79th Annual Academy Awards A Quick Look at Oscars' Shorts Fresh Air February 23, 2007 • Oscar contenders in the two categories devoted to short films — animated and live-action — include a new take on Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Match Girl, an alien abductor in training (Lifted), a brief musical comedy set among falafel stands (West Bank Story) and the story of a door-to-door Mormon evangelist in love with a married woman.
Culture 'Amazing Grace' and the Power of Truth February 23, 2007 • The film Amazing Grace focuses on William Wilberforce, who led the movement in the British Parliament to abolish slavery. It tells a story of idealism and speaking truth to power.
Culture Smart Street: The Madcap 'Avenue Montaigne' February 16, 2007 • Avenue Montaigne is a "boulevard comedy" — a breezy romp with sophisticated characters — that's actually about a boulevard. The locale is an elegant block in Paris populated with culture mavens.
Culture Hanssen's 'Breach' Now Caught on Film Fresh Air February 16, 2007 • The story of FBI agent-turned-spy Robert Hanssen is told in the new film Breach with Chris Cooper as Hanssen and Ryan Phillippe and Laura Linney as his pursuers.
Culture 'Breach' Spins a Harrowing, Human Spy Tale February 16, 2007 • The story of FBI spy Robert Hanssen makes for a film that offers a tale of real-life espionage that doubles as a compelling psychological drama. A cast led by Chris Cooper offers a compelling look at the complexities of human relationships.
Culture 'The Lives of Others' Fresh Air February 9, 2007 • A review of the German film The Lives of Others.
'An Unreasonable Man' Fresh Air February 2, 2007 • A review of the new documentary about Ralph Nader, An Unreasonable Man.
Movies Peter O'Toole, Young and Old, Is Back on Screen February 2, 2007 • Actor Peter O'Toole is up for an Oscar for his movie role in Venus. But he is also known for his best-actor nod in the 1964 film Becket. That movie has been restored and is back in theaters.
Movies 'Venus' Fresh Air January 19, 2007 • A review of the movie Venus, starring Peter O'Toole and Vanessa Redgrave. It was written by Hanif Kureishi, the writer of the films My Beautiful Laundrette and London Kills Me.
Culture Go Tough. Go Dance. Go 'Stomp the Yard' January 12, 2007 • The new movie Stomp the Yard is about a young man who leaves Los Angeles to go to a historically black college — and gets caught up in its step-dancing rivalries. Step has been a tradition in black fraternities and sororities for decades.
Culture 'The Painted Veil' and 'Miss Potter' Fresh Air January 5, 2007 • Film critic David Edelstein reviews The Painted Veil, from a novel by W. Somerset Maugham, and Miss Potter, about the life of the author and illustrator of Peter Rabbit.
Movies Mexican Directors Give Commentary, not Blockbuster December 30, 2006 • Mexico's top three filmmakers have had successful careers in Hollywood, but Bob Mondello says that their latest works Pan's Labyrinth, Children of Men and Babel are more social commentaries than Hollywood blockbusters.
Culture 'Pan's Labyrinth' Is Realer than Reality Itself December 29, 2006 • What Guillermo del Toro has accomplished in Pan's Labyrinth cannot easily be put into words. That's because the Mexican-born director is a master creator of images, atmosphere and mood.
Movies 'Painted Veil' a Portrait of Marriage Coming Unglued December 24, 2006 • The Painted Veil, a new film starring Edward Norton and Noami Watts, is based on W. Somerset Maugham's romantic epic. It was filmed exclusively in China -- the first time a major western picture has been allowed to do that in decades.
Culture Stallone, O'Toole Age Well in New Films December 21, 2006 • In Rocky Balboa and Venus, veteran film stars Sylvester Stallone and Peter O'Toole give spry performances as the durable boxer and an aging actor who becomes involved in the life of a young woman.