Movies

Kevin Hart, seen attending the NFL Honors ceremony in February. Just a couple of days after he was announced as host of the next Oscars awards ceremony, the comedian said he would be stepping down amid a firestorm over his past tweets.

Arts

Kevin Hart Bows Out As Oscars Host Amid Backlash Over Past Tweets

9:22am December 07, 2018

by Colin Dwyer

"I'm sorry that I hurt people," the comic said, referring to anti-gay tweets he had posted years earlier. He had initially refused to apologize, only to announce hours later that he was stepping down.

Natalie Portman's performance as pop star Celeste is bold, glittery and fearless in Vox Lux.

'Vox Lux' Is Too Much — And That's What Makes It So Invigorating

9:22pm December 06, 2018

by Andrew Lapin

Sure, this lush, blistering riff on pop stardom — and the many ways it intersects with a culture obsessed with both violence and celebrity — is over-the-top. That's the point.

Stephan James and KiKi Layne star as Fonny and Tish, the couple at the center of If Beale Street Could Talk. The movie is director Barry Jenkins' adaptation of a James Baldwin novel of the same name.

Arts

Director Barry Jenkins Talks On Behalf Of 'Beale Street'

5:35pm December 06, 2018

The director of Moonlight has made a new film: If Beale Street Could Talk, based on the James Baldwin novel. He's using it to represent black complexity, vulnerability and skin colors.

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Two queens stand before me: Margot Robbie stars as Elizabeth I and Joe Alwyn as Robert Dudley in Mary Queen of Scots.

Arts

In 'Mary Queen Of Scots,' 2 Queens Become Pawns In A Struggle For Supremacy

5:00pm December 06, 2018

by Ella Taylor

Director Josie Rourke's epic, fiercely feminist period piece "does make a powerfully moving case for an uneasy dance between two powerful women hamstrung by male politics."

Hey-La, Hey-La: Holly (Julia Roberts) keeps a watchful eye on her son Ben (Lucas Hedges) in Ben is Back.

Arts

'Ben Is Back': Well-Acted Addiction Drama Loses Its Way

5:00pm December 06, 2018

by Scott Tobias

The first half is a tense, painfully real family drama about the lingering toll of opioid addiction; the second half lurches into thriller territory thick with stock types and cliches.

Golden Globe statuettes, seen here in 2009, will be handed out again on January 6 to nominees announced today.

The Golden Globe Nominations: Still Weird, But Not Tipsy Quite Yet

4:25pm December 06, 2018

by Linda Holmes

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced the nominees for the Golden Globes on Thursday morning. There were strong showings for FX, HBO and Amazon, and for films not even out yet.

Arts

Actor Lucas Hedges On 'Ben is Back', ADHD And Crying On Screen

1:56pm December 06, 2018

by Terry Gross

Best known for his roles in Manchester by the Sea and Lady Bird, Hedges stars as a teenager in rehab for opioid addiction in Ben is Back. He's also nominated for a Golden Globe for Boy Erased.

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Books
Arts

'All That Heaven Allows' Examines Rock Hudson's Life As A Closeted Leading Man

1:24pm December 05, 2018

by Terry Gross

Hudson lived a double life as a Hollywood heartthrob and a closeted gay man. Biographer Mark Griffin says Hudson's death from AIDS in 1985 was a turning point in public awareness of the epidemic.

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World News

Why 'Crazy Rich Asians' Missed The Mark In China's Box Offices

6:07pm December 04, 2018

Crazy Rich Asians had a crazy bad opening weekend in China. NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Wall Street Journal reporter Ben Fritz about why the movie doesn't translate well.

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Bradley Cooper plays Jackson Maine, a musician struggling with addiction, in A Star Is Born.

Arts

Bradley Cooper Learned To Sing, Direct And Talk Deeply For 'A Star Is Born'

2:19pm December 03, 2018

by Terry Gross

Cooper makes his directorial debut with a remake of the classic film about a doomed love affair. He hope his version presents a fuller portrait of the iconic characters.

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