Film

The 1951 film version of the Offenbach opera The Tales of Hoffmann, now on DVD, is recognized as a masterpiece of dark storytelling from the British team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

The new film Brokeback Mountain has won critical praise for its portrayal of a love affair in the rugged West.

Pulitzer prize-winning playwright Tony Kushner co-wrote the screenplay for the new Stephen Spielberg film Munich. Kushner won a Pulitzer for his 1993-1994 play Angels in America, which was performed in two parts and set in New York in the mid-1980s in the midst of the AIDS epidemic.

Actor, producer, writer, director George Clooney directed and co-wrote the new film Good Night, and Good Luck, about the showdown between legendary journalist Edward R. Murrow and Sen. Joseph McCarthy that took place in 1954. Clooney also has a role in the film, portraying Murrow's producer Fred Friendly. The film is receiving much critical acclaim.

Actor Luke Wilson's new film The Family Stone depicts the annual holiday gathering of a New England family. Wilson plays Ben Stone, a film editor living on the West Coast.

Director and choreographer Susan Stroman makes her screen directing debut with the new film version of The Producers, the screen adaptation of the Broadway hit starring Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick.

As part of Fresh Air's annual 10 Best edition, film critic David Edelstein offers his take on the year's crop of movies. And as part of his conversation with Terry Gross, Edelstein discusses movies opening this holiday season. David Edelstein is also chief film critic for www.slate.com.

Two documentaries about nature's pristine complexity are out now on DVD The March of the Penguins and Grizzly Man.

In The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, actor Tommy Lee Jones stars as a laconic Texas ranch foreman who sets off on an honor quest to bury his murdered friend in his hometown in Mexico. The film marks Jones' directorial debut and has garnered the Oscar-winning actor accolades for his work behind and in front of the camera. Jones also produced Burials, which was written by Guillermo Arriaga, the screenwriter for Amores Perros.

The new film version of King Kong, the story of a lovelorn giant ape taken from his island home, was directed by Peter Jackson. It's the first release for Jackson since his trilogy of Lord of the Ring films.

The new film Brokeback Mountain, directed by Ang Lee, stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger. Based on a short story by Annie Proulx, it describes the relationship between two young men in the West in the 1960s.

Film historian Rudy Behlmer wrote the CD liner notes for the sound track of the film King Kong.

Two extremely popular versions of the Cinderella story were produced in the 1950s. Both are now available on DVD, and classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz has a review.

Teri Garr is probably best known for her role in Mel Brooks’ “Young Frankenstein.” But she’s worked with other well known directors and has made many films. Her first movie role was in Francis Coppola’s “The Conversation.” She was in Stephen Spielberg’s “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” and Sydney Pollack’s “Tootsie.” Before becoming an actress she was a dancer, following in the footsteps of her mother who was a Rockette. GARR danced in a number of Elvis Presley films, on the Sony and Cher Comedy Hour, and on the show Shivaree.

The new film Syriana is an interwoven tale of terrorism and covert business interests. Written and directed by Stephen Gaghan, the movie stars George Clooney, Matt Damon, William Hurt, Amanda Peet and Chris Cooper.

Actor Dennis Quaid's new film is a family comedy called Yours, Mine, and Ours. He first became famous for Breaking Away in 1979; he has starred in a slew of hit films since then. Quaid's resume includes The Right Stuff, The Big Easy, Innerspace, Great Balls Of Fire, Any Given Sunday, The Day After Tomorrow, and Far From Heaven.

Director Harold Ramis brings his brand of dark -- and often silly -- humor to holiday audiences with The Ice Harvest. The irreverent film stars John Cusack, Billy Bob Thornton, and Randy Quaid.

Walk the Line is the new biopic about music icon Johnny Cash, starring Joaquin Phoenix as the "Man in Black" and Reese Witherspoon as his wife, June Carter.

In November, Columbia Records released the Born to Run 30th Anniversary Edition boxed set. The three-CD set includes a remastering of Springsteen's Born to Run album, released in 1975. The box set also includes a concert DVD of a never-before seen 1975 concert from London and a documentary about the making of Born to Run. This interview originally aired on Nov. 15, 2005.

Actor and singer Tab Hunter's new book, Tab Hunter Confidential: The Making of a Movie Star, reveals his secret status as a homosexual in Hollywood. Hunter was a teen heartthrob in the 1950s and 1960s, starring in over 50 films including Damn Yankees, That Kind of Woman, and more recently, John Waters' Polyester.