Arts & Life

Stalin's Dead and Red in The Death of Stalin. L to R: Dermot Crowley as Kaganovich; Paul Whitehouse as Mikoyan; Steve Buscemi as Krushchev; Jeffrey Tambor as Malenkov; Paul Chahidi as Bulganin.

Arts

Iannucci's 'The Death Of Stalin': Amid Chaos, Great Energy

10:05pm March 08, 2018

by Ella Taylor

Armando Iannucci directs this lacerating, frenetic dissection of the power vacuum left by Stalin's death. The director "never overtly winks at current parallels East or West. He doesn't have to."

Mattel Introduces 17 'Shero' Barbies To Celebrate International Women's Day

5:22pm March 08, 2018

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Aisha Sultan about the new Barbie dolls Mattel made to mark International Women's Day. The special series celebrates famous women including NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson and artist Frida Kahlo.

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Harold Soyinka (David Oyelowo) finds himself in some unexpected trouble on his business trip to Mexico in Gringo.

Arts

A Good Man's Moral Compass Points South-Of-The-Border In 'Gringo'

5:01pm March 08, 2018

by Chris Klimek

Though it traffics in broad stereotypes, several funny performances nearly salvage this satiric tale of a faked kidnapping, greedy executives and dim-bulb criminals.

Lily (Anya Taylor-Jo, L) and Amanda (Olivia Cooke, R) hatch a plot to kill a troublesome step-father in Thoroughbreds.

Arts

Tense, Stylish 'Thoroughbreds' Earns Place In Winner's Circle

5:01pm March 08, 2018

by Andrew Lapin

Murder Most Foal: Two teenage girls — a champion horseback rider and a fashionable boarding school student — plan a bloody deed in this "blistering new comic thriller."

Arts

'A Wrinkle In Time' Will Delight Target Audience That Doesn't Have Too Many Wrinkles

4:59pm March 08, 2018

by Bob Mondello

NPR's movie critic Bob Mondello discusses the star-studded film adaptation of A Wrinkle In Time, the sci-fi fantasy novel about light and darkness, time and tesseracts.

Arts

Remembering Barry Crimmins, A Comic Who Advocated For Survivors Of Sexual Abuse

2:35pm March 08, 2018

by Terry Gross

Crimmins, who died last week, mentored Bobcat Goldthwait when they were up-and-coming comics in the '80s. The two men spoke to Fresh Air in 2015 about their documentary Call Me Lucky.

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Arts

'Jessica Jones' Returns, Her Rage Especially Resonant In The #MeToo Era

2:35pm March 08, 2018

by David Bianculli

Netflix's drama about a woman who rebels against conformity and power structures returns for a second season on Thursday. Critic David Bianculli says Jessica Jones "transcends the superhero genre."

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On The Road To Women's Rights, Susan B. Anthony Stomached Plenty Of Bad Food

1:26pm March 08, 2018

by Nina Martyris

For 45 years, Anthony traveled the U.S. relentlessly, stumping for women's rights. She endured ridicule, was hanged in effigy and faced many horrid meals on the road. Nevertheless, she persisted.

With the cameras rolling, President Trump meets with lawmakers to discuss school and community safety on Feb. 28.

In The White House Cabinet Room, Parallels To 'The Apprentice' Boardroom

11:56am March 08, 2018

by Tamara Keith

A former producer says he feels for White House advisers watching as President Trump goes off script in televised Cabinet Room listening sessions, much as he did on the reality show.

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Armando Iannucci at the Los Angeles premiere of The Death of Stalin.

Arts

If It's Awkward, 'My Instinct Is To Make Fun Of It,' Says Armando Iannucci

8:14am March 08, 2018

by Mandalit del Barco

The Scottish satirist's new movie, The Death of Stalin, spoofs the way the dictator's lackeys jostled each other after his death — all part of a lifetime of mocking the pompous and powerful.

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