Movie Reviews

Arts

'Jackie' Captures The Brittle Sadness Of A First Lady In Mourning

1:28pm December 02, 2016

by David Edelstein

A new biopic takes audiences into the White House in the days following JFK's assassination in Dallas. Critic David Edelstein says Jackie conveys both the shyness and slyness of Jacqueline Kennedy.

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Movie Review: 'Jackie' Stars Natalie Portman As Jacqueline Kennedy

9:28am December 02, 2016

by Kenneth Turan

A biopic about Jacqueline Kennedy opens on Friday, and centers on the aftermath of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Our reviewer says Jackie is a transporting and transfixing biopic.

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Chen Gang as a taxi driver in Old Stone, director Johnny Ma's debut feature.

Arts

In The Dark Crime Thriller 'Old Stone,' A Taxi Driver Turns Amateur Detective

5:00pm December 01, 2016

by Mark Jenkins

Writer-director Johnny Ma's mordant tale of a taxi driver forced to cover the health costs of a man he ran over "shifts from docudrama to "black-hearted thriller," says critic Mark Jenkins.

Natalie Portman as Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy in Jackie.

Arts

When Private Grief Meets Public Duty: The Intimate, Hypnotic 'Jackie'

5:00pm December 01, 2016

by Scott Tobias

Director Pablo Larraín narrows the focus of his Jackie Kennedy biopic to a handful of days around the JFK assassination, and keeps his camera trained on Natalie Portman's expressive face.

Isabelle Hupert and Roman Kolinka in Things to Come, a film by Mia Hansen-Løve.

Arts

A Parisian Woman's Tightly Woven Sense Of Self Begins To Unravel In 'Things To Come'

5:00pm December 01, 2016

by Ella Taylor

In this rigorously observed French drama, Isabelle Huppert delivers a searing performance. "In Huppert," says critic Ella Taylor, "deadpan meets tumult wreaking havoc within."

Olivia Bond as the young Francisca in The Eyes of My Mother.

Arts

Through 'The Eyes of My Mother' We See A Young Woman Grow Into A Vicious Killer

5:00pm December 01, 2016

by Andrew Lapin

This elegant but unsettling horror film implicates the audience by placing us inside the head of the monster at its center, forcing us to see things in ourselves we don't wish to.

Gianfranco Rosi's documentary, Fire at Sea, is set on the tiny Sicilian island of Lampedusa, where tens of thousands of migrants come ashore each year.

2 New Works Confront The Refugee Crisis With Empathy And Humanity

2:24pm November 30, 2016

by John Powers

Critic John Powers discusses the Italian documentary, Fire at Sea, and the novel, These Are the Names. The works take very different — but nonetheless poignant — approaches to the refugee situation.

Arts

In 'Lion,' A Man Uses Google Earth To Search For His Family

4:32pm November 25, 2016

by Bob Mondello

NPR movie critic Bob Mondello reviews Lion, a dramatic true story starring Dev Patel as a man who uses Google Earth to search for his family.

Arts

Holiday Movie Preview: Lightsabers, Musicals And Jackie

6:27pm November 24, 2016

by Bob Mondello

NPR movie critic Bob Mondello has a preview of the would-be awards contenders and blockbusters Hollywood will be opening as the rest of us open presents.

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Movie star Toshiro Mifune and director Akira Kuroswa on the set of Seven Samurai.

Arts

'Mifune' Can't Quite Capture A Screen Legend

5:00pm November 24, 2016

by Mark Jenkins

Critic Mark Jenkins says a new documentary focused on Toshiro Mifune's relationship with director Akira Kurosawa could have used a bit more verve and a few more voices.