Movies

In All Is Lost, Robert Redford plays an unnamed sailor, stranded at sea on a badly damaged yacht.

Arts

At 77, Robert Redford Goes Back To His Roots

6:23pm December 12, 2013

by NPR Staff

Redford says filming All Is Lost was a "pure cinematic experience — the way films used to be." He talks with Fresh Air's Terry Gross about how it's been "sort of weird" being known for his good looks, and about how he nearly wasn't cast in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

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Michael Sheen plays Dr. William Masters, the senior member of a research team that conducted pioneering studies for more than three decades into the physiology of human sexuality.

Arts

Michael Sheen On The 'Accuracy And Invention' Of Real-Life Roles

2:25pm December 11, 2013

Sheen has made a name for himself playing real historical figures, including Mozart, Caligula, Prime Minister Tony Blair and British TV host David Frost. Now, in the Showtime drama Masters of Sex, he plays the part of groundbreaking sex researcher William Masters.

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In the Coen brothers' latest film, down and out Llewyn Davis (Oscar Isaac) is trying to make ends meet as a folk singer in New York in the early 1960s.

Arts

Great Soundtrack Aside, 'Inside Llewyn Davis' Hits A Sour Note

3:05pm December 06, 2013

by David Edelstein

Brothers Joel and Ethan Coen continue to mine American pop culture in their latest film. It's 1961 in Greenwich Village, and a homeless folk singer is trying desperately to break out. Critic David Edelstein says the overarching tone of the film is snotty, condescending and cruel.

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Black Nativity is an adaptation of Langston Hughes' play of the same name.

How 'Black Nativity' Made Its Way To The Big Screen

11:57am December 06, 2013

by Mandalit del Barco

The film is one of several fall and winter offerings from Fox Searchlight — including 12 Years a Slave, Black Nativity and Baggage Claim — featuring African-American casts and themes.

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The Best Man Holiday is Malcolm Lee's sequel to his film Best Man.

'Best Man Holiday' Resonates Across Racial Lines

7:36pm December 02, 2013

by Karen Grigsby Bates

Filmmaker Malcolm Lee most recently directed Best Man Holiday. His production company, Blackmaled Productions, focuses on the image of black men on-screen.

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Arts

Director Alexander Payne On Mining Every Film For Comic Potential

2:18pm December 02, 2013

Payne tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross that he first read Nebraska — a film about an old man who is beginning to show signs of dementia — as a comedy "with moments of gravity." Payne also directed Election, About Schmidt, Sideways and The Descendants.

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After 20 years in captivity, Joe (Josh Brolin) is released into the world with a hammer and an appetite for revenge in Oldboy, a Spike Lee remake of the 2003 South Korean film.

Arts

A Korean Cult Thriller Gets A Spike Lee Makeover

10:04am December 02, 2013

by David Edelstein

Oldboy, the director's remake of a 2003 film of the same name, follows a man who's held captive for 20 years — and out for revenge after his release. Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen and Samuel L. Jackson star.

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In The Great Beauty, director Paolo Sorrentino surveys the city of Rome through the eyes of jaded journalist Jep Gambardella (Toni Servillo), taking in the city's degeneracies alongside its eternal beauties.

Arts

Finding 'Great Beauty' Amid Rome's Corruptions

6:49pm November 29, 2013

by Bilal Qureshi

The Great Beauty is the latest portrait of the city onscreen, in all its wonder, decadence, sinfulness and ugliness. The film, directed by Paolo Sorrentino, is also Italy's official entry for this year's Academy Awards.

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Idris Elba Portrays Mandela In 'Long Walk To Freedom'

11:42am November 29, 2013

A new movie captures the story of one of the world's great leaders. It's a classic biopic of a towering figure: Nelson Mandela. And it takes audiences through the many chapters of his sweeping life. Morning Edition's Renee Montagne talks to Idris Elba about playing the legendary South African leader.

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Theater Chains Upgrade To Attract Homebodies

11:42am November 29, 2013

Movie theater seats are getting more deluxe. A couple chains are installing recliners in the latest effort to give movie goers more of the comforts of home.

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