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Saturday

In addition to Hodgman's work on Judge John Hodgman, he has contributed pieces to This American Life and Wiretap. His most recent book, That Is All, was published in 2011. Brantley Gutierrez/Courtesy of Maximum Fun hide caption

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Brantley Gutierrez/Courtesy of Maximum Fun

Sherman Alexie models an Indies First tote bag. He plans to put in shifts at five Seattle bookstores this Saturday. American Booksellers Association hide caption

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American Booksellers Association

Seven In One Blow, which plays at New York City's Axis Theater, is one of many recurring holiday-season productions across the U.S. that bring a distinctly local flavor and history to bear. Dixie Sheridan hide caption

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Dixie Sheridan

How to make dead fish look attractive? That's the challenge New York-based duo Shimon and Tammar Rothstein faced when they were hired to do the photography for famed French chef Eric Ripert's book On the Line. Photos by Shimon and Tammar, Courtesy of Shimon and Tammar hide caption

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Photos by Shimon and Tammar, Courtesy of Shimon and Tammar

Friday

In The Great Beauty, director Paolo Sorrentino surveys the city of Rome through the eyes of jaded journalist Jep Gambardella (Toni Servillo), taking in the city's degeneracies alongside its eternal beauties. Gianni Fiorito/Janus Films hide caption

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Gianni Fiorito/Janus Films

Finding 'Great Beauty' Amid Rome's Corruptions

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Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (second from left) shakes hands with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry next to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (far left) and French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius (far right) after a statement on early November 24, 2013 in Geneva. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images

After 20 years in captivity, Joe (Josh Brolin) is released into the world with a hammer and an appetite for revenge in Oldboy, a Spike Lee remake of the 2003 South Korean film. Hilary Bronwyn Gayle/FilmDistrict hide caption

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Hilary Bronwyn Gayle/FilmDistrict

A Korean Cult Thriller Gets A Spike Lee Makeover

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Want to warp your little robots? We've got some suggestions. Charles Taylor/iStockphoto hide caption

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Charles Taylor/iStockphoto

Thursday

Idris Elba plays Nelson Mandela in a biographical film based on the former South African president's memoir. Keith Bernstein/The Weinstein Company hide caption

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Keith Bernstein/The Weinstein Company

Jacob Latimore (from left), Angela Bassett, Jennifer Hudson and Forest Whitaker power through the season in Kasi Lemmons' Black Nativity, a Christmas movie musical based on Langston Hughes' gospel oratorio. Phil Bray/Fox Searchlight Pictures hide caption

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Phil Bray/Fox Searchlight Pictures

Musician and riot grrrl Kathleen Hanna — formerly of Bikini Kill and Le Tigre, now with The Julie Ruin — is the fascinating central figure in the biographical documentary The Punk Singer. Allison Michael Orenstein/Opening Band Films hide caption

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Allison Michael Orenstein/Opening Band Films

National Novel Writing Month — or NaNoWriMo — ends November 30th, and writers around the world are scrambling to meet the 50,000 word goal. iStockphoto hide caption

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iStockphoto