archive
Movies
Carol Channing, Still Delightfully 'Larger Than Life'
January 20, 2012 Veteran Broadway performer Carol Channing has been onstage for seven decades. A new documentary lovingly profiles the still-sharp, still-charming star of Hello, Dolly.
Movies
Bob Mondello Picks The Year's Top 10 (Plus 10)
December 30, 2011 From a talky chameleon who's forced to find his swagger to a silent-screen idol who's losing his mojo, the heroes of 2011's best films made indelible impressions. NPR's Bob Mondello reviews the year's high points.
Movies
'A Separation': In Tehran, Houses And Hearts Divided
December 29, 2011 Asghar Farhadi's film is a beautifully crafted, fascinating thing, both as a portrait of modern Iranian society and as a twisty family drama. (Recommended)
Arts & Life
Stirring Adventures, At Home (In A Zoo) And Abroad
December 21, 2011 Holiday pleasures We Bought a Zoo and The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn are pure entertainments — not high art, but solid family films that just want to show an audience a good time.
Monkey See
DVD Picks: 'Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale'
December 20, 2011 Bob Mondello recommends a charming home video pick you almost certainly missed — and one that might make you think twice about sitting on Santa's lap.
New Movies
War, What Is It Good For? Movies, It Seems.
December 18, 2011 As Hollywood rolls out Oscar hopefuls over the next two months, there's a curious thread developing: Many of these films are set amidst the backdrop of wars — especially wars involving Great Britain.
Arts & Life
'Carnage' In The Smart Set, And Self-Inflicted, Too
December 15, 2011 Two Manhattan couples discover the limits of civility after their sons come to blows in a city park. Roman Polanski's black comedy, based on Yasmina Reza's play, serves up a series of curve balls as the four discover their inner animals.
Arts & Life
Two Takes, Light And Dark, On The Unexpected Life
December 9, 2011 The films Young Adult and We Need to Talk About Kevin could hardly be more different — one tragic, the other comic — but at center, they're both about the same modern malady: the life that hasn't turned out as planned.
Monkey See
DVD Picks: 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'
December 6, 2011 Bob Mondello recommends the original BBC miniseries of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, ahead of the new film.
Arts & Life
In Glorious Black And White, An 'Artist' Falls Silent
November 25, 2011 In 1927 Hollywood, a silent-film icon (Jean Dujardin) is about to face a challenge with the arrival of talkies — while a young extra (Berenice Bejo) stands on the verge of stardom. (Recommended)
Arts & Life
A Prince And A Showgirl, On Location And At Odds
November 22, 2011 Michelle Williams tackles screen icon Marilyn Monroe in a movie about moviemaking — she's filming a comedy with Laurence Olivier, and it's not going well.
Monkey See
DVD Picks: 'West Side Story'
November 16, 2011 Film critic Bob Mondello recommends the 50th anniversary Blu-ray release of West Side Story.
Arts & Life
It's The End Of The World, And She Feels Fine
November 11, 2011 The rogue planet Melancholia threatens to hit Earth, while two couples (Kirsten Dunst and Alexander Skarsgard; Charlotte Gainsbourg and Kiefer Sutherland) bicker at a wedding.
Arts & Life
'Anonymous': Stylish Claptrap, By Any Other Name
October 28, 2011 Could Shakespeare have been in love if he didn't even exist? Director Roland Emmerich's Elizabethan-era costume drama turns a cockamamie idea about the Bard's "real" identity into a ridiculous but handsome thriller.
Monkey See
DVD Picks: 'Alfred Hitchcock: The Essentials Collection'
October 26, 2011 Bob Mondello recommends a collection of Alfred Hitchcock films that reveal a master at work.
