John Powers

John Powers appears in the following:

'Risk' Is A Messy, Ambitious Portrait Of WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange

Friday, May 05, 2017

Laura Poitras began filming the man known for cyber-releasing classified documents in 2011. Critic John Powers says the resulting documentary is an intimate take on an enigmatic rebel.

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An Insignificant Hustler Yearns To Be A Big-Time Operator In The Ironic 'Norman'

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Israeli filmmaker Joseph Cedar centers his new movie on a wannabe dealmaker, played by Richard Gere. Critic John Powers calls Norman a mordantly funny drama with a "dazzlingly revelatory" ending.

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'Tell Me How It Ends' Offers A Moving, Humane Portrait Of Child Migrants

Thursday, April 06, 2017

Valeria Luiselli's new book is based on her experiences working as an interpreter for Central American child migrants seeking entry to the U.S. Critic John Powers calls it "fair minded and expansive."

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'My Favorite Thing Is Monsters' Is A Dazzling, Graphic Novel Tour-De-Force

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Set amid the political swirl of late '60s Chicago, Emil Ferris' graphic novel debut reflects on race, class, gender and the holocaust. Critic John Powers says readers won't want to put it down.

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Ode To The Street Cat: 'Kedi' Follows Istanbul's Famous Felines

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

The new documentary by filmmaker Ceyda Torun focuses on seven cats as they make their way around the Turkish city. Critic John Powers calls Kedi a "pleasurable refuge from our daily cares."

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Taut, Moving 'Black Girl' Helped Put African Cinema On The Map

Friday, February 10, 2017

Fifty years after its debut, a restored version of Senegalese director Ousmane Sembène's first film is now available. John Powers says Black Girl feels "as timely today as it did half a century ago."

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'20th Century Women' Mixes Comedy With Disappointment And Loss

Thursday, January 12, 2017

Set in 1979 Santa Barbara, Mike Mills' new film is the story of a teenage boy and the three women who teach him about life. Critic John Powers calls it an "amusing, deeply-felt work."

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A Critic's Year-End 'Ghost File': Books, Movies And TV Shows He Didn't Review

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Every year, Fresh Air critic John Powers is haunted by all the terrific things he didn't get a chance to talk about on air. As 2016 winds down, he "un-haunts" himself with these six recommendations.

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2 New Works Confront The Refugee Crisis With Empathy And Humanity

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Critic John Powers discusses the Italian documentary, Fire at Sea, and the novel, These Are the Names. The works take very different — but nonetheless poignant — approaches to the refugee situation.

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Feminist Western 'Certain Women' Takes On Friendship And Stoicism

Tuesday, November 08, 2016

Kelly Reichardt presents the interlocking lives of several Montana women in her new film, Certain Women. Critic John Powers calls it a work of "quiet restraint and unhurried rhythm."

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'13th' Maps The Road From Slavery To Mass Incarceration

Friday, October 21, 2016

Ava DuVernay's new film takes its name from the amendment that abolished slavery, but allowed for prisoner servitude. Critic John Powers says 13th puts forth a searing interpretation of U.S. history.

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Old West Gunslinging Meets Futuristic Androids In HBO's 'Westworld'

Thursday, September 29, 2016

HBO's latest series is a high-tech theme park, whose visitors get to live out their wildest dreams of being in the Old West. Critic John Powers calls Westworld an "unexpectedly resonant show."

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Kiefer Sutherland Takes Over The Oval Office As The 'Designated Survivor'

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Sutherland plays a Cabinet member who becomes president after an explosion takes out the U.S. Capitol — and everyone above him in the pecking order. Critic John Powers has a review.

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'War Dogs' Puts A Satirical Spin On The Business Of War

Friday, August 19, 2016

Todd Phillips' new comedy, which is loosely based on a true story, follows two 20-somethings from Miami who become international arms dealers. Critic John Powers calls War Dogs "jauntily enjoyable."

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Dystopian Novel Challenges Misogyny As 'The Natural Way Of Things'

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Charlotte Wood's short, gripping book focuses on 10 women who have been sent to a prison camp after various sex scandals. Critic John Powers calls The Natural Way of Things a ferocious novel.

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'Zero Days' Documentary Exposes A Looming Threat Of The Digital Age

Monday, July 18, 2016

Filmmaker Alex Gibney's new documentary focuses on the large-scale implications of computer malware. Critic John Powers calls Zero Days an important — and chilling — film.

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2 Brilliantly Written Novels From Mexico Head Up A Wave Of Literary Talent

Monday, July 11, 2016

Critic John Powers says there's a boom in good fiction emerging from Mexico. He recommends Among Strange Victims, by Daniel Saldaña París, and The Transmigration of Bodies, by Yuri Herrera.

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'The Witness' Exposes The Myths, Misconceptions Of Kitty Genovese's Murder

Thursday, June 16, 2016

A new documentary revisits Genovese's 1964 murder and the 38 bystanders who allegedly did nothing to stop it. Critic John Powers says the film is "a useful moral corrective" to the popular narrative.

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An Emotional Storm Breaks In Paradise In 'A Bigger Splash'

Monday, May 16, 2016

An aging rock star's respite in the Mediterranean is interrupted by an old lover in A Bigger Splash. John Powers calls the film, which stars Tilda Swinton and Ralph Fiennes, a "gripping slow-burn."

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A Thrilling TV Adaptation Of John Le Carré's 'Night Manager'

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Le Carré's 1993 novel comes to life in a six-part AMC series. John Powers says the show, which jets from Egyptian streets to posh Alpine lodges, is one of the most enjoyable thrillers he's seen on TV.

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