Movies

Alan Bennett (Alex Jennings) and Miss Shepherd (Maggie Smith) are both forceful personalities, but The Lady in the Van excels at brining out undercurrents of frailty.

Arts

Movie Review: 'The Lady In The Van'

4:07pm December 03, 2015

by Bob Mondello

The Lady in the Van is the true story of a homeless woman who moved into a playwright's driveway for three weeks and stayed for 15 years. NPR film critic Bob Mondello says it's both funny and frail.

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Top CIA 'Spymasters' Agree: We Can't Kill Our Way Out Of Terrorism

1:42pm December 03, 2015

Filmmakers Chris Whipple and Jules Naudet discuss their Showtime documentary, Spymasters, which features 12 former CIA directors discussing the tough choices they've had to make in fighting terrorism.

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Michael Fassbender Is The Latest Actor To Take On 'Macbeth'

6:15am December 03, 2015

NPR's Renee Montagne talks to Michael Fassbender, who stars in the new film adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth. It opens Friday. Fassbender specializes in complex characters.

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Arts

'Hollywood Reporter' To End Annual Index Of Powerful Women In Entertainment

2:21pm December 01, 2015

Janice Min, president of The Hollywood Reporter, tells Steve Inskeep why the magazine will stop publishing its "Women in Entertainment Power 100" list as a ranking.

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Arts

'Hitchcock/Truffaut' Unspools The Artistry Of The Master Of Suspense

2:14pm December 01, 2015

Director Kent Jones discusses his new documentary, which was inspired by a 1962 series of in-depth interviews between French filmmaker François Truffaut and the legendary director Alfred Hitchcock.

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Tugba Sunguroglu, Ilayda Akdogan, Doga Zeynep Doguslu, Elit Iscan and Günes Sensoy play five orphaned teen sisters who live with their grandmother in the film Mustang.

Arts

5 Sisters Struggle With The Shackles Of A Conservative Culture In 'Mustang'

1:42pm November 30, 2015

by John Powers

Five Turkish teens are censured by a culture threatened by their burgeoning sexuality in Deniz Gamze Ergüven's debut film. Critic John Powers says Mustang brims with "the zing and energy of life."

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Mdou Moctar is a local star among the Tuareg, based in the city of Agadez. Happily, Prince's iconic purple motorcycle also survived the translation.

'Purple Rain' — As Retold In A Language Without A Word For Purple

5:23pm November 28, 2015

by NPR Staff

Prince's '80s-era classic has gotten a modern update — in Niger. Directed by Christopher Kirkley, starring the nomadic Tuareg people, this Purple Rain remake drops the kissing but keeps the attitude.

A scene from The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 takes place in the fictional capital city Panem, which was filmed in Berlin.

World News

With Rich History And Tax Breaks, Berlin Lures American Filmmakers

8:00am November 28, 2015

by Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson

Berlin is a favorite among Hollywood's top directors and actors. In the past year, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2, Homeland and Bridge of Spies were all shot on location in the German capital.

Arts

'Tis The Season For Coming Attractions: What To Watch For At The Multiplex

4:01pm November 26, 2015

by Bob Mondello

NPR film critic Bob Mondello offers a selective preview of the likely blockbusters and Oscar contenders that Hollywood has in store for the end of the year.

Victor (James McAvoy) and Igor (Daniel Radcliffe) in a scene from Victor Frankenstein.

Arts

A Lively 'Victor Frankenstein' Gives Igor The Spotlight

6:47pm November 25, 2015

by Mark Jenkins

It doesn't have much of an ending, but Victor Frankenstein is a livelier updating of a British classic than, say, the latest from James Bond.