Movie Reviews

David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King Jr. and Carmen Ejogo as Coretta Scott King in the new movie Selma.

A Vital Chapter Of American History On Film In 'Selma'

9:20pm January 19, 2015

by NPR Staff

Director Ava DuVernay speaks to NPR's Michele Norris about making Selma, a searing depiction of the battle for voting rights — and the first major movie about the life of Martin Luther King Jr.

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Arts

'Still Alice' Is A Triumph For Julianne Moore, But The Rest Of Film Is Thin

1:59pm January 16, 2015

by David Edelstein

The movie is based on neuroscientist Lisa Genova's novel about a linguistics professor with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. While Moore is fascinating, the rest of the characters are half-formed.

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'Blackhat' Offers Fictionalized Version Of Cyberterrorism

7:59am January 16, 2015

by Kenneth Turan

Michael Mann's new cybercrime thriller stars Chris Hemsworth. Mann's skill as a director holds the audience's attention as the team follows lines of electronic breadcrumbs in pursuit of the evil one.

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Arts

The 'Selma' Criticism For How It Portrays Lyndon B. Johnson: Is It Fair?

2:38pm January 09, 2015

by David Edelstein

The film about Martin Luther King's marches for voting rights is being accused of alleged historical inaccuracies. Critic David Edelstein says that's "not entirely" fair, and it's still a great movie.

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Scoring The Screen: Thomas Newman And the Music Of 'Shawshank'

7:33pm January 06, 2015

Oscar-nominated composer Thomas Newman — whose credits include animated films like Finding Nemo and Wall-E to The Shawshank Redemption — kicks off our "Scoring the Screen" series with Robert Siegel.

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James Brown performs onstage at the TAMI Show on December 29, 1964 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in California.

James Brown On Film: An Admiring And Unflinching Look At 'Mr. Dynamite'

8:22pm January 03, 2015

by Eric Deggans

The new HBO documentary Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown traces the singer's career through the words of writers, musicians and former employees.

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Marion Cotillard is Sandra, who must convince her factory co-workers to vote against giving themselves a bonus in order to preserve her job, in Two Days, One Night.

Arts

'Leviathan' And 'Two Days' Look For Oscar Gold

6:23pm January 02, 2015

by Bob Mondello

The week between Christmas and the new year often delivers Oscar hopefuls to our screens; NPR's Bob Mondello praises two foreign films that grapple with social issues through the lens of family.

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Alexey Serebryakov as Kolya in Leviathan.

Arts

'Leviathan' Shows A Film And Filmmaker Unafraid Of Big Questions

10:33am January 02, 2015

by Ella Taylor

Andrey Zvyagintsev's story of corruption in post-Soviet Russia won funding from the Ministry Of Culture, but his picture of his homeland is unsettling.

Arts

Murder, Cows And Bad Funerals In The Absurd Comedy Of 'Li'l Quinquin'

10:16am January 02, 2015

by Mark Jenkins

Bruno Dumont's inconclusively plotted story of a boy crossing paths with detectives and other locals was made as a miniseries, but feels little like traditional television.

Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain star in A Most Violent Year.

Arts

Grasping For Gravitas In 'A Most Violent Year'

12:33pm January 01, 2015

by Tomas Hachard

J.C. Chandor's A Most Violent Year wants to be an elegant statement on the tough truth about making it in America. Instead, it tries to import seriousness it can't back up with substance.