Mark Danner, frequent contributor to the New York Review of Books and author of Torture and Truth: America, Abu Ghraib, and the War on Terror, and A.O. Scott, New York Times chief film critic, discuss the film, the controversial torture scenes, and the experience of watching a film based on the recent past.

Antonio Mendez, former CIA technical operations officer, author of Argo: How the CIA and Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History, and A. O. Scott, chief film critic at The New York Times, discuss the events depicted in the new movie "Argo" and Mendez’s role in it.

 

A.O. Scott, chief film critic of The New York Times, and Dana Stevens, Slate's film critic and co-host of Slate's "Culture Gabfest," compare notes on this year's Oscar nominations (just released this morning), and discuss recent changes in the requirements for best documentary.

Bruce Springsteen released his album "The Rising" less than a year after the September 11 attacks. We look back at that powerful - and hopeful - album with New York Times film critic A.O. Scott.

Happy 70th, Bob Dylan! Well, almost. Here in New York, the Film Forum movie theater is celebrating the troubadour's upcoming birthday with a double feature of two films that celebrate a younger Dylan: the 1967 documentary “Don’t Look Back” and “The Other Side of the Mirror,” a compilation of Dylan’s appearances at the Newport Folk Festival. New York Times film critic A.O. Scott recently took in both movies and joins us to share his reaction.

The reviews for Franco and Hathaway as Oscar hosts are decidedly mixed. A.O. Scott, chief film critic for the New York Times, recaps last night's Academy Awards ceremony.

What were your highlights? Lowlights? Surprises? Let us know!

A.O. Scott, chief film critic for the New York Times, and Dana Stevens, film critic and co-host of Culture Gabfest  for Slate.com, review today's Oscar nominations.

Listeners: Who got snubbed? What movie, actor, or director should have gotten nominated but didn't. Call in or comment here!

One way to beat the heat wave: escape to a dark and cool movie theater.  A.O. Scott, chief film critic for the New York Times, reviews recently released and upcoming summer films - and talks about the nature of reviews.

Tell us what you've seen, what you liked, and what you're looking forward to in this season's summer films. What are your favorite and least favorite summer movies this year?

Today, a new movie called "The Kids are All Right" hits theaters, and for A.O. Scott, film critic from The New York Times, it inspired him to ask: “are the kids REALLY all right?”

In a new article called “They Grow Up So Quickly, Don’t They?”, he looks at this summer’s new releases that speak to the state of childhood and adolescence and family today.

On Tuesday, the oft-thanked Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will announce this year's Oscar nominations, and for the first time since 1943 there will be ten nominees for Best Picture, instead of five. How will the increased number of films affect the Best Picture race? And what movies won't be nominated, despite the wider playing field?

• Business Takeout: New York Times reporter Louise Story assesses the financial implications of Oprah's departure from ABC.
  
• Listener Takeout: Listeners tell us whether they'll fall prey to the tactics of luxury retailers this holiday season.
• Movie Takeout: New York Times film critic A.O. Scott tells us about the new movies out this weekend.
  

"The Twilight Saga: New Moon" hits movie theaters today, and fanatic teenage girls all over the country are making the film a phenomenon before it even opens. Takeaway contributor and New York Times movie critic A.O. Scott, our middle-aged reviewer who liked the movie, explains what all the fuss is about.

Click through to watch a trailer.

• Washington Takeout: Our Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich on a new report from the Business Roundtable, touted by Senate Democrats, that suggests health care costs will skyrocket without reform.
• Movies Takeout: New York Times film critic A.O. Scott previews this weekend's big releases: "2012" and "Fantastic Mr. Fox," but eschews "Pirate Radio."
• Listener Takeout: Listeners tell us why they think China will rule the world.

A.O. Scott has been covering film for The New York Times for 10 years; he joins us to look back on what's captured audiences and critics to define the first filmic decade of the 21st Century. He says the most memorable moments were often completely unpredictable. See where "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," "There Will Be Blood" and "The Minority Report" fit into Scott's look back on a decade of film criticsm.

[The trailer for the new Cohen Brothers' movie, "A Serious Man"]

It's a good weekend to go to the movies, according to The New York Time's film critic (and co-host of "At the Movies") A.O. Scott and Newsday's Rafer Guzman. They review "Zombieland," which stars Woody Harrelson; Drew Barrymore's directorial debut, "Whip It"; Michael Moore's "Capitalism: A Love Story"; Ricky Gervais' "The Invention of Lying"; and The Coen Brothers' latest, "A Serious Man."

(Click through to see trailers for all these movies.)

The Takeaway talks to two movie critics about the anti-blockbuster movies of the summer, particularly foreign films. We talk about the British film "In the Loop," described as a combination of the West Wing and The Office, and "A Woman in Berlin," about a rape victim during the Red Army occupation. The two film critics joining The Takeaway this morning are A. O. Scott, film critic for The New York Times, and Wesley Morris, film critic for the Boston Globe.

Watch the trailer for In the Loop below.



And here's the trailer for A Woman in Berlin.

Sasha Baron Cohen's latest feature film Bruno opens in theaters nationwide today. The film follows a gay Austrian fashion reporter who travels the world flaunting his homosexuality and his naivete, annoying people and eliciting their offensive—and often funny—reactions. New York Times film critic A.O. Scott joins The Takeaway with his review.

For more, read A.O. Scott's review of Bruno, Teutonic Fashion Plate Flaunts His Umlauts, in The New York Times.

To listen to our conversation with GLAAD's Rashad Robinson and Alfons Haider, the openly-gay Austrian television host (who Bruno might be based on), click here.

Watch a clip from the movie below.

For movie buffs everywhere, summer means one thing: Blockbusters! New York Times film critic A.O. Scott joins The Takeaway with a quick look at the summer's best bets. Above is the trailer for Scott's number one pic, The Hurt Locker. Below is the trailer for Public Enemies.

The latest summer blockbuster, which opens today, features a train in a starring role. It’s a remake of the 1974 film "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three," which starred Walter Matthau and the New York City subway. The New York Times film critic A.O. Scott offers his takeaway on the 2009 remake of "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3." (This one stars Denzel Washington and John Travolta.)

Watch the trailer for the 2009 take on "Pelham" below.

For months, if not years, the plight of the newspaper industry has been well documented. We've certainly covered it on numerous occasions. Circulation is down, reporters are being laid off, papers are being merged. So why is the life of the hard boiled, gritty, grizzled and determined journalist still so intriguing? Two films out now, The State of Play and The Soloist, have newspaper reporters as the central figures. Hollywood is still depicting newspapers as heroes on screen in a year when the industry's struggles have come to a full boil. The Takeaway is joined by New York Times film critic A.O. Scott to ask if these films are suddenly an anachronism.

State of Play opened in theaters last week:



The Soloist opens this weekend: