Reverbiage: Stories from NPR tagged 'biopic'

"Notorious" Casting For Biggie Smalls Film

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 11:13:00 EST

The anticipated biopic about slain rapper Biggie Smalls opens in January, but how did they find the right actor to play the larger-than-life figure? Also, RuPaul's holiday card features a picture of him dressed as both Barack and Michelle Obama. For the lowdown, Farai Chideya speaks with Newsweek correspondent Allison Samuels.

Benicio Del Toro On 'Guerrilla'

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 13:00:00 EST

Alex Cohen talks to Benicio Del Toro about his new film Guerrilla. It's a sprawling (and lengthy) biopic by Steven Soderbergh on the life and death of Che Guevara.

'Milk' Is Much More Than A Martyr Movie

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:22:00 EST

Film critic David Edelstein says the Harvey Milk biopic, starring Sean Penn, is one of the most heartfelt portraits of a politician ever made. "The personal and the political aren't just hand-in-hand," he says: "They dance."

'Milk' Screenwriter: Harvey Helped Me Come Out

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:56:00 EST

Sean Penn stars in Gus Van Sant's biopic about an out gay politician who inspired a community; screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, who grew up Mormon, says he was among those for whom Harvey Milk made a real difference.

Calexico At The Newport Folk Festival

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 16:54:00 EDT

Calexico played a cinematic set to the Newport Folk Festival crowd. And maybe not a surprise to anyone that knew he played the day before, but Jim James of My Morning Jacket joined Calexico on stage for "Goin' to Acapulco," the song they performed in the Bob Dylan biopic, I'm Not There.

'Walk On,' Treads on the Music-Biopic Genre

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:46:00 EDT

A few years ago, director Jake Kasdan awoke in the middle of the night with an idea that his next film would be a fake music biopic. The result was Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, starring John C. Reilly as a musician with an identity crises. Kasdan and Reilly join Fresh Air to talk about their work on the film, now out on DVD.

Oliver Stone's 'W': The NPR Interpretation

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 09:01:00 EDT

The BPP staff dramatizes the opening scene from the widely leaked script to Oliver Stone's George Bush biopic, W, which is set to start filming late this month.

Reilly and Kasdan, Having Fun with 'Walk Hard'

Tue, 25 Dec 2007 11:00:00 EST

Actor John C. Reilly and director Jake Kasdan talk about their new film, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. Kasdan woke up in the middle of the night with the concept and even the title for the spoof of music biopics. This interview was initially broadcast on Dec. 3, 2007.

Britney Spears Is So Back

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 07:40:00 EDT

Test listen new music from Britney Spears, Kanye West and the new Bob Dylan biopic.

Elizabeth's Not-So-'Golden' Sequel

Fri, 12 Oct 2007 14:58:00 EDT

Actress Cate Blanchett was a movie newcomer in 1998 when the Oscar-nominated biopic Elizabeth established her as an international star. Now, she returns to the role in Elizabeth: The Golden Age.

Idi and Me: 'The Last King of Scotland'

Wed, 27 Sep 2006 16:00:00 EDT

NPR's Bob Mondello reviews The Last King of Scotland, a biopic of Idi Amin, who is played by Forrest Whitaker. The film shows the events of the former Ugandan dictator's bloody reign through the eyes of a young Scottish doctor who finds himself thrust into Amin's inner circle.

Mary Harron and 'The Notorious Bettie Page'

Fri, 14 Apr 2006 13:00:00 EDT

Often clad in leather and stiletto heels, Bettie Page is considered one of the most popular pin-up models of all time. Alex Chadwick speaks with Mary Harron, writer and director of the new film The Notorious Bettie Page -- a biopic of the 1950s model who eventually ran into trouble posing for fetish and bondage pictures.

'Brokeback Mountain' Racks Up Oscar Nominations

Tue, 31 Jan 2006 00:00:00 EST

Nominations for Academy Awards are announced in Los Angeles. Brokeback Mountain and Munich were among the best picture nominees, while the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line was shut out. Critic Kenneth Turan discusses the nominations with John Ydstie.

'Walk the Line,' 'Brokeback' Tops at Globes

Tue, 17 Jan 2006 00:00:00 EST

The Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line and cowboy love story Brokeback Mountain won top awards at the Golden Globe Awards in Hollywood Monday night. The television drama and comedy awards went, respectively, to Lost and Desperate Housewives.

The Cash Story: 'Walk the Line'

Fri, 18 Nov 2005 00:00:00 EST

The Cash Story: 'Walk the Line' November 18, 2005 · Walk the Line is the new biopic about music icon Johnny Cash, starring Joaquin Phoenix as the "Man in Black" and Reese Witherspoon as his wife, June Carter.

Slate's Summary Judgment: 'Breakfast on Pluto,' 'Walk the Line,' 'Harry Potter'

Fri, 18 Nov 2005 00:00:00 EST

Slate contributor Mark Jordan Legan reports on what movie critics are saying about this week's new movie releases -- Breakfast on Pluto, the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the latest installment in the book-to-film series.

Slate's Summary Judgment: 'Derailed,' 'Zathura,' 'Get Rich or Die Tryin''

Fri, 11 Nov 2005 00:00:00 EST

Slate's Summary Judgment: 'Derailed,' 'Zathura,' 'Get Rich or Die Tryin'' November 11, 2005 · Slate contributor Mark Jordan Legan offers a roundup of what movie critics are saying about the weekend's new film releases: the Jennifer Aniston flick Derailed, Zathura and the Fifty Cent rap biopic Get Rich or Die Tryin'.

Andrew Wallenstein: 'See Arnold Run'

Thu, 27 Jan 2005 00:00:00 EST

Day to Day television critic Andrew Wallenstein reviews See Arnold Run, a new A&E biopic about bodybuilder, actor and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

'Aviator' an Audience-Friendly Portrayal of Hughes

Fri, 17 Dec 2004 00:00:00 EST

Hollywood is rife with film biographies this year: Ray Charles, Bobby Darin, Alexander the Great, Alfred Kinsey, and Che Guevara have all gotten the movie treatment. NPR's Bob Mondello says the one that opens Friday, the Howard Hughes biopic The Aviator, qualifies as the crowd-pleaser of the bunch.

Paying Tribute to the Comedy of Peter Sellers

Sat, 04 Dec 2004 00:00:00 EST

HBO's biopic The Life and Death of Peter Sellers debuts on the pay-cable network Sunday. Geoffrey Rush plays the great British comic. To celebrate, NPR's Scott Simon and New York Times critic Elvis Mitchell help movie fans brush up on some of Sellers' finest screen moments.

The Man Behind 'Kinsey': Filmmaker Bill Condon

Tue, 30 Nov 2004 00:00:00 EST

The new biopic Kinsey takes on the story of scientist Alfred Kinsey, who pioneered research in human sexuality in the 1940s and 1950s. For the project, director Bill Condon -- who also wrote the script -- interviewed many of the scientist's colleagues.