Movies

In Purl, a sentient ball of yarn finds itself out of place at the office. The short film is one of several created through a new Pixar program called SparkShorts.

Arts

Pixar's SparkShorts Set Out To Ignite More Diversity in Animation

3:52pm April 17, 2019

by Megan Schellong

The animation studio has launched a series of short films intended to increase leadership opportunities for women and people of color — populations historically underrepresented in the field.

Gentoo penguins sit on an Antarctic iceberg in a scene from the new Netflix nature documentary series Our Planet.

Science
Arts

'Our Planet' Nature Documentary Addresses The 800-Pound Gorilla — Human Impact

9:28pm April 15, 2019

by Ari Shapiro

The new Netflix series takes a hard look at the effects of our behavior on the natural world. Series producer Alastair Fothergill says that this is a different, more urgent type of show.

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National

Breaking Down The Hollywood Dispute Between Writers And Agents

5:26pm April 14, 2019

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Kim Masters, editor-at-large for The Hollywood Reporter, about the ongoing dispute between writers and agents.

Writers Guild of America West President David Goodman speaks in Los Angeles at the 2019 union award ceremony. The WGA instructed is writers to fire their agents on Friday.

National

'Uncharted Waters': Union Tells Hollywood Writers To Fire Their Agents

8:33pm April 13, 2019

by Sasha Ingber

The abrupt directive on Friday followed a breakdown in talks over proposed changes to the agreement that has guided the basic business relationship between writers and agents for the past 43 years.

Aw, crap: David Harbour stars in the 2019 reboot of Hellboy.

Arts

'Hellboy': Hell, No

10:22pm April 11, 2019

by Chris Klimek

Comics creator Mike Mignola's gruff demon-hero gets a hard-R reboot that swaps out the charm of director Guillermo del Toro's previous iterations and replaces it with "chaotic, repetitive" gore.

Teen Spirit stars Elle Fanning as Violet, a girl from the Isle of Wight with dreams of being a pop star.

Arts

'Teen Spirit' Smells Like A Quirky, Beguiling Hit

5:01pm April 11, 2019

by Ella Taylor

This charming musical fable about a teenage girl (Elle Fanning) who competes on a UK singing competition doesn't cover much new ground, but Fanning's terrific.

Elisabeth Moss plays a self-destructive rock star in Her Smell.

Arts

A Punk Rocker Hits Rock Bottom In The Raw-Edged 'Her Smell'

5:00pm April 11, 2019

by Scott Tobias

Alex Ross Perry's visceral, difficult film about a visceral, difficult punk singer (Elisabeth Moss) unfolds in a series of bracingly raw and uncompromising set-pieces.

Jue Huang stars in Long Day's Journey Into Night, which features an extended 3D sequence.

Arts

Moody, Mesmeric Chinese Noir Sends A Man On A 'Long Day's Journey Into Night'

5:00pm April 11, 2019

by Mark Jenkins

Writer/director Bi Gan's second feature is a mood piece about a man who returns to his hometown to search for a lost love. The net effect is that of a "stately waltz of movement and illumination."

In Little, Marsai Martin plays a tech mogul who turns into a 13-year-old version of herself. Issa Rae also stars.

Arts

'Little': A Wrong-Body Comedy That Can't Get Comfortable

4:43pm April 11, 2019

by Linda Holmes

There's a lot to like about Little, including the central performance of Marsai Martin. But the jokes are a little too slow to pull the formulaic story along.

Marsai Martin stars as little Jordan Sanders in Little, a wrong-body comedy inspired by the 1988 Tom Hanks film Big.

Arts

Meet Marsai Martin, The Youngest Executive Producer In Hollywood

11:26am April 11, 2019

by Shereen Marisol Meraji

She's 14 years old and about to make her big-screen debut in the comedy Little. You may already know her from the ABC sitcom Black-ish — but now, Martin is also taking bigger reins.

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