Movie Reviews : NPR

Bigger And Louder Than Ever, Can The Avengers Still Satisfy?

Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner). Film Frame/Marvel hide caption

toggle caption

Film Frame/Marvel

Bigger And Louder Than Ever, Can The Avengers Still Satisfy?

April 30, 2015 • Avengers: Age Of Ultron continues the march of the Marvel Cinematic Universe toward more and more and more of everything. But that's not the same thing as making the movies better.

In 'Marie's Story,' A Tale Of Teaching And Faith

Ariana Rivoire and Isabelle Carré in Marie's Story. Film Movement hide caption

toggle caption

Film Movement

In 'Marie's Story,' A Tale Of Teaching And Faith

April 30, 2015 • A new French film about a girl born blind and deaf speaks not only to the questions of how she learns, but of her encounters with faith and loss.

Revisiting The Melodrama Of 'Far From The Madding Crowd'

Matthias Schoenaerts and Carey Mulligan in Far From The Madding Crowd. Alex Bailey/Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation hide caption

toggle caption

Alex Bailey/Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Revisiting The Melodrama Of 'Far From The Madding Crowd'

April 30, 2015 • Carey Mulligan plays the role once occupied by Julie Christie, but her very different take may be too controlled for its own good.

Deception And Suspense By The Sea In The Iranian Mystery 'About Elly'

April 24, 2015 • Recently released in the U.S., Asghar Farhadi's 2009 film follows a teacher invited on a beach trip by the mother of one of her students. David Edelstein calls the film "Hitchockian" in its suspense.

Deception And Suspense By The Sea In The Iranian Mystery 'About Elly'

Listen · 5:20 5:20

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/401962780/401993723" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript

'24 Days' Retells A Brutal Crime With Little Explanation

Zabou Breitman plays Ruth Halimi in 24 Days. Menemsha Films hide caption

toggle caption

Menemsha Films

'24 Days' Retells A Brutal Crime With Little Explanation

April 23, 2015 • The docudrama 24 Days doesn't try to explain the thinking of those who abducted and killed a Jewish Parisian. Instead, it considers what can be known about the motives of others.

Life Goes On (And On) In 'The Age Of Adaline'

Michiel Huisman and Blake Lively in The Age of Adaline. Diyah Pera/Lionsgate hide caption

toggle caption

Diyah Pera/Lionsgate

Life Goes On (And On) In 'The Age Of Adaline'

April 23, 2015 • The conceptually intriguing story of a woman who doesn't age is let down by the (ironically?) lifeless way it presents the many, many years she has to work with.

'Tangerines': Enemies On Neutral Territory In A Time Of War

Lembit Ulfsak in Tangerines. Samuel Goldwyn Films hide caption

toggle caption

Samuel Goldwyn Films

'Tangerines': Enemies On Neutral Territory In A Time Of War

April 21, 2015 • The surprise Oscar nominee for Outstanding Foreign Film tries to speak to common humanity even in situations of high conflict, but it struggles to make its themes feel real.

A Tart Take On Bitter Realities In 'Tangerines'

Ivo (Lembit Ulfsak) is a pacifist. But NPR film critic Bob Mondello says Tangerines is an "object lesson in the resilience of ancient animosities." Courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn Films hide caption

toggle caption

Courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn Films

A Tart Take On Bitter Realities In 'Tangerines'

April 17, 2015 • NPR's Bob Mondello reviews Tangerines, an unconventional war drama that was this year's Estonian nominee for Best Foreign Language Film.

