78th Annual Academy Awards Oscar Nominations: Who and What Got Left Out January 31, 2006 • Bob Mondello delivers his own Oscar nominations, giving his own special nods to Peter Jackson's King Kong, Claire Danes in Shopgirl and some films you may not have even heard of.
78th Annual Academy Awards 'Brokeback Mountain' Leads Oscar Race January 31, 2006 • Brokeback Mountain, the story of the love between two cowboys, receives Oscar nominations in eight categories, including best picture, best director and best actor. Crash and Good Night, and Good Luck each received six Oscar nods.
78th Annual Academy Awards 'Brokeback Mountain' Racks Up Oscar Nominations January 31, 2006 • Nominations for Academy Awards are announced in Los Angeles. Brokeback Mountain and Munich were among the best picture nominees, while the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line was shut out. Critic Kenneth Turan discusses the nominations with John Ydstie.
'Brokeback Mountain' Leads Oscar Nominations January 31, 2006 • The cowboy love story Brokeback Mountain leads the Oscar pack with a total of eight nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Heath Ledger. Madeleine Brand talks with Claude Brodesser, host of the public radio program The Business, about the Academy Award nominees announced Tuesday morning. The awards ceremony will be held March 5 in Los Angeles.
Technology Festival Honors Short Films Shot on Cell Phones January 30, 2006 • Ithaca College in upstate New York is sponsoring a contest for the best short film shot with a cell phone camera. Entries can be no longer than 30 seconds and must include music, dialogue or other audio.
Review Screens and Stars Glow at Sundance Fresh Air January 30, 2006 • This year's Sundance Film Festival has been a haven for stars -- and those who would like to be stars. Critic-at-large John Powers discusses the festival's scene -- and its movies. Among the standouts: Wrist Cutters: A Love Story and Old Joy.
Food Top Chefs Feed Celebrities at Sundance January 29, 2006 • The Sundance Film Festival wrapped up today in Park City, Utah. Some of the celebrities are walking away with a few more pounds than they arrived with, thanks to Chefdance, a series of invitation-only feasts created by top American chefs.
Reviving the Tale of a Prizewinning Mom January 29, 2006 • Debbie Elliott has an update on the "Prizewinner of Defiance, Ohio." Terry Ryan's memoir about her mother was made into a movie that got lost in the Hollywood shuffle. A small theater in Missouri has rescued the film from oblivion.
Culture Tommy Lee Jones, Exploring New Territory January 28, 2006 • Actor Tommy Lee Jones also directs The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada. It's the story of a man killed in Texas and a friend -- played by Jones -- who fulfills his wish to be buried in Mexico. Jones describes it a "journey" movie.
Culture Slate's Summary Judgment: 'Nanny McPhee,' 'Big Momma's House 2,' 'Tristram Shandy' January 27, 2006 • Writer Mark Jordan Legan offers this round-up of what movie critics are saying about the weekend's releases: Nanny McPhee Big Momma's House 2 and Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story.
Review Culture Tricky Comedy from 'Tristram Shandy' January 27, 2006 • Michael Winterbottom's latest comedy is Tristam Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story. It's based on an experimental comic novel from the 18th century. The movie is as tricky as its source material.
The 2006 Sundance Film Festival Picks from the Sundance Film Festival January 27, 2006 • Renee Montagne talks to film critic Kenneth Turan at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Turan calls it an up-and-down year, with some strong commercial film entries. One pick: Little Miss Sunshine, a bleak comedy about a dysfunctional family that showed out of competition.
'Tristram Shandy': Filming the Unfilmable January 26, 2006 • Coming soon: the movie version of The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, Laurence Sterne's extravagantly long 18th-century novel. Like Ulysses, Naked Lunch and other books, it represents a daunting list of challenges to those who would turn it into a movie.
The 2006 Sundance Film Festival Highlights and Lowlights of the Sundance Festival January 26, 2006 • The Sundance Film Festival is wrapping up in Park City, Utah. Denver Post film critic Lisa Kennedy tells Michele Norris about the big-money bidding war for Little Miss Sunshine; the buzzworthy Half Nelson and her personal favorite, Son of Man, a South African film that retells the story of Jesus.
Culture Nia Long Goes Back to 'Big Momma's House' January 26, 2006 • Ed Gordon talks with actor Nia Long about her career, and her role in the new film Big Momma's House 2.