Movies

Jackie depicts the former first lady (played by Natalie Portman) in the days after her husband's assassination.

Arts

What Do 'Jackie' And 'Neruda' Have In Common? Chilean Filmmaker Pablo Larraín

6:37pm December 16, 2016

by NPR Staff

One film shows Jackie Kennedy as a new widow; the other follows poet Pablo Neruda into exile. But don't call them biopics; Larraín says, "You can't [capture] someone's life in ... 120 minutes."

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'Rogue One' Wows With Fresh Special Effects And A Multinational Cast

1:28pm December 16, 2016

by David Edelstein

The nefarious Empire is building a giant weapon in the latest installment of the Star Wars saga. Critic David Edelstein says though Rogue One is part of a series, it also works as a stand-alone film.

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According to NASA, Mary Jackson "may have been the only black female aeronautical engineer in the field" in the 1950s. Singer and actress Janelle Monáe plays her in the film Hidden Figures.

Books
Arts

'Hidden Figures' No More: Meet The Black Women Who Helped Send America To Space

1:04pm December 16, 2016

by Elizabeth Blair

A new film tells the stories of three women who made incalculable contributions to the space program: engineer Mary Jackson, mathematician Katherine Johnson and NASA supervisor Dorothy Vaughan.

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Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) and Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Arts

Pop Culture Happy Hour: 'Rogue One' And 'La La Land'

10:50am December 16, 2016

by Linda Holmes

It's a big week for movies, with the latest hotly anticipated Star Wars entry and a splashy musical starring Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling, and a lamppost.

In this scene from Rogue One, Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) is looking for her dad, who has had a hand in making a certain planet-killing super weapon you might have heard of.

Arts

'Rogue One': The Force Will Be With Those Who Love Battle Scenes

10:49am December 16, 2016

by Bob Mondello

Rogue One is a movie that's part of the Star Wars firmament. But it's not a Star Wars movie — it's a Star Wars story. NPR movie critic Bob Mondello explains why.

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Felicity Jones plays Jyn Erso in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Arts

'Rogue One' Is 'A Star Wars Story' With Fewer Stars And A Lot More Wars

5:00pm December 15, 2016

by Chris Klimek

A footnote in the Star Wars saga gets its own movie — a tense, grubby, effective tale of interstellar combat that skimps on the series' mythic overtones.

(L-R) Helen Mirren as Brigitte, Keira Knightley as Amy and Jacob Latimore as Raffi in Collateral Beauty.

Arts

In 'Collateral Beauty,' Will Smith Meets Love, Time, Death — And A Terrible Script

5:00pm December 15, 2016

by Scott Tobias

An ad exec (Will Smith) mourning the death of his daughter meets actors portraying abstract concepts in this absurd, disingenuous film which lays bare Hollywood's inability to grapple with grief.

Denzel Washington as Troy Maxson and Viola Davis as Rose Maxson in Fences

Arts

'Fences': A Major American Play Finally Makes It To Screen; It Was Worth The Wait

5:00pm December 15, 2016

by Andrew Lapin

Director/star Denzel Washington faithfully adapts August Wilson's searing, Pulitzer-winning play. The brilliant result is "moviemaking as public service," says critic Andrew Lapin.

National

'Lion King,' 'Princess Bride,' 'The Birds' Among Additions To Film Registry

3:08pm December 14, 2016

by Camila Domonoske

Each year, the Library of Congress picks 25 "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant movies for preservation. The 2016 selections date from as early as 1903, and as recent as 1998.

Alia Shawkat stars as Dory in the TBS comedy Search Party.

A Critic's Year-End 'Ghost File': Books, Movies And TV Shows He Didn't Review

2:44pm December 14, 2016

by John Powers

Every year, Fresh Air critic John Powers is haunted by all the terrific things he didn't get a chance to talk about on air. As 2016 winds down, he "un-haunts" himself with these six recommendations.

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