Movies

Arts

Maria Bamford: A Seriously Funny Comedian

3:05pm July 18, 2013

The comedian's routines tackle some of the really serious problems she has: OCD, bipolar disorder, suicidal thoughts. But you have to laugh, because she's that funny. Bamford talks to Fresh Air's Terry Gross about her parents and her Web-only programs.

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Use The Books, Fans: 'Star Wars' Franchise Thrives In Print

10:56am July 16, 2013

by NPR Staff

More than 200 novels, the Star Wars' book series spans 25,000 years, from the beginning of the Jedi Order to 40 years beyond where the original trilogy left off. According to The Wall Street Journal's Alexandra Alter, the books help keep fans interested between movies.

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Francisca Gavilán plays the Chilean musician and visual artist Violeta Parra in the film Violeta Went to Heaven.

Music & Culture

In 'Violeta Went To Heaven,' A Folk Icon's Tempestuous Life

6:39pm July 13, 2013

by Betto Arcos

Violeta Parra has been called mother of the Latin American folk movement, and her work as a visual artist has been shown at the Louvre. The Chilean icon, who committed suicide at 49, is the subject of a new film.

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Mads Mikkelsen's Lukas is a recently divorced kindergarten teacher whose life is turned upside down when officials leap to conclusions after a 5-year-old says something that suggests improper conduct.

Arts

A Kindergarten, A Story And A Life In Shambles

6:39pm July 13, 2013

by Bob Mondello

Mads Mikkelsen (TV's Hannibal) anchors The Hunt, a powerful Danish social drama about a teacher whose life is derailed when a 5-year-old's emotional upset sets a citywide witch hunt in motion. (Recommended)

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Arts

Troubles Linger In 'Shadow Dancer'

1:22pm July 13, 2013

by Pat Dowell

The new film from the director of Man on Wire and Project Nim, James Marsh, is a fiction film about the period toward the end of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. It stars Clive Owen and up-and-comer Andrea Riseborough.

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A child of the '60s and '70s, Guadalajara-born director Guillermo del Toro has been a fan of the Japanese kaiju film tradition since he was a kid. His latest movie, Pacific Rim, is his passion project and homage to the genre.

Arts

Guillermo Del Toro, On Monsters And Meaning

6:26pm July 12, 2013

by NPR Staff

The director talks to NPR's Audie Cornish about Japanese cinema, growing up watching kaiju films like Godzilla in Mexico, and his new action epic, Pacific Rim.

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Cephus "Bobby" Johnson in 2011, when the former transit officer who shot Johnson's nephew, Oscar Grant, was released from jail. Johnson and other family members have seen Fruitvale Station, a new feature film depicting the shooting, multiple times.

National

Oakland Braces For Seeing Subway Shooting On The Big Screen

5:00pm July 12, 2013

by Richard Gonzales

The feature film Fruitvale Station opens Friday in select markets, including the San Francisco Bay area. That's where the subject of the film, Oscar Grant, 22 and unarmed, was shot and killed by a transit police officer in 2009 — sparking violent street protests across Oakland.

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Based on a true story, Fruitvale Station won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. Michael B. Jordan stars as Oscar Grant and Ariana Neal stars as his young daughter, Tatiana.

Arts

Introducing Oscar Grant, The Man Behind The Headlines

2:44pm July 12, 2013

by David Edelstein

David Edelstein reviews Fruitvale Station, a dramatization of the last day of a man shot by San Francisco transit police in the early morning hours of New Year's Day 2009.

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'Pacific Rim' Is Filled To The Brim With Special Effects

6:06am July 12, 2013

by Kenneth Turan

The big movie opening this week is Pacific Rim. Morning Edition's critic says that it has plenty of explosions and special effects — but there's more to it than most blockbusters this summer.

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One of the aspects that attracted Schreiber to Ray Donovan was the prospect of playing a character for whom words were relatively unimportant.

Arts

As 'Ray Donovan,' Liev Schreiber Cleans Up Hollywood's Messes

8:53am July 09, 2013

In the Showtime series, Schreiber plays a Hollywood fixer with some personal problems of his own. While TV is newish territory for Schreiber, playing a man plagued by inner demons is not. He talks with Dave Davies about acting the heavy — and how his face has shaped his career.

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