Search results for

Farenheit 9/11, director Michael Moore's scathing depiction of the Bush administration's response to the Sept. 11 attacks, opens in U.S. theaters Friday. The controversial film won the top prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival. Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan has a review.

Cities are experiencing heavier storms and flooding as the climate gets hotter. But due to outdated rainfall records, many are still building infrastructure for the climate of the past.

The National Endowment for the Arts has launched a new initiative called "Shakespeare in American Communities." It's the largest American tour of Shakespeare, bringing live, professional theater to more than a hundred cities and towns across the country. But not everyone is pleased with the federal agency's ambitious program. NPR's Elizabeth Blair reports.

The new book American Taboo: A Murder in the Peace Corps tells the true story of a Peace Corps volunteer who was murdered in 1976 in the Pacific Island nation of Tonga. Another Peace Corps volunteer was accused of the murder but judged not guilty by reason of insanity by a Tongan court. NPR's Steve Inskeep talks with author Philip Weiss.

Slate contributor Ben Williams summarizes what film critics are saying about this weekend's new releases, including Fahrenheit 9/11, The Notebook and White Chicks.

There are five skin tone emojis to choose from, but doing so can open a complex conversation about race and identity.

NPR's Alex Chadwick guides listeners through the funeral of Ray Charles. The late R&B pioneer was saluted by musicians, actors and political luminaries at services at the First AME Church in Los Angeles.

The Greeks gave us democracy, the Olympics and edible grape leaves. But 2,500 years later, what other traces have they left on modern society? In an age of Internet blogs and reality TV, join NPR's Neal Conan and his guests to explore why the Greeks still matter.

NPR's Robert Siegel reflects on a long-forgotten poem by Thomas Campbell called Gertrude of Wyoming. NPR's Daniel Schorr recently referenced the epic-length poem in one of his political commentaries.

Day to Day TV critic Andrew Wallenstein reviews Amish in the City, the UPN reality show that almost didn't make it to air. Wallenstein says worries that the show would exploit Amish youth were unfounded.

When the Argentine movie Nine Queens, a film about small-time crooks trying to move to the big time, came out two years ago, Bob Mondello raved. Now the film has been remade in English. The new title is Criminal -- and Mondello's new review isn't quite as enthusiastic.

Mira Nair's films Mississippi Masala, Monsoon Wedding and Salaam Bombay! look at class conflicts. Now she takes on Victorian England in Vanity Fair. Nair speaks with NPR's Renee Montagne.

Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan reviews Tom Dowd & the Language of Music, a new documentary about a musician that he says did not receive recognition during his lifetime.

Singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan talks with NPR's Steve Inskeep about her creative process and some of her favorite musicians. Last fall, McLachlan released Afterglow, her first CD in four years.

A new Vatican statement on the role of women in society highlights what it calls the natural differences between the sexes. We'll talk with the authors of two new books that offer opposite viewpoints on the subject.

NPR's Scott Simon talks to documentary filmmaker Barbara Kopple. Her work includes the Academy Award winning Harlan County, USA and American Dream. She's made films on subjects ranging from Woodstock and the Hamptons to biographies of Woody Allen, Mike Tyson and Gregory Peck. She's about to receive a lifetime achievement award from the American Film Institute's documentary festival.

A new documentary from filmmakers Lorca Shepperd and Cabot Philbrick follows nine people who collect lost and discarded photographs of strangers. From beefcake to family snapshots, these abandoned photos can sometimes bring in hundreds of dollars a piece.

Day to Day senior producer Steve Proffitt goes to a driving range with golf writer and professional musician David Was to try out a new $600 driver. They discover that a high-tech club might be great for professional golfers, but it's not a lot of help for the average weekend duffer.

What animal is black and white and controversial, all over the nation's capitol? Day to Day reporter Eric Niiler reports on an art project in Washington, D.C. to place panda statues throughout the city -- and the debate it's stirring up about public art.

On this date in 1846, the first baseball game with set rules was played in Hoboken, N.J., at Elysian Field, a park that shared names with the paradise of ancient myth. Is Hoboken really like heaven? Hear NPR's Scott Simon and classics commentator Elaine Fantham.

Based on a true story, the new film The Terminal stars Tom Hanks as a tourist to the United States whose country undergoes a coup while he is airborne. Officials won't let him leave the airport while he remains in a stateless existence. Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan reviews the latest offering from director Steven Spielberg.

Could Hollywood make a movie in two days? Each year, the 48 Hour Film Project asks amateur filmmakers in cities across the country to do just that. Listen to filmmaker Joe Bruncsak's audio diary and follow along with the members of his Washington, D.C.-based Fuzz! team as they hastily piece together their entry.

Commentator Michael Eric Dyson talks with NPR's Tavis Smiley about issues addressed at this year's second annual media and entertainment panel discussion entitled "Examining the Portrayal of People of Color in Television and Film." The panel was hosted by MTV Networks and the Black Entertainment and the Sports Lawyers Association (BESLA).

There's a clever new adaptation of the play Cyrano de Bergerac now being performed at the Shakespeare Theater in Washington D.C. NPR's Robert Siegel talks with the playwright Barry Kornhauser about the show, and they talk about the history of the classic French play.

Twenty thousand Native Americans assembled in Washington on Tuesday for a parade of nations and blessing of the new Museum of the American Indian. Hear museum director W. Richard West and several opening ceremony participants.