A Holiday Comic Standard: 'Christmas Vacation' Turns 25
With the holiday season, comes holiday movies, and this year marks the 25th anniversary of one of the best — National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.
Movies
Deggans: 'Fargo,' 'True Detective,' 'Transparent' Top Best TV Of 2014
At a time when there is so much good TV around, NPR TV critic Eric Deggans says, any Top 10 list says as much about the critic as about the shows he is picking.
Theater Cancels New York Premiere of 'The Interview'
After threats of attacks, Sony is withdrawing the film's stars, James Franco and Seth Rogen, from upcoming promotional appearances and will let theaters cancel showings of the film.
Lawyers Say Sony Can't Keep Media From Reporting Hacked Details
NPR's David Folkenflik talks with Melissa Block about the discussion within media circles about the legality and propriety of publishing information stolen in the hack attack against Sony Pictures.
Timothy Spall Takes On Painter J.M.W. Turner, A 'Master Of The Sublime'
The 19th century painter wasn't always "very pleasant" and he was a "man of massive contradictions," Spall says. So Spall says he had to "dig deep" to play the title role in Mr. Turner.
What The Movies Taught Us About Teaching
As part of the 50 Great Teachers series, NPR's Bob Mondello looks at what Hollywood has taught us about teachers.
The Annie Of Tomorrow Has The Same Hard Knocks, But Different Hair
The famously redheaded orphan is played this time by African-American actress Quvenzhané Wallis. "The original Annie had a red Afro," points out Indiana University scholar Terri Francis.
'Pippin' Performs The Final Ballad Of 'The Hobbit'
Billy Boyd was the hobbit Pippin in The Lord of the Rings films, and he's a musician, too. He talks to NPR's Rachel Martin about writing the last song for the new movie, The Battle of the Five Armies.
Adapting 'Inherent Vice' Made Director Feel Like A Student Again
Paul Thomas Anderson is the first to make a novel by reclusive author Thomas Pynchon into a film. He says he studied the book, about a stoner detective, intensely and treated it as his Bible.
Lost Disney Film, Featuring Oswald The Lucky Rabbit, Found In Norway
Archivists at Norway's National Library, at its vault in the Arctic Circle, found an almost complete version of Empty Socks, featuring the character who preceded Mickey Mouse.