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Movie Reviews Reviews of new movies, classic and art films, foreign films, and popular movies. Featuring Bob Mondello, Kenneth Turan, David Edelstein, and Mark Jenkins.

Movie Reviews

Movies

Mexican Directors Give Commentary, not Blockbuster

Mexico's top three filmmakers have had successful careers in Hollywood, but Bob Mondello says that their latest works Pan's Labyrinth, Children of Men and Babel are more social commentaries than Hollywood blockbusters.

Mexican Directors Give Commentary, not Blockbuster

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Arts & Life

'Pan's Labyrinth' Is Realer than Reality Itself

What Guillermo del Toro has accomplished in Pan's Labyrinth cannot easily be put into words. That's because the Mexican-born director is a master creator of images, atmosphere and mood.

'Pan's Labyrinth' Is Realer than Reality Itself

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Movies

'Painted Veil' a Portrait of Marriage Coming Unglued

The Painted Veil, a new film starring Edward Norton and Noami Watts, is based on W. Somerset Maugham's romantic epic. It was filmed exclusively in China -- the first time a major western picture has been allowed to do that in decades.

'Painted Veil' a Portrait of Marriage Coming Unglued

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Arts & Life

Stallone, O'Toole Age Well in New Films

In Rocky Balboa and Venus, veteran film stars Sylvester Stallone and Peter O'Toole give spry performances as the durable boxer and an aging actor who becomes involved in the life of a young woman.

Stallone, O'Toole Age Well in New Films

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Arts & Life

'Letters from Iwo Jima' Astonishes with Empathy

Clint Eastwood continues to astonish. His latest film, Letters from Iwo Jima parallels his recent Flags of Our Fathers, but it takes audiences to a place that would seem unimaginable for an American director.

'Letters from Iwo Jima' Astonishes with Empathy

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Arts & Life

'Dreamgirls' Does Justice to a Cinematic Musical

Jennifer Hudson is among the main attractions in Bill Condon's strong film adaptation of the Broadway musical Dreamgirls, opening in limited release Friday.

'Dreamgirls' Does Justice to a Cinematic Musical

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Arts & Life

Preston Sturges Collection

Fresh Air

Critic at-large John Powers reviews Preston Sturges: The Filmmaker Collection, a new DVD set of classic 1940s Preston Sturges films. Titles include The Palm Beach Story, The Lady Eve and Christmas in July.

Preston Sturges Collection

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Arts & Life

'Dreamgirls' Is a Triumph of Old School Glamour

Based loosely on the career of Diana Ross and the Supremes, Dreamgirls is alive with the sound of music. It's a love song two times over, a tribute to both a vibrant period of American popular music and the big-budget Hollywood musical.

'Dreamgirls' Is a Triumph of Old School Glamour

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Arts & Life

Reviews of 'Blood Diamond' and 'Apocalypto'

Fresh Air

Film critic David Edelstein reviews two controversial new films. Blood Diamond has caused an uproar by suggesting that many gems in the marketplace are from places where their harvest causes violent social upheaval. Apocalypto has generated controversy because of its association with writer, director and producer Mel Gibson.

Reviews of 'Blood Diamond' and 'Apocalypto'

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Arts & Life

'Apocalypto' is Trademark Mel Gibson Gore

Who knows what violence lurks in the hearts of men? Mel Gibson knows. And like he did in The Passion of the Christ, Gibson just can't resist putting every last ounce of it on screen in Apocalypto.

'Apocalypto' is Trademark Mel Gibson Gore

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Arts & Life

'The Nativity Story' Stands on Familiar Ground

The advertising for The Nativity Story has gotten this film's essence exactly wrong. This is not a chance to "experience the most timeless of stories as you've never seen it before." It's just the opposite. It's an opportunity, for those who want it, to encounter this story exactly the way its almost always been told.

'The Nativity Story' Stands on Familiar Ground

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