Movies

Elizabeth Banks On Success: 'You Don't Get What You Don't Ask For'

2:04pm May 19, 2015

The Hunger Games actress and Pitch Perfect 2 director also runs her own production company. Her secret to success? "I raise my hand a lot," Banks tells Fresh Air's Ann Marie Baldonado.

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Pixar's 'Inside Out' Gets A Lot Of Buzz At Cannes Film Festival

1:34pm May 19, 2015

by Kenneth Turan

One of the films that is premiering at Cannes and that is getting a lot of attention is the latest animated feature from Pixar: Inside Out. Son of Saul and Carol are also getting a lot of buzz.

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Daniel Craig as James Bond in Skyfall. Chinese censors cut a scene from the movie that they thought made China look weak. Because China is such a huge market, some U.S. moviemakers may choose to avoid portraying China in negative terms.

How China's Censors Influence Hollywood

7:58pm May 18, 2015

by Frank Langfitt

Huge box office numbers underscore how essential the Chinese market has become to Hollywood's bottom line. Money is power — meaning the Communist Party has increasing influence over big U.S. movies.

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A federal court has dissolved an order that forced Google-owned YouTube to take down the controversial "Innocence of Muslims" video. The ruling rejects copyright claims from Cindy Lee Garcia, an actress in the video.

Google Wins Copyright And Speech Case Over 'Innocence Of Muslims' Video

3:58pm May 18, 2015

by Bill Chappell

A federal appeals court has reversed an order that forced Google-owned YouTube to take down a trailer for a controversial anti-Muslim video last year.

Arts

Souped-Up Vehicles And Road Warriors Reign In 'Mad Max: Fury Road'

10:09am May 18, 2015

by David Edelstein

It has been 36 years since the first Mad Max film crash landed into theaters. David Edelsein says the forth installment of the series is "basically one long chase with ever more insane variables."

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Queen Latifah plays blues singer Bessie Smith in the HBO movie Bessie.

In HBO's 'Bessie,' Queen Latifah Stars As Empress Of The Blues

7:16pm May 16, 2015

by NPR Staff

It took Queen Latifah more than 20 years to bring the life of pioneering blues singer Bessie Smith to the screen. "Inhabiting her has inhabited me," she says.

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Ethan Hawke plays an Air Force commander engaged in drone warfare in Andrew Niccol's Good Kill.

Heavy-Handed And Preachy, 'Good Kill' Misses Its Mark

11:26am May 16, 2015

by Justin Chang

Andrew Niccol's film follows an Air Force commander engaged in state-of-the-art drone warfare. Justin Chang says the movie feels more like "a series of talking points than a fully developed drama."

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Arts

Pop Culture Happy Hour: 'Pitch Perfect 2' And Summer Movies

9:48pm May 15, 2015

by Linda Holmes

On this week's show: Pitch Perfect 2 is just the beginning of our summer movie preview. Plus, books and music make an appearance as we talk about what's making us happy.

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Anna Kendrick and her compatriots in the Barden Bellas are back for a second installment of a cappella excitement in Pitch Perfect 2. It's also Elizabeth Banks' first major movie as a director.

Arts

Yo Aca-Adrian! Elizabeth Banks Says 'Rocky IV' Inspired The New 'Pitch Perfect'

6:58pm May 15, 2015

by NPR Staff

Banks makes her directorial debut with Pitch Perfect 2; she talks to NPR's Audie Cornish about breaking into directing, the true meaning of a cappella, and how the Barden Bellas are really Rocky.

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Arts

A Visceral, Inventive Blockbuster Roars To Life In 'Mad Max: Fury Road'

4:05pm May 15, 2015

by Chris Klimek

More than 35 years after the release of the original Mad Max, a new chapter emerges, starring Charlize Theron in what Chris Klimek calls a doomsday reinvention like nothing since The Matrix.