Arts

Plymouth Plantation Museum Showcases Music Of Pilgrims And Native Americans

6:27pm November 24, 2016

by Neda Ulaby

The first Thanksgiving most likely took place in 1621 at Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts. Plymouth Plantation, a living history museum, recently showcased the spiritual music of both the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians.

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TV Chef Alton Brown Shares Tips On The Science Of Thanksgiving Dinner

6:27pm November 24, 2016

There are tons of tips on how to cook that Thanksgiving dinner, many of them rooted in science. Alton Brown, the showman of food TV, runs through why we stuff the turkey after it's cooked, why gravy should be kept in a thermos, and why canned cranberries are the devil.

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Arts

Holiday Movie Preview: Lightsabers, Musicals And Jackie

6:27pm November 24, 2016

by Bob Mondello

NPR movie critic Bob Mondello has a preview of the would-be awards contenders and blockbusters Hollywood will be opening as the rest of us open presents.

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Movie star Toshiro Mifune and director Akira Kuroswa on the set of Seven Samurai.

Arts

'Mifune' Can't Quite Capture A Screen Legend

5:00pm November 24, 2016

by Mark Jenkins

Critic Mark Jenkins says a new documentary focused on Toshiro Mifune's relationship with director Akira Kurosawa could have used a bit more verve and a few more voices.

Books
Arts

In 'Dust Bath Revival,' The True Fantasy Is A World Without Shame

7:00am November 24, 2016

by Annalisa Quinn

Marianne Kirby's new novel is set in an America overrun by zombies — and also an America in which no one is judged on their appearance; her protagonist is fat and queer, and never hindered by that.

Chef Niki Nakayama in the kitchen with her wife and sous chef, Carole Iida-Nakayama. Nakayama is a modern master of the ancient Japanese art of kaiseki, a local, seasonal, multicourse meal rooted in Eastern philosophies that value being in harmony with na

Chef Niki Nakayama Is A Modern Master Of An Ancient Japanese Meal

6:45pm November 23, 2016

At her LA restaurant, Nakayama reimagines the Japanese tradition of kaiseki, a multicourse meal emphasizing local, seasonal ingredients in harmony with nature. She's one of its few female masters.

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Brett Kelly stars as Thurman Merman and Billy Bob Thornton as Willie Soke in Bad Santa 2.

Arts

Proud Grinches Beware: Sentimentality Sinks 'Bad Santa 2'

5:00pm November 23, 2016

by Scott Tobias

The original Bad Santa has long delighted holiday misanthropes, but an "irredeemably squishy center," says critic Scott Tobias, means its sequel won't give them what they crave.

The animated Disney movie Moana is a comedy-adventure about a spirited teenager on a mission to fulfill her ancestors' quest.

Arts

Disney's 'Moana' Needs No Prince, Just The Land And Sea

5:00pm November 23, 2016

by Andrew Lapin

Critic Andrew Lapin says Disney's new animated film Moana builds a lush visual world for its young Polynesian heroine and makes its most honest effort yet at appreciating the culture where it's set.

Brad Pitt plays Max Vatan and Marion Cotillard plays Marianne Beausejour in Allied.

Arts

'Allied' Revives The Old-Fashioned Wartime Thriller

5:00pm November 23, 2016

by Chris Klimek

Critic Chris Klimek says Allied, the relatively rare mid-budget studio film made for adults, is more than just a period piece — it's an anachronism.

In Disney's Moana, a young girl (voiced by Auli'i Cravalho) enlists the help of the demigod Maui to save her people.

Arts

'Moana' Actress Grew Up With The Polynesian Myth That Inspired The Movie

4:29pm November 23, 2016

by NPR Staff

Hawaiian actress Auli'i Cravalho says she grew up hearing tales of Maui, the Polynesian demigod who could pull up islands with his magical fishhook. Now she stars alongside him in a new Disney movie.