Moving In Mysterious Ways: Over the course of its four-and-a-half hours, the film tracks, abandons and re-connects with characters of various social classes, including Ângela de Lima (Maria João Bastos, center), mother to protagonist Pedro, and Father Dinis (Adriano Luz), who looks after Pedro as a boy.
A Precocious Boy Stages Life's 'Mysteries'
()A Portuguese epic of both scope and length, Mysteries Of Lisbon follows an abandoned child of royalty who recreates moments of his life with a toy theater. Director Raúl Ruiz jumps between Portugal, Italy, France and Brazil, as well as across time, to craft a dense but rewarding tale. (Recommended)
Movie Reviews
Man-Child And Man With Child Have A 'Change-Up'()
Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds swap bodies in a creaky comedy that leaves no scatological stone unturned. Director David Dobkin tries to gussy up the proceedings by dialing the raunch up to 11, but an uneven tone and over-reliance on shock value is no substitute for an original idea.
Movie Interviews
Serkis: Playing Virtual Parts On The Big Screen()
You might not recognize actor Andy Serkis, but you've probably seen his characters on-screen. Serkis is Hollywood's go-to actor for computer-generated roles. His movies include Lord of the Rings, King Kong and Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
Movie Interviews
The Making Of 'King Kong': Screams, Score And More()
There are many things that make the 1933 movie King Kong great — the special effects, the image of the giant ape climbing the Empire State Building, Fay Wray's screams — and the score, composed by Max Steiner. Film historian Rudy Behlmer tells the story of the movie's score and special effects.
Crime In The City
A Former Cop Sets His Crime Scene In Seattle()
Seattle would seem the ideal setting for noir crime novels, what with the rain, the port and the gloomy Scandinavians. But it's not as noir as it used to be. Lowen Clausen, a Seattle cop turned Seattle crime writer, brings back the city's seedier days.
Three Books...
Three Juicy Tales Of The Ultimate Food Taboo()
Few things are creepier than the idea of eating another person — even in extreme circumstances. Author Mitchell Zuckoff recommends these three stories where humans are the main course, whether on account of tribal ritual, or of extreme desperation.
Book Reviews
Oh Cruel, Cruel World: Pondering 'Art' And Sadism()
In her new book, Maggie Nelson considers why violence and gore enthrall and excite — and why cruelty is so pervasive in our culture.
Monkey See
Meet Your Friendly Neighborhood (Well, Community-Based, Anyway) Spider-Man()
August 3, 2011 As you may have heard, there's a new Spidey in town, sort of. Peter Parker: Out. In: The equally alliterative Miles Morales.
Kitchen Window
Summer Shell Game: Grilled Clams, Mussels, Shrimp()
August 3, 2011 Tucked in their natural confines and simmering in their own briny juices, these delicate meats cook up quick and delicious on the direct heat of the grill. But you may have to eat quickly, too. You can make them in dozens, yet somehow they vanish off the plate as inexorably as the last evening tide.
Crime In The City
Taking On Crime In A Racially Divided D.C.()
August 2, 2011 At 11 years old, novelist George Pelecanos witnessed the aftermath of Washington, D.C.'s 1968 race riots, and he's never forgotten it. Now he uses fictional Detective Derek Strange, one of D.C.'s first black cops, to explore the intersection of crime, race and class in the nation's capital.
Books We Like
A Melodic 'Passage' Of Mythical Proportions()
August 3, 2011 Singer-songwriter Josh Ritter's debut novel Bright's Passage reads like a protracted folk song and features many of the form's perennial motifs: Biblical names, blazing fires, ghosts in white lace and a beatific baby.
Summer Books 2011
Vote For Top-100 Science Fiction, Fantasy Titles()
August 2, 2011 To help you chart any fantastic voyages you might take this summer, NPR is assembling a list of the best science fiction and fantasy ever written. Let the voting begin!
New In Paperback
Strained Relations, Cyber Thrills, Precious Heirlooms And 'Humiliation'()
August 2, 2011 Per Petterson plumbs a mother and son's strained relationship, while William Gibson's near-future tale follows a canny businessman. In nonfiction, curator Edmund de Waal traces his family history through an heirloom collection of carvings, and Wayne Koestenbaum offers a meditation on humiliation.
You Must Read This
One Ordinary Day In One Extraordinary Life()
August 2, 2011 It's easy to become resentful when life is too mundane or throws an unsavory curveball. Author Monica Ali knows that sometimes we need to get a fresh perspective. For this she insists you read One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn.
Book Reviews
Refined Manhattan Shines With Glamorous 'Civility'()
August 2, 2011 Filled with snappy dialogue and sharp observations, Amor Towles' elegant debut novel transports readers back to New York City circa 1938.
Author Interviews
Why We Revel In Others' 'Humiliation'()
August 1, 2011 With the Internet and reality TV, humiliation has become a widespread form of entertainment. Wayne Koestenbaum, author of Humiliation, traces the many facets of this very human experience, and sociologist C.J. Pascoe describes how it can be amplified by the web.
Movie Interviews
Gang 'Interrupters' Fight Chicago's Cycle Of Violence()
August 1, 2011 Ameena Matthews is a former gang member who now works to stop retaliatory gang violence in some of Chicago's most dangerous neighborhoods. She is one of the subjects of a new documentary called The Interrupters.
