Movies

Lieutenant Telsij of Return of the Jedi is one of just a handful of Asian characters in the Star Wars film series.

Diversity In Space: Tracking The First Asian Pilot In The Star Wars Movies

10:00am December 30, 2014

by Steve Haruch

The Asian characters in the original Star Wars films are few, fleeting and often forgotten. But the manager of the "Holocron" database at Lucasfilm helps uncover their back stories.

The Interview is now Sony's top online movie. It earned $15 million through rentals and sales, the studio said. It pulled in almost another $3 million from theater screenings.

National

'The Interview,' Now Sony's Top Online Film Ever, Earns Nearly $18M

8:22pm December 29, 2014

by Krishnadev Calamur

The film earned nearly $3 million through theater screenings and $15 million from online sales. The comedy that was originally pulled from theaters was rented or bought more than 2 million times.

Arts

Meryl Streep: The Fresh Air Interview

2:44pm December 29, 2014

Meryl Streep won a Golden Globe for her performance as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady. She talks about preparing for that role and how her perceptions of herself have changed over the years.

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National

How 'The Interview' May Change How Big Studios Do Business

12:13pm December 29, 2014

by Ina Jaffe

Sony's release of The Interview via streaming Internet services and in theaters at the same time is unprecedented for a major studio film and raises questions about the economics of future releases.

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How To Compose Music For A Movie About Music

11:17am December 29, 2014

NPR's Robert Siegel talks to film composer Justin Hurwitz, 29, about his first major movie score, for the movie Whiplash. Hurwitz talks about using music to heighten tension.

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Arts

Screenwriter: 'The Interview' Is A Case Of Accidental Irony

9:26pm December 28, 2014

Sony's movie The Interview was meant to be just a silly comedy, but now it's a symbol of free speech. NPR's Linda Wertheimer talks to its screenwriter, Dan Sterling.

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Arts

'Selma' Tells The Civil Rights Story Through Black Eyes

11:07am December 28, 2014

Director Ava DuVernay's film stands out for its focus on black characters. This story originally aired Dec. 27 on All Things Considered. Warning: This audio contains language some may find offensive.

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Common plays James Bevel, Tessa Thompson plays Diane Nash, Lorraine Toussaint plays Amelia Boynton and Andre Holland plays Andrew Young in Ava DuVernay's Selma.

Arts

For Hollywood, 'Selma' Is A New Kind Of Civil Rights Story

6:54pm December 27, 2014

by Karen Grigsby Bates

The film, about a 1965 voting rights march, stands out for its focus on black characters, including some of the movement's lesser-known organizers, and the way it humanizes Martin Luther King Jr.

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Citing 'Historical Inaccuracies,' Egypt Bans 'Exodus' From Theaters

11:10am December 27, 2014

The movie Exodus: Gods and Kings has been banned in Egypt on the grounds of "inaccuracies" and a "Zionist view of history."

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Patricia Arquette (clockwise from left), Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Amy Adams, Felicity Jones, Julianne Moore and Hilary Swank on the Nov. 28 cover of The Hollywood Reporter.

Sony Hack Reveals Hollywood's Acceptance Of White Privilege

1:00am December 27, 2014

by Eric Deggans

While some leaked Sony emails seemed racist, NPR TV critic Eric Deggans says they hint at a wider issue: an acceptance of practices, habits and perceptions that limit diversity in Hollywood.