Movies

The obsession with demonic possession on screen

5:38pm December 23, 2023

by Marc Rivers

Tuesday marks 50 years since The Exorcist came out and shocked audiences with its depiction of a possessed 12-year-old girl. Its release kicked off an obsession with films about demonic possession.

Visit a Palm Springs resort with Cristin Milioti and Andy Samberg for a charming offbeat romcom.

Arts

If the weather outside is frightful, here's what to watch to warm yourself up

7:00am December 23, 2023

by Linda Holmes

Sure, some people like to lean into wintry movies at Christmas time, but maybe you've had enough "let it snow" and are looking for something a little ... schvitzy-er? We have some suggestions for you.

Martin Luther King Jr. waves to supporters on August 28, 1963, during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on the Mall in Washington, D.C. Activists marked 60 years since the march in 2023.

2023 was a year of big anniversaries

6:00am December 23, 2023

by James Doubek

In 2023, we marked 20 years since the Iraq War, 50 years since the birth of hip-hop, and 60 years since the JFK assassination. Here's a roundup of historical events we wrote about over the past year.

National

Zac Efron on the physical demands of playing a wrestler in Sean Durkin's 'Iron Claw'

5:24pm December 22, 2023

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with actor Zac Efron and director Sean Durkin about their new movie The Iron Claw, which follows the story of wrestling legends the Von Erich brothers.

Queue Listen Now

Sandra Hüller plays a mother who lives next door to Auschwitz in The Zone of Interest.

Arts

Chilling 'Zone of Interest' imagines life next door to a death camp

2:08pm December 22, 2023

by Justin Chang

Jonathan Glazer's film depicts the family of Auschwitz camp commandant Rudolf Höss — they go about their daily routines while a massive machinery of death grinds away next door.

Queue Listen Now

Coraline (Erika Alexander) and Thelonious "Monk" Ellison (Jeffrey Wright) in American Fiction.

Arts

Every era has its own 'American Fiction,' but is there anything new to say?

12:50pm December 22, 2023

by Aisha Harris

In Cord Jefferson's directorial debut, Jeffrey Wright plays a frustrated author who echoes earlier Black protagonists in movies like Hollywood Shuffle and Bamboozled.

(L-R) Taraji P. Henson as Shug Avery, Fantasia Barrino as Celie and Danielle Brooks as Sofia in The Color Purple, a Warner Bros. Pictures release.

'Everyone walked away with part of themselves healed' – 'The Color Purple' reimagined

11:30am December 22, 2023

by Michel Martin

Blitz Bazawule's musical re-imagining of the 1982 Alice Walker novel The Color Purple finds new joy among the pain.

Queue Listen Now

World News

Review: Andrew Haigh's 'All of Us Strangers' is a haunting meditation on connection

5:53pm December 21, 2023

by Bob Mondello

A haunting meditation on loneliness wrapped in a supernatural coming-of-age tale, Andrew Haigh's drama All of Us Strangers stars Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Jamie Bell and Claire Foy.

Nicolas Cage attends the Dream Scenario premiere during the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 9, 2023.

Arts

Forget Hollywood's 'old guard,' Nicolas Cage says the young filmmakers get him

2:01pm December 21, 2023

by Dave Davies

The Oscar-winning actor is seeking out the next generation of filmmakers because, he says, many established directors have "already made up their minds about me." Cage's new movie is Dream Scenario.

Queue Listen Now

Arts

How actors in 'The Boys in the Boat' trained to appear believable as Olympic athletes

5:42am December 20, 2023

by Mandalit del Barco

The actors in the new movie "The Boys in the Boat" endured grueling athletic training in order to row like the U.S. Men's National Team competing in the 1936 Olympics.