Movie Reviews : NPR

Troubled Teen Finds New Direction In Clear-Eyed 'Bull'

Kris (Amber Havard), a directionless 14-year-old, finds a possible purpose in Bull. Samuel Goldwyn FIlm hide caption

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Samuel Goldwyn FIlm

Troubled Teen Finds New Direction In Clear-Eyed 'Bull'

April 30, 2020 • A 14-year-old girl finds herself drawn to bull riding in this "humble and low-key to a fault" debut feature.

Chris Evans Plays A Prosecutor In 'Defending Jacob' Series

April 24, 2020 • Superhero movie star Chris Evans plays a more down-to-earth role of a prosecutor whose 14-year-old son is accused of a murder in Defending Jacob, a limited series on Apple TV+.

Chris Evans Plays A Prosecutor In 'Defending Jacob' Series

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Portrait Of The Outlaw As A Young Man: 'True History Of The Kelly Gang'

Outlaw Ned Kelly (George Mackay) slings his guns in True History of the Kelly Gang. IFC Films hide caption

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IFC Films

Portrait Of The Outlaw As A Young Man: 'True History Of The Kelly Gang'

April 23, 2020 • This slyly subversive revisionist take on an infamous Australian outlaw presents the burnished popular myth and a darker, brutal and tragicomic take alongside one another.

The Mom-And-Pop Bookstore That Sold Gay Porn: 'Circus Of Books'

For years, Karen and Barry Mason ran a Los Angeles bookshop that sold and distributed gay pornography. Netflix hide caption

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Netflix

The Mom-And-Pop Bookstore That Sold Gay Porn: 'Circus Of Books'

April 23, 2020 • Rachel Mason and her siblings grew up unaware that their parents ran a gay bookstore. Her "affectionate but thinly realized" documentary skims the surface of stories that deserve deeper dives.

Georges (Jean Dujardin) goes beyond the fringe in Deerskin. Greenwich Entertainment hide caption

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Greenwich Entertainment

'Deerskin' Is Buckwild

April 23, 2020 • A man (Jean Dujardin) becomes obsessed with a deerskin jacket — and pretending to be a film director — in a dark comedy that is "both outlandish and slight."

Documentary 'Beyond The Visible: Hilma Af Klint' Makes Solid Case For Abstract Artist

Hilma af Klint paints in the streaming-on-demand documentary Beyond the Visible: Hilma af Klint. Kino Lorber hide caption

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Kino Lorber

Documentary 'Beyond The Visible: Hilma Af Klint' Makes Solid Case For Abstract Artist

April 16, 2020 • This documentary about an under-recognized abstract painter presents "an extensive case for Klint as a major artist while casting a jaundiced eye on how art history gets written."

Assured Debut 'Selah And The Spades' Explores The Thin Line Between Clique And Cult

Selah (Lovie Simone) rules the school in Selah and the Spades. Amazon Studios hide caption

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Amazon Studios

Assured Debut 'Selah And The Spades' Explores The Thin Line Between Clique And Cult

April 16, 2020 • Set at an elite, ethnically diverse boarding school, Tayarisha Poe's first feature is "a YA gangster movie that doubles as a soulful meditation on the beauty and danger of power."

3 Movies That Strike A Balance Between Escapism And Anxiety

Delivery van driver Ricky (Kris Hitchen) takes a break with his his daughter (Katie Proctor) in the Ken Loach drama Sorry We Missed You. Joss Barratt/Zeitgeist Films hide caption

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Joss Barratt/Zeitgeist Films

3 Movies That Strike A Balance Between Escapism And Anxiety

Fresh Air

April 14, 2020 • What to watch next while sheltering in place? Critic Justin Chang recommends Sorry We Missed You, Green for Danger and My Neighbor Totoro.

3 Movies That Strike A Balance Between Escapism And Anxiety

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In The Disappointingly Thin 'Tigertail,' A Taiwanese Immigrant Struggles To Connect

Pin-Ju (Hong-Chi Lee) and Yuan (Yo-Hsing Fang) in the Netflix release Tigertail. Chen Hsiang Liu/Netflix hide caption

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Chen Hsiang Liu/Netflix

In The Disappointingly Thin 'Tigertail,' A Taiwanese Immigrant Struggles To Connect

April 10, 2020 • Writer/director Alan Yang turns away from his proven track record in comedy for this "earnest, drippy" multi-generational drama that traffics in underwritten, wanly dramatized conflicts.

Gore-Flecked 'Why Don't You Just Die!' Is Brutally Fun

Yevgenich (Michael Gor) and Matvey (Aleksandr Kuznetsov) look sanguine in Why Don't You Just Die! Arrow Films hide caption

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Arrow Films

Gore-Flecked 'Why Don't You Just Die!' Is Brutally Fun

April 9, 2020 • Writer/director Kirill Sokolov's stylish and exuberant black comedy involves a corrupt cop, his would-be killer and a sardonic take on contemporary life in Russia.

A Young Cult Member Turns Against Her Flock In 'The Other Lamb'

Shepherd (Michiel Huisman) and his flock in The Other Lamb. IFC Films hide caption

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IFC Films

A Young Cult Member Turns Against Her Flock In 'The Other Lamb'

April 2, 2020 • Polish director Malgorzata Szumowska's film about a young woman (Raffey Cassidy) questioning her place in a remote religious cult wears its broad allegory on its (woolen) sleeve.

Marcel Marceau Walks Against The Winds Of War In 'Resistance'

Marcel (Jesse Eisenberg) in the film Resistance. IFC Films hide caption

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IFC Films

Marcel Marceau Walks Against The Winds Of War In 'Resistance'

March 26, 2020 • Jesse Eisenberg stars as the famous mime as he gets involved in the French Resistance during World War II. The film is an "honorable, absorbing homage to the making of a man and his art."

Tom (Jesse Eisenberg) and Gemma (Imogen Poots) go house hunting and find something more in Vivarium. Mongrel Media hide caption

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Mongrel Media

'Vivarium': House Hunters, Unnatural

March 26, 2020 • A young couple seeking a house in the 'burbs encounter an unexpected (sub)development and cannot leave. Despite its Twilight Zone premise, the film's "eccentricity and wit" carry it a long way.

'Crip Camp' Is A Raucous Celebration Of A World-Changing Place

Camp Jened, in upstate New York, was the epicenter of a disability rights movement that led to the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Steve Honigsbaum hide caption

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Steve Honigsbaum

'Crip Camp' Is A Raucous Celebration Of A World-Changing Place

March 25, 2020 • Near Woodstock, at an early '70s summer camp for kids with disabilities, a revolution was born that became a civil rights movement, and led to the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

'Crip Camp' Is A Raucous Celebration Of A World-Changing Place

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It Ain't Cabot Cove: Murder In Maine Haunts The Twisty 'Blow The Man Down'

Mary Beth (Morgan Saylor) and Pris (Sophie Lowe) get a stern talking-to from Enid (Margo Martindale) in Blow the Man Down. Jeong Park/Amazon Studios hide caption

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Jeong Park/Amazon Studios

It Ain't Cabot Cove: Murder In Maine Haunts The Twisty 'Blow The Man Down'

March 19, 2020 • Two sisters attempt to cover up a killing in a fishing village that harbors its own sinister secrets in this film that evokes the tone of films like Fargo and Blood Simple.