The Lessons of Murrow and 'Good Night' Fresh Air October 31, 2005 • In several ways, the age of "infotainment" is foretold in Good Night, and Good Luck, set in the 1950s. The film tells of newsman Edward R. Murrow's fight against Sen. Joe McCarthy -- but it also details "the inherent debasement of mass news in a commercial culture."
Movies 'Paradise Now' Is a Life-and-Death Drama October 28, 2005 • Paradise Now is a powerful and provocative drama about the nightmare of terrorism. It gets its strength from its dispassion. It is uncompromising in its determination to explain, rather than justify, incomprehensible acts.
Culture Cage, Caine in 'The Weatherman' Fresh Air October 28, 2005 • The new film The Weatherman stars Nicholas Cage and Michael Caine. Film critic Daivd Edelstein has a review.
Culture Falling in Love with 'Shopgirl' October 21, 2005 • Critic Bob Mondello reviews the new movie Shopgirl, starring Steve Martin and Claire Danes. Martin wrote the novella on which the film is based. And despite Martin's reputation for zaniness, Shopgirl turns out to be a low-key romance for grown-ups.
Culture 'North Country': A Real Event, Made to Feel Fake October 21, 2005 • North Country, starring Charlize Theron, is about the sexual harassment class action lawsuit that the women of EVTAC mines in Minnesota filed in the 1980s. Critic Turan says the taint of melodrama affects the entire movie, despite a good performance by Theron.
Culture Wallace, Gromit Reverse the 'Curse' Fresh Air October 14, 2005 • The animated feature Wallace and Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is the latest big-screen adventure featuring an inept man and a clever dog. The characters, fan favorites in Great Britain, are the work of Nick Park.
Culture 'Squid and Whale,' a Model of an Indie Film October 14, 2005 • The Squid and the Whale won two awards at the Sundance film festival. It's now in theaters. Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan says the movie deserves both, calling it "acutely observed [and] faultlessly acted."
Culture A Too Cute, Illogical Trip to 'Elizabethtown' October 14, 2005 • Film critic Bob Mondello offers his opinion on the new movie Elizabethtown. Director Cameron Crowe's romantic comedy, set in Elizabethtown, Ky., stars Kirsten Dunst, Orlando Bloom and a large supporting cast.
Culture Hoffman Delivers a Haunting 'Capote' October 9, 2005 • Truman Capote -- the 1960s writer and celebrity -- is the subject of the new movie Capote. The star is Philip Seymour Hoffman, who combines an amazing bit of impersonation with a first-class acting performance. Oscar, anyone?
Culture 'Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit' October 7, 2005 • Animation critic Charles Solomon reviews Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, the new claymation animated film from director Nick Park. The film reunites an eccentric English inventor and his trusty dog sidekick, first introduced in a series of critically acclaimed short films.
Movies 'Good Night' from George Clooney Fresh Air October 7, 2005 • Film critic David Edelstein reviews Good Night, and Good Luck, a new film about Edward R. Murrow, tells the story of the famed newsman's clash with Sen. Joe McCarthy. The film, with David Strathairn in the title role, was directed by George Clooney.
Culture Wallace and Gromit Score Big on the Big Screen October 7, 2005 • After a series of short films, beloved claymation characters Wallace and Gromit make their feature-film debut in Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. NPR movie critic Bob Mondello says the stop-motion animated characters created by Nick Park are his favorite film heroes this year.
Culture 'Capote' Plumbs a Legend Fresh Air September 30, 2005 • Capote, the new film about Truman Capote, details the writer's life at the time around his breakthrough book, In Cold Blood. The film, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, tells the story of how Capote came to tell of the murder of a Holcomb, Kan., family.
Culture 'A History of Violence' Through a Man's Story Fresh Air September 23, 2005 • The new film A History of Violence stars Viggo Mortenson. Director David Cronenberg has made a movie that many viewers will likely find easier to approach than his other movies.
Culture 'A History of Violence': A Ticking Timebomb September 23, 2005 • Film critic Kenneth Turan reviews director David Cronenberg's latest work, A History of Violence. Cronenberg directed films that many consider bizarre, such as Crash, The Fly and Naked Lunch. Turan says this film is less strange, but more disturbing.