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Movies

Monday

Comedian Joel McHale Talks Dyslexia, Bad TV And Filming A Thriller

Comedian Joel McHale spoke at the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner in May. He says everyone wanted to see his jokes ahead of time, but he likes keeping them a secret. Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images hide caption

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Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images

Pop Culture

Comedian Joel McHale Talks Dyslexia, Bad TV And Filming A Thriller

Fresh Air

The host of The Soup co-stars in the thriller Deliver Us From Evil. "I felt like a 12-year-old getting to be in an action film," McHale tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross.

Comedian Joel McHale Talks Dyslexia, Bad TV And Filming A Thriller

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'Do The Right Thing' Celebrates Its 25th Anniversary

Spike Lee directed, wrote and starred in "Do the Right Thing." The landmark film prompted a national conversation about racial tension. Universal/The Kobal Collection hide caption

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Universal/The Kobal Collection

Code Switch

'Do The Right Thing' Celebrates Its 25th Anniversary

The film tells the story of how an Italian-owned pizzeria becomes a flashpoint for racial unrest in one of New York City's poorest neighborhoods, the heavily black and Puerto Rican Bedford-Stuyvesant.

'Do The Right Thing' Celebrates Its 25th Anniversary

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Sunday

In 'Snowpiercer,' A Never-Ending Train Ride And A Society Badly Off Track

In Snowpiercer, Curtis (Chris Evans) and Yona (Ah-sung Ko) are trying to fight their way to the front of a train that is cruelly class segregated. "[It's] similar to Occupy Wall Street in terms of the 99 percent versus the 1 percent," says South Korean director Bong Joon-ho. "That's something that happens in other countries and also in Korea." Radius TWC hide caption

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Radius TWC

Book Your Trip

In 'Snowpiercer,' A Never-Ending Train Ride And A Society Badly Off Track

After a climate change disaster, a train must circle the globe for its passengers to stay alive. The science fiction fable was inspired by a French graphic novel and directed by a South Korean auteur.

In 'Snowpiercer,' A Never-Ending Train Ride And A Society Badly Off Track

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Behind Optimus Prime (And Eeyore), One Man's Signature Voice

Voice actor Peter Cullen has reprised his role as Optimus Prime in the series of live-action Transformers movies, including the latest, Transformers: Age of Extinction. ILM / Paramount Pictures hide caption

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ILM / Paramount Pictures

Movie Interviews

Behind Optimus Prime (And Eeyore), One Man's Signature Voice

Peter Cullen, whose oeuvre ranges from Sonny and Cher to Winnie the Pooh, voiced the heroic robot-truck in the 1980s Transformers cartoons. He returned to the role for the series of live-action films.

Behind Optimus Prime (And Eeyore), One Man's Signature Voice

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How George Lucas Transformed The Modern Fairy Tale

Star Wars superfan and IMDb critic Melanie McFarland tells NPR's Don Gonyea why George Lucas's career is worthy of a $1 billion museum on Chicago's Lake Shore Drive.

How George Lucas Transformed The Modern Fairy Tale

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Saturday

Movie Interviews

New York Streets Become A Recording Studio In 'Begin Again'

A scorned lover and a hapless music producer record an album on the streets of New York in Begin Again, starring Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo. Director John Carney speaks with NPR's Scott Simon.

New York Streets Become A Recording Studio In 'Begin Again'

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Friday

Review

Movie Reviews

In The Mood For Apocalypse? Skip 'Transformers,' See 'Snowpiercer'

Fresh Air

Film critic David Edelstein says Snowpiercer — a dystopian film based on a French graphic novel — is far more invigorating and potent than Transformers 4: Age of Extinction.

In The Mood For Apocalypse? Skip 'Transformers,' See 'Snowpiercer'

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Review

Movie Reviews

Carney's 'Begin Again' Doesn't Match His Hit 'Once'

Begin Again is the latest effort by John Carney. This film and his previous Once have so much in common that you can't help asking yourself, "Can lightning strike twice?"

Carney's 'Begin Again' Doesn't Match His Hit 'Once'

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Thursday

Brutality And Faith Tangle In A Young Man's Story

Initially appearing to be the ideal father figure, Benno, played by German actor Sascha Alexander Gersak in Nothing Bad Can Happen, shows his dark side as he mocks and violently tests a young boy's religious faith. Drafthouse Films hide caption

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Drafthouse Films

Review

Movie Reviews

Brutality And Faith Tangle In A Young Man's Story

The German film Nothing Bad Can Happen follows a boy who meets up with a father figure who tests his born-again beliefs and ultimately becomes his tormentor.

A Not-Quite-Satisfying Look At A Notorious Career In Crime

In 2013, James "Whitey" Bulger was found guilty of racketeering, drug trafficking, money laundering, extortion, and participation in 11 murders. He was sentenced to two lifetime sentences in prison plus five years. Magnolia Pictures hide caption

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Magnolia Pictures

Review

Movie Reviews

A Not-Quite-Satisfying Look At A Notorious Career In Crime

Director Joe Berlinger dives into the story of James "Whitey" Bulger, convicted of a pile of crimes and sentenced in 2013. Unfortunately, not every question seems to be asked with the same urgency.

The Satisfying Chill Of The Audacious 'Snowpiercer'

In Snowpiercer, the children of the wealthy who inhabit the front of the train are offered luxuries such as education, while the people who dwell in the train's rear — (from right) Curtis (Chris Evans), Grey (Luke Pasqualino), Yona (Ah-sung Ko) and Namgoong Minsoo (Song Kang-ho) — survive in squalor. Radius TWC hide caption

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Radius TWC

Review

Movie Reviews

The Satisfying Chill Of The Audacious 'Snowpiercer'

Bong Joon-ho's post-apocalyptic tale of the last remnants of humankind trapped on a train to nowhere is the kind of idea-driven science fiction that deserves to be seen.

'Begin Again,' A Music Fantasy Both Sticky And Sweet

After hearing Greta singing in a New York City bar, Dan, a record label executive played by Mark Ruffalo in Begin Again, helps her record her first big album. Andrew Schwartz/The Weinstein Company hide caption

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Andrew Schwartz/The Weinstein Company

Review

Movie Reviews

'Begin Again,' A Music Fantasy Both Sticky And Sweet

The sweet musical film Begin Again brings Mark Ruffalo and a charming Keira Knightley into a story about redemption and music that loses its footing every time it tries to stay close to the ground.

Business

To Get Their Cars In Films, Automakers Turn To A Movie Motor Wrangler

Transformers Age of Extinction offers a big screen sample of how automakers aggressively market their cars to movie studios. Once, in an earlier age when Mustang convertibles ruled the road, they didn't have to.

To Get Their Cars In Films, Automakers Turn To A Movie Motor Wrangler

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After Decades On VHS, Graffiti's Golden Age Returns To Big Screen

The 1981 film Stations of the Elevated follows graffiti-covered trains in New York City. The film is being reissued in New York this week and the rest of the country this fall. Artists Public Domain hide caption

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Artists Public Domain

Art & Design

After Decades On VHS, Graffiti's Golden Age Returns To Big Screen

Stations of the Elevated was the first film to point a camera at the graffiti movement in New York, years before graffiti was recognized by the art world. Now, it's getting an official re-release.

After Decades On VHS, Graffiti's Golden Age Returns To Big Screen

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