The Cannes award-winner Close — about two inseparable teen boys — is for anyone who thought their childhood friendship would last forever. It’s a beautiful Belgian film, but takes the easy way out.
Prosecutors file charges against Alec Baldwin in fatal shooting on movie set
The actor and a weapons specialist have been formally charged with involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on a New Mexico movie set in 2021.
‘Farha’ tells the story of a Palestinian girl in 1948
NPR’s Michel Martin speaks with Darin Sallam, the director of the Netflix film Farha, about a Palestinian girl’s experience when her village is attacked during the foundation of Israel in 1948.
Highlights from the 2023 Sundance Film Fest
A look at some of the highlights and discoveries at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, which concludes this weekend.
Belgian director Lukas Dhont on his Oscar-nominated new film ‘Close’
NPR’s Scott Simon speaks to Belgian director Lukas Dhont about his new film, “Close,” which was nominated for an Oscar. The film traces the relationship between two 13-year-old boys.
What’s making us happy: A guide to your weekend viewing
Each week, the guests and hosts on NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour share what’s bringing them joy. This week: Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, and more.
An Israeli documentary challenges a narrative of what happened in one Palestinian village in 1948
An Israeli documentary examines what happened to one seaside Palestinian village in the 1948 war.
Get these Sundance 2023 movies on your radar now
The Sundance Film Festival returned in-person to Park City, Utah, this year, and with more submissions than ever. NPR’s Aisha Harris screened nearly 20 films — these are her favorites.
An adolescent friendship fractures in the Belgian Oscar hopeful, ‘Close’
The social forces are pervasive but subtle in Lukas Dhont’s Close — no overt bullying or homophobia, just internalized pressures on still-developing psyches.
As Ryuichi Sakamoto returns with ’12,’ fellow artists recall his impact
The composer has been lauded for decades over his deeply affective music; director Alejandro González Iñárritu, composer Hildur Guðnadóttir and more join us to explain why.
Inspiration for Bdeir’s ‘Warsha’ came from above — a crane operator in Beirut
NPR’s Leila Fadel talks to Dania Bdeir, director of the Lebanese short film Warsha. The movie, about a crane operator in Beirut longing to express himself freely, will be released on Netflix Feb. 1.
Has the screenlife format of the new thriller ‘Missing’ gone stale by now?
The new movie Missing is the latest iteration of a format called “screenlife,” in which the plot develops solely through devices and screens.
Oscar nominations: ‘Everything Everywhere’ scores 11, no women for best director
Nominations for this year’s Academy Awards were announced Tuesday morning. The film Everything Everywhere All at Once racked up nods in almost every category, including Best Picture.
Encore: Actress Andrea Riseborough on her new movie, ‘To Leslie’
NPR’s Sacha Pfeiffer talks with actress Andrea Riseborough about her new movie, To Leslie. It’s about a single mother who wins the lottery but quickly loses the money.
Pamela Anderson tells her story in her own words with a new memoir
NPR’s Ailsa Chang talks with actor and writer Pamela Anderson about her autobiography Love, Pamela.
5 takeaways from the Oscar nominations
War movies are big, first-time acting nominees had a great morning, and inclusion at the Oscars is still an uphill battle. All this, plus the big showing for the unconventional nominations leader.
The list of nominations for 2023 Oscars
Best picture nods include “All Quiet on the Western Front”; “Avatar: The Way of Water”; “The Banshees of Inisherin”; “Elvis”; “Everything Everywhere All at Once”; “The Fabelmans”; and “Tár”
The 2023 Oscar nominations are here
This sci-fi movie “Everything Everywhere All at Once” led the nominations announced this morning for the 95th Academy Awards. Sequels to “Avatar” and “Top Gun” are also up for Best Picture Oscars.
What movies are in the mix to receive an Oscar nomination?
This year’s Academy Award nominations will be announced Tuesday. Top Gun: Maverick, Avatar: The Way of Water and The Fabelmans are likely to be among the top contenders for best picture.
Morning news brief
Seven people are dead after California’s second mass shooting in three days. U.S. senators hold a hearing on whether Ticketmaster and Live Nation have too much power. Oscar nominations are announced.
The real-life refugees of ‘Casablanca’ make it so much more than a love story
Casablanca is more than just a love story. It is a film about, and stocked with, the waves of refugees fleeing Nazi-occupied Europe during wartime.
Disney World’s Splash Mountain runs dry, as the iconic ride closes for good
Sunday was the last day for the ride in the Florida park. Controversy surrounded the ride, based on the 1946 film Song of the South and its racist themes. It will relaunch as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
‘Avatar’ marks 6 straight weeks at No. 1 as it surpasses $2 billion in ticket sales
James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water led ticket sales in movie theaters for the sixth straight weekend, making it the first film to have such a reign atop the box office since 2009’s Avatar.
Here are your Oscar nomination predictions …
Nominations for the 95th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday. A number of films are up for top awards.
Anime broadens its reach — at conventions, at theaters, and streaming at home
Manga artist Hajime Isayama says when he was growing up in Japan, anime wasn’t considered cool. Now, he says, he has a “global audience” in mind.
Encore: Park City, Utah, welcomes back Sundance Film Festival attendees
The Sundance Film Festival is back in-person this year after being mostly online for two years. The team sifted through 16,000 submissions — the highest number ever.
A full guide to the sexual misconduct allegations against YouTuber Andrew Callaghan
The documentarian behind Channel 5 and This Place Rules apologized and said he’s seeking therapy after women came forward on social media to say he sexually assaulted or coerced them.
Actor Austin Butler’s vocal coach explains why he still sounds like Elvis
Butler reportedly stayed in character 24/7 when he filmed the biopic Elvis. One of his vocal coaches says “it’s difficult to switch off” — and she doesn’t know if “it’s going to be there forever.”
Actor Brandon Lee was killed by a prop gun, years before the ‘Rust’ shooting death
In an accident similar to Alec Baldwin’s shooting of Halyna Hutchins, Lee’s co-star fired a prop gun at the 28-year-old actor during filming of The Crow.
‘Women Talking’ explores survival, solidarity and spirituality after sexual assault
Eight women come together in a hayloft to decide what’s next after their religious colony is devastated by sexual violence. Sarah Polley adapted Miriam Toews’ novel, which was drawn from true events.