Movies

Arts

'Life Itself': An Unflinching Documentary Of Roger Ebert's Life And Death

4:12pm January 02, 2015

In late 2012, filmmaker Steve James and Roger Ebert began talking about filming a documentary based on Ebert's memoir. Ebert's wife, Chaz, agreed. They didn't know that he would die within months.

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Arts

Murder, Cows And Bad Funerals In The Absurd Comedy Of 'Li'l Quinquin'

10:16am January 02, 2015

by Mark Jenkins

Bruno Dumont's inconclusively plotted story of a boy crossing paths with detectives and other locals was made as a miniseries, but feels little like traditional television.

Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain star in A Most Violent Year.

Arts

Grasping For Gravitas In 'A Most Violent Year'

12:33pm January 01, 2015

by Tomas Hachard

J.C. Chandor's A Most Violent Year wants to be an elegant statement on the tough truth about making it in America. Instead, it tries to import seriousness it can't back up with substance.

Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac in A Most Violent Year.

Arts

'A Most Violent Year,' But A Film With Restraint

12:15pm January 01, 2015

by Andrew Lapin

J.C. Chandor makes provocative use of the imagery of violence to explore the life of a bad man who wants to seem good.

If You're Not Watching Sports, It's A Great Day To Watch A Movie

7:48am January 01, 2015

Steve Inskeep shares listeners' picks for movies to watch over the New Year's holiday.

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Richard Linklater's daringly experimental Boyhood is Bob Mondello's favorite film of 2014.

Arts

Favorite Films Of 2014: Why Stop At 10?

6:48pm December 31, 2014

by Bob Mondello

Box-office figures were gloomy in 2014, but movie critic Bob Mondello still found a lot to cheer about among the year's quirky offerings — and as usual, his annual 10-best list runneth over.

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'A Most Violent Year' Captures You And Doesn't Let Go

12:12pm December 31, 2014

by Kenneth Turan

The new film A Most Violent Year is written and directed by J.C. Chandor. The crime drama starring Jessica Chastain takes place in New York City in 1981, one of the city's most violent years.

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Arts

Actress Luise Rainer Made Hollywood History — Then Walked Away

6:30pm December 30, 2014

by Jasmine Garsd

Luise Rainer was the first person to win back-to-back Academy Awards (in 1936 for The Great Ziegfield and 1937 for The Good Earth). Ranier died Monday at her home in London. She was 104 years old.

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A drawing of two clinking martini glasses.

Arts

Pop Culture Happy Hour: 'Into The Woods' And How To Make A Franchise

2:09pm December 30, 2014

by Linda Holmes

On this week's show, we invite film critic Bob Mondello for a chat about the new adaptation of Into The Woods, and we talk about why some films make for good franchises and others ... don't.

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Online Success For 'The Interview' May Not Change Movie Distribution

1:42pm December 30, 2014

by Sam Sanders

Sony's online distribution of the movie, The Interview, brought in $15 million over the holiday weekend. What might that success mean for movie theater owners?

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