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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

'Little Birds': Spiraling Down On Broken Wings

Wayward Lily (Juno Temple) falls for Jesse (Kyle Gallner), the head of a nihilistic skater gang from Los Angeles, in Little Birds, a story suffused with deprivation and despair. Millennium Entertainment hide caption

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Millennium Entertainment

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'Little Birds': Spiraling Down On Broken Wings

Set in a wasteland on the bank of California's Salton Sea, Elgin James' debut feature follows mean-spirited Lily (Juno Temple) and her subservient best friend, Allison (Kay Panabaker) — and fits handily into the tradition of teenage self-destruction films, says critic Ian Buckwalter.

'For A Good Time': More (Dirty) Talk, Less Action

Lauren (co-writer Lauren Anne Miller) and Katie (Ari Graynor) are reluctant roommates turned business partners in For a Good Time, Call .... Ryder Sloane/Focus Features hide caption

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Ryder Sloane/Focus Features

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'For A Good Time': More (Dirty) Talk, Less Action

Newest in a recent string of male-directed, female-written raunch comedies, For a Good Time, Call ... follows initially mismatched roommates who bond over a phone-sex business venture. Critic Ella Taylor says it presents a curious twist on how people express love.

On A Gray 'Day,' One Last Post-Apocalyptic Stand

Trekking through a post-apocalyptic world in The Day, haggard survivors Adam (Shawn Ashmore), Mary (Ashley Bell), Shannon (Shannyn Sossamon), Rick (Dominic Monaghan) and Henson (Cory Hardrict) come upon a farmhouse that may provide much needed shelter and supplies — as well as hidden dangers. Anchor Bay hide caption

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Anchor Bay

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On A Gray 'Day,' One Last Post-Apocalyptic Stand

Set in a desaturated landscape ravaged by an unexplained cataclysm, The Day follows a band of five survivors as they evade predators in a farmhouse hideout. Not all is as it seems in this impenetrably bleak thriller, as critic Joel Arnold explains.

'Flying Swords': Fast, Furious And Now In 3-D

Yu Hua Tian (Chen Kun) and Chow Wai On (Jet Li) battle it out in Flying Swords, which translate's wuxia films' physics-defying action into 3-D. CAO Kai Ping, Jupiter Wong, YIN Nan/Indomina Releasing hide caption

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CAO Kai Ping, Jupiter Wong, YIN Nan/Indomina Releasing

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'Flying Swords': Fast, Furious And Now In 3-D

Flying Swords of Dragon Gate, a 3-D wuxia film from Tsui Hark, takes full advantage of the format's dynamism for its wild fight scenes. The plot is convoluted, without much below the surface, but it's "raucously entertaining," says critic Stephanie Zacharek.

For Bootlegger Brothers, A Twisty Path To Profit

Jack Bondurant (Shia LeBeouf) finds escape from the brutality of his family's bootlegging business in the company of the radiant Bertha (Mia Wasikowska). Richard Foreman Jr., SMPSP/The Weinstein Co. hide caption

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Richard Foreman Jr., SMPSP/The Weinstein Co.

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For Bootlegger Brothers, A Twisty Path To Profit

Adapted from Matt Bondurant's fictionalized account of his vicious family history, Lawless has an overabundance of characters and subplots, says critic Stephanie Zacharek. Its violence is direct, but not its plot.

An 'Ambassador' Of Sorts, But Hardly Diplomatic

Mads Brugger, in character as diplomat Mads Cortzen, conferences with various members of the Central African Republic's government. Drafthouse Films hide caption

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Drafthouse Films

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An 'Ambassador' Of Sorts, But Hardly Diplomatic

Filmmaker Mads Brugger went to the Central African Republic to document rampant corruption in the capital, flourishing the credentials of a Liberian diplomat to connect with government officials and angling to buy "blood diamonds" to smuggle out of the country.

How Brazil Lives Now, In 'Neighboring Sounds'

Joao (Gustavo Jahn) and Sofia (Irma Brown) are among the inhabitants of the Recife, Brazil, street where Neighboring Sounds takes place. Victor Juca/Cinema Guild hide caption

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Victor Juca/Cinema Guild

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How Brazil Lives Now, In 'Neighboring Sounds'

Brazilian culture is often portrayed as either joyful folk tradition or brutal gang violence. But Kleber Mendonca Filho's Neighboring Sounds penetrates into the daily lives of suburban Brazilians — and critic John Powers says it may be the best Brazilian film since the '70s.

