Miramax Founders, Disney Part Ways March 30, 2005 • After more than a decade of turning out blockbusters like Pulp Fiction, Chicago and The Aviator, Bob and Harvey Weinstein, the founders of Miramax, and Disney are going their separate ways. Disney had hoped the Weinsteins would stick to the low-budget/high-creativity formula that reaped large profits, while the brothers wanted to continue making big-budget films like the Civil War epic Cold Mountain.
Music Interviews Queen Latifah Holds Court at the 'Beauty Shop' March 30, 2005 • NPR's Ed Gordon speaks with Queen Latifah about her latest film, Beauty Shop, and her varied career as a singer, rapper, actress and producer.
Opinion Diversions Guess Who's on First March 29, 2005 • The No. 1 film at the box office this past weekend was 'Guess Who,' starring Bernie Mac and Ashton Kutchner. The Easter weekend was a good one for comedies, generally. It may however, have been a trying weekend for theater personnel.
Documentary Film's Oscar Win Draws Complaints March 29, 2005 • This year's winner in the Academy Awards' best documentary, short subject category is raising questions about qualifications. Mighty Times: The Children's March uses reenactments as well as archival footage to illustrate its story about the civil rights movement in Birmingham, Ala.
'Guess Who?' Comedian Bernie Mac March 28, 2005 • NPR's Ed Gordon catches up with Bernie Mac, one of the stars of Guess Who, a new film based loosely on the 1967 classic, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. Mac, diagnosed with sarcoidosis in 1983, talks about recovering from pneumonia and interracial dating.
'Guess Who,' a Comic Take on a Classic Film March 25, 2005 • Director Kevin Rodney Sullivan tells Michele Norris about Guess Who, a comedy loosely based on 1967's Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?. This time, instead of Sidney Poitier meeting his fiance's white parents, a black girl brings her white boyfriend home.
Review Culture Slate's Summary Judgment: 'Miss Congeniality 2,' 'Guess Who,' 'D.E.B.S.' March 25, 2005 • Slate contributor Mark Jordan Legan offers a round-up of what movie critics are saying about this weekend's major film releases -- Miss Congeniality 2, Guess Who and D.E.B.S.
The DVD Room 'The Incredibles' March 25, 2005 • The latest blockbuster animated film from the Pixar hothouse was a huge hit in theaters. But NPR's Art Silverman, not a huge fan of animated films in general, sums up the plot in one sentence and says only the behind-the-scenes vignettes on the DVD set's bonus disk makes the home version worthwhile.
Review Culture Enigmatic Dad, Precocious Daughter: 'Jack and Rose' March 25, 2005 • Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan says director Rebecca Miller's life with her famous father, the late playwright Arthur Miller, has given her a deft hand for the story she tells in her latest film. The Ballad of Jack and Rose centers on an enigmatic father, a precocious daughter and an island retreat.
Review Culture 'Old Boy' Fresh Air March 25, 2005 • Film critic David Edelstein reviews Old Boy, a South Korean film that won the Grand Jury Prize at last year's Cannes Film Festival.
Media British TV Crosses over the Pond March 24, 2005 • British import The Office rolls out on NBC Thursday night. American television has a history of shamelessly remaking British series. Sitcoms like All in the Family and Sanford and Son were huge hits in the 1970s, but in recent years the results have tended to fail. A look at why British productions haven't fared well in the U.S. and whether The Office will draw an audience.
Lost & Found Sound Jack Foley: Feet to the Stars March 24, 2005 • Producer Yair Reiner introduces Jack Foley, the man behind movie sound effects.
'Millions' Shows a Lighter Side of Director Boyle March 19, 2005 • Danny Boyle, a director known for taking on dark subjects in films such as Trainspotting and 28 Days Later, lightens up a bit with Millions. It's the story of a gym bag full of stolen money, found by two boys who try to put it to generous uses. Boyle discusses the film and his change in tone.
Culture Slate's Summary Judgment: 'Melinda and Melinda,' 'Ice Princess,' 'The Ring 2' March 18, 2005 • Slate contributor and writer Mark Jordan Legan takes a look at what movie critics are saying about this week's major cinema releases, including Woody Allen's Melinda and Melinda, Ice Princess and The Ring 2.
Review Culture 'Best of Youth' Was Worth the Wait March 18, 2005 • Los Angeles Times critic Kenneth Turan first saw Best of Youth, which was originally made for Italian television, two years ago at Cannes. He's been waiting to review the movie -- which intertwines one family's story with 40 years of post-war Italian history -- ever since. It was, he says, worth the wait.