Movies

Margot Robbie poses on the pink carpet at a Barbie event in Seoul on July 2.

Arts

'Barbie' is pretty in pink — but will she also be profitable?

1:29pm July 11, 2023

by Mandalit del Barco

Warner Bros. and Mattel set out to create a movie marketing machine — including more than 100 brand collabs and viral social media campaigns — to build excitement for the film's July 21 release.

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Kansas City Monarchs pitching great Satchel Paige warms up at New York's Yankee Stadium Aug. 2, 1942 for a Negro League game between the Monarchs and the New York Cuban Stars.

Sports
Arts

The Negro League revolutionized baseball – MLB's new rules are part of its legacy

2:23pm July 10, 2023

by Dave Davies

In his film The League, Sam Pollard tells the story of the Negro National League: "They brought a different kind of style ... a kind of baseball which Major League Baseball is trying to bring back."

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Are we witnessing the death of movie stars?

5:01pm July 08, 2023

by Aisha Harris

In the age of streaming and comic book franchise films are we witnessing the death of the classic Hollywood movie star?

Cheryl Dunye's 1996 debut, The Watermelon Woman, is being added to the Criterion Collection. It's a long overdue honor for the filmmaker who shaped how Black LGBTQ+ stories are told.

Arts

Some advice from filmmaker Cheryl Dunye: 'Keep putting yourself out where you belong'

5:00am July 08, 2023

by Allyson McCabe

Dunye's 1996 debut, The Watermelon Woman, is being added to the Criterion Collection. It's a long overdue honor for the filmmaker who shaped how Black LGBTQ+ stories are told.

Intersex activists Sean Saifa Wall, left, River Gallo and Alicia Roth Weigel in the film Every Body.

Arts

What's Making Us Happy: A guide to your weekend viewing and listening

5:00pm July 07, 2023

Each week, guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: the Mystery Menu series, The Alarmist podcast, Every Body and Two Can Play That Game.

National

'Biosphere' takes a mostly comic look at a friendship between the last men on Earth

4:40pm July 07, 2023

by Bob Mondello

In Mel Eslyn's film Biosphere, the last two men on Earth must adapt and evolve to save humanity... or play video games.

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Arts

Remembering Alan Arkin, an Oscar- and Tony-winning actor/filmmaker

1:49pm July 07, 2023

by Terry Gross

Arkin, who died June 29, got his start creating characters with the comedy troupe Second City and later won an Oscar for his role in Little Miss Sunshine. Originally broadcast Sept. 29, 1989.

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Deadeye (Sabrina Wu), left, Audrey (Ashley Park), Lolo (Sherry Cola) and Kat (Stephanie Hsu) in Joy Ride.

Arts

Buckle up: This mile-a-minute 'Joy Ride' across China is a raunchy romp

1:49pm July 07, 2023

by Justin Chang

It's hard not to get swept up in this journey — full of filthy one-liners and priceless sight gags. And the film pulls it off with a level of savvy about Asian culture still rarely seen in Hollywood.

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Margot Robbie poses for the media prior to a news conference of the movie Barbie in Seoul, South Korea, Monday. The film is to be released in the country on July 19.

World News

After Vietnam, the Philippines could be next to ban 'Barbie.' Here's why

5:17pm July 06, 2023

by Ashley Westerman

Film regulators in the Philippines are reviewing Barbie after a senator said a scene depicts a map that China uses to lay claim to nearly all of the South China Sea.

National

Kristen Lovell, co-director of 'The Stroll,' knows sex work is real work

4:44pm July 06, 2023

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with Kristen Lovell, co-director of the HBO documentary 'The Stroll.' It's the story of the trans women who worked the streets of the Meatpacking District in New York City.

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