Film

Johnny Depp stars in Tim Burton's feature-film adaptation of the cult Gothic soap opera Dark Shadows, about an 18th-century vampire transplanted to the 1970s. Critic and longtime Dark Shadows fan David Edelstein says the camp sendup of the show is lifeless and unfunny.

Rhapsody in Blue, a 1945 film version of the life of George Gershwin, is out for the first time on DVD. Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz says it's a fascinating mixture of real facts, pure invention and memorable musical moments.

In Joss Whedon's The Avengers, Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor and Captain America unite in what, on the basis of advance ticket sales, promises to be one of the biggest blockbusters of the summer. Critic David Edelstein says the movie's a blast -- and one that will let fanboys geek thoroughly out.

The actress's film career has spanned more than four decades. She recounts some of her favorite memories from the sets of movies such as Coal Miner's Daughter, Badlands and Carrie in a new memoir, My Extraordinary Ordinary Life.

The romantic comedy The Five-Year Engagement reunites writer-director Nicholas Stoller and Jason Segel, who made Forgetting Sarah Marshall and The Muppets together. This time, Segel and Emily Blunt play a couple whose relationship is tested by a major relocation.

Actor Jack Black plays a kindly, small-town funeral director who murders a wealthy millionaire in the new film Bernie.

Filmmaker Alastair Fothergill spent three years in Western Africa, following a group of wild chimps. His Disneynature film Chimpanzee showcases a baby chimp named Oscar and the relationships he develops within his clan.

The Farrelly brothers' new film reimagines Moe, Curly and Larry in the present day, but retains the Stooges' trademark slapstick humor and sound effects. "We tried to keep it looking exactly like the Stooges did it," says Peter Farrelly.

The French Canadian film was one of five nominees for last year's Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It's now opening in theaters around the country. It's about a sixth-grade teacher who struggles to connect with students in a Montreal school following a terrible event. (Recommended)

Director Fernando Trueba talks about his Oscar-nominated animated film Chico and Rita, which follows a pair of lovers who leave Havana's music scene in the 1940s to head to New York City.

Terence Davies' newest film is a free adaptation of Terence Rattigan's play The Deep Blue Sea, starring Rachel Weisz as a woman who leaves her older, aristocratic husband for a young and penniless ex-officer. (Recommended)

Day started singing and dancing when she was a teenager, and made her first film at 24. After nearly 40 movies, she walked away from that part of her life in 1968, and started rescuing and caring for animals. Here, she speaks to Terry Gross in a lengthy interview about her career in film and music.

Banjo player Earl Scruggs, who helped shape the sound of American bluegrass music, died Wednesday. He was 88 years old. Fresh Air remembers Scruggs with excerpts from an interview.

Suzanne Collins' best-seller about a televised killing tournament has come to the big screen, with a cast that includes Jennifer Lawrence, Lenny Kravitz and Stanley Tucci.

The 1993 documentary The War Room, which offered a verity look behind the scenes of Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign, has just been released on Criterion Blue-ray and DVD. Critic-at-large John Powers explains why the film was revelatory -- and why it could never be made today.

Film critic David Edelstein reviews the new comedy Casa de mi Padre, starring Will Ferrell. It's a Spanish-language American film created in the style of a telenovela.

In Friends with Kids, Adam Scott and Jennifer Westfeldt play two best friends who decide to have a baby together while keeping their relationship platonic -- so the baby doesn't interfere with their romantic lives. Critic David Edelstein say the film is simply marvelous.

The HBO made-for-TV movie, which focuses on John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate in the 2008 election, has already been attacked by conservative groups. But TV critic David Bianculli says the movie is fair -- and balanced.

The animated feature, Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, is based on the classic Dr. Seuss environmentally themed children's book and stars the voices of Ed Helms, Danny DeVito and Zac Efron. Critic David Edelstein says the movie is by far the best Seuss adaptation.