Film

Robert Kaplow and the Punsters return to Fresh Air with a satirical radio play about the Oscar-nominated film Dangerous Liaisons.

HBO will soon air the animated show Babar, about an elephant and his family. TV critic David Bianculli says the program joins the ranks of other recent, excellent children's programming like Shining Time Station and the Peter Pan musical. More importantly, his kids love it too.

Critic Ken Tucker reviews the Oscar-winning 1943 film, which was credited with galvanizing support for the Allies during World War II. Contrary to some contemporary attitudes toward the movie, critic Ken Tucker says Mrs. Miniver critiques, rather than celebrates, bourgeois life.

Stephen Schiff says that the sequel to Fletch is a bad movie that viewers can still enjoy once they acclimate to its pacing. Star Chevy Chase also delivers a better performance this time around, in part because he finally embraces his strengths as a character actor.

Film critic Stephen Schiff says the former Monty Python animator's latest movie, like his others, suffer from a mid-story slump. Yet it's also Gilliam's best to date, and can inspire awe in viewers of all ages.

Film critic David Bianculli says the drama China Beach and a special episode of Nightline deal with the lives of Vietnam veterans in respectful and powerful ways; both are worth watching.

Critic Stuart Klawans reviews the new Mike Leigh film, about working class people and their gentrifying London neighborhood. It's the director's first movie since the 1970s; Klawans says it was worth the wait.

Critic Ken Tucker reviews four home video releases of movies inspired by the antiwar movement. Three of them, about burgeoning romances amid student demonstrations, don't hold up. But Joe, a film that rejects hippy values, is worth watching, if only for star Peter Boyle's excellent performance.

Wise has made movies in nearly every genre, including science fiction, horror and westerns. He won an Oscar for editing Citizen Kane, and directed the film adaptation of West Side Story. He's recently come out of retirement to make the movie Rooftops, about homeless teenagers in New York City.

Nair has made a career making documentaries about social conditions in her home country of India. Her new movie, Salaam Bombay!, is her first feature. The film, about street children, won the Palme D'or at the Cannes Film Festival

Patinkin had no formal training as a singer, but he's found fame starring in musicals like Evita and Sunday in the Park with George. He's also appeared in the films Yentl, Ragtime, and The Princess Bride, among others. Patinkin has a new self-titled album of songs from the stage and screen.

Reiner is a prolific director of comedy films. A frequent collaborator with Mel Brooks, he started in the theater and later television, where he began his career as a writer on the program Your Show of Shows. His latest movie, inspired by classic Hollywood musicals, is called Bert Rigby, You're a Fool.

Stuart Klawans reviews the new movie, which features a trio of shorter films directed by Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen, and Francis Coppola. Klawans says the efforts of the first two directors are fantastic, but viewers can step out into the lobby for Coppola's contribution.

Reed recently played a campaign manager in the HBO political satire Tanner '88. Now she stars as a struggling single mother and radio journalist in the film Rachel River. She joins Fresh Air to talk about the politics of nudity in film and the kinds of roles available to women.

The 1967 film Point Blank, directed by John Moorman, never found a wide audience in the U.S. Critic Ken Tucker says the crime thriller was a success nonetheless, with a brutal, fast-moving style and a directorial vision never recaptured in Moorman's later work.

Walas created the often bloody special effects for movies like Raiders of the Lost Ark, Scanners, and Gremlins. He recently directed The Fly 2 -- fulfilling his lifelong goal to make his own film. He joins Fresh Air to talk about some of his most memorable, macabre work.

True Believer, starring James Woods and Robert Downey, Jr., is a legal drama about the fall of 1960s idealism during the Reagan years. Film critic Stephen Schiff says it's voluptuous and honest.

Ruben's new movie is called True Believers, and stars James Woods and Robert Downey, Jr. He joins Fresh Air to talk about how he cast the film, and the logistics of using real prisoners as extras.

Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews the new, gauzy picture by Joel Schumacher, and starring Ted Danson and Isabella Rossellini. He says the movie, a remake of a French film, has all the tired trappings of other romances, but the acting is better than he expected.

Dante started making trailers for B movies produced by Roger Corman. He has since become a mainstream Hollywood director. His films include The Howling, Innerspace, Gremlins, and his newest, The Burbs, starring Tom Hanks.