Movie Reviews : NPR

Tense 'Eastern Boys': Cruising, and Bruising

Eastern Boys begins as a home invasion story but evolves to something more complex, says NPR film critic Bob Mondello. Courtesy of First Run Features hide caption

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Courtesy of First Run Features

Tense 'Eastern Boys': Cruising, and Bruising

February 27, 2015 • NPR film critic Bob Mondello reviews Eastern Boys, a French film that is half love story, half home invasion drama.

Tense 'Eastern Boys': Cruising, and Bruising

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'Maps To The Stars': Either The Funniest Horror Movie, Or The Most Horrific Comedy

February 27, 2015 • In the film about a toxic Hollywood, John Cusack plays a self-help guru whose clients include Julianne Moore. It's full of anxious shoptalk and name dropping, druggy kids and druggier grown-ups.

'Maps To The Stars': Either The Funniest Horror Movie, Or The Most Horrific Comedy

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Belfast Thriller '71' Combines Action And Emotional Authenticity

February 27, 2015 • The film depicts Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 1971. It was a year when the Troubles, the bitter conflict between the Catholic IRA and the Protestant Loyalists, turned violent.

Belfast Thriller '71' Combines Action And Emotional Authenticity

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'Wild Canaries' Considers How To Get (Carried) Away With Murder

Jean (Alia Shawkat) and Barri (Sophia Takal) in Lawrence Michael Levine's Wild Canaries. Mark Schwartzbard/Wild Canaries LLC hide caption

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Mark Schwartzbard/Wild Canaries LLC

'Wild Canaries' Considers How To Get (Carried) Away With Murder

February 26, 2015 • The breezy mashup of murder mystery and chatty Brooklynite relationship story has plot holes aplenty, but provides its share of laughs as well.

In 'Focus,' A Con Movie Without Enough Of A Con

Will Smith and Margot Robbie in Focus. Frank Masi/Warner Bros. hide caption

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Frank Masi/Warner Bros.

In 'Focus,' A Con Movie Without Enough Of A Con

February 26, 2015 • Will Smith stars as a con man in Focus, which has fun with the small details of con artists and petty crime but stumbles when it comes to the big score.

A Disorienting But Electrifying Look At The Troubles

British soldier Gary Hook (Jack O'Connell) is accidentally abandoned by his unit after a riot in Belfast. Dean Rogers/Roadside Attractions hide caption

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Dean Rogers/Roadside Attractions

A Disorienting But Electrifying Look At The Troubles

February 26, 2015 • Director Yann Demange makes '71 an effective look at the Belfast of the early 1970s, even if viewers may find themselves uncertain at times of their narrative surroundings.

In These Six 'Wild Tales,' Humans Morph Into Destructive Forces Of Nature

Fresh Air

February 20, 2015 • The Argentinean film co-produced by Pedro Almodovar is up for an Oscar for best foreign language film. It features a drunk teenager who runs over a woman and an angry bride at a glitzy Jewish wedding.

In These Six 'Wild Tales,' Humans Morph Into Destructive Forces Of Nature

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Good Acting, Directing And Story Make 'McFarland USA' Effective

February 20, 2015 • McFarland USA is an apologetically inspirational Disney sports movie. Kevin Costner plays a coach who starts a high school cross-country team of Mexican-American kids in California's Central Valley.

Good Acting, Directing And Story Make 'McFarland USA' Effective

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A Filmmaker Follows Education Without Required Classes — Even Math

Jiovanni is one of the students attending a "free school" in Approaching the Elephant. Kingdom County Productions hide caption

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Kingdom County Productions

A Filmmaker Follows Education Without Required Classes — Even Math

February 19, 2015 • In the documentary Approaching The Elephant, director Amanda Rose Wilder takes a close look at the inaugural year of a "free school," where kids pursue what interests them most.

Checking Off The Boxes Of A Disney Sports Movie In 'McFarland, USA'

Kevin Costner leads a team of runners in McFarland, USA. Walt Disney Pictures hide caption

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Walt Disney Pictures

Checking Off The Boxes Of A Disney Sports Movie In 'McFarland, USA'

February 19, 2015 • Kevin Costner's latest sports movie about a coach lifting up a team of misfits to defeat a bunch of posh enemies isn't exactly breaking new ground, but it isn't meant to.

'Queen And Country' Follows A Familiar Protagonist Through A New War

Tamsin Egerton in Queen and Country. Sophie Mutevelian/ BBC Worldwide North America hide caption

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Sophie Mutevelian/ BBC Worldwide North America

'Queen And Country' Follows A Familiar Protagonist Through A New War

February 19, 2015 • A sequel to 1987's Hope And Glory, Queen And Country traces the effects of the Korean war — and the absence of effects — on his alter ego, Bill Rohan.

Argentine Oscar Nominee 'Wild Tales' Lives Up To Its Title

Wild Tales is crammed with gallows humor, says NPR film critic Bob Mondello. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics hide caption

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Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Argentine Oscar Nominee 'Wild Tales' Lives Up To Its Title

February 19, 2015 • NPR movie critic Bob Mondello says the Argentine nominee for best foreign language film, Wild Tales, is an anthology of darkly comic stories that definitely lives up to its title.

Argentine Oscar Nominee 'Wild Tales' Lives Up To Its Title

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Love From A To Z — And Back Again — In 'The Last Five Years'

The finite romance in The Last Five Years is "haunting, bittersweet" says NPR film critic Bob Mondello. Courtesy of RADiUS hide caption

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Courtesy of RADiUS

Love From A To Z — And Back Again — In 'The Last Five Years'

February 13, 2015 • The Last Five Years is a musical romance with a unique storytelling twist. NPR film critic Bob Mondello says the quirks and tricks have him singing the movie's praises, despite a flaw or two.

Love From A To Z — And Back Again — In 'The Last Five Years'

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If You Strip The Bondage, '50 Shades' Is A Conventional Love Story

February 13, 2015 • The film, based on E.L. James' best-selling novel, has been denounced by decency brigades. But it's a surprisingly mild, corny romance that affirms traditional values: It's Jane Eyre with ropes.

If You Strip The Bondage, '50 Shades' Is A Conventional Love Story

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Publishing Phenomenon 'Fifty Shades Of Grey' Hits The Big Screen

February 13, 2015 • Fifty Shades of Grey is an R-rated fairy tale, a kind of Cinderella tale with restraints. It's about as believable as Jack and the Beanstalk but considerably kinkier in intent.

Publishing Phenomenon 'Fifty Shades Of Grey' Hits The Big Screen

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