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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

In The Mood For Apocalypse? Skip 'Transformers,' See 'Snowpiercer'

Film critic David Edelstein says Snowpiercer — a dystopian film based on a French graphic novel — is far more invigorating and potent than Transformers 4: Age of Extinction.

In The Mood For Apocalypse? Skip 'Transformers,' See 'Snowpiercer'

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Carney's 'Begin Again' Doesn't Match His Hit 'Once'

Begin Again is the latest effort by John Carney. This film and his previous Once have so much in common that you can't help asking yourself, "Can lightning strike twice?"

Carney's 'Begin Again' Doesn't Match His Hit 'Once'

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Brutality And Faith Tangle In A Young Man's Story

Initially appearing to be the ideal father figure, Benno, played by German actor Sascha Alexander Gersak in Nothing Bad Can Happen, shows his dark side as he mocks and violently tests a young boy's religious faith. Drafthouse Films hide caption

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Drafthouse Films

Brutality And Faith Tangle In A Young Man's Story

The German film Nothing Bad Can Happen follows a boy who meets up with a father figure who tests his born-again beliefs and ultimately becomes his tormentor.

A Not-Quite-Satisfying Look At A Notorious Career In Crime

In 2013, James "Whitey" Bulger was found guilty of racketeering, drug trafficking, money laundering, extortion, and participation in 11 murders. He was sentenced to two lifetime sentences in prison plus five years. Magnolia Pictures hide caption

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Magnolia Pictures

A Not-Quite-Satisfying Look At A Notorious Career In Crime

Director Joe Berlinger dives into the story of James "Whitey" Bulger, convicted of a pile of crimes and sentenced in 2013. Unfortunately, not every question seems to be asked with the same urgency.

'Begin Again,' A Music Fantasy Both Sticky And Sweet

After hearing Greta singing in a New York City bar, Dan, a record label executive played by Mark Ruffalo in Begin Again, helps her record her first big album. Andrew Schwartz/The Weinstein Company hide caption

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Andrew Schwartz/The Weinstein Company

'Begin Again,' A Music Fantasy Both Sticky And Sweet

The sweet musical film Begin Again brings Mark Ruffalo and a charming Keira Knightley into a story about redemption and music that loses its footing every time it tries to stay close to the ground.

The Satisfying Chill Of The Audacious 'Snowpiercer'

In Snowpiercer, the children of the wealthy who inhabit the front of the train are offered luxuries such as education, while the people who dwell in the train's rear — (from right) Curtis (Chris Evans), Grey (Luke Pasqualino), Yona (Ah-sung Ko) and Namgoong Minsoo (Song Kang-ho) — survive in squalor. Radius TWC hide caption

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Radius TWC

The Satisfying Chill Of The Audacious 'Snowpiercer'

Bong Joon-ho's post-apocalyptic tale of the last remnants of humankind trapped on a train to nowhere is the kind of idea-driven science fiction that deserves to be seen.

'Miss Lovely' Exposes The Underbelly Of India's Film Industry

Zeena Bhatia plays Poonam, an aging actress, in the new film Miss Lovely, which exposes India's underground porn industry. DADA Films hide caption

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DADA Films

'Miss Lovely' Exposes The Underbelly Of India's Film Industry

No one wanted to talk to director Ashim Ahluwalia on camera about making porn in India. So to cover the rarely discussed topic, he created a fictional film that looks and feels like a documentary.

'Miss Lovely' Exposes The Underbelly Of India's Film Industry

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A Leap Too Far? 'Venus' And 'Jersey Boys' Bounce From Stage To Screen

Mathieu Amalric as a Roman Polanski look-alike and Emmanuelle Seigner — the director's real-life wife — play psychosexual mind games in Venus in Fur. Mars Distribution hide caption

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Mars Distribution

A Leap Too Far? 'Venus' And 'Jersey Boys' Bounce From Stage To Screen

Critic Bob Mondello takes a look at two very different films, both adapted from stage plays to screen by two very cinematic directors — Roman Polanski and Clint Eastwood.

A Leap Too Far? 'Venus' And 'Jersey Boys' Bounce From Stage To Screen

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'Jersey Boys' And 'Venus In Fur' Are Just As Intense On Screen

Two veteran directors adapted the Broadway shows to film. And while many such translations are too stage-bound, critic David Edelstein says Clint Eastwood and Roman Polanski got the balance right.

'Jersey Boys' And 'Venus In Fur' Are Just As Intense On Screen

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Clint Eastwood Takes 'Jersey Boys' From Broadway To Movie Theaters

Jersey Boys is based on the music of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. The film deals with the group's turbulent relationships away from the studio as much as the music that flowed out of it.

Clint Eastwood Takes 'Jersey Boys' From Broadway To Movie Theaters

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'The Last Sentence': A Man Making History, But Made By It As Well

Actor Jesper Christensen plays Swedish journalist Torgny Segerstedt in The Last Sentence, a biographical film that highlights the journalist's stance against Hitler and fascism during World War II. Nille Leander/Music Box Films hide caption

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Nille Leander/Music Box Films

'The Last Sentence': A Man Making History, But Made By It As Well

A biographical portrait of the man who urged Sweden to heed the dangers posed by Hitler wisely resists the urge to divide us into gods and monsters.

You're A Little Flat, 'Boys'

Tommy Devito (Vincent Piazza), Bob Gaudio (Erich Bergen), Frankie Valli (John Lloyd Young) and Nick Massi (Michael Lomenda) make up the scrappy Four Seasons quartet in Jersey Boys. Keith Bernstein/ 2014 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.and RatPac Entertainment hide caption

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Keith Bernstein/ 2014 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.and RatPac Entertainment

You're A Little Flat, 'Boys'

Director Clint Eastwood's adaptation of the Broadway musical Jersey Boys can be engaging and comic, but also often feels a little underdone.