Movies

Birdboy: The Forgotten Children is a film based on the graphic novel by Alberto Vázquez.

Arts

'Birdboy' Is A Dark, Beautiful, Boundary-Pushing Animated Film

5:00pm December 14, 2017

by Andrew Lapin

Three adorable anthropomorphic animals wander a post-apocalyptic hellscape in this hand-drawn animated film from Spain that "thumbs its nose at traditional G-rated storytelling."

Bob Balaban and Peter Sarsgaard star in Wormwood, a film that investigates the death of Frank Olson.

Arts

Potent Cocktail Of Drama And Documentary Explores A Mysterious Death: 'Wormwood'

5:00pm December 14, 2017

by Ella Taylor

Filmmaker Errol Morris employs fictional techniques — and famous actors — in this 241-minute meditation on the demise of a CIA operative in 1953 that left a son obsessed with finding answers.

A sidekick (Bill Pullman) gets kicked upstairs in The Ballad of Lefty Brown.

Arts

'The Ballad Of Lefty Brown' Is A Variation On A Familiar Tune

5:00pm December 14, 2017

by Mark Jenkins

Bill Pullman stars as an Old West sidekick who loses his hero and embarks upon a quest for vengeance in writer/director Jared Moshe's straight-shooting Western.

DeWanda Wise plays Nola, a self-described "sex-positive, polyamorous, pansexual," in the Neflix series She's Gotta Have It.

Arts

31 Years Later, Spike Lee Puts A New Spin On 'She's Gotta Have It'

4:45pm December 14, 2017

by Terry Gross

In a new 10-part Netflix series, Lee revisits his story of a young black artist who loves sex but isn't interested in a committed relationship.

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Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock Posts Online Confessional Of Sexual Misconduct

3:26pm December 14, 2017

by Scott Neuman

Spurlock, who made the 2004 Oscar-nominated Super Size Me, detailed an encounter in college that the woman viewed as rape and a sexual harassment settlement he concluded with a former employee.

Rupert Murdoch is selling off TV and entertainment assets at 21st Century Fox as he faces deep-pocketed competitors and tensions between his sons.

This Mouse Swallows Part Of A Fox: Disney Buys Most Of Murdoch Empire

2:55pm December 14, 2017

by David Folkenflik

Rupert Murdoch would keep Fox News and Fox TV but sell off other entertainment assets in the face of digital competitors and dynastic tensions.

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Barbara J. King recounts her participation in an event to help TV and film producers create more accurate products.

Science
Arts

Science Speed-Dating Aims To Boost Accuracy In TV And Film

11:12am December 14, 2017

by Barbara J. King

When was the last time you got really excited by good science depicted in a movie? Anthropologist Barbara J. King joined scientists last week in helping producers make more accurate TV and movies.

The immortal film poster for The Endless Summer, which you may recognize from New York's Museum of Modern Art, not to mention college dorm room walls across the country.

Remembering Bruce Brown, Whose Search For The Perfect Break Redefined Surfing

5:57pm December 13, 2017

by Colin Dwyer

Brown, who died Sunday at the age of 80, revolutionized how the world viewed the sport with The Endless Summer. But first, he had to struggle to get his beloved movie seen.

Arts

'The Last Jedi' Is Not More Of The Same In 'Star Wars' Franchise

4:29pm December 13, 2017

by Bob Mondello

A review of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the latest in the intergalactic franchise. Fans are especially excited to see what happens to General Leia, played by Carrie Fisher, who died earlier this year.

The British TV series National Treasure (available on Hulu) features Robbie Coltrane as a beloved comedian who has been accused of sexual assault, and Julie Walters (right) and Andrea Riseborough as his wife and daughter.

Critic's 'Ghost List' Has Books, Music And A TV Show That Deserve A Second Look

2:23pm December 13, 2017

by John Powers

Every year, critic John Powers is haunted by the things he wishes he'd reviewed. The themes his 2017 "Ghost List" range in spirit from cosmic surrealism to ripped-from-the-headlines immediacy.

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