NPR Topics: Movies
29 Mar 2024

NPR Movies podcast, movie reviews, and commentary on new and classic films. Interviews with filmmakers, actors, and actresses.
  • The piece of wood that saved (only) Rose in 'Titanic' was auctioned off for $718k
    Thu, 28 Mar 2024 10:12:01 -0400
    The debris that saved Rose's life in <em>Titanic</em> — and sparked a quarter-century of debate — fetched over $718,000 at an auction of iconic Hollywood movie props last week. It's based on a real artifact.
  • 'Love Lies Bleeding' and the fear and allure of strong women
    Tue, 26 Mar 2024 11:26:59 -0400
    Erotic thrillers are meant to be sexy, bloody, and fun. The best of them also deal with shifts in culture that people are anxious about: <em>Fatal Attraction</em> was about the threat of working single women, and <em>Basic Instinct </em>got into bisexual panic. A hot new erotic thriller<em> </em>takes on women's strength and capacity for rage: <em>Love Lies Bleeding</em> is an 80's fantasia of big muscles and big hair with steamy sexy scenes and thrilling plot twists. It follows the story of a bodybuilder named Jackie, played by Katy O'Brian, who falls madly in love with gym manager Lou, played by Kristen Stewart. Host Brittany Luse sat down with Katy O'Brian to talk about strong women and the fantasy of wielding the rage that lurks just under the surface.
  • Kevin Hart takes home his Mark Twain Prize for American humor
    Mon, 25 Mar 2024 05:00:51 -0400
    Kevin Hart received the 25th annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at The Kennedy Center Sunday night. Fellow comedians Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld and Chelsea Handler were there to roast him.
  • 'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' is a chill hang
    Mon, 25 Mar 2024 03:00:00 -0400
    <em>Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire</em> is the latest entry in the blockbuster action-comedy franchise. This time, the crew has set up shop in New York, and, with the help of the surviving original Ghostbusters, tries to stop a demon looking to freeze the world and rule over it. The film is packed with both newer and nostalgic cast members, including Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace, Paul Rudd, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, and more.<br><br><a href="https://plus.npr.org/happy">Subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour Plus at plus.npr.org/happyhour </a>
  • Iranian filmmakers escaping censorship at home find it has followed them abroad
    Sun, 24 Mar 2024 07:59:06 -0400
    Iranian filmmakers produced a movie about Tehran's crackdown on the 2022 women's protest movement in Iran. They have fled to Turkey but still find it hard to get their message out.
  • A look back at Freaknik, Atlanta's iconic HBCU spring break party of '80s and '90s
    Sat, 23 Mar 2024 08:04:27 -0400
    A new documentary looks at Freaknik, an annual spring break party in Atlanta during the 1980s and 90s which became a victim of its own success.
  • 'Shirley' is a celebratory biopic that doesn't end in triumph
    Fri, 22 Mar 2024 17:26:35 -0400
    NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Regina King and John Ridley, star and director of the biopic "Shirley" which celebrates Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress.
  • This recycled 'Road House' can't capture the B-movie spirit of the original
    Fri, 22 Mar 2024 11:31:50 -0400
    The new remake of the 1989 Patrick Swayze film comes up short, caught between an unironic '80s homage and a more wised-up contemporary sensibility.
  • The case for bad accents; plus, rectifying the ubiquity of bad sex
    Fri, 22 Mar 2024 03:00:00 -0400
    <em>Dune: Part Two</em> is a marvel of cinematic wonder. Amongst all the chatter around the cinematography and lore, Brittany also noticed that there was a particular fascination with Austin Butler's accent. Butler is no stranger to a distinctive voice - he was Elvis after all. But the discourse around what makes a good or bad accent made Brittany want to revisit a conversation with New York Times reporter Kyle Buchanan. In this interview from last year, Kyle makes the case that bad accents make movies more fun. <br><br>Then, Brittany turns from bad accents to bad sex. What may feel like a personal problem is actually an indicator of bigger social issues, at least according to Nona Willis Aronowitz. Her book, <em>Bad Sex: Truth, Pleasure, and an Unfinished Revolution</em>, tackles the historic and systemic causes of unsatisfying sex. Brittany and Nona spoke last year about where bad sex comes from and what could be done about it.
  • Jake Gyllenhaal punches up a 'Road House' remake
    Fri, 22 Mar 2024 03:00:00 -0400
    The 1989 movie <em>Road House</em> starred Patrick Swayze as a no-nonsense bouncer who saves a honky-tonk bar from a local toughs. Now, in the new remake, Jake Gyllenhaal plays a former UFC fighter who accepts a job to clean up a seaside bar in the Florida Keys that's being terrorized by a motorcycle gang. There's still plenty of fighting and plenty of brooding, but how does it hold up to the original cult classic?