Movies

Queen of Katwe was filmed in English, but that isn't Madina Nalwanga's first language. "She worked extremely hard," co-star Lupita Nyong'o says, "and I think her discipline as a dancer came in very handy."

Arts

Ugandan Actress's Journey Mirrors That Of Her 'Queen Of Katwe' Character

7:33pm September 23, 2016

by NPR Staff

Like her chess champion character, first-time film actress Madina Nalwanga grew up in a poor neighborhood in Uganda. She says co-star Lupita Nyong'o has been her guide to the world of moviemaking.

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Arts

'Audrie & Daisy' Explores Social Media Shaming After Sexual Assaults

4:43pm September 23, 2016

NPR's Kelly McEvers talks to co-directors and husband and wife duo, Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk, about their documentary, Audrie & Daisy. The documentary addresses the sexual assault — and ensuing social media shaming — of two high school girls.

The updated, multicultural gang of gunslingers in The Magnificent Seven.

Arts

This Freshly Diverse 'Seven' Ups The Firepower

4:43pm September 23, 2016

by Bob Mondello

The Magnificent Seven is a remake of a movie that's already a remake that's updated in both casting and body count.

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Arts

It's Hard to Tell Who's Shooting Whom In 'The Magnificent Seven'

3:47pm September 23, 2016

by David Edelstein

Critic David Edelstein says that despite its irresistible plot, Antoine Fuqua's remake of the 1960 classic Western is ultimately "just another formula revenge picture."

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Movie Reviews: 'Magnificent Seven' And 'Storks'

8:30am September 23, 2016

David Greene talks to Justin Chang about two movies out this week: the remake of The Magnificent Seven and the animated children's picture Storks. Chang is film critic for the Los Angeles Times.

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Kate Winslet plays Tilly Dunnage in The Dressmaker.

Arts

Kate Winslet Wreaks Bespoke Vengeance In 'The Dressmaker'

5:00pm September 22, 2016

by Andrew Lapin

Kate Winslet plays a woman with designs to punish the townsfolk who once wronged her in this tonally confused Australian comedy.

Denzel Washington stars in The Magnificent Seven.

Arts

'The Magnificent Seven': Because 'The Pretty Good Seven' Didn't Test Well

5:00pm September 22, 2016

by Chris Klimek

I Haven't Seen The First Six Yet! Director Antoine Fuqua remakes the classic 1960 Western; our critic calls it a "fun but nonessential" example of "high-grade pulp."

Menachem Daum visits Lifta in an effort to understand the situation in The Ruins of Lifta.

Arts

It Takes An (Empty) Village: 'The Ruins of Lifta'

5:00pm September 22, 2016

by Ella Taylor

A new documentary focuses on a now-empty town near Jerusalem, the future of which is hotly contested.

Not So Lonely Anymore: (L to R) Kim Jong Il, Choi Eun Hee and Shin Sang Ok in The Lovers and the Despot.

Arts

A Korean Celebrity Couple Kidnapped By Kim Jong Il: 'The Lovers And The Despot'

5:00pm September 22, 2016

by Mark Jenkins

The fascinating tale of a South Korean movie star and director kidnapped in the 1970s is dutifully recounted in a documentary that fails to explore several lingering questions.

Madina Nalwanga and Lupita Nyong'o star in Queen of Katwe, directed by Mira Nair.

Arts

A Feel-Good Chess Movie Keeps Sentimentality In Check: 'Queen Of Katwe'

5:00pm September 22, 2016

by Scott Tobias

A Disney film about a Ugandan girl who becomes a chess champion hits familiar beats but evinces a nuanced understanding of extreme poverty and the societal forces that reinforce it.