The Frame

To make "Of Fathers and Sons", documentary filmmaker Talal Derki put his life on the line when he embedded with a Syrian terrorist grooming his sons for Jihad; an art installation at The Broad museum in downtown LA is a tribute to American liberalism; and what to watch on TV over Thanksgiving weekend.

The actor plays a nightclub bouncer who is hired to drive a black pianist (Mahershala Ali) through the segregated South; director Steve McQueen directs "Widows," a heist film with a twist.

The director had the unenviable task of making sure Melissa McCarthy was an unsympathetic character in the new movie; Disney's challenge to promote princesses in a changing culture.

For "Roma," filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón meticulously recreated his childhood home and cast lookalikes to play his family, his nanny and his neighbors. He tells John Horn about mining his and others' memories to tell the collective story of his family and his nanny from one tumultuous year in the early 1970's.

José James pays tribute to singer/songwriter Bill Withers with his new album "Lean on Me."

The acclaimed actor takes on the role of the iconic artist in "At Eternity's Gate."

The British actress plays war correspondent Marie Colvin, who died in 2012 while reporting in Syria.

The comic book icon died today at the age of 95. Bob Batchelor, author of "Stan Lee: The Man Behind Marvel," weighs in on Lee's influence; singer/songwriter Mary Gauthier collaborated with military veterans for her album, "Rifles and Rosary Beads."

New York Times pop music critic Jon Pareles on the elaborate 50th anniversary re-issue of the landmark album; Drew Love and Dante Jones are making noise as the hip-hop duo known as They; the Spanish singer Rosalía is updating flamenco.

Susan Rogers talks about being Prince's studio engineer for several years in the 1980s; a landmark L.A. music story fights to stay afloat; on the road with California Poet Laureate Dana Gioia.

The Marley family has launched a line of marijuana products to be distributed at dispensaries around the country; Catherine Opie shows a wide range of her work in three current L.A. exhibitions; John Horn and Kyle Buchanan assess the Academy Awards campaign season.

"The Hateful Eight" came along at the right time for Jennifer Jason Leigh, and won her an Oscar nomination; the infamous freeway chase was diligently re-created for "American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson"; things are getting slightly better for female characters in movies, but only slightly.

“The Big Short” was originally to be released this year, but writer-director Adam McKay pushed it up and the result is five Oscar nominations; "Daily Show" Samantha Bee made a strong debut with her new late night show; with the primaries in full swing, which candidates are getting support from Hollywood?

The McFerrins recently performed their first-ever full concert together, and the father-and-son spoke about it after the show; Beyoncé surprised her fans with a new song and video that quickly dominated the cultural conversation; Big Freedia is the Big Easy's queen of bounce music.

After making three films with Joel and Ethan Coen, Josh Brolin says he still sometimes can't figure out their cryptic directing; the artists who installed a teahouse in Griffith Park last year are now transforming a downtown L.A. alley for one day; the Sundance Film Festival's commitment to inclusion has become a beacon for filmmakers such as Jason Lew.

The latest offbeat comedy from Jonathan Krisel is "Baskets," which stars Zach Galifianakis as a struggling clown; virtual reality projects had a huge presence at this year's Sundance Film Festival; "Kung Fu Panda 3" is the first big studio film to screen in English and a Chinese language in the U.S.

Larry Karaszewski and Scott Alexander, creators of "The People v. O.J. Simpson," talk about finding new ways to tell the familiar story; Slate TV critic Willa Paskin on why viewers are ignoring Trevor Noah; Drake's use of "Hotline Bling" for a phone ad was inevitable.

Brian Oakes tells the story of his childhood friend who became a conflict journalist in "Jim: The James Foley Story"; Mark Mangini made a battle truck sound like a living beast in "Mad Max: Fury Road"; residents of Leimert Park and Montebello connect in "Through the Looking Glass."

Elba's trophy for best supporting actor in "Beasts of No Nation" rekindles debate over his Academy Award snub; James Schamus used to buy films at Sundance as the head of Focus Features, but this year he was there with his directorial debut.

It's a new chapter in U.S.-Chinese relations — cinematically speaking. “Kung Fu Panda 3” opened simultaneously here and in China, thanks to a partnership between DreamWorks and its partners there; writer-director Sian Heder's feature debut was inspired by her experiences as a nanny.

A powerful documentary about the aftermath of the 2012 school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut premiered at the Sundance Film Festival; Rihanna's new album had a surprise (or maybe not?) release this week; the L.A. Art Fair aims to be the nexus for art from the Pacific Rim.

Nate Parker spent seven years making "The Birth of a Nation," and his efforts paid off as the breakout hit at the Sundance Film Festival; prominent comedians take to the stage to benefit Bernie Sanders' campaign; Larry Klein's work with Joni Mitchell made him a go-to producer for a wide variety of singers.