Arts

Arts

'War Dogs' Puts A Satirical Spin On The Business Of War

1:26pm August 19, 2016

by John Powers

Todd Phillips' new comedy, which is loosely based on a true story, follows two 20-somethings from Miami who become international arms dealers. Critic John Powers calls War Dogs "jauntily enjoyable."

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Grandmaster Flash (Mamoudou Athie) and Shaolin Fantastic (Shameik Moore) on The Get Down.

Arts

Pop Culture Happy Hour: 'The Get Down' And What's Coming In TV

12:38pm August 19, 2016

by Linda Holmes

Brittany Luse and Kiana Fitzgerald join the roundtable for a chat about Netflix's The Get Down and what Linda Holmes learned at the annual Television Critics Association press tour.

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Books
Arts

Amy Schumer Bares Her Soul In 'The Girl With The Lower Back Tattoo'

10:03am August 19, 2016

by NPR Staff

Schumer's new essay collection is revealing, packed with personal diary entries going back to her preteen years — and funny. But she doesn't shy away from difficult topics like her sexual assault.

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Toby Kebbell (rear) plays Messala Severus and Jack Huston (front) plays Judah Ben-Hur in Ben-Hur.

Arts

Q&A: How Does The New 'Ben-Hur' Compare With Its Predecessor(s)?

7:00am August 19, 2016

by Chris Klimek

Critic Chris Klimek gets so excited about the various film versions of an epic set in the Roman Empire that he opens a Socratic dialogue with his editor. (Yes, Socrates was Greek, not Roman. We know.)

In the 10 years it took Natalie Portman to adapt Amos Oz's autobiographical novel, A Tale of Love and Darkness, she grew into the role of the lead character, Fania — the mother of young Amos, who has immigrated to Palestine from Eastern Europe.

Arts

It Took A Decade, But Portman 'Just Had To Make' Her Latest Film

6:28pm August 18, 2016

by NPR Staff

In the years it took Natalie Portman to adapt Amos Oz's autobiographical novel, A Tale of Love and Darkness, she grew into the role of the lead character, Fania — the immigrant mother of young Amos.

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Rape Allegations Against Actor-Director Nate Parker Resurface

6:28pm August 18, 2016

The Birth of a Nation director is facing controversy after details about his acquittal of sexual assault resurfaced recently. NPR's Audie Cornish talks about the case with Variety reporter Brent Lang.

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Miles Teller and Jonah Hill play war profiteers in director Todd Phillips' War Dogs.

Arts

'War Dogs' Cries Havoc And Lets Slip The Dudes Of War

5:00pm August 18, 2016

by Mark Jenkins

Director Todd Phillips' heavily fictionalized, testosterone-fueled account of two bros who engage in war profiteering ultimately loses its way.

Beetle (Matthew McConaughey), Kubo (Art Parkinson) and Monkey (Charlize Theron) set off on a promising path in the animated adventure Kubo and the Two Strings.

Arts

Dreamlike 'Kubo And The Two Strings' Offers A Gorgeous, Richly Textured Adventure

5:00pm August 18, 2016

by Scott Tobias

The latest animated film from Laika Studios owes more to the emotional impressionism of Japanese anime master Hayao Miyazaki than the comparatively rigid and familiar story structure of Disney/Pixar.

Arts

In A Sweet Coming-Of-Age Tale, 'Morris From America' Brings Hip-Hop To Heidelberg

5:00pm August 18, 2016

by Andrew Lapin

The charismatic Markees Christmas plays Morris, a 13-year-old aspiring rapper from New York who moves to Germany with his widowed father (Craig Robinson).

Books
Arts

Riveting 'Obelisk Gate' Shatters The Stillness

2:48pm August 18, 2016

by Amal El-Mohtar

N.K. Jemisin continues the story of the Stillness — a world constantly rocked by quakes, and the rare, gifted people who can control them — in a second volume even more engrossing than the first.