Film

Part one of the Fresh Air interview. Elfman is a rock musician who fronts the band Oingo Boingo. When Tim Burton hired him to write score for Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, Elfman had to teach himself to read music -- a skill he never needed in the past.

Film critic Stephen Schiff says the newest movie, based on the 1960s sci-fi TV show, proves the franchise has run its course. The aging actors don't deliver the best performances, and the screenplay lacks the humor of the film's predecessor.

Film critic Stephen Schiff says the new, boarding-school themed movie never really allows star Robin Williams to cut loose; the younger actors, while good, exist in a kind of bland never-land. It's a departure from the normal Hollywood summer fare, but audiences will be turned off by the film's self-righteous piety.

Buba is conflicted about the movies he makes about his hometown -- he garners acclaim while Braddock, Pennsylvania counties to decline. His new movie, Lightning over Braddock, is about a steel plant closing, a grifter named Sal, and Buba's own filmmaking.

The Dutch stage and screen actor is often cast as a Russian character, including in the new movie Scandal. In the Netherlands, he often worked with director Paul Verhoeven. In the U.S., he's best known for his role as a womanizer in Crossing Delancey.

Critic Owne Gleiberman reviews Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. He says the film is a retread of the first movie in the franchise, but is invigorated by the addition of Sean Connery as Indy's father.

Lasseter began his career as a traditional animator; now he works for the production studio Pixar, founded by Steve Jobs. He joins Fresh Air to talk about the mechanics of computer animation, and how he tries to get audiences to look past the novelty of his approach and focus on the story.

Critic Ken Tucker, a big fan of rap music, missed the theatrical release of Run D.M.C.'s film. He had high hopes it might capture the spirit of black action movies of the 1970s; but after watching the home video release, Tucker says the movie failed to live up to its promise.

Film critic Stephen Schiff talks to Fresh Air guest host Marty Moss-Coane about some noteworthy movies he's seen at the festival so far.

Baker made a career as a trumpet player and jazz singer. Known for his struggles with his addition, Baker recently died after falling from his window; drug paraphernalia was found in his room. Bruce Weber's new documentary about the musician has just been released. Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead has this review.

Critic Stuart Klawans reviews Bruce Robinson's new comedy, about an unhinged advertising executive who gradually develops a giant pimple with a mind of its own.

Critic Ken Tucker says the new video Bugs & Daffy: The Wartime Cartoons is a delightful reminder of the wry ways Americans dealt with their emotions during World War II.

The Italian film director died last week at the age of 67. Film critic Stephen Schiff says that Leone's movies had a unique symbolism and vision of the American West that only an outsider could have imagined.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz says that some composers elevate film scores, including Bernard Hermann, who wrote the music for several Alfred Hitchcock movies. A new collection of those compositions is now out on CD.

Jazz critic KEVIN WHITEHEAD reviews a reissue of a MILES DAVIS album that was originally the soundtrack for Louis Malle's first feature film.

Critic-at-large Laurie Stone recently attended the Lincoln Center's celebration of Hollywood star Bette Davis, who is now 81. The gala included a series of film clips which, according to Stone, highlighted the power, confidence, and humanity of Davis's performances.

Hurt stars in the new film Scandal, about the Profumo sex scandal of the 1960s. He also portrayed Joseph Merrick in David Lynch's The Elephant Man. He joins Fresh Air to discuss how he fully inhabits his characters, and how his early life led him to acting.

Film critic Stephen Schiff says the new film, based on W.P. Kinsella's baseball-themed novel Shoeless Joe, is designed to make men cry, while still preserving their masculinity. It's skillfully made and acted, but Schiff thinks Field of Dreams is sappy and, ultimately, pointless.

Winfield won an Academy Award for his role in Sounders, and is a featured actor in the television show Wiseguy. He joins Fresh Air to talk about his career to date, and his involvement with black arts and civil rights movements.

Part 2 of the Fresh Air interview with Bob Balaban. He talks about the kinds of roles he played early in his career, and his show business lineage: his grandfather was a movie producer; his father helped operate a movie theater chain; and one of his uncles was president of Paramount.