Movie Reviews

(L to R) Udo Kier as Konrad, Paul (Matt Damon), and Dusan (Christoph Waltz) in Downsizing.

Arts

'Downsizing': A Tone-Deaf, Less-Than-Incredible Shrinking Satire

5:01pm December 21, 2017

by Andrew Lapin

Director/co-writer Alexander Payne's film is "the rare movie that seems to execute every part of its concept absolutely wrong; a narrative, tonal, visual and sociopolitical fiasco."

Taking Up Spacey: J. Paul Getty (Christopher Plummer) and Fletcher (Mark Wahlberg) in All The Money In The World.

Arts

'All The Money In The World' And Worth Every Penny

5:00pm December 21, 2017

by Ella Taylor

The sudden de-Spaceying of a lead role is the least interesting thing about Ridley Scott's propulsive thriller that features a standout performance by Michelle Williams.

Science

Latest 'Star Wars' Teaches The Value Of Failure

11:16am December 21, 2017

by Marcelo Gleiser

The Last Jedi highlights the need for failure to find success, as the ongoing dynamic of The Force — the tug-of-war between good and evil — aptly defines our humanity, says Marcelo Gleiser.

New Movies Will Inundate Theaters Over The Next Couple Of Weeks

6:44am December 21, 2017

by David Greene

To name just a few of the new movies coming out: Steven Spielberg's The Post, All the Money in the World and what might be Daniel Day Lewis's last film: Phantom Thread.

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Arts

'The Post' Is A Crackling Newsroom Thriller With Electrifying Relevance

1:41pm December 20, 2017

by Justin Chang

Steven Spielberg's new drama revisits The Washington Post's 1971 decision to publish the Pentagon Papers in defiance of the Nixon administration. Justin Chang calls it "terrifically entertaining."

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Call Me By Your Name, Get Out, The Florida Project, The Big Sick, Coco and Girls Trip all made NPR's top list.

Arts

NPR's Favorite Movies Of 2017

10:26am December 19, 2017

You may not agree that a given film belongs on this list, or we might have left your favorite off. But movies are meant to inspire discussion and debate; why shouldn't year-end lists do the same?

In A Year Of Heartbreak And Reckoning, 12 Films Remind Us Of Cinema's Greatness

3:04pm December 18, 2017

by Justin Chang

Film critic Justin Chang picks his top 12 movies of the year, pairing them thematically, from Call Me By Your Name and The Florida Project, to War For The Planet of the Apes and Dunkirk.

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Arts

'Last Jedi' Puts The Smarts — And The Heart — Back Into The 'Star Wars' Franchise

1:39pm December 15, 2017

by David Edelstein

The late Carrie Fisher makes her final appearance — now as General Leia — in Star Wars Episode VIII. Critic David Edelstein says The Last Jedi is nothing short of terrific.

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Bull-necked wrestler John Cena voices the pacifist bull Ferdinand.

Arts

Mediocre 'Ferdinand' Will Have Bored Parents Seeing Red

5:01pm December 14, 2017

by Scott Tobias

Munro Leaf's classic children story about a pacifist bull becomes a formulaic animated film indistinguishable from scores of others.

Birdboy: The Forgotten Children is a film based on the graphic novel by Alberto Vázquez.

Arts

'Birdboy' Is A Dark, Beautiful, Boundary-Pushing Animated Film

5:00pm December 14, 2017

by Andrew Lapin

Three adorable anthropomorphic animals wander a post-apocalyptic hellscape in this hand-drawn animated film from Spain that "thumbs its nose at traditional G-rated storytelling."