Terry Gross

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.

Book critic Stuart Klawan reviews Frank Chin's new collection of short stories, The Chinaman Pacific & Frisco R.R. Co, features what the author deems "badass" working class Chinese Americans on the West Coast. Klawans says the book is written with wild intensity and a sense of sociocultural outrage.

Lawrence of Arabia has recently been remastered, and a new 70mm print has just been released theatrically. Film critic Stephen Schiff says watching the movie as a child inspired him to become a film critic; watching it again as an adult, he's impressed by its enduring, powerful themes.

Whoopi Goldberg's one-woman show leans heavily on celebrity impersonations and a character named Fontaine -- a black man who expounds on various social issues affecting the African American community. But these monologues are often divorced from narrative context, and lose their power. Critic Laurie Stone says she's more impressed by Goldberg's action movie roles, and what her presence in movie does for black actors.

Director Michael Crichton's latest, a cop thriller called Physical Evidence, stars Burt Reynolds and Theresa Russell, who fail to breathe life into the film's clumsy script. Critic Stephen Schiff wonders if Crichton was having an out-of-body experience when he directed the movie.

Critic-at-large Laurie Stone reviews the actor and playwright's latest performance piece, about growing up and a teenage stint in a juvenile home.

Film critic Stephen Schiff says that the World War II-themed The Dressmaker masterfully follows in the European tradition of what he calls "intimate filmmaking" -- something no American director has yet been able to replicate.

Film critic Stephen Schiff says January isn't the best month for movies; screenwriter John Patrick Shanley's latest cop drama is no exception -- the January Man is so quirky that it's hard to take seriously.

Critic-at-large Laurie Stone reviews a performance of the frequent Tonight Show guest host. She says that Leno's stand-up has some social consciousness, but avoids addressing specific policies or politicians. Leno also sidesteps sexuality; when the topic does come up, Stone says Leno is lewd and misguided.