A Tart Take On Bitter Realities In 'Tangerines'

Listen · 3:10 3:10

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/400392700/400424064" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript

Ethan Hawke and January Jones in Andrew Niccol's Good Kill. Lorey Sebastian/Clear Skies Nevada LLC/IFC Films hide caption

toggle caption

Lorey Sebastian/Clear Skies Nevada LLC/IFC Films

In 'True Story,' A Shamed Journalist Interviews A Fugitive Who Stole His Identity

Listen · 6:56 6:56

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/400377538/400390390" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript

Awkward At Times But 'Child 44' Can Hold Audiences' Attention

April 17, 2015 • It's taken 7 years for the best-selling literary thriller Child 44 to make it to the screen. It's set in the Soviet Union in the last days of Josef Stalin and stars Tom Hardy and Noomi Rapace.

Awkward At Times But 'Child 44' Can Hold Audiences' Attention

Listen · 3:07 3:07

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/400285263/400285264" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript

The Internet Of Spooky Things Is Alive In 'Unfriended'

Shelley Henning stars as Blaire in Unfriended. Universal Pictures hide caption

toggle caption

Universal Pictures

The Internet Of Spooky Things Is Alive In 'Unfriended'

April 16, 2015 • It's a tradition for horror films to find teenagers where they live, so it makes sense that Unfriended would find them saying nasty things to and about each other online.

Two Unmoored Souls Too Gloomily Drawn In 'Felix And Meira'

Hadas Yaron and Luzer Twersky in Felix and Meira. Oscilloscope hide caption

toggle caption

Oscilloscope

Two Unmoored Souls Too Gloomily Drawn In 'Felix And Meira'

April 16, 2015 • To its credit, this story of an Orthodox Jewish woman struggling with her faith doesn't shortchange all it offers. But her encounter with a man who might offer a different future doesn't satisfy.

'Monkey Kingdom' Is Best When It's All Monkeys All The Time

Monkeys on Castle Rock from Disneynature's Monkey Kingdom. Jeff Wilson/Disney hide caption

toggle caption

Jeff Wilson/Disney

'Monkey Kingdom' Is Best When It's All Monkeys All The Time

April 16, 2015 • There's some too-cute narration and some suspiciously convenient footage in this sort-of documentary from Disneynature, but when the monkeys are at their best, they're quite charming.

In 'Clouds Of Sils Maria,' An Actress Faces Past, Present And Future In An Instant

April 10, 2015 • Juliette Binoche plays an aging movie star who's about to appear in a play opposite an infamous young Hollywood actress. It's a hall of mirrors that sounds convoluted in the telling, but plays easily.

In 'Clouds Of Sils Maria,' An Actress Faces Past, Present And Future In An Instant

Listen · 5:55 5:55

Download
Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/398769359/398797755" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Transcript

Movie Reviews

Bigger And Louder Than Ever, Can The Avengers Still Satisfy?

In 'Marie's Story,' A Tale Of Teaching And Faith

Revisiting The Melodrama Of 'Far From The Madding Crowd'

Deception And Suspense By The Sea In The Iranian Mystery 'About Elly'

Deception And Suspense By The Sea In The Iranian Mystery 'About Elly'

'24 Days' Retells A Brutal Crime With Little Explanation

Life Goes On (And On) In 'The Age Of Adaline'

'Tangerines': Enemies On Neutral Territory In A Time Of War

A Tart Take On Bitter Realities In 'Tangerines'

A Tart Take On Bitter Realities In 'Tangerines'

Pop Culture Happy Hour

The Challenges Of War At A Distance

In 'True Story,' A Shamed Journalist Interviews A Fugitive Who Stole His Identity

In 'True Story,' A Shamed Journalist Interviews A Fugitive Who Stole His Identity

Awkward At Times But 'Child 44' Can Hold Audiences' Attention

Awkward At Times But 'Child 44' Can Hold Audiences' Attention

The Internet Of Spooky Things Is Alive In 'Unfriended'

Two Unmoored Souls Too Gloomily Drawn In 'Felix And Meira'

'Monkey Kingdom' Is Best When It's All Monkeys All The Time

In 'Clouds Of Sils Maria,' An Actress Faces Past, Present And Future In An Instant

In 'Clouds Of Sils Maria,' An Actress Faces Past, Present And Future In An Instant