Movie Reviews : NPR

Arts & Life

Ferrell Carries on with Parody in 'Blades of Glory'

March 30, 2007 • In the new film Blades of Glory, comic actor Will Ferrell plays a boorish figure skater forced to team up with another man in a pairs skating competition. The role is Ferrell's latest in a series of characters that have parodied macho men.

Ferrell Carries on with Parody in 'Blades of Glory'

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Arts & Life

The Lived-In World of 'The Lookout'

March 30, 2007 • The Lookout, a thriller starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, invests more than the usual amount of effort in developing characters. It marks the directing debut of Scott Frank, known for his writing work.

The Lived-In World of 'The Lookout'

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Music News

A Paul Robeson 'Portrait' on DVD

Fresh Air

March 26, 2007 • A new Criterion four-DVD box set — Paul Robeson: Portraits of the Artist features several of Robeson's films and an abundance of documentary material.

A Paul Robeson 'Portrait' on DVD

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Arts & Life

Iran's Women on the Pitch: 'Offside'

March 23, 2007 • Iranian director Jafar Panahi's movie Offside is a comedy about young Iranian women trying against long odds to get into a packed soccer stadium.

Iran's Women on the Pitch: 'Offside'

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Arts & Life

Sandler Takes a Serious Turn in 'Reign Over Me'

March 23, 2007 • Mike Binder has directed nine feature films. In Reign Over Me, he gives a serious — an extremely serious — part to the comic Adam Sandler, who plays a man whose life is destroyed by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Sandler Takes a Serious Turn in 'Reign Over Me'

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Arts & Life

Wahlberg: One Cool Character in 'Shooter'

March 23, 2007 • The heroic loner, battling incredible odds. That's the character Mark Wahlberg inherits in Shooter, a thriller about a former Marine set up as a patsy in a political killing. Wahlberg gives a Steve McQueen-style performance.

Wahlberg: One Cool Character in 'Shooter'

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Arts & Life

South Korea Gives Birth to 'The Host'

Fresh Air

March 16, 2007 • In the year 2000, a civilian employee of the U.S. military in Seoul, South Korea, ordered a Korean subordinate to dump a large amount of formaldehyde into a sewer pipe leading to the Han River. The incident aroused violent anti-American sentiment in Korea, and led to the birth of a monster — a monster movie, called The Host.

South Korea Gives Birth to 'The Host'

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Arts & Life

'Barley' Explores Angst of IRA's Early Days

March 16, 2007 • Ken Loach's film The Wind That Shakes the Barley examines the early days of the Irish Republican Army and the radical organization's impact on the Irish people. Some British papers have criticized Loach for making the movie.

'Barley' Explores Angst of IRA's Early Days

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Arts & Life

'Amazing Grace' Tells the Story of British Abolition

Fresh Air

March 15, 2007 • This year marks the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade in Britain. The new movie Amazing Grace is about the British abolitionist movement, focusing on the man who led the fight in Parliament.

'Amazing Grace' Tells the Story of British Abolition

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Arts & Life

'Namesake,' a Family Comedy Spanning Eras

March 9, 2007 • The Namesake is Mira Nair's film about an Indian-American family struggling with issues of identity. Adapted from a novel by Pulitzer Prize-winner Jhumpa Lahiri, the film stars Kal Penn and Tabu.

'Namesake,' a Family Comedy Spanning Eras

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Arts & Life

The Spartans and the Persians Battle in '300'

March 9, 2007 • The new movie 300 is adapted from a graphic novel by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley. The movie centers on an ancient battle between the Spartans and the Persians.

The Spartans and the Persians Battle in '300'

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Arts & Life

Film Contrast: Loud '300,' Quiet 'Silence'

March 9, 2007 • Two debuts: 300 is a fierce, stylized retelling of Spartans at the Battle of Thermopylae. Into Great Silence is a documentary about a French monastery where a vow of silence is observed.

Film Contrast: Loud '300,' Quiet 'Silence'

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Movies

Obsession Drives Fincher's Look at 'Zodiac' Killer

March 2, 2007 • Obsession is the theme of this movie, about a real-life serial killer in San Francisco during the 1960s and '70s. It's a driving force for the killer, the guys trying to catch him, and for filmmaker David Fincher, who is nothing if not a stickler for detail.

Obsession Drives Fincher's Look at 'Zodiac' Killer

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Arts & Life

'Zodiac' the Movie Chases Unsolved Crimes

Fresh Air

March 2, 2007 • The unsolved Zodiac murder cases of the late sixties and seventies became the inspiration for the modern serial-killer movie genre. There's a new thriller out about the crimes: Zodiac. Director David Fincher's film stars Jake Gyllenhall, Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo.

'Zodiac' the Movie Chases Unsolved Crimes

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Arts & Life

A Quick Look at Oscars' Shorts

Fresh Air

February 23, 2007 • Oscar contenders in the two categories devoted to short films — animated and live-action — include a new take on Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Match Girl, an alien abductor in training (Lifted), a brief musical comedy set among falafel stands (West Bank Story) and the story of a door-to-door Mormon evangelist in love with a married woman.

A Quick Look at Oscars' Shorts

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