Accessibility links
Movies: Movie Reviews and Commentary on New and Classic Films NPR Movies podcast, movie reviews, and commentary on new and classic films. Interviews with filmmakers, actors, and actresses.

Movies

Obituaries

Remembering Debbie Reynolds

In 2013 NPR's Scott Simon interviewed Debbie Reynolds. She shared a lesson she learned from Fred Astaire on the set of Singin' in the Rain — that even great artists have to work hard.

Remembering Debbie Reynolds

Listen · 1:47
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/507670086/507670087" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Studios And Audiences Had Lots To Celebrate In 2016

I Am Not Your Negro uses the words of James Baldwin to analyze American attitudes toward race. Bob Adelman/Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures hide caption

toggle caption
Bob Adelman/Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

Review

Movie Reviews

Studios And Audiences Had Lots To Celebrate In 2016

This is the time of year when critics release their best-of lists. Usually, they pick the 10 best — but our film critic Bob Mondello couldn't narrow it down that much. He picked 18 of his favorites.

Studios And Audiences Had Lots To Celebrate In 2016

Listen · 7:58
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/506741838/507436752" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Movie Interviews

To Make 'The Godfather' His Way, Francis Ford Coppola Waged A Studio Battle

Fresh Air

Coppola was 29 years old when he signed on to direct a film. "I was young and had no power," he says, "so [the studio] figured they could just boss me around." Originally broadcast Nov. 16, 2016.

To Make 'The Godfather' His Way, Francis Ford Coppola Waged A Studio Battle

Listen · 44:34
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/506727712/507445424" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Filmmaker Documents Battle To Retake Mosul With Those Fighting It

As Iraqi army and Kurdish forces battle to take the city of Mosul away from ISIS forces, a Kurdish filmmaker is shooting a real-time war drama about some of those giving their lives in the struggle.

Filmmaker Documents Battle To Retake Mosul With Those Fighting It

Listen · 3:33
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/507287009/507287010" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Obituaries

Carrie Fisher, Princess Leia Of Star Wars Fame, Dies At 60

Fisher suffered a massive heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles last week. A spokeswoman for Fisher's daughter said the actress died Tuesday morning.

Carrie Fisher, Princess Leia Of Star Wars Fame, Dies At 60

Listen · 3:53
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/507142772/507142773" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
'Paterson': A Love Poem To Poetry, From Director Jim Jarmusch

In Paterson, Adam Driver's character does the same thing every day. "Routine is very liberating and nurturing for him," says director Jim Jarmusch. Mary Cybulsky/Amazon Studios & Bleecker Street hide caption

toggle caption
Mary Cybulsky/Amazon Studios & Bleecker Street

Movie Interviews

'Paterson': A Love Poem To Poetry, From Director Jim Jarmusch

Paterson's main character is a bus driver who writes poetry on his lunch breaks. It was inspired, in part, by an epic William Carlos Williams poem.

'Paterson': A Love Poem To Poetry, From Director Jim Jarmusch

Listen · 5:23
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/507125816/507142880" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
LISTEN: Carrie Fisher, Terry Gross — And Gary The Dog

Gary the dog and Carrie Fisher attend Tribeca Tune In: Catastrophe at SVA Theatre 2 in April in New York City. Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival hide caption

toggle caption
Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival

The Two-Way

LISTEN: Carrie Fisher, Terry Gross — And Gary The Dog

In an interview with Fisher last month, the Fresh Air host couldn't believe the turn it took when she asked about Fisher's beloved French bulldog. Turns out Gary was right there in the studio.

The Controversy Over The Iconic 'Star Wars' Opening Title Crawl

The captivating design has reappeared in each installment, until the release of: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The man who designed that original title sequence thinks the filmmakers made a mistake.

The Controversy Over The Iconic 'Star Wars' Opening Title Crawl

Listen · 1:58
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/507063458/507063459" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Review

Movie Reviews

'Fences' And 'Hidden Figures' Explore Race, And More, In Midcentury America

Hidden Figures is a true story about the African-American women of America's space program, and Fences is based on a play by August Wilson.

'Fences' And 'Hidden Figures' Explore Race, And More, In Midcentury America

Listen · 5:43
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/506486155/507021506" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Actors Take On Expanded Vocal Duties In Movie 'Sing'

The new animated movie Sing features animals competing in a music competition like American Idol. Executive Music Producer Harvey Mason Jr. and actress Jennifer Hudson discuss the making of the movie.

Actors Take On Expanded Vocal Duties In Movie 'Sing'

Listen · 6:26
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/506927794/506927795" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Denzel Washington And Viola Davis On Adapting 'Fences' And Honoring August Wilson

Denzel Washington says his character, Troy, "thinks he can control death and the devil, and he finds out in the worst way that he can't." Washington stars alongside Viola Davis in Fences. David Lee/Paramount Pictures hide caption

toggle caption
David Lee/Paramount Pictures

Movie Interviews

Denzel Washington And Viola Davis On Adapting 'Fences' And Honoring August Wilson

The actors star in a new film adaptation of Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning play. Davis says it's "about a flawed man ... who doesn't understand the extent to which he is destroying [his family]."

Denzel Washington And Viola Davis On Adapting 'Fences' And Honoring August Wilson

Listen · 15:49
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/506617435/506927823" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript