archive

December 23, 2012 On his last day hosting weekends on All Things Considered, host Guy Raz tells us about the movie he could watch a million times: Richard Linklater's School of Rock. "It's just a perfect movie," he says.

Transcript

On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

December 22, 2012 Actor John Hawkes could watch Frank Capra's It's A Wonderful Life a million times. "I was struck by the darkness of the film," he says.

Transcript

On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

December 21, 2012 Over the past quarter-century, millions of people have poured into theaters to see the stage-musical adaptation of Victor Hugo's Les Miserables. Now it's opening in movie theaters; director Tom Hooper tells NPR's Melissa Block that it was a total labor of love.

Transcript

On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

December 20, 2012 The Impossible is based on a Spanish family's traumatic fight for survival after 2004's deadly Indian Ocean tsunami. While performances from Naomi Watts and young star Tom Holland ground the film, critic Jeannette Catsoulis says it's difficult to ignore the film's narrow focus.

Summary

December 20, 2012 In This Is 40, Judd Apatow returns to Pete and Debbie, two supporting characters from his 2007 hit, Knocked Up. Critic Scott Tobias says that while the film bears Apatow's comic signature, the characters' general lack of purpose causes it to lose steam.

Summary

December 20, 2012 Christian Petzold's Barbara tells the story of a doctor in '80s East Germany who's assigned to work in a rural town. Critic Stephanie Zacharek says the film and its star, Nina Hoss, deliver an understated tale of life under tyranny and the hope for a better future. (Recommended)

Summary

December 20, 2012 It's a Wonderful Life has cemented itself as a staple of the American Christmas season. However, if you listen closely, you can also hear traces of the Italian-American singers whose smooth voices defined a generation of Christmas carols.

Summary

December 19, 2012 Zero Dark Thirty tells a story most Americans know all too well, detailing the search for Osama bin Laden from Sept. 11, 2001, to the SEAL strike on his compound in 2011. NPR's Bob Mondello says the film brings a degree of complexity to a story with a very dark side. (Recommended)

Transcript

On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

December 19, 2012 The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami touched people in all corners of the globe. In The Impossible, Naomi Watts plays a tourist whose family is torn apart when the disaster strikes. She speaks with NPR's Melissa Block about waterborne work, and about her own fear of the sea.

Transcript

On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

December 18, 2012 Austrian actor Christoph Waltz won an Oscar for his portrayal of Nazi Jew hunter Hans Landa in Quentin Tarantino's 2009 film Inglourious Basterds. Teamed up with Tarantino again in Django Unchained, he says Tarantino's writing and the rhythm of the language speaks to him as a performer.

Transcript

On Fresh Air from WHYYPlaylist

December 17, 2012 This year brought plenty of blockbusters and plenty of small-ish art-house films. But it also brought gems that you might have to go way out of your way to see. From a charming documentary about skateboarding kids to an agonizing story of a family stressed to its limits, here are ten worth finding.

Summary

December 17, 2012 In her new movie, singer, actor, writer, director and producer Barbra Streisand plays a well-meaning if overbearing Jewish mom. The star says her own mother both encouraged her talents and was jealous of them.

Transcript

On Fresh Air from WHYYPlaylist

December 17, 2012 Every weekend, movies compete to be No. 1 at the box office. But a No. 1 ranking means less about whether a movie will be profitable — and more about a fleeting cultural moment.

Transcript

On Morning EditionPlaylist