Film

Towne, who died July 1, was nominated for an Oscar in 1974 for his screenplay for The Last Detail, and won the Academy Award in 1975 for his screenplay for Chinatown. Originally broadcast in 1988.

"Janet Planet" is the first feature film from the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Annie Baker. The movie is set in 1991. Julianne Nicholson stars as a woman looking after her 11-year-old daughter in Western Massachusetts during a long, hot summer. "Janet Planet" is now in theaters. Our film critic Justin Chang has this review

Bazawule is best known for directing the 2023 adaptation of The Color Purple: The Musical. He also co-directed Black Is King with Beyoncé. His new exhibit of paintings is about growing up in Ghana.

The award-winning playwright talks about his provocative Slave Play, which earned 12 Tony nominations. A new HBO documentary chronicles the making of the production. Originally broadcast June 2023.

Oyelowo plays a formerly enslaved man who went on to become one of the nation's first Black Deputy U.S. Marshals in the Paramount+ series Lawmen: Bass Reeves. Oyelowo also produced the series.

Nine years after "Inside Out" became one of Pixar's most successful animated features, a new sequel takes us back inside the mind of a girl named Riley. In "Inside Out 2," Riley is now 13, and she and her five emotions - Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger, and Disgust - are about to experience puberty. The movie opens today in theaters, and our film critic Justin Chang has this review.

The comic, actor and filmmaker came to the U.S. from El Salvador in his 20s. Torres tackled immigration in Problemista; his new HBO comedy series is Fantasmas. Originally broadcast March 24, 2024.

In the new Western "The Dead Don't Hurt," Viggo Mortensen and Vicky Krieps play two lovers in a small Nevada town who are separated during the Civil War. Mortensen also wrote and directed the movie, which opens this week in theaters. Our film critic Justin Chang has this review.

The new Italian film "Kidnapped" tells the true story of how a young Jewish boy was taken away from his parents by the Catholic Church. The film was made by the celebrated director Marco Bellocchio. Our critic-at-large John Powers says it's a strong, often surprising film that uses a historical incident to raise issues that are of the moment.

Miller directed the first Mad Max in 1979, as well as Mad Max: Fury Road in 2014 and the new prequel Furiosa. In 2016, he revealed that he was never sure how his movies would hold up over time.

Corman, who died May 9, made hundreds of films, including the cult classics House of Usher and A Bucket of Blood. We listen back to a 1990 interview, plus critic John Powers offers an appreciation.

Our film critic Justin Chang named the Oscar-winning Japanese drama "Drive My Car" the best movie of 2021. Now the film's writer and director, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, is back with "Evil Does Not Exist," a new drama set in a rural small town.

In his first movie after his Oscar-nominated performance in "Barbie," Ryan Gosling stars as a Hollywood stunt double in the new action-comedy film "The Fall Guy." The film, which also stars Emily Blunt as a movie director, is loosely based on the 1980s TV series starring Lee Majors. It opens in theaters today. Our film critic Justin Chang has this review.

Auster, who died April 30, rose to fame in the 1980s with The New York Trilogy novels. His memoir, Winter Journal, focused on the history of his body. Originally broadcast in 1997, 2004 and 2012.

Nearly a year after the Hollywood writers' strike started, the entertainment industry remains in flux. Harpers journalist Daniel Bessner says TV and film writers are feeling the brunt of the changes.

Coppola, who died April 12, was an assistant art director on the 1963 film Dementia 13 when she met, and soon married, its director, Francis Ford Coppola. Originally broadcast in 1992.

Our film critic Justin Chang says "The Beast" is a wonderfully unconventional adaptation of Henry James' 1903 novella "The Beast In The Jungle." This time-bending sci-fi drama stars Lea Seydoux and George MacKay and interweaves a trio of stories set in the years 1910, 2014 and 2044. It's now playing in theaters. Here's Justin's review.

Sixteen years after "Food, Inc.," investigative journalist Eric Schlosser, along with bestselling author Michael Pollan, are back with "Food, Inc. 2," a sequel to the documentary that sparked a national conversation about the economic, environmental, and health impacts of our industrialized food system. "Food, Inc. 2" focuses on corporate consolidation, which Schlosser reports gained steam during the pandemic.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is out. We listen back to archival interviews with film historian Rudy Behlmer about the original 1933 King Kong and with Steve Ryfle about the original 1954 Godzilla.

Alex Garland's ambitious new thriller largely sidesteps the politics of the present moment. The story takes place in a not-so-distant future where Texas and California have improbably joined forces and seceded from the U.S.