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John Powers John Powers is the pop culture and critic-at-large on NPR's Fresh Air with Terri Gross.
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John Powers

Review

Movies

Screens and Stars Glow at Sundance

This year's Sundance Film Festival has been a haven for stars -- and those who would like to be stars. Critic-at-large John Powers discusses the festival's scene -- and its movies. Among the standouts: Wrist Cutters: A Love Story and Old Joy.

Screens and Stars Glow at Sundance

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Review

The Lessons of Murrow and 'Good Night'

Fresh Air

In several ways, the age of "infotainment" is foretold in Good Night, and Good Luck, set in the 1950s. The film tells of newsman Edward R. Murrow's fight against Sen. Joe McCarthy -- but it also details "the inherent debasement of mass news in a commercial culture."

The Lessons of Murrow and 'Good Night'

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The DVD Room

'Masterpiece' Set Puts Hitchcock on DVD

Fresh Air

Critic at large John Powers considers the films of Alfred Hitchcock as a new DVD survey of his work is coming out: Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection. The new release collects 14 of his films including Shadow of a Doubt, Rope, Rear Window, Psycho, The Birds, and Frenzy.

'Masterpiece' Set Puts Hitchcock on DVD

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Arts & Life

Godard's 'Masculin/Feminin' Enhanced for DVD

Fresh Air

It has been nearly 30 years since Jean-Luc Godard's film Masculin/Feminin debuted. Starring Jean-Pierre Leaud and Chantal Goya, the film captured the spirit of Paris in the late-1960s.

Godard's 'Masculin/Feminin' Enhanced for DVD

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Opinion

Movies

Finding the Right Role: Offbeat Women in Hollywood

Fresh Air

Critic-at-large John Powers comments on the history of roles for offbeat women in Hollywood. Powers recently saw the hit film The 40-Year-Old Virgin and got to thinking about the actress Catherine Keener, who co-stars.

Finding the Right Role: Offbeat Women in Hollywood

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Opinion

Harry Potter: More than the Marketing Hype

Fresh Air

While Harry Potter has grown to become a huge a marketing event, the book series is still, at its heart, a literary event. Critic-at-large John Powers considers kids today lucky to have that experience. He compares it to his experiences purchasing and reading the Hardy Boys mysteries as a child.

Harry Potter: More than the Marketing Hype

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Movies

'Batman,' 'War of the Worlds' and Terrorism

Fresh Air

Critic-at-large John Powers says that two current blockbusters, Batman Begins and War of the Worlds, are deeply influenced by America's post-Sept. 11 obsession with terrorism.

'Batman,' 'War of the Worlds' and Terrorism

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Arts & Life

'Entourage:' Young, Famous and Loaded in Hollywood

Critic at large John Powers has been watching the HBO show Entourage -- about a handsome young movie star and his buddies -- and has some thoughts on the way the rich and powerful are often protected from reality.

'Entourage:' Young, Famous and Loaded in Hollywood

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Review

Movies

Mix of Movies at Cannes Festival

Fresh Air

It has been an eventful 11 days in Cannes, France, where the annual Cannes Film Festival wrapped up over the weekend. One surprise was first-time director Tommy Lee Jones, whose The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada won him top honors as best actor. The festival also included early showings of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.

Mix of Movies at Cannes Festival

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