Film

Mamet's plays include "American Buffalo," "Speed-the-Plow," "Glengarry Glen Ross (for which he won a Pulitzer), and "Oleanna." His movies include, "Homicide," "House of Games," and "Things Change." Mamet is best known for his style of writing, which New York Times theatre critic Frank Rich described as "burying layers of meaning into simple precisely distilled idiomatic language." Mamet has written several books of essays; he's just published his first novel, "The Village."

Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews "Pulp Fiction." He says it's far from perfect -- but it's so good, you won't care.

Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews the new film, "Ed Wood," starring Johnny Depp.

Paymer received an Oscar nomination for his role in "Mr. Saturday Night." He's now starring in the new movie "Quiz Show" as Dan Enright, the villain producer who rigs the show "Twenty-One."

Author Peter Guralnick has written the first of a two part biography of Elvis Presley, retelling the story of the King's childhood "soberly, thoroughly and unsensationally" (says the ALA Booklist). "Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley" tells much of the story through quotes both from Elvis and people who knew him then. It attempts to portray Elvis' human side, rather than the mythical figure he has become.

Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews the new adventure movie, "The River Wild." It co-stars Kevin Bacon.

Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews "The New Age," starring Judy Davis and Peter Weller. The film is directed by Michael Tolkin, author of "The Player."

Critic Kevin Whitehead reviews the new Robert Redford film, about a real-life game show scandal in the 1950s.

Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews the new British colonial comedy, directed by Bruce Beresford.

Evans is an actor and producer of such films as "The Odd Couple", "Love Story", "Chinatown" and "The Godfather." His new memoir about his career's peaks and valleys is called "The Kid Stays in the Picture."

Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews "Fresh," a movie about black youth in Brooklyn, directed by Boaz Yakin, who is white and Jewish.

Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews "Natural Born Killers," starring Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis.

Film Critic Stephen Schiff reviews the Hitchcock-esque, psychological drama by director Richard Rush.

Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews the new movie "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert," by Australian director Stephan Elliott.

Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews "A Clear and Present Danger," a macho and intelligent espionage thriller starring Harrison Ford.

Hayes rose to the top of the charts in the 1970's on the Staxl record label. He released his first solo album, "Presenting Isaac Hayes," in 1968. His next album, "Hot Buttered Soul," became a gold record in the 1970's.

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead substitutes for Stephen Schiff and reviews the new movie "The Client," based on John Grisham's bestselling legal thriller.

Lee is the co-writer and director of the new movie, "Eat Drink Man Woman." The movie looks at sex and food as the two main things that create and maintain families. It centers on Taiwan's leading chef and his disappointments -- both in his career as a chef and in his attempts to raise his three daughters. The movie also examines his daughters' relationships to food and sex. Lee is the director of "The Wedding Banquet," a movie about a love triangle between an American man, a Chinese woman and, a Chinese-American man.

Film Critic Stephen Schiff reviews the new Arnold Schwarzenegger/Jamie Lee Curtis film. Schiff says it features small-scale wit and large-scale pyrotechnics -- though it never manages to blend the two.

Russell is the writer and director of the movie “Spanking the Monkey." It's about Raymond, who returns after his freshman year at MIT to find he has to spend the summer caring for his mother, who’s broken her leg. His loneliness, combined with his mother’s depression, results in a dark comedy about mother-son incest. “Spanking the Monkey” won the Audience Award for the most popular dramatic film at the Sundance Film Festival in January.