Movies

In Shameless, William H. Macy is the dysfunctional father of six.

Arts

William H. Macy Is 'Shameless' On Showtime

2:05pm January 30, 2013

As the alcoholic paterfamilias Frank Gallagher on the Showtime series Shameless, the actor enjoys portraying a man with a dark side. But he says it's Frank's better qualities that make him sustainable as a character.

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Buster Keaton, aka "The Great Stone Face," brought side-splitting comedy to the silent-screen era. Here, he's pictured in 1924's The Navigator.

Arts

Home Video Review: 'Buster Keaton: The Ultimate Collection'

5:44pm January 24, 2013

by Bob Mondello

Buster Keaton, the great genius of silent comedy, gets celebrated in a 14-disc box set that contains all of his classic silent comedies as well as a raft of shorts and extras.

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Robert Redford's annual Sundance Film Festival draws thousands of filmgoers and millions of dollars to snowy Park City, Utah. But a state subsidy contributing to the event is drawing controversy from some conservatives, who say films screened at the festi

Arts

Sundance Subsidy Stirs Conservative Pushback

8:48pm January 22, 2013

by Terry Gildea

Robert Redford's annual Sundance Film Festival draws thousands of filmgoers and millions of dollars to snowy Park City, Utah. But a state subsidy contributing to the event is drawing controversy from some conservatives, who say films screened at the festival don't reflect the values of the state.

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Victoria (Megan Charpentier) and her sister, Lilly (Isabelle Nelisse), are near-feral orphans in the horror thriller Mama.

Arts

'Mama': A Good Old-Fashioned Horror Movie

1:29pm January 22, 2013

by David Edelstein

In an age of werewolves, hormonal vampires and endless sequels, horror movies have lost some edge. But Mama, starring Jessica Chastain, is an entertaining step in the right — which is to say backward — direction.

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At Tyler Perry's live performances, his gospel-tinged references aren't meant for everyone in the audience.

Arts

In A Fragmented Cultureverse, Can Pop References Still Pop?

9:11am January 18, 2013

by Neda Ulaby

In film and TV, pop culture references are meant to give a knowing nod to those in the audience who understand the joke. But in an increasingly segmented and diverse country, those jokes may be pulling in fewer laughs.

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Dustin Hoffman makes his directorial debut with the film Quartet. He has starred in such classics as The Graduate, Kramer vs. Kramer and Tootsie.

Arts

'Quartet': Dustin Hoffman, Behind The Camera

3:08pm January 17, 2013

The veteran actor makes his directorial debut with a film about four aging opera singers who stage a concert at their retirement home. Starring Maggie Smith and Tom Courtenay, the film explores friendship, memory and the time that remains.

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Ben Affleck as Tony Mendez in Argo. Affleck also directed the film, which is based on events surrounding the Iran hostage crisis of 1979.

Arts

Affleck On 'Argo' And The 1979 Hostage Crisis

1:11pm January 15, 2013

Fresh off Sunday's Golden Globe Awards, where he won for best director and his film won for best motion picture/drama, the actor and director talks about his approach to the story of six diplomats who managed to escape a hostile Iran — and the CIA operative who helped them do so.

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Barbara shows a quiet, restrained normalcy in the former East Germany.

Arts

In 'Barbara,' A New Look At Life Behind The Wall

5:21pm January 14, 2013

by Bilal Qureshi

Already an awards-season staple, German historical dramas are moving beyond the horrors of the Third Reich and delving into the nuanced past of the former East Germany. Films like Christian Petzold's Barbara, a quiet story about a troubled young doctor, tell a different kind of history.

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The Big Picture: The Takeaway From 'Django Unchained'

2:58pm January 14, 2013

Quentin Tarantino's latest film is proving to be one of his most controversial. Django Unchained has drawn admiration and condemnation from critics, and has sparked debates about history, race and violence. NPR's Celeste Headlee reads from a variey of opinion pieces about the film.

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Ann Dowd plays Sandra, a hard-nosed Midwestern manager of a fast-food franchise in Compliance. The actress spent $13,000 to try to get an Oscar nomination for the role.

Arts

Ann Dowd's One-Woman Oscar-Nomination Campaign

11:01am January 13, 2013

by NPR Staff

Actress Ann Dowd received huge acclaim for her role in the indie film Compliance. But the studio told her it didn't have money to lobby the Academy for a best supporting actress award for her. So Dowd did something exceedingly rare in Hollywood: She spent $13,000 on her own campaign.

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