Culture Summary Judgment: 'Lookout,' 'Blades of Glory' March 30, 2007 • In this week's installment of Summary Judgment from online magazine Slate, we'll hear about the critics' verdicts on this week's new movies: Meet the Robinsons, The Lookout and Blades of Glory.
Memorable Moments 2007 Talking to the Real Sacha Baron Cohen Fresh Air March 30, 2007 • English comedian and actor Sacha Baron Cohen's popular film Borat is now out on DVD. Cohen is best known for his characters Ali G (a journalist from England), Bruno (a flamboyantly gay Austrian fashion reporter) and Borat (a reporter from Kazakhstan).
Review Culture Ferrell Carries on with Parody in 'Blades of Glory' Fresh Air March 30, 2007 • In the new film Blades of Glory, comic actor Will Ferrell plays a boorish figure skater forced to team up with another man in a pairs skating competition. The role is Ferrell's latest in a series of characters that have parodied macho men.
Review Culture The Lived-In World of 'The Lookout' March 30, 2007 • The Lookout, a thriller starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, invests more than the usual amount of effort in developing characters. It marks the directing debut of Scott Frank, known for his writing work.
In 2007, Time to 'Live Free or Die' at the Movies March 29, 2007 • This year, the New Hampshire motto, "Live Free or Die," makes its appearance in the title of two movies. One is an offbeat comedy about a would-be criminal who struggles to escape the dreariness of his northern New Hampshire town. The other is the fourth Die Hard film.
Long-Lost Classic 'Killer of Sheep' Hits Theaters March 29, 2007 • Charles Burnett's Killer of Sheep, one of the most acclaimed American films of the last 50 years, has seldom been screened. It was made by Burnett in 1973 and is reportedly a hauntingly beautiful portrait of Watts. Now it is coming out nationally.
National The Teacher Behind the Movie 'Pride' March 29, 2007 • The new film Pride is based on the story of math teacher Jim Ellis, who fought off racial prejudice in the 1970s to put together an all-black swim team in north Philadelphia. Ellis continues to train young black swimmers.
Culture Movie Critic Sees His Own Work on the Big Screen March 24, 2007 • Washington Post film critic Stephen Hunter's novel Point of Impact has been made into Shooter, a film starring Mark Wahlberg. Hunter talks about what it's like to endure reviews.
Review Culture Iran's Women on the Pitch: 'Offside' March 23, 2007 • Iranian director Jafar Panahi's movie Offside is a comedy about young Iranian women trying against long odds to get into a packed soccer stadium.
Culture Summary Judgment: 'Shooter,' 'Last Mimzy' March 23, 2007 • Hear a summary of what the critics are saying about this week's new movies, from from online magazine Slate: Reign Over Me, Shooter and The Last Mimzy.
Review Culture Sandler Takes a Serious Turn in 'Reign Over Me' Fresh Air March 23, 2007 • Mike Binder has directed nine feature films. In Reign Over Me, he gives a serious — an extremely serious — part to the comic Adam Sandler, who plays a man whose life is destroyed by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Culture Will Ferrell Skates Ahead with New Comedy Fresh Air March 23, 2007 • Comedian and actor Will Ferrell stars in the new film Blades of Glory. He plays a former Olympic ice skater who, banned from competition with a rival (Jon Heder of Napoleon Dynamite fame), discovers a loophole: they can compete as a pair.
Review Culture Wahlberg: One Cool Character in 'Shooter' March 23, 2007 • The heroic loner, battling incredible odds. That's the character Mark Wahlberg inherits in Shooter, a thriller about a former Marine set up as a patsy in a political killing. Wahlberg gives a Steve McQueen-style performance.
Shaye in the Director's Chair for 'The Last Mimzy' March 22, 2007 • Director and Hollywood insider Bob Shaye is behind a new science-fiction movie called The Last Mimzy, a story about two kids who discover a time capsule from the future. Shaye's also the head of New Line Cinema.
Digital Projection in Theaters Slowed by Dispute March 21, 2007 • For a while now, movie studios have been touting digital projectors that will drastically improve the look of movies on the big screen. But while studios and theater owners have been squabbling over details, some say audiences have been missing out.