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"Losing Isaiah" Could Have Been Great on TV

Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews the new film starring Jessica Lange. He says its focus on message over narrative makes it a poor fit for the big screen, better suited for network TV.

04:19
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Other segments from the episode on March 24, 1995

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, March 24, 1995: Interview with Samuel L. Jackson; Review of the CD box set "The Envelope Please"; Interview with Chazz Palminteri; Interview with Gary Sinise; Review of…
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15:10

Actor Samuel L. Jackson

Jackson was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Jules Winnfield in "Pulp Fiction." He also also stars in the new film "Losing Isaiah," and will be in two upcoming films "Kiss of Death" and "Die Hard With a Vengeance." We replay our 1991 interview with him, after Jackson appeared in Spike Lee's "Jungle Fever." (Rebroadcast)

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07:57

Actor Chazz Palminteri on Gangsters and the Working Man

Actor Chazz Palminteri was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Woody Allen's film "Bullets over Broadway." He got his start with a theatrical piece which he later made into the movie "A Bronx Tale." We revisit our 1994 interview with him. (Rebroadcast)

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Transcripts are created on a rush deadline, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of Fresh Air interviews and reviews are the audio recordings of each segment.

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30:29

Stephen Schiff Discusses His Latest Adventures in Hollywood.

Screenwriter Stephen Schiff talks about writing the scripts for "True Crime" and "Deep End of the Ocean."He first established his reputation as a film critic for Vanity Fair and Fresh Air. He also wrote film essays and profiles for The New Yorker. He served an unprecedented three terms as chairman of the National Society of Film Critics. His first screenplay was for the most recent film adaptation of Lolita.

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34:15

Stephen Schiff on How "Lolita" Explores the "Beastly and the Beautiful"

Fresh Air's former film critic returns to discuss writing the screenplay for the controversial film adaptation of Nabokov's "Lolita." The $58 million film inspired such controversy that distribution in the U.S. was delayed. "Lolita," directed by Adrian Lyne (Flashdance, 9 1/2 Weeks) will premiere on the Showtime cable channel August 2nd. It's just been announced that the film will be released in movie houses in September. Schiff's screenplay, "Lolita: The Book of the Film" (Applause books), will be published next month.

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52:30

Daughter of Warhol star looks back on a bohemian childhood in the Chelsea Hotel

Alexandra Auder's mother, Viva, was one of Andy Warhol's muses. Growing up in Warhol's orbit meant Auder's childhood was an unusual one. For several years, Viva, Auder and Auder's younger half-sister, Gaby Hoffmann, lived in the Chelsea Hotel in Manhattan. It was was famous for having been home to Leonard Cohen, Dylan Thomas, Virgil Thomson, and Bob Dylan, among others.

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This fake 'Jury Duty' really put James Marsden's improv chops on trial

In the series Jury Duty, a solar contractor named Ronald Gladden has agreed to participate in what he believes is a documentary about the experience of being a juror--but what Ronald doesn't know is that the whole thing is fake.

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