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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

In 'Operation Filmmaker,' an Unscripted Outcome

Actor Liev Schreiber had what he thought was a good idea: He'd reach out to a Baghdad film student, offering him an internship on a shoot. But as Nina Davenport's documentary proves, good intentions don't always end in good outcomes. Critic-at-large John Powers has a review.

In 'Operation Filmmaker,' an Unscripted Outcome

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Movies

At Cannes, a Broad Menu, Plus Critical Indigestion

Fresh Air

Fresh Air critic-at-large John Powers spent some time at the Cannes Film Festival this month, and today he reports back on what he saw. He says this year's movies weren't half bad — but for Americans, at least, the festival had a gloomy, fatalistic vibe.

At Cannes, a Broad Menu, Plus Critical Indigestion

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Arts & Life

Killer Penmanship in 'Death Note'

Fresh Air

In the Japanese anime series Death Note, high school student Light Yagami is in possession of a super-powered notebook that allows him to kill anyone, simply by writing down the victim's name. Critic-at-large John Powers offers a commentary.

Killer Penmanship in 'Death Note'

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Movies

Pushing Chinese Taboos in 'Lust, Caution'

Film critic John Powers reviews Lust, Caution, the new film by Taiwanese director Ang Lee. Set in 1942, during the Japanese occupation of China, the film tells the story of a resistance fighter who has an affair with a Chinese collaborator.

Pushing Chinese Taboos in 'Lust, Caution'

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Arts & Life

Reviewed: 'Where to and Back,' a Film Trilogy

Critic John Powers reviews Where to and Back, a newly released DVD trilogy from the late Austrian director Axel Corti. Written by Georg Stefan Troller, the films are loosely based on Toller's life as a Viennese Jew who took refuge in the United States as a teenager and then returned to Europe as an American soldier during World War II.

Reviewed: 'Where to and Back,' a Film Trilogy

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Review

Arts & Life

Barbet Schroeder Takes On 'Terror's Advocate'

The latest from French filmmaker Barbet Schroeder (Single White Female, Reversal of Fortune) is titled L'Avocat de la Terreur — released in the U.S. as Terror's Advocate. It's a documentary about lawyer Jacques Verges, known for defending war criminals, militants and yes, terrorists.

Barbet Schroeder Takes On 'Terror's Advocate'

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Review

From Earlier Wars, Flight Through Fiction's Lens

Fresh Air's critic-at-large tells us about the wartime aviation novels of British writer Derek Robinson, who served in the Royal Air Force. His books include Goshawk Squadron, Damned Good Show, A Good, Clean Fight, and Piece of Cake.

From Earlier Wars, Flight Through Fiction's Lens

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DVD Reviews

Rediscovering 'La Jetee' and 'Sans Soleil' on DVD

Fresh Air

Fresh Air's critic-at-large reviews a new DVD set featuring two masterpieces by French filmmaker Chris Marker: 1962's La Jetee and 1984's Sans Soleil. The first is a science-fiction story set in a post-apocalyptic Paris; the narrator of the brilliantly perceptive Sans Soleiltells viewers about the letters she's received from a globe-trotting friend; her monologue is accompanied by footage from around the world.

Rediscovering 'La Jetee' and 'Sans Soleil' on DVD

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Arts & Life

From Cannes, a Cinematic After-Action Report

Fresh Air

The 60th Cannes Film Festival drew more than 4,000 journalists, so it's possible you've heard a little something about the hits and misses there. Michael Moore screened a damning documentary about the U.S. health-care system, while singer Norah Jones made her acting debut in a film from Hong Kong auteur Wong Kar-Wai. Critic-at-large John Powers reports on other high- and low-lights.

From Cannes, a Cinematic After-Action Report

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Review

Book Reviews

Alan Furst Conjures a Vanished Europe

Fresh Air

Alan Furst's best-selling spy thrillers (Kingdom of Shadows, Night Shadows, The Polish Officer) play out in the brooding, tumultuous Europe of the pre-World War II years, offering an intimate, insider portrait of an escalating crisis in which the players can't always see the implications of the game. Critic-at-large John Powers explains why he's a fan.

Alan Furst Conjures a Vanished Europe

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