Movie Reviews : NPR

'Walking With The Enemy': An Occupation Poorly Rendered

Charles De'ath, Charles Hubbell and Burn Gorman in Walking With The Enemy. Liberty Studios hide caption

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Liberty Studios

'Walking With The Enemy': An Occupation Poorly Rendered

April 27, 2014 • While the Nazi occupation of Hungary is a story rich with possibility for storytelling, the ham-handed melodrama Walking With The Enemy is considerably less than it deserves.

Feminine, Foreign, And Struggling To Come Of Age

Alex Brendemuehl plays a mysterious doctor, obsessed with perfection and purity, who befriends an Argentine family in The German Doctor. Samuel Goldwyn Films hide caption

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Samuel Goldwyn Films

Feminine, Foreign, And Struggling To Come Of Age

April 25, 2014 • For unsettling weekend viewing, critic Bob Mondello recommends Argentine thriller The German Doctor and France's Young and Beautiful, which he calls "this week's most alarming foreign-language films."

Feminine, Foreign, And Struggling To Come Of Age

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In 'Locke,' A Man's Life Unravels En Route To London

Tom Hardy plays the title character in the British film Locke — in which a man's life unravels in the course of a solo drive from Birmingham to London. He's the only person the audience sees in this film, written and directed by Steven Knight. A24 hide caption

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A24

In 'Locke,' A Man's Life Unravels En Route To London

April 25, 2014 • Ivan Locke (Tom Hardy) is the only person the audience sees in this daring film by Steven Knight. Viewers spend an hour and a half in the car with him, on a solo drive from Birmingham to London.

In 'Locke,' A Man's Life Unravels En Route To London

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But You Can Never Leave: 'The Girl And Death' In A Creepy Hotel

Sylvia Hoeks in The Girl and Death. Jos Stelling Films hide caption

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Jos Stelling Films

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But You Can Never Leave: 'The Girl And Death' In A Creepy Hotel

April 25, 2014 • While The Girl and Death plays with some intriguing elements, it doesn't recognize its own absurdity enough to make its story of everlasting love in a strangely timeless hotel mean very much.

'Locke' Is More Involving Than Recent Hollywood Extravaganzas

April 25, 2014 • The innovative drama directed by Steven Knight takes place over the course of a tense, riveting car ride. Locke is an exploration of how one decision can lead to the complete collapse of a life.

'Locke' Is More Involving Than Recent Hollywood Extravaganzas

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Gael Garcia Bernal narrates and travels in the documentary Who Is Dayani Cristal? Kino Lorber hide caption

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Kino Lorber

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Tracing One Life, Lost In The Desert

April 24, 2014 • Who Is Dayani Cristal?, a documentary narrated by actor Gael Garcia Bernal, examines the journey that costs many migrants to the United States their lives.

In 'Blue Ruin,' Revenge Is Not Served Cool

Macon Blair plays Dwight in the unsettling revenge thriller Blue Ruin. Radius TWC hide caption

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Radius TWC

Movies

In 'Blue Ruin,' Revenge Is Not Served Cool

April 24, 2014 • The revenge drama Blue Ruin demonstrates that the famous dish, often served more cool than cold, can sometimes be more dangerous in the hands of the sincere but inept.

A Punching Movie That Packs A Punch For People Who Like Punching

Paul Walker stars in Brick Mansions. Relativity Media hide caption

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Relativity Media

Pop Culture Happy Hour

A Punching Movie That Packs A Punch For People Who Like Punching

April 24, 2014 • 'Brick Mansions,' a completely inessential remake of the French film District B13, follows a war of good guys and gangsters up and down the walls of a hypothetical Detroit under siege.

'The Other Woman': When Terrible Movies Happen To Funny Actresses

Leslie Mann, Nicki Minaj, Cameron Diaz and Kate Upton have nothing to do in The Other Woman. Barry Wetcher/Twentieth Century Fox hide caption

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Barry Wetcher/Twentieth Century Fox

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'The Other Woman': When Terrible Movies Happen To Funny Actresses

April 24, 2014 • A film that seems designed to demonstrate the dire circumstances in which funny women can still find themselves, The Other Woman is a grotesque pantomime of female empowerment.

'Transcendence': Latest Sci-Fi Movie About Artificial Intelligence

April 21, 2014 • Transcendence is an ambitious and provocative film about the perils and pleasures of artificial intelligence that is intriguingly balanced between being a warning and a celebration.

'Transcendence': Latest Sci-Fi Movie About Artificial Intelligence

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'Fading Gigolo' Full Of Loneliness And Longing

April 20, 2014 • In the new comedy Fading Gigolo, John Turturro plays the title character, and Woody Allen plays his pimp. This story was originally broadcast on All Things Considered on April 18, 2014.

'Fading Gigolo' Full Of Loneliness And Longing

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'Say Anything,' Still Full Of Guileless Affection

April 19, 2014 • A look back at the seminal teen flick reveals a surprisingly deep and romantic story. This story originally aired on All Things Considered on April 13, 2014.

'Say Anything,' Still Full Of Guileless Affection

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Loneliness And Longing — And Woody Allen — In 'Fading Gigolo'

John Turturro plays a gigolo — and Woody Allen is his pimp — in the new Fading Gigolo. Millennium Entertainment hide caption

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Millennium Entertainment

Loneliness And Longing — And Woody Allen — In 'Fading Gigolo'

April 18, 2014 • Bob Mondello reviews the new Fading Gigolo, a surprisingly sweet dramedy in which John Turturro plays the gigolo, Woody Allen plays his pimp, and things don't go nearly as wrong as they could.

Loneliness And Longing — And Woody Allen — In 'Fading Gigolo'

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Undead Hipsters And An Abstract Alien Star In Two Arty Horror Pics

In Under The Skin, Scarlett Johansson plays an alien who adopts an English accent and cruises Scotland enticing hitchhikers into a darkened building. Film4 hide caption

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Film4

Undead Hipsters And An Abstract Alien Star In Two Arty Horror Pics

April 18, 2014 • Every so often an arthouse director dips a toe into the horror genre and you realize vampires and space aliens are subjects too rich to be the property of schlockmeisters, says critic David Edelstein.

Undead Hipsters And An Abstract Alien Star In Two Arty Horror Pics

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Is 'Heaven' Real, Or Just A Place On Earth?

Colton Burpo (Connor Corum) tells Todd (Greg Kinnear) about heaven in Heaven Is for Real. Allen Fraser/Sony Pictures hide caption

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Allen Fraser/Sony Pictures

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Is 'Heaven' Real, Or Just A Place On Earth?

April 17, 2014 • The film Heaven Is for Real tries hard to be about faith, but mostly winds up being about not bothering anybody. It's a shame, because it's a lost opportunity to say something interesting.