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Let It Be Morning shines light on Palestinians' unease with the status quo in Israel

'Let it Be Morning' is the story of Sami (Alex Bakri), a Palestinian citizen of Israel living in Jerusalem who receives an invitation to his brother's wedding forcing him to return to the village where he grew up. Cohen Media Group hide caption

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Cohen Media Group

Movie Interviews

Let It Be Morning shines light on Palestinians' unease with the status quo in Israel

NPR's Leila Fadel speaks with Israeli filmmaker Eran Kolirin and Palestinian actor Alex Bakri about the film 'Let it Be Morning'.

Let It Be Morning shines light on Palestinians' unease with the status quo in Israel

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A home invasion gets apocalyptic in 'Knock At The Cabin'

Dave Bautista, Abby Quinn, and Nikki Amuka-Bird in M. Night Shyamalan's latest film, Knock at the Cabin. Universal Pictures hide caption

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Universal Pictures

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

A home invasion gets apocalyptic in 'Knock At The Cabin'

In the horror film Knock at the Cabin, a gay couple and their young daughter are vacationing at a remote cabin when four strangers arrive and take them hostage. They are told the only thing that will prevent the apocalypse is if one of the family members willingly sacrifices his or her life. The film is directed by M. Night Shyamalan, with a cast that includes Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge, and more.

A home invasion gets apocalyptic in 'Knock At The Cabin'

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The Real Black Panthers (2021)

The Black Panthers march in protest of the trial of co-founder Huey P. Newton in Oakland, California. Bettmann/Getty Images hide caption

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Bettmann/Getty Images

Throughline

The Real Black Panthers (2021)

In 1968, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover said the Black Panther Party "without question, represents the greatest threat to the internal security of the country." And with that declaration he used United States federal law enforcement to wage war on the group. But why did Hoover's FBI target the Black Panther Party more severely than any other Black power organization? Historian Donna Murch says the answer lies in the Panthers' political agenda: not their brash, gun-toting public image, but in their capacity to organize across racial and class lines. It was a strategy that challenged the very foundations of American society. And it was working.

The Real Black Panthers (2021)

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If you had a particularly 'Close' childhood friendship, this film will resonate

Rémi (Gustav De Waele) and Léo (Eden Dambrine) are childhood friends who begin to pull apart from each other in the Belgian film Close. Lukas Dhont /Kris Dewitte Menuet hide caption

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Lukas Dhont /Kris Dewitte Menuet

Review

Movie Reviews

If you had a particularly 'Close' childhood friendship, this film will resonate

Fresh Air

The Cannes award-winner Close -- about two inseparable teen boys — is for anyone who thought their childhood friendship would last forever. It's a beautiful Belgian film, but takes the easy way out.

If you had a particularly 'Close' childhood friendship, this film will resonate

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Prosecutors file charges against Alec Baldwin in fatal shooting on movie set

Alec Baldwin attends a news conference at United Nations headquarters on Sept. 21, 2015. The actor has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on a New Mexico movie set in 2021. Seth Wenig/AP hide caption

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Seth Wenig/AP

National

Prosecutors file charges against Alec Baldwin in fatal shooting on movie set

The actor and a weapons specialist have been formally charged with involuntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on a New Mexico movie set in 2021.

Highlights from the 2023 Sundance Film Festival

Priya Kansara stars in Polite Society, directed and written by Nida Manzoor. Parisa Taghizadeh/Courtesy of Sundance Institute hide caption

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Parisa Taghizadeh/Courtesy of Sundance Institute

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Highlights from the 2023 Sundance Film Festival

Over 100 feature films played at this year's Sundance Film Festival. There were deeply personal stories told by emerging filmmakers, buzzy narratives ripped from the headlines, and so much more. And we've picked a few favorites we think are worth keeping on your radar in the coming year.

Highlights from the 2023 Sundance Film Festival

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Natasha Lyonne on the real reason she got kicked out of boarding school
JC Olivera/Getty Images

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

Natasha Lyonne on the real reason she got kicked out of boarding school

Natasha Lyonne is an actor, writer, and director with one of the most recognizable voices in the world. She stars in the new series Poker Face, so we ask her three questions about getting botox.

Natasha Lyonne on the real reason she got kicked out of boarding school

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What's making us happy: A guide to your weekend viewing

Lesley Manville stars in Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris. Dávid Lukács/Ada Films/Focus Features hide caption

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Dávid Lukács/Ada Films/Focus Features

What's Making Us Happy: Recommendations From 'Pop Culture Happy Hour'

What's making us happy: A guide to your weekend viewing

Each week, the guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: Gabrielle Zevin's Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, and more.

A silly 'Shotgun Wedding' sends J.Lo on an adventure

Jennifer Lopez and Josh Duhamel star in the new Amazon Prime movie Shotgun Wedding. Ana Carballosa/Lionsgate hide caption

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Ana Carballosa/Lionsgate

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

A silly 'Shotgun Wedding' sends J.Lo on an adventure

The Amazon Prime action comedy Shotgun Wedding delivers on its title in the sense that it's got a wedding, and it's got lots of guns. The film stars Jennifer Lopez and Josh Duhamel as a couple whose wedding day at a beautiful resort is interrupted by pirates who take their guests hostage. Will they save the guests? Will they save themselves? Will they ever actually get married? And just how great will J.Lo look the entire time?

