Movies

Stop-motion animation is painstaking business. "The process moves so slowly, it can often take weeks or months to animate a single shot," says Anomalisa co-director Duke Johnson.

Arts

Frame-By-Frame, Filmmakers Make The Mundane Miraculous In 'Anomalisa'

3:09pm December 22, 2015

Stop-motion "communicates fragility and humanity and brokenness," says Charlie Kaufman. He and co-director Duke Johnson explain how to make puppets look lifelike, whether walking or having sex.

Queue Listen Now

'Son Of Saul' Captures The Holocaust Without The Melodrama

6:42pm December 21, 2015

NPR's Robert Siegel speaks with the lead actor Geza Rohrig from the harrowing new Holocaust film, Son of Saul.

Queue Listen Now

HBO Documentary Explores Dark Underbelly Of Russia's Bolshoi Ballet

6:07pm December 21, 2015

by Elizabeth Blair

Russia's Bolshoi Ballet was rocked following the 2013 acid attack on the company's artistic director. A new documentary airing Monday on HBO, Bolshoi Babylon, looks at the culture of the company and how things got to that point. NPR explores how the paranoia and distrust of management within the ranks of the company is both very Russian and a symbol of the Bolshoi Ballet.

Jennifer Lawrence stars as Joy Mangano, the creator of the Miracle Mop, in the comic drama Joy.

Arts

Jennifer Lawrence Looks Back On A Career-Changing 'Yes-Or-No Question'

2:38pm December 21, 2015

Lawrence got her big break as Katniss in the Hunger Games series. She says concerns about the price of fame made her hesitate before saying "yes" to the role. She's now starring in the drama Joy.

Queue Listen Now

Arts

From Family Fare To Oscar Bait, The Big Pictures To See At Year's End

2:04pm December 21, 2015

The final weeks of the year are chock-full of huge movies. People Magazine film critic Alynda Wheat offers reviews of some popular year-enders, including Joy, The Hateful Eight and Concussion.

Queue Listen Now

Arts

The Best Of The Worst: Christmas Films

8:34am December 20, 2015

If you haven't found a Christmas movie on TV yet, you can bet you will in the next week. Author and critic Colin Fleming takes us through the Christmas films that are so bad they're good.

According to fan reactions, the Star Wars franchise's latest droid BB-8 from The Force Awakens may have out-cuted the clever R2-D2.

The Intimidating Task Behind This Season's Cutest Breakout Star

12:12pm December 19, 2015

by Neda Ulaby

One of the new characters in the latest Star Wars, BB-8, is one adorable droid. With only a sketch of the final product, its creators didn't know how much fuss would come from the harmless robot.

Queue Listen Now

Arts

'45 Years' Of Marriage Change With One Letter

8:04am December 19, 2015

In the movie "45 Years," a man gets a piece of news that threatens the quiet life he and his wife have built together. NPR's Scott Simon speaks with one of the film's stars, Charlotte Rampling.

Arts

'Star Wars' Superfan Describes Episode VII As 'The Movie We Always Wanted'

8:10pm December 18, 2015

by Becky Sullivan

Sixteen years ago, Daniel Alter was first in line to see Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. NPR tracked him down to get his thoughts on the new Star Wars movie, The Force Awakens.

Queue Listen Now

Mark Hamill (right) and Anthony Daniels reprise their roles of Luke Skywalker and C-3PO in the radio adaptation of Star Wars.

Arts

That Time NPR Turned 'Star Wars' Into A Radio Drama — And It Actually Worked

7:05pm December 18, 2015

by Derek John

In the 1980s, NPR looked to the film saga to help boost audience numbers. it bought the rights from George Lucas (for $1) and got the original Luke Skywalker. The result was an overwhelming success.

Queue Listen Now