Movies

Arts

In 'The Martian,' Matt Damon Tries To Make It Back From The Red Planet

9:47am October 02, 2015

by Kenneth Turan

Director Ridley Scott's new movie, "The Martian," stars Matt Damon as an astronaut who gets stranded on Mars. He must fend for himself on the Red Planet. Film critic Kenneth Turan has a review.

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The Walk dramatizes the French high-wire artist Philippe Petit's (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) 1974 walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.

Arts

Suspense And Emotion Teeter Alongside Each Other In 'The Walk'

6:53am October 02, 2015

by Scott Tobias

Aside from a shaky French accent from Joseph Gordon-Levitt, The Walk is pretty compelling once it actually gets to the story of a famous wire walk between the twin towers.

Director Jafar Panahi drives a yellow taxi cab through Tehran and interviews the diverse passengers he picks up in a single day.

Arts

'Taxi': A Banned Filmmaker Works From The Road

5:08pm October 01, 2015

by Mark Jenkins

Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi has continued to make films since being officially barred from doing so. His latest finds him driving a cab, picking up passengers.

Malala Yousafzai at the Kisaruni Girls School in Massai Mara in Kenya on May 26, 2014.

Arts

An Activist Examined In 'He Named Me Malala'

5:03pm October 01, 2015

by Ella Taylor

A new documentary follows the well-known young activist who survived being shot, won a Nobel Peace Prize, and still advocates for education for girls.

Guest DJ Rita Moreno On Fighting Back And Winning

12:03pm October 01, 2015

by Jasmine Garsd

The iconic actress and singer joins Alt.Latino to discuss the life of a Latina in Hollywood, as well as what the original West Side Story lyrics said.

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Arts

Pixar's Brad Bird Talks French Food, Animated Rats And New Film 'Tomorrowland'

10:10am October 01, 2015

Tomorrowland's writer/director describes the culinary process of planning for the film, and his early days as a writer for The Simpsons.

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Matt Damon portrays an astronaut who relies on science to survive on a hostile planet.

How 'The Martian' Became A Science Love Story

7:35pm September 30, 2015

by Geoff Brumfiel

The movie about a stranded astronaut is being hailed for its scientific realism. Andy Weir, who wrote the book the film is based on, is a longtime computer programmer who sees romance in numbers.

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John Wood had to have his leg amputated after a plane crash in 2004, during which his father died. He wanted to preserve the leg as a memorial to his dad.

Arts

The Deeper Meanings Of A Leg, Lost And Found — And Fought Over

6:43pm September 29, 2015

by NPR Staff

When a North Carolina man found a human leg in a grill, he tried to extend his 15 minutes of fame. Directors Clay Tweel and Bryan Carberry capture the wild tale in their documentary Finders Keepers.

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Wes Craven's most memorable creation may have been knife-fingered nightmare Freddy Krueger.

Arts

Rest In Peace, Wes Craven — The Rest Of Us Sure Won't

9:39am September 29, 2015

by Neda Ulaby

The horror master, who died Sunday, disturbed the dreams of millions of moviegoers in A Nightmare on Elm Street, and he helped to revitalize horror in the 1990s by directing the Scream movies.

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Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) gets stranded on Mars in The Martian.

Books
Arts

Sandstorms, Explosions, Potatoes, Oh My: 'Martian' Takes Its Science Seriously

5:00pm September 27, 2015

by NPR Staff

Programmer Andy Weir had always longed to read science fiction with a greater focus on science. So, he wrote a novel of his own — which has since become a best-seller and, now, a blockbuster film.

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