NEWSHOUR CANVAS - At the Movies "The Mauritanian"

"‘The Mauritanian’ explores torture, abuse of former prisoner at Guantanamo Bay" PBS NewsHour 3/30/2021

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SUMMARY:  The military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, took its first 20 detainees in 2002.  Despite various calls to shutter it, it still stands almost twenty years later.  A new movie now tells the story of Mohamedou Slahi, who spent 14 years within its walls, suffering abuse, even though he was never charged.  Amna Nawaz takes a look at "The Mauritanian" for our arts and culture series, CANVAS.

AT THE MOVIES - "Minari"

"Rarely portrayed in popular culture, ‘Minari’ follows story of a Korean American family" PBS NewsHour 3/15/2021

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SUMMARY:  A new film called “Minari” is an immigrant tale rarely portrayed.  It features a Korean family in rural Arkansas, and it's already received major recognition, including a Golden Globe Award.  Jeffrey Brown has the story of our arts and culture series, "CANVAS."

PBS NEWSHOUR CANVAS - One Night in Miami

"Regina King’s first film captures a historical moment behind closed doors" PBS NewsHour 1/29/2021

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SUMMARY:  In her directorial debut, renowned actor Regina King's new film explores a 1960s gathering of four famous friends -- Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Jim Brown and Sam Cooke, who debated their work and responsibilities as Black men.  Jeffrey Brown takes a look at “One Night in Miami"[trailer] as part of our ongoing arts and culture series, "CANVAS."

AT THE MOVIES - "The Report"

"What new film ‘The Report’ says about the CIA and post-9/11 torture tactics" PBS NewsHour 11/29/2019

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SUMMARY:  Five years ago, a report was released on the torture tactics used against suspects of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.  Now, that investigation is the subject of a new film, “The Report.”  Jeffrey Brown speaks with director Scott Z. Burns about why he thought the controversial topic could be made into a movie.

BRAD PITT - Every Film Needs Some Champion

"Brad Pitt on turning undertold stories into movies: ‘Every film needs some champion’" PBS NewsHour 9/23/2019

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SUMMARY:  As one of the world's biggest and best-known movie stars, Brad Pitt is spending as much time helping get films made as he is acting.  His latest project, "Ad Astra," (trailer link) is about a journey to the far reaches of the solar system, as well as the journey inward for a tortured soul.  Pitt sits down with Jeffrey Brown to discuss his career, and why he helps make movies when he’s not the star.

AT THE MOVIES - This Summer

"Which movies to see in the theater this summer" PBS NewsHour 6/11/2019

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SUMMARY:  This summer, movie screens will feature a variety of long-awaited blockbusters, sequels and reboots, such as "Toy Story 4" and the live-action version of "The Lion King."  But there will also be documentaries, independents and directorial debuts.  Jeffrey Brown speaks to Ann Hornaday, The Washington Post’s chief film critic, about her favorites and how much the summer season matters to studios.

AT THE MOVIES - Avengers Endgame Clip

“Hulk Out” Exclusive Clip

OSCARS - Regina King, 'If Beale Street Could Talk' Best Actress

"Oscar nominee Regina King says ‘Beale Street’ a reminder of black resilience" PBS NewsHour 2/15/2019

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SUMMARY:  Set in New York City in the 1970s, “If Beale Street Could Talk” is the film adaptation of a James Baldwin novel about Tish and Fonny, a devoted young couple almost torn apart by racism and wrongful imprisonment.  Jeffrey Brown sits down with actress Regina King to discuss her Oscar-nominated performance as Tish's mother in the film, pledging to work with women and the hardest thing about parenting.

OSCARS - 'Black Panther' Nominated Costume Designer

"How ‘Black Panther’ costume designer found inspiration worthy of a superhero" PBS NewsHour 2/13/2019

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SUMMARY:  When it comes to movies, we tend to focus on actors and directors.  But many other factors help determine whether a film resonates with audiences.  In commercial and critical blockbuster “Black Panther,” for example, superhero suits recall actual African heritage.  Jeffrey Brown talks to Ruth Carter, the movie’s Oscar-nominated Costume Designer, about finding inspiration and serving as an example.

OSCARS - 'Vice' Nomination

"Oscar-nominated ‘Vice’ is a character study on the quest for power" PBS NewsHour 2/11/2019

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SUMMARY:  Part comedy, part tragedy, the Oscar-nominated movie "Vice" is all raw politics.  The film paints a portrait of former Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife, Lynne.  Jeffrey Brown sits down with director Adam McKay and star Amy Adams to discuss how they approached portraying the couple and how the film fits into the current political climate.

