Movies

Arts

'Selma' Manages To Be Both Passion-Inspiring And Measured

5:23pm December 24, 2014

by Bob Mondello

Critic Bob Mondello reviews Selma, Ava DuVernay's film chronicling Martin Luther King Jr.'s historic voting-rights march in 1965. Mondello notes that recent protests make the film resonate today.

Queue Listen Now

Independent Theater Owner In D.C. Gets Ready To Screen 'The Interview'

5:09pm December 24, 2014

West End Cinema's Josh Levin, preparing to show The Interview, speaks with Audie Cornish about what sparked a decision to host the controversial film (Sony Pictures had canceled the release).

Queue Listen Now

Ellar Coltrane, who plays Mason in Boyhood, was 6 years old when director Richard Linklater picked him for the role. Made over the course of 12 years, the film is David Edelstein's favorite of the year.

Arts

In A 'Depressing' Year For Films, Edelstein Finds Some Greats

2:06pm December 24, 2014

by David Edelstein

Film critic David Edelstein says in 2014 none of the great material came from Hollywood studios. But, he says, it was a "wonderful year" for indie films. He names Boyhood as the best of the year.

Queue Listen Now

A poster for The Interview, which will now be shown on streaming services as well as some theaters.

National

Sony To Stream 'The Interview' On YouTube, Other Sites Starting Today

1:40pm December 24, 2014

by Krishnadev Calamur

The studio said the comedy will also be available to rent on Google Play, Microsoft's Xbox Video and a dedicated website at a price of $5.99. It's also being shown in more than 200 theaters.

In an independent, Australian film, a single mother (Essie Davis) and her troubled young son (Noah Wiseman) are terrorized by a mysterious character from a children's book called Mister Babadook.

Arts

Beware The 'Babadook,' The Monster Of Your Own Making

1:10pm December 24, 2014

by Neda Ulaby

The monsters of repression are what terrorize a mother and her son in this independent, Australian, horror movie. "I wanted it to look more low-fi and more handmade," says director Jennifer Kent.

Queue Listen Now

The Alamo Drafthouse theater chain will show The Interview starting on Christmas Day.

In Its Strange Journey, 'The Interview' Becomes An Art House Film

8:59am December 24, 2014

by Elise Hu

In what scenario does a $44 million slapstick comedy become a good fit for independent theaters? Only one involving geopolitical intrigue, a humiliating hack and terror threats from North Korea.

Queue Listen Now

A poster for The Interview. Some theaters now say they will show the comedy, which Sony Pictures had pulled following threats.

'The Interview' To Play In More Than 200 Theaters On Christmas Day

8:32am December 24, 2014

by Krishnadev Calamur

Sony had pulled the controversial comedy that centers on a plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un after ominous threats were made, allegedly by a group that hacked the studio's emails.

More Than 200 Theaters To Show 'The Interview' On Christmas Day

7:46am December 24, 2014

by Elise Hu

The controversial buddy flick The Interview will be shown on Christmas Day after all, in a small group of theaters. We explore the film's journey from major Hollywood release to art house film.

Queue Listen Now

Arts

Satirizing Dictators Is Nothing New — Just Ask Charlie Chaplin

7:31pm December 23, 2014

by Mandalit del Barco

The Interview is hardly the first time a dictator has been portrayed on the big screen — Bugs Bunny, Mel Brooks and South Park have all taken aim at fearsome world leaders.

Queue Listen Now

National

Sony Will Show 'The Interview' In Some Theaters

6:26pm December 23, 2014

by Sam Sanders

After criticism for pulling the release of its comedy film, Sony announced Tuesday that the movie will have a limited release on Christmas Day. The first takers for the film were independent theaters.

Queue Listen Now