The Frame

You know him from comedies like "Beverly Hills Cop" and "The Nutty Professor," but Eddie Murphy's return to the big screen is the dramatic lead role in “Mr. Church"; Vulture.com senior editor Kyle Buchanan tells us what's hot at the Toronto Film Festival, which kicks off today; Filmmaker Ryan Suffern on his new doc, "Finding Oscar," about the aftermath of the civil war in Guatemala.

"Moonlight" director Barry Jenkins adapted the script for his new movie from a Tarell McCraney play, but it's a truly personal story for him. The movie is set in the Miami neighborhood where both he and McCraney grew up and borrows from both men's biographies; A new USC study looks at 800 Hollywood films and finds the same old thing — a lack of diversity both on and off the screen.

Eastwood directs Hanks in the story of the airline pilot who safely landed his damaged plane in the Hudson River with 155 people onboard; the three-day electronic music festival at the San Manuel Amphitheater saw hundreds of arrests, mostly for drug possession or being under the influence.

The new boxing drama "Bleed For This" tells the real life story of Vinny Pazienza's rise in the boxing world, and how a car accident nearly paralyzed him. The film made its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival.

Amy Adams is at the 43rd Telluride Film Festival for the North American premiere of her movie “Arrival." She's also being honored by the festival for her body of work. This Q&A was recorded in front of an audience and covers a wide range of topics, from how she got started doing dinner theater and her early years struggling in L.A., to her recent run of successful movies like "American Hustle" and "Her."

Casey Affleck is at the Telluride Film Festival for his new drama, "Manchester By The Sea" and a career tribute for his more than twenty years of acting. He had a live Q&A with The Frame's John Horn in which he reflected on a time when he was disillusioned with acting. He also talked about his creative partnerships with directors Gus Van Sant and Kenneth Lonergan and actors Rooney Mara, Christian Bale, and his longtime friend Joaquin Phoenix.

As part of NPR's "A Nation Engaged," project we look at America's changing role as the world's leading exporter of pop culture; David Schwartz writes wacky music for Maria Bamford’s wacky show, “Lady Dynamite”; a San Francisco theater company wrestles with the use of "yellowface" makeup for "The Mikado"

Actress Tika Sumpter was also a producer on "Southside with You," the film about The First Couple's first date; this weekend's Telluride Film Festival once again features Oscar-hopefuls; Melora Marshall takes on an acting marathon every weekend at Theatricum Botanicum.

Matt and Ross Duffer are the brothers behind the hit Netflix show, "Stranger Things"; as part of our Cops on TV series, professor Kathleen Donovan connects the dots between TV dramas and our attitudes about police; there's a new battlefront in the fight for subscribers between Apple and Spotify.

"Complete Unknown," starring Rachel Weisz, is Joshua Marston's third film, but his first in English; in a new epsiode of "Song Exploder," Andra Day dissects "Forever Mine"; more people than ever are canceling pay TV services, and that has networks worried.

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.