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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.

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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.

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On Morning EditionPlaylist

December 16, 2012 The new movie Zero Dark Thirty focuses on a female intelligence officer's quest to find Osama bin Laden, but the story of how the terrorist mastermind was found wasn't quite so simple.

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On Weekend Edition SundayPlaylist

December 15, 2012 Tom Hooper's cinematic adaptation of the musical Les Miserables, which was based on Victor Hugo's famous novel, opens this Christmas. It's earned huge buzz for its stars, including Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway, who speak with Scott Simon about their experience with the film.

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On Weekend Edition SaturdayPlaylist

December 14, 2012 Critic Jimi Izrael argues that the blaxploitation classic, released in 1972, ranks among the genre's classics — but isn't as well remembered as it should be.

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December 14, 2012 A new documentary on PBS about the making of the Beatles' 1967 film Magical Mystery Tour features outtakes from the original and new interviews with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. TV critic David Bianculli calls the film "wonderfully thorough."

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On Fresh Air from WHYYPlaylist

December 14, 2012 Kathryn Bigelow's film tells the story of the U.S. hunt for the mastermind behind the Sept. 11 attacks. Critic David Edelstein says the film presents itself as a work of journalism, but that that there's no doubting its perspective: It's the story of America's "brilliant, righteous revenge."

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On Fresh Air from WHYYPlaylist

December 14, 2012 In Hyde Park on Hudson, Laura Linney plays the introverted Daisy Suckley, a distant cousin and love interest to Bill Murray's Franklin Roosevelt. She tells NPR's David Greene that the real Daisy was "very self-contained" — and someone she came to admire deeply.

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On Morning EditionPlaylist

December 13, 2012 Writer-director Victoria Mahoney marries her experiences as a biracial woman to the drama of an unstable family in Yelling to the Sky. Critic Mark Jenkins says the film, which stars Zoe Kravtiz as a troubled teen, struggles to build convincing relationships among its disadvantaged characters.

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December 13, 2012 A documentary from Liz Garbus, Love, Marilyn is a love letter to the legacy of Marilyn Monroe. Critic Stephanie Zacharek says the film's heartfelt message and the performers reading the icon's words take a back seat to her ever-present specter.

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December 13, 2012 Any Day Now, set against the backdrop of the 1970s, tells the story of a gay couple's fight to adopt a neglected boy with Down syndrome. Director Travis Fine's film lacks technical polish, but critic Ella Taylor says the story's heart makes up for most of its faults.

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December 13, 2012 In The Girl, a troubled single mother must care for a young Mexican girl — despite her inability to care for her own child. Critic Jeannette Catsoulis says the lead performances from Abbie Cornish and newcomer Maritza Santiago Hernandez carry a rare and touching emotional weight. (Recommended)

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December 13, 2012 Lizzy Caplan stars in the romantic comedy Save the Date, which despite a solid supporting performance from Alison Brie, is too dull to be a star vehicle for an outstanding actress whose body of work hasn't brought her the limelight she deserves.

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December 13, 2012 Peter Jackson takes his audience back to Middle-earth in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, set in a time before the Lord of the Rings films. NPR's Bob Mondello says that where the Rings films struggled with what to omit, The Hobbit labors to justify its three-hour running time.

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