Movies

The Last Black Man in San Francisco stars Jonathan Majors (left) and Jimmie Fails as best friends trying to reclaim Fails' childhood home.

Arts

'The Last Black Man In San Francisco' Is About Who Belongs In A Beloved City

5:52pm June 07, 2019

by Mandalit del Barco

A new film is inspired by the real-life story of Jimmie Fails, who hopes to reclaim his family's home in the gentrifying Fillmore District. It's also an ode to the city its creators used to know.

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Movie Review: 'Late Night' With Emma Thompson And Mindy Kaling

4:46pm June 07, 2019

by Bob Mondello

In the movie Late Night, a legendary female late night talk show host played by Emma Thompson is faced with plummeting ratings and impulsively hires a new writer, Mindy Kaling, to spice up her show.

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Tenor Luciano Pavarotti, who died in 2007, is the subject of a new documentary film, directed by Ron Howard.

Music & Culture

Pavarotti Documentary Misses All The Right Notes

8:28am June 07, 2019

by Tom Huizenga

Ron Howard's new Pavarotti film fails to make us feel much for its subject, and does little to bolster the magical, complicated art called opera.

Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) battles her rage — and a cosmic case of combination skin — in Dark Phoenix.

Arts

'Dark Phoenix' Channels The Cosmic Power Of The Comics, Avoids Going Down In Flames

5:20pm June 06, 2019

by Glen Weldon

Thanks to a sure(ish) grip on Marvel's mutants-as-metaphor approach to storytelling, the film brings a classic comics storyline to life. Sure, it's melodramatic — but that's the X-Men for you.

16 Shots, a documentary debuting on Showtime on June 14, investigates the 2014 fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald by Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke.

Arts

'16 Shots': Documentary Exposes The Cover-Up Behind A Chicago Police Shooting

5:01pm June 06, 2019

by Mark Jenkins

The slaying of Laquan McDonald by a Chicago cop has been widely reported but Richard Rowley's documentary lays out the CPD's cover-up, and its ultimate collapse, in stark detail.

The Last Black Man in San Francisco, directed by Joe Talbot, wowed audiences at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.

Arts

'The Last Black Man In San Francisco' Is A Ravishing, Achingly Heartfelt Elegy

5:00pm June 06, 2019

by Ella Taylor

A young man attempts to reclaim a grand home in San Francisco's gentrified Fillmore district in this "wistful fairy tale built from real-life materials."

Russian musical Leto explores the underground rock scene in '80s Leningrad.

Arts

'Leto': An Underground Rock Scene, Under Soviet Rule

5:00pm June 06, 2019

by Scott Tobias

This Russian rock musical set in the nightclubs of '80s Leningrad is strongest when it leaves a cliche-ridden love-triangle plot behind to focus on the rebellious, heart-lifting spirit of music.

Alec Baldwin plays the controversial automaker in the new film Framing John DeLorean. "I think that John was a narcissistic and overreaching Type A guy," Baldwin says. "He was one of those guys that wanted to have his own thing."

Arts

As John DeLorean, Alec Baldwin Revisits The Past Of A Car Made For The Future

2:55pm June 04, 2019

by Steve Inskeep

The new film Framing John DeLorean explores the life and career of the controversial automaker. Baldwin believes DeLorean was a "tragic figure" and wonders about "what might have been."

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Taron Egerton stars as Elton John in Rocketman.

The 'Nuanced, Complex Journey' Of Becoming Elton John

12:10pm June 02, 2019

Rocketman star Taron Egerton and director Dexter Fletcher speak with NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro about memorializing Elton John while he's still here, the film's most meaningful scenes and more.

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Sports

'Qualified' Documents Indy 500 Trailblazer Janet Guthrie's Roadblocks In Male-Dominated Sport

5:27pm June 01, 2019

Retired race car driver Janet Guthrie was the first woman to qualify for the Indianapolis 500. NPR's Don Gonyea speaks with Guthrie and filmmaker Jenna Ricker about the new documentary, Qualified.

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