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Movie Reviews Reviews of new movies, classic and art films, foreign films, and popular movies. Featuring Bob Mondello, Kenneth Turan, David Edelstein, and Mark Jenkins.

Movie Reviews

As Europe Watches, A 'Murder Wall' Awaits

Mad Men: Florian Lucas and Benno Furmann play German mountaineers Andi Hinterstoisser and Toni Kurz — daredevil climbers who set out to scale the North Face of Switzerland's Eiger Peak, also known as the "Murder Wall." Music Box Films hide caption

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Music Box Films

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As Europe Watches, A 'Murder Wall' Awaits

Director Philipp Stolzl takes the viewer to dizzying heights in North Face, an adventure drama inspired by the true story of two German mountaineers who tackled one of the most dangerous climbs in the Swiss Alps.

Mad Mel, Approaching The 'Edge Of Darkness' Again

The Fury Of Revelation: Mel Gibson plays a police detective out to solve the murder of his only daughter — and unearthing corporate cover-ups and government conspiracies in the process. Warner Bros. Pictures hide caption

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Warner Bros. Pictures

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Mad Mel, