Film

Film critic John Powers reviews “Holy Smoke” the new Jane Campion film starring Harvey Kietel and Kate Winslet.

Character actor John C. Reilly. He's starred In all three of director/writer Paul Thomas Anderson's films. He played a small-time gambler In "Hard Eight," a porn star In "Boogie Nights," and a police officer In the new "Magnolia." Reilly has also worked with directors Brian DePalma ("Casualties of War") and Terrence Malik ("The Thin Red Line"). Reilly got his start In Chicago at the Goodman School of Drama and worked with the Steppenwolf theatre.

Rubin "Hurricane" Carter. In the early 60s, Carter was a top contender for the middleweight boxing crown. Then in 1967, he was convicted of three murders he did not commit. He was in prison for nearly 20 years, but continued to fight for his freedom in state and federal courts. Finally in 1985, he was found innocent and set free. We talk with Carter, and his biographer, James Hirsch, author of "Hurricane: The Miraculous Journey of Rubin Carter" (Houghton Mifflin Company). A new movie about Carter, called Hurricane, just opened.

Fresh Air film critic John Powers reviews, Magnolia, by Paul Thomas Anderson, who also made Boogie Nights.

Filmmaker Barbara Sonneborn. In her debut documentary Regret to Inform, Sonneborn weaves together the stories of widows from both sides of the American-Vietnam War. Sonneborn is a war widow herself; her husband was killed in Vietnam in 1968. Regret to Inform will air on PBS later this month. IT has already received an Academy Award Nomination for Best Documentary feature, and won the Best Director and Best Cinematography documentary awards at last year’s Sundance Film Festival.

Fresh Air film critic John Powers gives us his ten best list for the year 1999, and then picks the films from the century he'd take with him If he was stranded on a desert Island.

We feature an interview with screenwriter/director David O. Russell. His movie Three Kings is being re-released for the holiday season. His other movies include Spanking the Monkey and Flirting with Disaster.

We feature a conversation with Fresh Air film critic John Powers about this year's holiday movies. A series of new films are being released this season-- some of them featuring huge stars (like Tom Hanks in The Green Mile, and Jim Carrey in The Man on the Moon), some of them based on popular books (like Angela's Ashes, Snow Falling on Cedars, and Girl Interrupted.) John tells us about the hype, the movie trends, and his picks for the season's best films.

Director and Screenwriter Anthony Minghella. He won the Academy Award for Best Director for the 1996 film The English Patient. The movie also won the Oscar for Best Picture. His new film, The Talented Mr. Ripley opens December 25th, and stars Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Cate Blanchett. Its based on the novel by Patricia Highsmith

We feature an interview with singer/Hollywood legend Rosemary Clooney. She will talk about her life as a singer and performer. We will also listen to songs from throughout her career. Her new autobiography, called Girl Singer, reads like a who's who from the golden age of Hollywood. She has also released a CD companion to the book. Its called Songs from the Girl Singer.

Writer Alan Ball. His first feature film screenplay was for this year's critically acclaimed movie, "American Beauty." He's also creator, head writer, and executive producer of the new TV comedy "Oh Grow Up." Previously, Ball wrote for the TV shows "Grace Under Fire," and "Cybill."

Film historian Rudy Behlmer on the making of "King Kong." The original movie soundtrack for the 1933 classic film has just been reissued on CD. (Rhino) The film was directed by documentarians Merian C. Cooper and Ernest Schoedsack who also worked together on the groundbreaking documentaries, "Grass" and "Chang." The score was by Max Steiner. Behlmer wrote the liner notes for the the new CD. He's also the author of "Behind the Scenes."

Film critic John Powers reviews "The Green Mile" starring Tom Hanks.

Actor, director, writer Tim Robbins talks about his new film *The Cradle Will Rock*. It is the first film written and directed by Robbins since the Academy Award winning Dead Man Walking. The Cradle Will Rock is based on the events surrounding the production of a 1937 labor musical, directed by Orson Welles. The play was shut down by a government injunction for the cast's alleged left-wing politics. Robbins is known for his roles in such films as Shawshank Redemption, The Player, and Bull Durham.

Actress Madeline Kahn died Friday of ovarian cancer at the age of 57. We remember her with a scene from the film "Young Frankenstein."

Film Critic John Powers reviews All About My Mother, the new movie from director Pedro Almodovar.

Producer Rick Schmidlin. He's reconstructed the masterpiece 1924 silent film "Greed" by director Erich von Stroheim, which has been considered the "Holy Grail" of lost films. The American Film Institute deemed it number one on it's list of the Ten Most Wanted Lost Films. The director's first cut of the film was over nine hours long; he then cut it down to be released as a four and 1/2 hour, two-part film. However, the studio insisted on a shorter cut and the final edit was two hours. None of the original cut footage was saved.

Film writer and director Kevin Smith. His controversial new independent film "Dogma" is a comedy/parable about faith and the Catholic Church. It stars Ben Affleck, Linda Fiorentino, Alan Rickman, and George Carlin. Smith also wrote and directed the films "Clerks" and "Chasing Amy."

Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman. He stars as a drag-queen in the new movie "Flawless" which also stars Robert DeNiro. Hoffman also had parts in the films "Happiness," "Next Stop Wonderland," and "Boogie Nights."