Movies

Tiffany Chu stars as Kasie in Ms. Purple, an indie drama about a Korean American family from director Justin Chon.

Arts

In The Moody 'Ms. Purple': A Karaoke Hostess Lives In The Silence Between Notes

5:00pm September 05, 2019

by Andee Tagle

Justin Chon's third feature, about a karaoke hostess forced to deal with her estranged brother while her father is dying, possesses an "emotional impact [that] is loudest in its quiet moments."

Bill Skarsgård (right) is back as Pennywise to torment the town of Derry one final time...probably.

Arts

We All Float Down Here, But 'It Chapter Two' Treads Water

5:00pm September 05, 2019

by Scott Tobias

Despite a stellar cast, the back half of Andy Muschietti's adaptation of King's novel gets bogged down by lugubrious pacing and exhausts the audience.

Directors Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman tell the story of the "rock queen" using her own words.

Documentary 'Linda Ronstadt: The Sound Of My Voice' Plays It Safe — And Warm

5:00pm September 05, 2019

by Ren Jender

This tender, charming documentary of the chart-topping singer looks back on her career with (Love Is A) Rose-colored glasses.

L to R: Detective Blanc (Daniel Craig), Lieutenant Elliott (LaKieth Stanfield) and Trooper Wagner (Noah Segan) are on the case in Rian Johnson's Knives Out.

Arts

Toronto International Film Festival 2019 Preview: The Films We're Most Excited About

5:00am September 04, 2019

The NPR Movies Team picks the 12 films they're most looking forward to seeing — movies that will likely end up in theaters or on streaming services sometime in the next few months.

Arts

Come Along For The Ride: 'Give Me Liberty' Is A Full-Blown Farce On Wheels

2:05pm September 03, 2019

by Justin Chang

A new screwball comedy by filmmaker Kirill Mikhanovsky follows the driver of a medical transport van and his passengers over the course of 24 busy hours in Milwaukee.

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Arts

Fall Movie Preview: Blockbusters And Awards Contenders

4:18pm September 02, 2019

by Bob Mondello

A selective preview of the would-be blockbusters and awards contenders that Hollywood has in store for the fall.

Keira Knightley stars in this true story about Katharine Gun, a British intelligence officer who exposed the US government's efforts to force the UN Security Council to sanction the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Arts

In The Run-Up To War, A British Whistleblower Exposes 'Official Secrets'

11:08pm August 29, 2019

by Andrew Lapin

Director Gavin Hood's film about a leaked NSA memo becomes an ambitious indictment of the invasion of Iraq itself, though it's saddled with drab visuals of characters frowning at computer screens.

A zany showbiz family gets a little zanier when stage manager Rachel (Hannah Pearl Utt, left) and her actress sister, Jackie (Jen Tullock, right) discover the mother they thought was dead is alive, well, and a soap opera star.

Arts

'Before You Know It': A Charming, Soapy Comedy About Family Secrets

5:00pm August 29, 2019

by Ella Taylor

Two sisters (co-writers Hannah Pearl Utt and Jen Tullock) learn that their dead mother (Judith Light) is alive — and starring in a soap opera — in this "wise, witty and richly specific" film.

Fred Durst (yes, that Fred Durst) co-wrote and directed this thriller about a stalker. John Travolta (left), stars as the fanatic and Devon Sawa (right), stars as his movie star prey.

Arts

In Stalker Thriller 'The Fanatic,' Travolta Stalks, But Never Thrills

5:00pm August 29, 2019

by Simon Abrams

In Fred Durst's third feature, based loosely on his experience with an overzealous fan, the director lectures the audience while star John Travolta flails away at a one-note performance.

During NATO's 1999 bombing of Serbia, truck driver Vlada (Leon Lucev) is tasked with crossing his war-torn country to deliver mysterious cargo.

Arts

A War-Ravaged Country, A Mysterious Cargo: 'The Load'

5:00pm August 29, 2019

by Scott Tobias

The dangers are existential in this "anti-thriller," in which a truck driver must navigate Serbia's back roads carrying an unknown payload.