Film

Film critic David Edelstein reviews The Magdalene Sisters by Scottish writer/director Peter Mullan. It's based on Ireland's actual Magdalene Asylums where Catholic girls accused of "moral crimes" (anything from getting pregnant, to being too attractive, to accusing a man of rape) were sent to work in laundries to atone for their sins. These virtual prisons finally closed their doors in 1996.

Nigerian-born actor Chiwetel Ejiofor stars in the new Stephen Frears film Dirty Pretty Things. Ejiofor plays an immigrant former doctor who now must make his living in London as a cab driver and hotel clerk. Ejiofor graduated from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, and was named Outstanding Newcomer in The London Evening Standard Awards 2000. He recently completed a sell-out run at London's National Theatre as Christopher in Blue/Orange. At the age of 19 he had a role in Steven Spielberg's film Amistad.

Arn Chorn-Pond is the subject of the new documentary The Flute Player. As a child, Chorn-Pond was held in a Khmer Rouge labor camp where many children starved to death, many others were murdered, and those who survived were forced to work from 5 a.m. to midnight. He was taught to play the flute to play propaganda songs which helped assure his survival. Later at age 14, Chorn-Pond was forced into the Khmer Rouge army to fight the invading Vietnamese. After seeing his friends die, he fled into the jungle.

Film critic David Edelstein reviews Dirty Pretty Things, directed by Stephen Frears.

Berg is the author of the new book, Kate Remembered about actress Katharine Hepburn. Berg began a friendship with her 20 years ago, and during that time Hepburn disclosed confidences about her life with the understanding that were he to write a book about her he would wait until after her death to publish it. In 1999 he wrote that book but it was held in a vault. She died on June 29th at the age of 96. Berg is also the author of Max Perkins: Editor of Genius, Goldwyn: A Biography and Lindbergh, for which he received the Pulitzer Prize.

Film critic David Edelstein reviews the new documentary Hell's Highway: The True Story of Highway Safety Films by director Bred Wood. It's about the Highway Safety Foundation of Mansfield, Ohio, which made a series of graphic driver's education films in the 1960s to warn students about the dangers of driving recklessly, sleepily or drunk.

Film critic David Edelstein reviews Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.

Film critic David Edelstein reviews the new film 28 Days Later. The movie is based on the best-selling novel The Beach, in which animal-rights activists break into a lab and free infected monkeys, letting loose a virus that puts people into a permanent state of murderous rage.

Susan Orlean is a staff writer at The New Yorker. In 1994 she wrote a profile of David Friedman, one of the Friedman sons. David was known as Silly Billy, a popular clown who was a favorite at children's birthday parties in New York City. David's father and brother were accused of molesting children, and the family's story is told through their own home movies in the documentary film Capturing the Friedmans. Orlean is also the author of the best-selling book, The Orchid Thief.

His new movie is Capturing the Friedmans. It's a non-fiction feature film about a seemingly normal Long Island, New York family. The film takes a look at the convoluted case and attempts to determine the true story. Capturing the Friedmans won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2003 Sundance festival. This is Jarecki's first feature film. He was also the founder and CEO of Moviefone, which was acquired by AOL in 1999 for nearly $400 million.

Film Critic David Edelstein reviews The Hulk, directed by Ang Lee.

He died June 15, 2003, of prostate cancer at the age of 92. His first film role was in Alfred Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt. He went on to star in several more Hitchcock films, later co-writing the screenplays for Rope and Under Capricorn. He also had starring roles in the films The Postman Always Rings Twice, Brute Force and Ziegfeld Follies. In the 1950s and 60s, Cronyn went to Broadway, often co-starring with his wife, the late Jessica Tandy. He won a Tony award in 1964 for his role as Polonius in the Broadway production of Hamlet.

Film critic David Edelstein reviews Manito, a small budget film by first-time director Eric Eason. Manito won prizes at Sundance. It's being distributed in a novel way. It is getting a limited run in big cities and is also a part of a new DVD subscription service.

The Broadway musical Hairspray was the big winner this week at the Tony Awards. It won awards for best direction, score, book and costume. Hairspray is based on Waters' 1988 film of the same name.

Film critic David Edelstein reviews Capturing the Friedmans, a new documentary by Andrew Jarecki about a family torn apart by charges of pedophilia and child molestation.

Film critic David Edelstein reviews The Italian Job, starring Edward Norton.

Kaige is the director, writer, producer and acts in the new film Together, a coming-of-age tale about a 13-year-old Chinese boy who plays violin. The boy's father takes him from their provincial Chinese city to Beijing, seeking prominence. But plans change as the boy grows up and ultimately chooses his own path. Kaige is best known for his film Farewell My Concubine, which was nominated for an Oscar. His other films include Yellow Earth, The Big Parade and Killing Me Softly.

Film critic David Edelstein reviews Seabiscuit.

He's best known for his cult films Tales From the Gimli Hospital (1998) and Careful (1992). In 1995, Maddin was the youngest person to receive the Telluride Medal for Lifetime Achievement. His short film The Heart of the World won a special award from the National Society of Film Critics and was voted one of the 10 best films of the year by J. Hoberman of The Village Voice and A.O. Scott of The New York Times. His new film, Dracula: Pages From a Virgin's Diary, transforms the Royal Winnipeg Ballet's interpretation of Bram Stoker's classic story into a silent film.