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Movie Reviews Reviews of new movies, classic and art films, foreign films, and popular movies. Featuring Bob Mondello, Kenneth Turan, David Edelstein, and Mark Jenkins.

Movie Reviews

Movies

Summer 2006: Silliness, Superheroes and More

More superheroes and stupid comedies, plus a couple of flicks with public radio connections -- Bob Mondello looks forward to the films that will hit theaters during the summer of 2006.

Summer 2006: Silliness, Superheroes and More

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Arts & Life

Slate's Summary Judgment: 'X-Men: The Last Stand, 'An Inconvenient Truth'

Movie fans who are heading to theaters this weekend might want to see the action film X-Men: The Last Stand. Then there's An Inconvenient Truth, former Vice President Al Gore's documentary about global warming. Slate contributor Mark Jordan Legan sums up what film critics are saying about this weekend's premieres.

Slate's Summary Judgment: 'X-Men: The Last Stand, 'An Inconvenient Truth'

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'The Da Vinci Code'

Howard's Blend: 'The Da Vinci Code'

Director Ron Howard's adaptation of the book by Dan Brown's best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code walks a careful line. On one side lies world-famous art and shadowy figures. On the other is Howard, attempting to bring a unique interpretation to light.

Howard's Blend: 'The Da Vinci Code'

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Review: 'The Da Vinci Code'

Fresh Air

Dan Brown's novel The Da Vinci Code is second only to the Harry Potter series as the best-selling novel of all time. It has inspired a whole slew of writing on Biblical puzzles, the life of Mary Magdalene, and some debunking of Brown's premise. Now comes the long-anticipated film, directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks and Audrey Tatou.

Review: 'The Da Vinci Code'

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Movies

Films So Nice, They Named Them Twice?

The British film Wah-Wah is the latest, but hardly the first, movie title to double up on a word. Bob Mondello explores the history of movies with title titles. (No, that wasn't a typo.)

Films So Nice, They Named Them Twice?

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Arts & Life

Slate's Summary Judgment: 'Just My Luck,' 'Poseidon,' 'Keeping Up with the Steins'

Slate contributor Mark Jordan Legan summarizes what film critics are saying about this weekend's major movie releases: Just My Luck, Poseidon and Keeping Up with the Steins.

Slate's Summary Judgment: 'Just My Luck,' 'Poseidon,' 'Keeping Up with the Steins'

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Arts & Life

'Down in the Valley' Hinges on Edward Norton

Fresh Air

Our film critic reviews Down in the Valley, the new film by writer/director David Jacobson, staring Edward Norton, David Morse, and Bruce Dern. The story revolves around a cowboy who enters the life of a teenager, played by Evan Rachel Wood.

'Down in the Valley' Hinges on Edward Norton

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Arts & Life

'Mission Impossible,' Round Three

Tom Cruise is good as the hero. Oscar-winner Philip Seymour Hoffman is great as the villain. But in the end, Mission Impossible III is a movie that adds up to two pretty good one-hour TV shows about a battle for a doomsday machine.

'Mission Impossible,' Round Three

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Arts & Life

'Water' Completes Indian Film Trilogy

Water is the third film in a trilogy from Indian director Deepa Mehta. It tells the story of a 7-year-old girl sent to live in a widows' ashram. Like Earth and Fire before it, this film is likely to stir debate among Indian traditionalists.

'Water' Completes Indian Film Trilogy

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Movies

'United 93': Recent Painful History on Film

United 93 takes an unflinching look at the events surrounding the hijacking of United Airlines Flight 93 on Sept. 11, 2001. The plane's passengers rushed the terrorists, leading to a fatal crash in a Pennsylvania field.

'United 93': Recent Painful History on Film

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Arts & Life

Slate's Summary Judgment: 'United 93,' 'Akeelah and the Bee,' 'RV'

Slate contributor Mark Jordan Legan reviews what critics are saying about this weekend's movie releases -- United 93, Akeelah and the Bee and RV.

Slate's Summary Judgment: 'United 93,' 'Akeelah and the Bee,' 'RV'

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Arts & Life

Greengrass Tells Story of 'United 93'

Fresh Air

Film critic David Edelstein reviews United 93, the dramatized version of events on the plane that crashed into a field in Pennsylvania after being hijacked Sept. 11. Learning that other planes had been flown into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, passengers fought back for control of the plane.

Greengrass Tells Story of 'United 93'

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Arts & Life

Events of 'United 93' Terrifying on Screen

United 93, a movie about passengers who fought for control of a hijacked plane on Sept. 11, is hard to get out of your mind, no matter how hard you try, according to Los Angeles Times and Morning Edition film critic Kenneth Turan.

Events of 'United 93' Terrifying on Screen

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Movies

Breathtaking Eco-Thriller: 'Kekexili'

High in the mountains of Tibet, a life-and-death struggle has been raging nearly unnoticed for decades. It involves roving groups of poachers, a small band of volunteers, and antelope that once numbered in the millions. The story inspired a film, Kekexili.

Breathtaking Eco-Thriller: 'Kekexili'

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