Press Play with Madeleine Brand
"Re-homing" Adopted Kids, Defining Film Criticism, and More
How to "re-home" adopted children; an update on the struggle in the Middle East; our weekly Friday film segment; and the role of film critics in the internet age.
By Madeleine Brand • • 51m ListenAmericans adopt thousands of children from overseas every year. Sometimes it doesn’t work out. And some of these families are advertising their adopted children online. Almost 100 people have died so far in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, and Palestinian rockets continue to fall in Israel. Who are the extremist factions on both sides that have managed to turn the region into a war zone, yet again? In our weekly film segment, Fourth of July weekend was a bust, but a number of big movies are coming out this weekend. And what does it mean to be a film critic in the age of thumbs up/down and Rotten Tomatoes?
Banner Image: A father with his two adopted sons; Credit: Brendon Connelly
In this episode
4 storiesRe-homing Adopted Kids
Americans adopt thousands of children every year from overseas. But sometimes it doesn’t work out. The child maybe has behavioral or physical problems, or the parents just don’t want the kid anymore. To get rid of their adopted child, some parents go online and do what’s called “private re-homing.”
Read the story15 minExtremism in the Middle East
Almost 100 people have died so far in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza. And Palestinian rockets continue to fall on Israeli cities, after four days of conflict there. This was all sparked by the murder of three Israeli teens, and the subsequent killing of a Palestinian kid, presumably by Israeli extremists looking for revenge.
Read the story10 minBoyhood, Baywatch, and Bonobos
Well it was a dismal Fourth of July weekend at the box office: the worst in over a decade. But there are some pretty big movies coming out this weekend. We won’t call it a comeback… yet. But we WILL tell you everything you need to know about film for the weekend.
Read the story13 minCriticism in the Age of Rotten Tomatoes
As a new documentary points out, Roger Ebert had a profound impact on the way films are reviewed in the US. But was it for the better? Matt Holzman talks to preeminent film critics about what they actually do and how they see their role in the film world.
Read the story9 min
