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Arachnophobia is a Mild Fright

Fear of spiders -- and the infestation of rain forest arachnids in a small California town -- drive the new Frank Marshall horror film. Film critic Stephen Schiff says that it captures producer Stephen Spielberg's charm and humor -- but also his blandness.

03:38
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Other segments from the episode on July 19, 1990

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, July 19, 1990: Interview with Frank Friel; Review of albums by David Berwald, John Hiatt, and Steve Earle; Interview with Weird Al Yankovic; Review of the film …
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24:11

Frank Friel Brings Down the Philadelphia Mob

Frank Friel was the co-director and chief investigator of the Philadelphia Police/FBI Organized Crime Task Force, which dismantled the Nicodemo Scarfo-led mafia in the 1980s. The gang's violent acts terrorized the Philadelphia area; they also infiltrated Atlantic City's casinos. Friel has a new book about that time, called Breaking the Mob.

Interview
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06:56

New Albums by Three Ragged Singer-Songwriters

Rock critic Ken Tucker says critical darlings David Berwald and John Hiatt are striving for a commercial sound, but their new, dolorous albums fall flat. On the other hand, Steve Earle's The Hard Way -- the latter half at least -- delivers the goods.

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Transcripts are created on a rush deadline, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of Fresh Air interviews and reviews are the audio recordings of each segment.

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30:29

Stephen Schiff Discusses His Latest Adventures in Hollywood.

Screenwriter Stephen Schiff talks about writing the scripts for "True Crime" and "Deep End of the Ocean."He first established his reputation as a film critic for Vanity Fair and Fresh Air. He also wrote film essays and profiles for The New Yorker. He served an unprecedented three terms as chairman of the National Society of Film Critics. His first screenplay was for the most recent film adaptation of Lolita.

Interview
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34:15

Stephen Schiff on How "Lolita" Explores the "Beastly and the Beautiful"

Fresh Air's former film critic returns to discuss writing the screenplay for the controversial film adaptation of Nabokov's "Lolita." The $58 million film inspired such controversy that distribution in the U.S. was delayed. "Lolita," directed by Adrian Lyne (Flashdance, 9 1/2 Weeks) will premiere on the Showtime cable channel August 2nd. It's just been announced that the film will be released in movie houses in September. Schiff's screenplay, "Lolita: The Book of the Film" (Applause books), will be published next month.

Interview

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52:30

Daughter of Warhol star looks back on a bohemian childhood in the Chelsea Hotel

Alexandra Auder's mother, Viva, was one of Andy Warhol's muses. Growing up in Warhol's orbit meant Auder's childhood was an unusual one. For several years, Viva, Auder and Auder's younger half-sister, Gaby Hoffmann, lived in the Chelsea Hotel in Manhattan. It was was famous for having been home to Leonard Cohen, Dylan Thomas, Virgil Thomson, and Bob Dylan, among others.

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43:04

This fake 'Jury Duty' really put James Marsden's improv chops on trial

In the series Jury Duty, a solar contractor named Ronald Gladden has agreed to participate in what he believes is a documentary about the experience of being a juror--but what Ronald doesn't know is that the whole thing is fake.

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08:26

This Romanian film about immigration and vanishing jobs hits close to home

R.M.N. is based on an actual 2020 event in Ditrău, Romania, where 1,800 villagers voted to expel three Sri Lankans who worked at their local bakery.

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