Movies

For Some Americans, Finding A 'Place At The Table' A Struggle

11:55am February 23, 2013

Weekend Edition guest host Don Gonyea talks to co-directors Lori Silverbush and Kristi Jacobson about their documentary A Place at the Table. The film looks at the problem of hunger in America.

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Despite its dark themes (slavery and the Civil War are hardly feel-good topics), Lincoln, like other Oscar nominees, has done very well at the box office. Disney has spent about $10 million campaigning for the best-picture prize, hoping for a payoff down

Arts

Despite Dark Themes, A Big Oscar Bounce

6:47pm February 22, 2013

by Bob Mondello

At the Oscar ceremony on Sunday night, there'll be lots of talk about excellence — the movie industry honoring its own. But as NPR's Bob Mondello notes, there has always been another side to the Oscars: money.

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Bradley Cooper has been nominated for an Academy Award for his role in the film Silver Linings Playbook.

Arts

Bradley Cooper Finds 'Silver Linings' Everywhere

1:18pm February 22, 2013

The actor, nominated for an Academy Award for his role in David O. Russell's film, talks about watching movies with his father as a kid in Philadelphia, his childhood fascination with soldiers and being up against Daniel Day Lewis for an Oscar.

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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

1:18pm February 22, 2013

Ben Affleck's Argo won Golden Globes for best director and best motion picture/drama. The film now has Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. Affleck talks about his approach to the story of six diplomats who managed to escape a hostile Iran in 1979.

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Spielberg's Schindler's List will mark its 20th year in 2013. Levy was in charge of the publicity campaign for the film and still has his original press kit.

Arts

For Publicist Marvin Levy, It's All About Eyeballs

11:14am February 22, 2013

by Susan Stamberg

A publicist is responsible for making a movie known — in a good way, with any luck. It's a multifaceted job, but what does he or she really do? NPR's Susan Stamberg continues her annual Hollywood Jobs series with a story of one prolific publicist and the director he serves.

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Cinereach aims to support films that tell stories from underrepresented perspectives. The Oscar-nominated Beasts of the Southern Wild was one of those films.

Arts

From Louisiana To Versailles, Funding 'Vital Stories, Artfully Told'

6:01pm February 21, 2013

by Neda Ulaby

With its mission to tell stories from underrepresented perspectives, Cinereach has supported more than 100 movies, including Beasts of the Southern Wild and The Queen of Versailles.

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The third floor of the Warner Brothers Prop House holds a host of antiques available for rent by set decorators working on television and films. Each of the building's four floors is as big as a football field.

Arts

For Film Set Decorators, Tiny Details Count

3:07pm February 21, 2013

by Susan Stamberg

On a movie set, every piece of furniture, wall hanging or bit of desktop clutter that an actor doesn't touch is chosen by the film's set decorator. For her annual Oscar-season series on Hollywood jobs, NPR's Susan Stamberg follows a handful of these decorators from prep through "Action!"

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Arts

Oscar Documentaries: A Look Behind The Scenes

9:41am February 21, 2013

Over the last two weeks, Talk of the Nation has featured Oscar-nominated filmmakers from the "Best Documentary Feature" category. To wrap up the series, NPR arts critic Bob Mondello discusses how the Oscar business works and shares his favorites from this year's nominees.

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Kori Cioca, who served in the U.S. Coast Guard, and her husband Rob in an emotional interview for The Invisible War.

Arts

Beyond The Battlefield, Soldiers Fight An 'Invisible War'

3:35pm February 20, 2013

The Invisible War looks at the ongoing issue of sexual assault in the military. Victims document the unsettling repercussions of reporting their assault within the military adjudication system. Part of an ongoing series of conversations with Oscar nominated documentary filmmakers.

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Director and producer David France chronicles the efforts of HIV/AIDS activists in the '80s and '90s in his documentary How to Survive a Plague. Above, AIDS activist Peter Staley is arrested in a scene from the film.

Arts

Harrowing Stories Of 'How To Survive A Plague'

3:34pm February 20, 2013

Director and producer David France documents the struggle of HIV/AIDS activists as they fought for better care and access to new medicines in the early days of the epidemic. "There are today, 8 million people alive on those drugs that were spearheaded in this remarkable meeting of minds and hearts," France says.

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