Movies

Young Celie (Phylicia Pearl Mpasi) and young Nettie (Halle Bailey) share an unbreakable bond.

Arts

The new 'Color Purple' exudes joy, but dances past some deeper complexities

3:17pm December 19, 2023

by Aisha Harris

Drawing on four decades of debate and analysis, this reincarnation is a remarkable departure from Alice Walker's Pulitzer-winning novel and its polarizing 1985 adaptation directed by Steven Spielberg.

Clockwise from top left: Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One, Passages, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Four Daughters, Only Murders in the Building, Hijack

Arts

The best movies and TV of 2023, picked for you by NPR critics

11:01am December 19, 2023

Whether you plan to head out to the theater or binge from the couch, our critics have gathered together their favorite films and TV shows of the year. Happy watching!

Marvel drops Jonathan Majors following assault and harassment conviction

5:06am December 19, 2023

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

Johnathan Majors has been found guilty of misdemeanor assault and harassment. The once rising Hollywood star faces career setbacks as he awaits sentencing.

Taraji P. Henson plays singer Shug Avery in the new film The Color Purple.

Arts

Taraji P. Henson says she's passing the 'Color Purple' baton to a new generation

1:41pm December 18, 2023

by Tonya Mosley

Henson says the 1985 film adaptation of The Color Purple inspired her to become an actor. She stars as jazz singer Shug Avery in a new version, which she hopes will offer audiences hope and healing.

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Arts

The new 'Wonka' film manages to not be too sweet

6:04pm December 15, 2023

Bob Mondello shares his thoughts on Timothee Chalamet's rendition of a young Willy Wonka in the new prequel to the Roald Dahl film classic Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

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If you find yourself in Hanukkah withdrawal, take Round and Round for a spin: This time-loop romance embraces the holiday in a way that feels complete and thoughtful. Above, Paula Shaw and Vic Michaelis in Round and Round.

One last Hanukkah gift from Hallmark: 'Round and Round' is a really fun romcom

12:13pm December 15, 2023

by Linda Holmes

If you find yourself in Hanukkah withdrawal, take Round and Round for a spin: This time-loop romance embraces the holiday in a way that feels complete and thoughtful.

Actor Jeffrey Wright discusses 'American Fiction'

5:07am December 15, 2023

by Leila Fadel

Actor Jeffrey Wright stars in the new film "American Fiction." It tells the story of an author who jokingly writes a book filled with Black stereotypes that inadvertently becomes his biggest hit.

National

First-time filmmaker Cord Jefferson's 'American Fiction' is both moving and hilarious

5:15pm December 14, 2023

by Bob Mondello

Jeffrey Wright plays a frustrated author who writes an preposterously stereotypical "Black" book as a joke, only to have it become a bestseller in the comedy American Fiction.

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Clockwise from top left: Past Lives, Showing Up, All of Us Strangers, De Humani Corporis Fabrica, Afire, Poor Things.

Arts

2023 was a great year for moviegoing — here are 10 of Justin Chang's favorites

1:39pm December 14, 2023

by Justin Chang

Film critics like to argue, but Chang says that he and his colleagues agree that this was a really good year on screen. Beyond the Barbie and Oppenheimer blockbuster, here's what you shouldn't miss.

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Timothée Chalamet stars as the iconic candyman in the new musical film Wonka.

Arts

'Wonka' returns with more music, less menace

7:00am December 14, 2023

by Linda Holmes

Wonka, starring Timothée Chalamet as the titular candy mogul, is a much brighter story than Roald Dahl's original telling. But its sunny salute to dreaming your dreams has a charm all its own.