Worried Parents Go Off Half-Cocked In 'Blockers'
A teen sex comedy from the worried parents' point of view, Blockers smartly skewers, in a raunchy, silly and strangely empathetic way, the neediness of the helicopter parent.
Movies
'Lean On Pete': A Dispiriting Detour On The Way To The Glue Factory
Writer/director Andrew Haigh (Weekend) adapts Willy Vlautin's novel about a lonely teen and the horse he loves. Under Haigh's austere direction, the film moves from melancholic to downright morose.
Giddy, Over-The-Top 'Blockers' Makes Parents The Butt Of Prom Night Jokes
Three teenage girls make a pact to lose their virginity after senior prom — and three parents embark on a hysterical odyssey to stop them — in Kay Cannon's raunchy new sex comedy.
What Made '2001, A Space Odyssey' Such An Influential Film
This week marks the 50th Anniversary of Stanley Kubrick's 2001, A Space Odyssey. As NPR critic Bob Mondello looks back he says the film made screen sci-fi respectable.
50 Years Later, '2001: A Space Odyssey' Is Still A Cinematic Landmark
Stanley Kubrick's science-fiction epic — which opened to mixed reviews in 1968 — unknowingly foreshadowed the future of effects-driven blockbusters.
Edie Falco Plays A Middle-Aged Teacher With A Lot To Learn In 'Outside In'
Falco's character, Carol, feels trapped in her mundane job and marriage. But everything changes when a former student returns after 20 years in prison.
Steven Spielberg's Fantastical 'Ready Player One' Is A Fatally Overblown Juggernaut
Spielberg's new action-adventure is set in future world where people use virtual-reality goggles to escape a dreary city. Critic Justin Chang calls it both "spectacular — and spectacularly empty."
Burt Reynolds' 'The Last Movie Star' Is Semi-Tough To Get Through
Reynolds plays a vain, pathetic version of himself in a film full of moments so sappy and overplayed they feel "less like self-deprecation than elder abuse."
'Finding Your Feet' Has A Nice Beat And Is Easy To Dance To
A upper-middle class snob goes to live with her bohemian sister and gets drawn into the world of seniors' dance classes in this "sweet-natured if overlong" British film.
'Ready Player One' Is Full Of '80s Nostalgia And 'Easter Eggs'
NPR critic Bob Mondello says Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One is a match made in heaven. In it, '80s on screen nostalgia meets a novel about video-game nostalgia for the 1980s.