How Brazil Lives Now, In 'Neighboring Sounds'

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In A French Confection, A Hollywood Aftertaste

Friends Antoine (Laurent Lafitte), Eric (Gilles Lellouche) and Marie (Marion Cotillard) are among the troubled group that makes an annual retreat to a home in Cap Ferret. MPI Media Group hide caption

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MPI Media Group

In A French Confection, A Hollywood Aftertaste

In Little White Lies, Guillaume Canet's follow-up to his arthouse thriller Tell No One, a group of romantically beleaguered friends takes its annual retreat together. Unsubtly indebted to The Big Chill, the movie leans heavily on cliche and nostalgia.

'Rush' Job: A Wily Courier Navigates New York's Maze

Bike messenger Wilee (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) finds himself carrying a package that leads to a perilous chase. Sarah Shatz/Sony Pictures hide caption

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Sarah Shatz/Sony Pictures

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'Rush' Job: A Wily Courier Navigates New York's Maze

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a Manhattan bike messenger dodging a corrupt cop who wants a look at the package he's carrying. NPR's Bob Mondello says David Koepp's brisk actioner doesn't trouble itself with weighty themes — it's just a bona fide thrill ride.

'Rush' Job: A Wily Courier Navigates New York's Maze

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'Revenant' Mashes Up Undead Havoc, Anti-War Theme

Bart (David Anders) returns from his tour in Iraq as a fallen soldier, but he doesn't stay dead long — he rises as the titular revenant. Paladin Film hide caption

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Paladin Film

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'Revenant' Mashes Up Undead Havoc, Anti-War Theme

Writer-director Kerry Prior's horror comedy centers on an undead Iraq vet who takes to vigilante justice to supply his hunger for flesh. Critic Scott Tobias says the anti-war sentiment is incisive, though the film is structurally flabby.

'Sleepwalk' Never So Awake As When Star Is Asleep

Matt Pandamiglio (Mike Birbiglia) faces elaborate sleepwalking hallucinations while he struggles to accomplish anything substantial in his waking life. Adam Beckman/IFC Films hide caption

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Adam Beckman/IFC Films

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'Sleepwalk' Never So Awake As When Star Is Asleep

Comic Mike Birbiglia's autobiographical Sleepwalk with Me, adapted from his one-man show and novel, chronicles the exploits of a guy struggling with commitment, his career and an unusual sleepwalking affliction.

Stealing Time At Life's Climax In 'Robot & Frank'

Frank (Frank Langella) develops a strong bond with his new caretaker robot (voiced by Peter Sarsgaard), whom he teaches to pick locks. Samuel Goldwyn Films/Stage 6 Films hide caption

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Samuel Goldwyn Films/Stage 6 Films

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Stealing Time At Life's Climax In 'Robot & Frank'

Frank Langella's sensitive portrayal of a geriatric career thief carries first-time director Jake Schreier's science-fiction story, which features a caretaker robot who becomes Frank's accomplice. Critic Ian Buckwalter says the film's serious themes dovetail well with its lighter antics.

For Chinese-American Adoptees, Matters Of Identity

Fang "Jenni" Lee, raised in Berkeley, Calif., returns to China to help broker the adoption of another little girl. Linda Goldstein Knowlton/Long Shot Factory hide caption

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Linda Goldstein Knowlton/Long Shot Factory

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For Chinese-American Adoptees, Matters Of Identity

The documentary Somewhere Between chronicles three years in the lives of four young American women, all adopted, all Chinese by birth. Critic Ella Taylor says the film is a warm-hearted vehicle that lets the teenagers speak for themselves.

A Put-Upon Hardbody, But A 'Teddy Bear' At Heart

Bodybuilder Dennis (Kim Kold) and gym owner Toi (Lamaiporn Sangmanee Hougaard) share a tender moment. Film Movement hide caption

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Film Movement

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A Put-Upon Hardbody, But A 'Teddy Bear' At Heart

Mads Matthiesen's Teddy Bear, starring real-life bodybuilder Kim Kold, mixes fairytale tropes and tender non-professional performances to tell the story of Dennis, a stunted mother's boy who flees home looking for love. He ventures to Thailand, where he finds kindred souls. (Recommended)