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As we continue our special series (Tonya Talks Movies) of bonus episodes with Fresh Air co-host Tonya Mosley, we look at the films of Spike Lee — and in particular, his 1989 classic, 'Do The Right Thing.' The bright, brutal exploration of a Brooklyn neighborhood on the 'hottest day of the year' helped Tonya see the realities of her own neighborhood on the big screen, and she talks about what that meant with Fresh Air's Anne Marie Baldonado. The distinctive look of the film was also something Tonya talked about with Lee's Academy Award-winning costumer, Ruth E. Carter, in a 2023 interview here on Fresh Air. Hear Spike Lee in 1986: https://n.pr/3uIzIuE | Hear Spike Lee in 1989: https://n.pr/3wpakKJ | Hear Spike Lee in 2017: https://n.pr/49idJJV | Hear Spike Lee in 2021: https://n.pr/3woZqVr | Hear Ruth E. Carter in 2023: https://n.pr/49tDVl8. Listen to any Fresh Air episode at https://FreshAirArchive.org. We'll be back next week to hear more from Tonya Mosley on her favorite movies — focusing on Will Smith's 'The Pursuit of Happyness.' Not a Fresh Air+ supporter yet? Find out more, and join for yourself at https://plus.npr.org/freshair.

Mark Ruffalo is nominated for an Oscar for best supporting actor for his role in Poor Things. He plays a hilarious debauched lawyer who seduces Emma Stone's character. Ruffalo has also appeared in Marvel movies as the Incredible Hulk. For that role he had to act in a motion capture suit. "It's the man-canceling suit. It makes you look big where you want to look small, and small where want to look big," he says. Also, we hear from Jeffrey Wright. He's up for an Oscar for best actor for his role in American Fiction, where he plays a novelist who's frustrated with the publishing industry's expectations of Black authors. He cynically writes a book under a pseudonym that's full of clichés, like violence and poverty — and it's a hit. Maureen Corrigan reviews an off-beat bestselling Japanese mystery series. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

In his Oscar-nominated biopic Maestro, Bradley Cooper was determined not to imitate the legendary Leonard Bernstein. Instead, the actor worked with conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin to find his own rhythm. They spoke with Terry Gross about conducting, Bernstein's legacy, and playing with batons when they were kids. Also, Justin Chang reviews Italy's submission for best foreign film, Io Capitano. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

As Donald Trump seeks to gain the Republican presidential nomination, he faces 91 felony charges across four states and several lawsuits, many with dates in court that run right up to the election. We talk with reporter Alan Feuer, who is part of the team at the New York Times covering Trump's legal battles. The first of four criminal case trials is expected to start on March 25. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Lucy Sante has been writing books since the 1980s, exploring everything from photography to urban history. In a new memoir, she shares her story of transition from male to female at 67 years old. "I am lucky to have survived my own repression," Sante says. "I think a lot of people in my position have not." The book is titled I Heard Her Call My Name: A Memoir of Transition. Also, TV critic David Bianculli reviews the new Apple TV+ series Constellation. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Wright is up for an Oscar for best actor this year for the film American Fiction, where he plays a novelist who's frustrated with the publishing industry's expectations of Black authors. He cynically writes a book under a pseudonym that's full of clichés, like drug abuse, violence, and poverty — and it's a hit. Wright's first starring role was in the 1996 film Basquiat. He talks with us about his big break in the play Angels in America, and the time early in his career when he was acting opposite Sidney Poitier and asked for advice on acting. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

From relentless campaigning to snubs and speeches, the Academy Awards have often reflected a cultural conflict zone. Michael Schulman sifts through the controversies in his book, Oscar Wars. Maureen Corrigan reviews The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

It's our first episode of Tonya Talks Movies! Fresh Air's co-host Tonya Mosley loves film — and in the first episode of a new series, we're looking at what films she loves, and why she loves them. In this first conversation, Tonya talks about her love of filmmaker Martin Scorsese's "Casino" and "Taxi Driver" — and because this is Fresh Air, we've spoken to Scorsese more than a few times. We also hear from filmmaker Spike Lee, another of Tonya's favorite directors, and learn a surprising connection between the two directors and Tonya herself. Listen to Martin Scorsese in 1991: https://n.pr/3I1om7V | Listen to Martin Scorsese in 1995: https://n.pr/42K6iZz | Listen to Martin Scorsese in 1997: https://n.pr/49VB30f | Listen to Martin Scorsese in 2003: https://n.pr/49zS1ks Listen to Martin Scorsese in 2020: https://n.pr/4bGGWzL | Listen to Spike Lee in 2017: https://n.pr/49idJJV. We'll be back next week to hear more from Tonya Mosley on her favorite movies — focusing on Spike Lee. Not a Fresh Air+ supporter yet? Find out more, and join for yourself at https://plus.npr.org/freshair.

Actress Molly Ringwald came to represent '80s teen angst after starring in Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and Pretty in Pink. She's now in the new series Feud: Capote vs. The Swans, about the high society women that Truman Capote loved and betrayed. Also, we hear from another actor who got her start as a teen — Busy Philipps. In the '90s, she played tough girl Kim Kelly in Freaks and Geeks. Philipps' latest project is the movie musical Mean Girls where she plays a mom trying to be young and cool. John Powers reviews the new Vim Venders film Perfect Days. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

Sterling K. Brown won an Emmy for his portrayal of Christopher Darden in The People v. O.J. Simpson, and another for This Is Us. He's now nominated for an Oscar for his performance in American Fiction. Colman Domingo is also nominated, for his role in the biopic Rustin as Bayard Rustin, the civil rights leader responsible for organizing the 1963 March on Washington. Rustin was forced into the background because he was gay. Justin Chang reviews Drift, starring Cynthia Erivo. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

How is New York City coping with the 175,000 migrants from the Southern border? New York Times reporter Andy Newman says the city's legal mandate to provide shelter to any who need it is being tested by a stream of migrants — some of whom were sent on buses by Southern governors. Also, Maureen Corrigan reviews Francis Spufford's Cahokia Jazz. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

We remember Peabody award-winning broadcast journalist Bob Edwards, who died on Saturday at the age of 76. He was the first and longest-serving host of NPR's Morning Edition, from the show's inception in 1979 until 2004. Terry Gross recorded two interviews with Edwards. Also, John Powers review Perfect Days, the new film from director Wim Wenders. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy