Movies

Detective Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) goes undercover, brother, in Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman.

Arts

'BlacKkKlansman' Entertains, But Falls Short Of Lee's Best

5:00am August 13, 2018

by Justin Richmond

It's being hailed as Spike Lee's best film in years, but NPR's Justin Richmond says BlacKkKlansman breezes over its main character's inner conflicts and lets polemics get in the way of storytelling.

'Skate Kitchen' Follows Teenage Girls Skateboarding Their Way Through NYC

5:08pm August 12, 2018

Director Crystal Moselle's new film explores New York City through the eyes of a group of teen female skateboarders that she met on the subway. NPR's Lakshmi Singh talks with Moselle about the movie.

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John David Washington stars as Ron Stallworth in Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman.

Arts

'I Wasn't Sure If It Was True': John David Washington On The 'BlacKkKlansman' Story

5:55pm August 11, 2018

by Michel Martin

In director Spike Lee's latest film, BlacKkKlansman, John David Washington plays Ron Stallworth, a black police detective who successfully infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan in the 1970s.

'Madeline's Madeline' Toys With Viewer's Perception Every Step Of The Way

4:18pm August 10, 2018

by Bob Mondello

In the film Madeline's Madeline, a teen acting student finds herself living the part she thought she was playing.

Arts

'BlacKkKlansman' Is A Blisteringly Funny, Urgent Story Of Race And Identity

2:29pm August 10, 2018

by Justin Chang

In 1979, a black police officer named Ron Stallworth successfully infiltrated a local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan. Director Spike Lee presents his story with humor and honesty in BlacKkKlansman.

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'BlacKkKlansman' Sounds Like It's Made Up But It's A True Story

7:58am August 10, 2018

by Justin Richmond

Spike Lee's new movie is about an African-American police officer who went undercover in the 70s to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan by joining it. How did he pull that off?

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Ron (John David Washington) and Patrice (Laura Harrier) strike power poses in Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman.

Arts

Spike Lee Checks Under The Hood In The Blistering 'BlacKkKlansman'

9:00pm August 09, 2018

by Bob Mondello

Critic Bob Mondello calls Spike Lee's latest, about a black cop who infiltrates the Klan in the '70s, "his most ferociously entertaining (and just plain ferocious) film in years."

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Madeline (Helena Howard, L) and Evangeline (Molly Parker, R) share a moment in Madeline's Madeline.

Arts

'Madeline's Madeline': In This Acting Class, Dreams, Darkness and Dance Come Together

5:01pm August 09, 2018

by Andrew Lapin

A teenaged girl's acting class intersects with her home life in bracing, and not entirely healthy ways, in Josephine Decker's intimate, audacious and wildly experimental film.

Dax (Adam Pally) and friend/comforter in Dog Days.

Arts

'Dog Days' Is Shaggy But Lovable

5:00pm August 09, 2018

by Scott Tobias

Ken Marino directs this conventional if disjointed ensemble rom-com about disparate Los Angeles dog owners. The film finds its legs whenever it leans into its alt-comedy cast and cameos.

She Prefers To Be Called "The Peggy": Jonas (Jason Statham, obviously) reflects the audience's incredulity in The Meg.

Arts

Shark, Weak: Toothless 'The Meg' Snatches Mediocrity From The Jaws Of Defeat

5:00pm August 09, 2018

by Chris Klimek

It's a "somewhat self-aware, mildly sci-fi tinged, numbingly unimaginative watering down ... of a genre landmark, relocated to Asia and aimed squarely at the world's largest movie market: China."