Review Culture 'Caramel' January 31, 2008 • Comedy and romantic conflicts abound in a Beirut beauty salon in Caramel, a kind of Lebanese Steel Magnolias. The premise isn't new, but the comedy is warm, observant and generous — so Caramel feels plenty fresh.
Culture Has Hollywood Helped Pave Way for Obama? January 31, 2008 • Racial and gender barriers have already been broken at the White House — well, at least in Hollywood. But if voters have seen a black man as president on the screen, are they more likely to elect one in real life?
National Wesley Snipes Awaits Court Ruling January 31, 2008 • A decision is expected soon in the movie star's tax evasion trial. Snipes hasn't paid taxes for several years, and the feds say he owes tens of millions of dollars.
A 'Caramel'-Coated Version of Beirut January 31, 2008 • The film Caramel explores the lives of five women who spend their time at a Beirut beauty salon. Director Nadine Labaki discusses her unusual take on the lives of Arab women in Lebanon.
Filmmaker Dreams of 'Pangea Day' January 30, 2008 • Two years ago, documentary filmmaker Jehane Noujaim won $100,000 from the TED Conference — the acronym stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design awards — to fund her wish for a better world. Noujaim wished for a global film festival. It's slated for May 10.
The Impact of War Doctor Takes Camera 'Inside the Red Zone' of War January 29, 2008 • As a physician in Baghdad, Dr. Omer Salih Madhi decided to do what few people could: He brought a video camera into an emergency room. Madhi's graphic documentary, Baghdad Hospital: Inside the Red Zone, premieres Tuesday night on HBO. The doctor talks about making the film and the current conditions in Iraq.
Opinion In Character Shrewd, Selfish Scarlett: A Complicated Heroine January 28, 2008 • What business did a young black woman in the Northeast have indulging a fascination with the slave-owning heroine of Gone With the Wind? NPR's Karen Grigsby Bates explains the complicated business of Scarlett fever.
World A Doctor's Life in 'Baghdad Hospital' January 28, 2008 • Mortars, car bombs, human misery — they're the stuff of daily routine for doctors in Iraq. A doctor with a hand-held camera covers a scene most Americans know little about in a new documentary on HBO, Baghdad Hospital: Inside the Red Zone.
Sundance Film Festival 2008 Sundance Basks in Green Luxury January 27, 2008 • The Sundance Film festival wraps up Sunday in Park City, Utah. Although sales are slow, commercial activity isn't. Marketing highlights included an eco-luxury home called Project GreenHouse and exclusive tests of Timberland eco-conscious footwear.
In Character Pollyanna: Spirit of Optimism Born Out of War January 27, 2008 • She was cute, she was cheerful, and she was famous for the creation of "the glad game." But today her name is synonymous with optimism — to a fault. Liane Hansen explores the roots of Pollyanna's story.
Sundance Film Festival 2008 My First Trip to Sundance January 26, 2008 • After covering Hollywood for years, a reporter makes her first appearance at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. She finds it cold, crowded and congested, but not without some charms.
Review Culture 'Untraceable' January 25, 2008 • FBI agents track a serial killer who uses technology as his assassin's hood in Untraceable. The media and a voyeuristic public catch some blame in the gory deaths, but the result is less commentary and more "torture porn,' akin to the Saw films.
Sundance Film Festival 2008 Sundance Pits Filmmakers, Studios in Fiscal Tango January 25, 2008 • Sundance may be a showcase for small independent films, but when distributors are looking to buy their next indie hit, the stakes can be in the millions of dollars. In Park City, Utah, the studio suits are facing off against the filmmakers' hard-driving lawyers — and trying to avoid paying big bucks for a dud.
New 007 Movie Named for Story by Bond's Creator January 25, 2008 • Director Marc Forster announced the real title of the 22nd James Bond movie that's being produced in England: The Quantum of Solace. It's also the title of an un-Bondlike short story by Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond. We hear a bit of the story.
Summary Judgment: 'Rambo' is Almost 'Untraceable' January 25, 2008 • Is Rambo too old to be fighting in Burma? Mark Jordan Legan tells us what the critics are saying about the iconic fight flick, Untraceable and 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days.