In ‘Novocaine’ Jack Quaid is no pain, all gain
In the gleefully grisly action movie Novocaine, Jack Quaid plays a sweet, nerdy guy who does not experience physical pain. He falls for a woman (Amber Midthunder) who’s determined to get him to leave his safe, risk-averse life behind. That happens in a…
‘Anora’ is the wild rom-dramedy we didn’t know we wanted
Anora recently cleaned up at this year’s Oscars, winning five awards, including best picture. Directed by Sean Baker, the movie follows an enterprising sex worker (Mikey Madison), who links up with a very rich and very immature young man (Mark Eydelsht…
John Kani risked his life to tell stories of apartheid — at 81, he’s still at it
The South African actor has been speaking out about racial injustice for decades, often in collaboration with the late playwright Athol Fugard. Kunene and the King is Kani’s latest project.
Dogs dig ‘Flow.’ A researcher explains what might be catching their eye on the screen
Oscar-winning film Flow has caught the eye of many pets. Here’s what a researcher told NPR our furry friends might pay attention to on the screen.
How the COVID lockdown affected how movies are made and seen
Americans spent much of the COVID lockdown inside their homes streaming movies in isolation. Five years on it is clear that COVID left its mark on how movies were made and consumed.
There’s a lot to unpack in ‘Black Bag’ — a witty, sexy spy thriller
Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender play a high-ranking spy couple in Steven Soderbergh’s new film. Black Bag offers Bond-style globe-trotting intrigue and marital dramedy.
In ‘Black Bag,’ espionage meets marriage
The cool, stylish new Steven Soderbergh film Black Bag is about a group of British spies who discover there’s a traitor in their midst. It stars Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett. He’s a lie detector expert; she’s one of his chief suspects. The thing is: They’re married.
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In ‘Long Bright River,’ Amanda Seyfried achieves lifelong dream of playing a cop
NPR’s Ari Shapiro talks with Amanda Seyfried, star of the new series Long Bright River. She plays a police officer investigating the murders of women from Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood.
‘On Becoming a Guinea’ fowl is a surreal exploration of painful secrecy
You should watch the surreal new movie On Becoming a Guinea Fowl. It opens with a Zambian woman finding her uncle’s body on the road. His death brings the family together from near and far, but also resurfaces old wounds — wounds the elders would much rather ignore. It’s a powerful story about the silence that keeps families from breaking, but only in superficial ways, and with devastating consequences.
5 years ago, movie theaters closed. NPR’s movie critic looks back at COVID-19
The pandemic decimated the box office and the reshaped the moviegoing experience. NPR’s movie critic, Bob Mondello, looks back on how his job changed during the early months of COVID-19.
Gene Hackman died of heart disease, his wife died of hantavirus, authorities say
Actor Gene Hackman died of heart disease a full week after his wife died from hantavirus in their New Mexico hillside home, authorities revealed Friday.
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