Carrie Fisher, The Novelist
Carrie Fisher's well known for her acting and comedy. NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Weekend Edition books editor Barrie Hardymon about why we should remember Fisher as not just a Hollywood star.
Movies
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.
Affleck's 'Live By Night': An Ambitious, Frenetic But Overstuffed Gangster Film
Ben Affleck wrote the screenplay, directed and stars in this bloated genre exercise, which never slows down enough to pack any real emotional impact.
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.
'Neruda' Affectionately Dismantles The Myth Surrounding The Chilean Poet
Director Pablo Larrain digs beneath the poetry to offer a warm, humorous and revealing biopic of Pablo Neruda, neatly avoiding the genre's tendency to lionize its subjects.
To Make 'The Godfather' His Way, Francis Ford Coppola Waged A Studio Battle
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.
'Toni Erdmann': A Practical-Joking Dad And His Too-Practical Daughter
Shadow of a Doubtfire: In this "silly yet profoundly moving" German-Austrian comedy, a father uses disguises, a false identity and a whoopie cushion to get his corporate-minded daughter to loosen up.
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.
'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.
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.