A silly 'Shotgun Wedding' sends J.Lo on an adventure

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An adolescent friendship fractures in the Belgian Oscar hopeful, 'Close'

Gustav De Waele and Eden Dambrine star in Close, which Belgium has submitted for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. Diaphana Films hide caption

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Diaphana Films

Review

Movie Reviews

An adolescent friendship fractures in the Belgian Oscar hopeful, 'Close'

The social forces are pervasive but subtle in Lukas Dhont's Close — no overt bullying or homophobia, just internalized pressures on still-developing psyches.

An adolescent friendship fractures in the Belgian Oscar hopeful, 'Close'

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As Ryuichi Sakamoto returns with '12,' fellow artists recall his impact

Japanese musician, composer, record producer, pianist, activist, writer, actor and dancer Ryuichi Sakamoto, photographed on June 30, 2016 in Paris. Joel Saget/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Joel Saget/AFP via Getty Images

Music Interviews

As Ryuichi Sakamoto returns with '12,' fellow artists recall his impact

The composer has been lauded for decades over his deeply affective music; director Alejandro González Iñárritu, composer Hildur Guðnadóttir and more join us to explain why.

As Ryuichi Sakamoto returns with '12,' fellow artists recall his impact

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Oscar nominee Michelle Yeoh shines in 'Everything Everywhere All At Once'

Stephanie Hsu, Michelle Yeoh, and Ke Huy Quan all earned acting Oscar nominations for their work in Everything Everywhere All At Once. Allyson Riggs/A24 hide caption

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Allyson Riggs/A24

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Oscar nominee Michelle Yeoh shines in 'Everything Everywhere All At Once'

Everything Everywhere All At Once is a zany and profound sci-fi action comedy set in multiple dimensions. It stars Michelle Yeoh as a businesswoman whose world is turned upside down the day her family attempts to file their taxes. The film earned 11 Oscar nominations, including best picture, director, and a lead actress for nomination Yeoh. So we thought this would be the perfect time to revisit our conversation about one of our favorite movies of the past year.

Oscar nominee Michelle Yeoh shines in 'Everything Everywhere All At Once'

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Meet the mathematical minds behind Oscar-nominated 'Everything Everywhere All At Once'

The directors of Everything Everywhere All At Once credit their "math brain" for this genre bending story, about laundromat owner Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh) battling for the fate of the multiverse. A24 hide caption

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A24

Short Wave

Meet the mathematical minds behind Oscar-nominated 'Everything Everywhere All At Once'

Film directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (collectively: Daniels) reimagined the multiverse movie in their breakout film Everything Everywhere All At Once. Tuesday, the film received 11 Oscar nominations for the 95th Academy Awards, including best picture and best director. This episode, the Daniels share how science played a starring role.

Meet the mathematical minds behind Oscar-nominated 'Everything Everywhere All At Once'

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Oscar nominee Stephanie Hsu is everywhere, all at once
Allyson Riggs/A24

It's Been a Minute

Oscar nominee Stephanie Hsu is everywhere, all at once

Everything Everywhere All at Once is the critical darling of the 2023 awards season. The film is up for 11 Oscars, including a Supporting Actress nomination for breakout star, Stephanie Hsu. Hsu, who played Joy Wang AKA Jobu Tupaki in the film, started her career in experimental theater, which eventually led her to meet the directors of Everything Everywhere All at Once. Stephanie joined host Brittany Luse to chat about her comedic roots, the freedom of nihilism, and how the film has brought intergenerational healing to the stars.

Oscar nominee Stephanie Hsu is everywhere, all at once

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We break down the 2023 Oscar Nominations

Michelle Yeoh received a best actress Oscar nomination for Everything Everywhere All At Once. A24 hide caption

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A24

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

We break down the 2023 Oscar Nominations

Nominations for this year's Oscars dropped today, and it's a big year for Everything Everywhere All At Once, The Banshees Of Inisherin, and All Quiet On The Western Front. We run down the nominees in the major categories, plus talk about some surprises and snubs.

We break down the 2023 Oscar Nominations

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The real-life refugees of 'Casablanca' make it so much more than a love story

A screenshot from Casablanca showing Humphrey Bogart and Helmut Dantine. Warner Bros. hide caption

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Warner Bros.

Radio Diaries

The real-life refugees of 'Casablanca' make it so much more than a love story

Casablanca is more than just a love story. It is a film about, and stocked with, the waves of refugees fleeing Nazi-occupied Europe during wartime.

The real-life refugees of 'Casablanca' make it so much more than a love story

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Disney World's Splash Mountain runs dry, as the iconic ride closes for good

Views of Splash Mountain are seen at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Fla., on July 23, 2020. Following controversy, Splash Mountain is now closed for redesign and will reopen as Tiana's Bayou Adventure in late 2024. Bryan R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Bryan R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images

National

Disney World's Splash Mountain runs dry, as the iconic ride closes for good

Sunday was the last day for the ride in the Florida park. Controversy surrounded the ride, based on the 1946 film Song of the South and its racist themes. It will relaunch as Tiana's Bayou Adventure.

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