Culture 'Child Prodigy' Film Revives Question: What Is Art? October 31, 2007 • My Kid Could Paint That follows the painting and controversy over four-year-old Marla Olmstead's abstract works. Some critics believe her parents encouraged, if not altered, her work.
How Scary Movies Stoke Fear October 31, 2007 • What makes for a good scary movie? Researchers and film directors discuss the formula that truly frightens audiences.
Books The Painfully Minute Details of Kevin Smith October 31, 2007 • The filmmaker and author of My Boring-Ass Life: The Uncomfortably Candid Diary of Kevin Smith reveals what else he's been up to, besides documenting every minutia of his life.
Culture Jerry Seinfeld, Learning to Bee on the Big Screen Fresh Air October 30, 2007 • Jerry Seinfeld last sat down with Fresh Air in September 1987, before his TV series made him an international celebrity. Now he's back, and in a big way: Bee Movie, the animated comedy he's written and produced for DreamWorks, opens this Friday. He talks to Fresh Air guest host Dave Davies about the project.
Seinfeld Brings Comedy to the Hive in 'Bee Movie' October 30, 2007 • Comedian Jerry Seinfeld returns to the screen as a young, idealistic honey bee in his new animated feature, Bee Movie. He talks about bees, comedy, and his transition from live-action filming into the world of 3-D animation.
Culture 'Gone Baby Gone' Star Casey Affleck Fresh Air October 29, 2007 • Gone Baby Gone, a new film based on the Dennis Lehane novel, stars actor Casey Affleck as a blue-collar private investigator drawn into a child-abduction case. The film is directed by Affleck's movie-star brother, Ben Affleck.
'Eat Cheese' Explores Compulsive Eating October 29, 2007 • Actor and comedian Jeff Garlin's new movie I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With is about an overweight actor in Chicago who lives with his mother and drowns his job and romance sorrows in junk food. Garlin wrote, directed and stars in the new film.
Review Culture When the Devil You Know Turns Out to be Family Fresh Air October 26, 2007 • Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, a robbery thriller directed by Sidney Lumet, is perfectly weighted and expertly crafted, says Fresh Air film critic David Edelstein.
Review Culture Oscar May Come Calling to Lumet's Stellar 'Devil' October 26, 2007 • In five decades of filmmaking, director Sidney Lumet has shepherded some of Hollywood's biggest stars to Oscar nominations. His latest film, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, also has a pretty stellar cast, and Oscar may just come calling again.
Culture Summary Judgment: 'Dan,' 'Saw,' 'Rails' October 26, 2007 • They're worth a lot of money to the movie studios, but are they worth your time? Hear a roundup of reviews on Dan in Real Life, Saw Four and Rails and Ties.
Culture Richard Gere Plays on Fresh Air October 26, 2007 • In actor Richard Gere's latest film, The Hoax, he plays a scam artist who gets a major book publisher to pay him a seven-figure publishing deal. It's based on the true story of Clifford Irving, who claimed to be a Howard Hughes biographer. It's now out on DVD.
Opinion Weekend Movies: Men Who Can't Cope October 26, 2007 • Now starring at the cineplex, it's underperforming males — from the hapless brothers in Before The Devil Knows You're Dead to the semi-estranged siblings in The Darjeeling Limited.
Review Culture 'Real Life' Rarity: A Romantic Comedy for Grownups October 26, 2007 • Dan in Real Life is a rare romantic comedy aimed at adults. The Dan of the title is a newspaper advice columnist stumped by his own life. He's mourning the death of his wife and raising three rambunctious daughters who are growing up faster than he'd like.
'Lions for Lambs' May Revive United Artists October 26, 2007 • Lions for Lambs is the first film by United Artists under the leadership of Tom Cruise, who's out to prove he is still a contender in Hollywood. The movie is directed by and stars Robert Redford, Meryl Streep and Tom Cruise.
Review Culture 'Before the Devil Knows You're Dead' October 25, 2007 • Sidney Lumet's latest film tracks a pair of brothers as a supposedly foolproof (but definitely illegal) moneymaking scheme comes fatally apart. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Rosemary Harris, Albert Finney and Marisa Tomei star.