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06:39

50 Years Later, '2001: A Space Odyssey' Is Still A Cinematic Landmark

Near the beginning of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, a big black monolith appears in an African desert, leaving a group of prehistoric ape-men standing there baffled. And that was pretty much the reaction that greeted the film itself when it premiered 50 years ago this week.

Commentary
05:41

The Legacy of TV's Aaron Spelling

Critic at large John Powers remembers TV mogul Aaron Spelling, who died last week at age 83. Spelling created such TV classics as Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Charlie's Angels, Dynasty and Melrose Place.

Commentary
06:15

John Wayne: Icon Of America's Booming Confidence.

It's been more than 30 years since the rugged film star's death, yet he still looms large in the national psyche. Critic John Powers was surprised to find that the indomitable American fighting man was actually a hard-earned act of self-invention.

Commentary
05:17

Foster Wallace: An Ordinary Guy Who Couldn't Be.

David Foster Wallace's unfinished novel, The Pale King, was recently published. But to truly enjoy his work, says critic John Powers, you must read his earlier pieces, which were filled with "a staggering eye for detail" from "a mind that was never predictable."

Commentary
05:40

Elizabeth Taylor's Legacy: AIDS Activist, Movie Star

Fresh Air's critic-at-large John Powers was raised to dislike Elizabeth Taylor. But he soon fell for her charms. He remembers the legendary actress who was a siren on-screen -- and a committed supporter of HIV/AIDS research.

Commentary
05:36

Two Ladies: Are You Team Bella, Or Team Lisbeth?

Critic John Powers compares the heroines featured in this summer's two cultural juggernauts -- Twilight and the Millennium Trilogy. And despite being almost diametrically opposed, the characters Lisbeth Salander and Bella Swan have more in common than you may think.

Commentary
06:28

Still Wrapped In Plastic: 'Twin Peaks' Turns 20.

David Lynch's mysterious, groundbreaking serial drama premiered on April 8, 1990. Twenty years later, critic John Powers looks back at the cult series, which he says "smuggled avant-garde into prime time."

Commentary

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