Sunday Puzzle

Just Give It A Shot In The Dark()  

Sunday Puzzle.

Every answer is a phrase in the form "___ in the ___." You'll be given rhymes for the first and last words, and you give the phrases.

Transcript

On Weekend Edition SundayPlaylist

Movies

The Movie Peter Berg's 'Seen A Million Times'()  

Jack Nicholson and Danny Devito in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975).

May 26, 2012 The director of Friday Night Lights, Hancock and the new film Battleship says the movie that "just hit me like a freight train" is Milos Forman's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, starring Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher.

Transcript

On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

Movie Reviews

'Moonrise Kingdom': Quirk, And An Earnest Heart()  

Cousin Ben (Jason Schwartzman) leads Sam (Jared Gilman) and Suzy (Kara Hayward) down a dock in Moonrise Kingdom. The film, set in 1965, follows Sam and Suzy when they elope together into the wilderness of the fictitious New Penzance island.

May 24, 2012 Wes Anderson directs a 1960s-set fable of young love about two kids who run away into the New England wilderness. (Recommended)

Summary

Movie Reviews

'OC87': A First Film, Personal And Hard-Won()  

Buddy Clayman

May 24, 2012 Bud Clayman dreamed of becoming a filmmaker in Los Angeles, but those dreams were complicated by his Asperger's syndrome, OCD, bipolar disorder and depression. Three decades later, he's co-directed a film about his struggles with mental illness.

Summary

Movie Reviews

An Unlikely Friendship, Made For The Movies()  

Paralyzed after a paragliding accident, wealthy daredevil Philippe (Francois Cluzet) hires Driss (Omar Sy), a cocky ex-con, despite the concerns of his aides, including Yvonne (Anne Le Ny).

May 24, 2012 Based on a true story, a popular award-winning French film follows the therapeutic relationship between a quadriplegic aristocrat and his ex-con caretaker. Critic Mark Jenkins says The Intouchables is likable, but airbrushes the sociocultural conflicts inherent in its material.

Summary

Movie Reviews

'Oslo, August 31st': A Long Day In A Gray Hour()  

A once-promising writer turned heroin addict, Anders (Anders Danielsen Lie) is released from his rehabilitation center for a day for a job interview in Oslo. Even as he goes out into the world, his melancholy mood continues to plague him.

May 24, 2012 The second film directed by Joachim Trier (Reprise) follows a self-destructive writer released from rehab for a day in Oslo. Critic Mark Jenkins says the film is a meditative look at one man seeking connection while considering ending it all.

Summary

Monkey See

Cannes Diary: Audacious 'Motors,' But Not Much Of A 'Road' Trip()  

James Gandolfini is a hard-partying hit man in Killing Them Softly, which critic Raj Ranade says is "a tight, melancholy mob thriller."

May 24, 2012 Bad weather and long lines are testing critics' patience at Cannes, but writer Raj Ranade has another roundup of notable films — including a melancholy mob drama and a "gloriously insane" entry from Leos Carax.

Summary

Critics' Lists: Summer 2012

Literary Look Ahead: 13 Great Books On The Horizon()  

Illustration: Flying books on the horizon as viewed through binoculars.

May 24, 2012 Critic Michael Schaub offers a sneak peek at some of the most hotly anticipated books of the summer: An Obama bio. A sparkling debut. Thrillers of both the fictional and body-science kind. Even Lincoln is reborn in this season of sun, sand, renewal — and reading.

Summary

Fitness & Nutrition

Happy Feet: Tips For Healthier Running()  

Running shoes

May 23, 2012 Have you thought about switching to barefoot running? New York Times exercise columnist Gretchen Reynolds did — and promptly injured herself. She details what she did wrong — and how to keep your own feet healthy — in her new book, The First 20 Minutes.

Transcript

On Fresh Air from WHYYPlaylist

Critics' Lists: Summer 2012

Plant Eater's Paradise: 2012's Best Summer Cookbooks()  

Illustration: Strawberries shaped like books grow in a garden.

May 23, 2012 These cookbooks take fruits and vegetables fresh from the field and the farm stand to delectable extremes. Writer T. Susan Chang has gleaned 10 top cookbooks that will make even the most devoted carnivore slip into accidental vegetarianism.

Summary

New In Paperback

Innovation: 'Machu Picchu', Homesteading And 'Johnny Appleseed'()  

Machu Picchu promo

May 23, 2012 This week, there's fresh fiction from Pulitzer finalist Denis Johnson, novelist Tom Perrotta and newspaperman Pete Hamill; plus, travel editor Mark Adams explores Machu Picchu; Melissa Coleman reminisces about growing up off the grid; and Howard Means looks at the life of Johnny Appleseed.

Summary

Monkey See

Cannes Diary: A Tacky Triumph, And A Gloriously Painful 'Amour'()  

Emmanuelle Riva in Amour, a Cannes Film Festival favorite from director Michael Haneke.

May 23, 2012 The political satire No and a wrenching love story from director Michael Haneke are two of the films at the top of writer Raj Ranade's list.

Summary

Kitchen Window

What The Well-Dressed Salad Is Wearing For Spring()  

You might not think of strawberries as a salad ingredient, but in-season berries, fruits and greens, along with nuts and cheeses, can turn an ordinary side salad into the highlight of a meal.

May 23, 2012 The side salad has undergone an evolution in mainstream America, from the simple heavily dressed chunk of lettuce, to vibrant kitchen-sink medleys. Now, in many areas, a bounty of local, seasonal ingredients is at our fingertips, helping to elevate the side salad to star status.

Summary

Book Reviews

'Bodies': 'Wolf Hall' Sequel Outshines Original()  

promo

May 23, 2012 The second novel in Hilary Mantel's trilogy positions Thomas Cromwell as Henry VIII's trusted consigliere and a specialist at getting unwanted wives out of the way. But if the machinations in Bring Up the Bodies are of the cruelest kind, Mantel's language couldn't be more sublime.

Summary

Author Interviews

I Vs. We: The 'Heart' Of Our Political Differences()  

E.J. Dionne Jr. writes a weekly column for The Washington Post on national policy and politics. He lives in Bethesda, Md., with his wife, Mary, and their three children.

May 22, 2012 For years, the Tea Party has held individualism up as the great American value. But columnist E.J. Dionne Jr. says that Americans historically have prized communitarianism just as much. In Our Divided Political Heart, Dionne argues that America is at its best when it balances the two.

Transcript

On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

Theater

David Alan Grier's 'Sporting Life' On Broadway()  

In Porgy and Bess, David Alan Grier plays the drug dealer Sporting Life, a role closely associated with Sammy Davis Jr. and Cab Calloway.

May 22, 2012 The stand-up comedian and star of In Living Color was recently nominated for a Tony Award for his portrayal of Sporting Life in the opera Porgy and Bess. "I think the character of Sporting Life is a salesman so he has to be flamboyant, the life of the party," he says.

Transcript

On Fresh Air from WHYYPlaylist

more Arts & Life >

NPR thanks our sponsors

Become an NPR Sponsor

The Picture Show

In his series The State of the Union, Gregg Segal creates a contrast between an idealized Civil War era, as embodied by re-enactors, and contemporary life.

Photographer Gregg Segal is interested in time. So he stages re-enactments in front of strip malls.

view slideshow

podcasts

NPR Pop Culture Happy Hour Podcast

Pop Culture Happy Hour Podcast

A lively roundtable about movies, music, TV, comics and pretty much anything else that strikes a nerve.

Subscribe

NPR Books Podcast

Books Podcast

NPR book reviews, news and author interviews -- for people who love to read.

Subscribe