'Vice' Official Trailer (2018)

AT THE MOVIES - "Widows"

"Why ‘Widows’ isn’t just another heist movie" PBS NewsHour 11/16/2018

WOW:  Note the cast (see trailer).

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SUMMARY:  The new fall film “Widows” looks like a heist movie, featuring plenty of star power, thrilling plot twists and explosions, as the widows of four armed robbers band together to finish the job their late husbands’ began.  But director Steve McQueen wanted more than tired tropes.  He explains to Jeffrey Brown how he stimulates his audience with a perspective that breaks from ordinary convention.

AT THE MOVIES - "The Hate U Give"

"‘The Hate U Give’ tackles race, policing and a teen girl’s two worlds" PBS NewsHour 10/12/2018

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SUMMARY:  In “The Hate U Give,” Amandla Stenberg plays teen Starr Carter who witnesses a white officer kill her best friend.  Carter struggles to grieve and find her voice while navigating her poor, mostly black neighborhood and her mostly white prep school.  Jeffrey Brown talks to Stenberg, director George Tillman Jr. and author Angie Thomas who wrote the best-selling book on which the film is based.

FILM LEGENDS - Robert Redford, Sissy Spacek

"Film legends Robert Redford and Sissy Spacek on aging gracefully on-screen" PBS NewsHour 9/21/2018

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SUMMARY:  In "The Old Man and The Gun," Robert Redford is a charming, well-dressed and friendly old guy -- who just happens to be a bank robber.  He and co-star Sissy Spacek join Jeffrey Brown for a conversation about their first time acting together, the benefits of aging, and the joy of being swept up in a scene.

AT THE MOVIES - "Eighth Grade"

"‘Eighth Grade’ captures our need to connect" PBS NewsHour 8/3/2018

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SUMMARY:  Following a week in the life of a middle schooler, the new film "Eighth Grade" sets the familiar fumblings of adolescence against the constant glare of a glowing screen or Snapchat filter.  Jeffrey Brown takes a look at why it’s drawing strong critical praise for its raw portrayal of the challenges of being a teenager in the digital age.

AT THE MOVIES - "Wrinkle in Time"

"How ‘Wrinkle in Time’ director Ava DuVernay is breaking down walls in Hollywood" PBS NewsHour 3/9/2018

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SUMMARY:  Known to millions of readers, Madeleine L'Engle's beloved fantasy book "A Wrinkle in Time" is breaking into a new dimension, as a big-budget Disney film.  Director Ava DuVernay is the first African-American woman to lead a $100 million film production, and is actively working to change the culture of Hollywood.  Jeffrey Brown reports.

"A Wrinkle in Time" Official US Trailer

AT THE MOVIES - Jackie Chan 2017

A father's child is killed in an IRA attack in London.
The rouge IRA cell made a very, very fetal mistake.

SUBTITLE:  "Never push a good man too far."


OUTSTANDING movie!

OSCARS 2018 - My Favorites

"The Shape of Water"
Best Picture




"Blade Runner 2049"
Best cinematography - Roger Deakins
Best visual effects - John Nelson, Gerd Nefzer, Paul Lambert and Richard R. Hoover




The classic "Blade Runner" (1982)
Which I love.

AT THE MOVIES - 'Black Panther'

"In ‘Black Panther,’ an African superhero shatters the Hollywood status quo" PBS NewsHour 2/16/2018

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SUMMARY:  "Black Panther" isn't just a big-budget action movie getting rave reviews; it's a full-fledged cultural phenomenon.  Unlike other movies in the Marvel  [Comics] universe, it has an African superhero, a majority-black cast, and an African-American director.  Jeffrey Brown reports on the many ways the movie, which debuts Friday, is generating excitement and inspiration.

AT THE MOVIES - "The Post" vs Power

Documents an example of opposing power, similar to opposing Trump's media war.

"How ‘The Post’ stood up to the power of the Presidency" PBS NewsHour 1/22/2018

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SUMMARY:  In the film "The Post," editor Ben Bradlee and publisher Katharine Graham must obtain the Pentagon Papers and then decide whether to defy a court order by publishing the classified history of the Vietnam War.  A story about a consequential moment in American history, press freedom and national security, it's also about Graham finding her way in a male-dominated world.  Jeffrey Brown reports.

AT THE MOVIES - Unforgettable Films

"The unforgettable films of 2017" PBS NewsHour 12/15/2017

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SUMMARY:  A Winston Churchill biopic, a horror film about American society and racism, a mother-daughter coming of age story.  Mike Sargent of WBAI and Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post share some of their favorite movies of the year with Jeffrey Brown.