Opinion Creating a Soundtrack to Evil October 31, 2005 • How do we know when we hear evil in music? Is it the crashing dissonance, the screeching soprano? Commentator Claire Blaustein studies the musical elements in several scores that have long inspired a sense of horror.
'March of the Penguins' a Box Office Surprise October 31, 2005 • March of the Penguins is -- by far -- the surprise hit movie of the year. The film about the Emperor Penguins' extraordinary breeding cycle is now the second-highest-grossing documentary ever, just behind Fahrenheit 9/11. It's also the highest grossing French film ever released in the United States.
The Masked Men of Mexican Movies October 30, 2005 • On this Halloween eve, we put the spotlight on Mexico's obsession with wrestlers in masks. Bobb Cotter, author of The Mexican Masked Wrestler and Monster Filmography, takes us into the world of characters like El Santo and Blue Demon, and their silverscreen battles with fantastical monsters and villains.
Music Interviews Kronos Quartet Plays Bollywood, With Asha Bhosle October 30, 2005 • Indian singer Asha Bhosle and David Harrington talk about a collaboration between Bhosle and the Kronos Quartet. The Indian film soundtrack superstar and Harrington's adventurous string ensemble work together on the new recording You've Stolen My Heart: Songs from R.D. Burman's Bollywood.
Childhood Friends Team for 'Capote' October 29, 2005 • Capote tracks the writer's draining effort to complete In Cold Blood. Dan Futterman, known for acting roles on Judging Amy and Will & Grace, wrote the screenplay. He and director Bennett Miller talk with Linda Wertheimer about the film.
'CSA: The Confederate States of America' October 28, 2005 • A new "pseudo-documentary" examines what contemporary America would have looked like had the South won the Civil War. CSA: The Confederate States of America is the brainchild of Kevin Wilmot, a film professor at the University of Kansas. It's an irreverent, darkly comic movie that features fake commercials for the Slave Shopping Network and images of Abe Lincoln, exiled in disgrace in Canada. Greg Allen reports on the movie's transition from film festivals to the mulitiplex.
Culture Slate's Summary Judgment: 'Prime,' 'The Weatherman,' 'The Legend of Zorro' October 28, 2005 • Slate contributor Mark Jordan Legan offers his regular weekly roundup of what movie critics are saying about the weekend's releases: Prime, The Weatherman and The Legend of Zorro.
Review 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 The Busy Career of Actor Christian Bale Fresh Air October 28, 2005 • Actor Christian Bale is Bruce Wayne -- and of course his alter ego Batman -- in the film Batman Begins, now out on DVD. Bale's other films include American Psycho, Laurel Canyon, Capt. Corelli's Mandolin, and The Machinist. Bale is also the voice of Howl in the new Japanese animated film Howl's Moving Castle. Originally aired on June 13, 2005.
Review '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.
Visiting the Wonderful 'Wizard of Oz' on DVD October 28, 2005 • Critic Bob Mondello reviews the newly released special-edition DVD for The Wizard of Oz. The three-disc set includes documentaries, outtakes and other special features. He says watching the classic film brought back many memories.
'I Walked with a Zombie' and other Classic Films Fresh Air October 28, 2005 • Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz is also a horror movie fan. He reviews a new DVD collection of the horror films of producer Val Lewton. The films include The Leopard Man, Curse of the Cat People, and I Walked with a Zombie, along with six other films.
Can 'Chicken Little' Reanimate Disney? October 28, 2005 • With the upcoming release of the movie Chicken Little, Disney hopes to reclaim its animation credentials. The company's films have been overshadowed in recent years by computer-animated offerings from other studios.
Culture The Evolution of Movie Soundtracks October 27, 2005 • Music journalist Ashley Kahn talks to filmmaker Cameron Crowe and others about the changing nature of movie soundtracks. Original music is out, while compilations of popular hits are in.
Goldberg Stretches Again, for 'Love Your Work' Fresh Air October 27, 2005 • Actor Adam Goldberg wrote and directed the new movie I Love Your Work, a meditation on the culture of celebrity.