

World News

How Movie Industry Is Doing Overseas During The Pandemic

10:48pm October 13, 2020

by Bob Mondello

U.S. movie theaters are struggling to survive during the coronavirus pandemic. But overseas, the film industry is recovering more quickly.

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Apocalypse With Absurdity: 'Save Yourselves!' Offers A Perfect Mix For Year 2020

5:19pm October 13, 2020

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with actor Sunita Mani about diversity in Hollywood and her role in the new film Save Yourselves!.

HBO's David Byrne's American Utopia captures a live performance of Byrne's acclaimed Broadway show.

Arts

David Byrne And Spike Lee Conjure Up A Joyous Vision Of 'American Utopia'

2:52pm October 13, 2020

by John Powers

Lee's new film for HBO captures a live performance of Byrne's acclaimed Broadway show. David Byrne's American Utopia is a rousing blend of song, dance and revival meeting.

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Totally Under Control examines the Trump administration's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Arts

'Totally Under Control' And 'Time' Are Two Very 2020 Documentaries

11:17am October 09, 2020

by Justin Chang

Two new movies reflect on the passage of time. One is an up-to-the-minute account of the Trump administration's response to COVID-19. The other follows a family impacted by long-term incarceration.

Siree and Ayana Morris, the owners of Newark's Moonlight Cinema, a drive-in movie theater.

In Newark, A Drive-In Movie Theater Celebrates Black Excellence

4:57pm October 08, 2020

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

The simultaneous crises of the pandemic and racism against Black Americans led to the creation of an unusual movie theater located in New Jersey's biggest city: the Newark Moonlight Cinema.

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Books

'Nothing Like I Imagined': A Window Into Kaling's World Away From Cameras

6:40am October 06, 2020

NPR's David Greene talks to actress and writer Mindy Kaling, who you may know from television's The Office or The Mindy Project. She's released an essay collection entitled: Nothing Like I Imagined.

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Charm City Kings is a coming-of-age story set in Baltimore's dirt bike culture. It's based on the 2013 documentary, 12 O'Clock Boys.

Arts

'Charm City Kings' Is An Exhilarating Tale Of Bikes, Boyhood And Baltimore

7:43am October 04, 2020

by Lulu Garcia-Navarro

Charm City Kings is a coming-of-age film based on the 2013 documentary 12 O'Clock Boys -- about riders who take to the city's streets on summer evenings, popping wheelies and performing daring stunts.

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"Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest ... you know what, never mind. I'm good." Michael (Jim Parsons) and Donald (Matt Bomer) in The Boys in the Band.

Arts

'The Boys In The Band': Raging Gracefully

5:02pm September 30, 2020

by Glen Weldon

Netflix's adaptation of Mart Crowley's 1968 play about a gay birthday party that goes off the rails features hard liquor, sharp tongues and broad types.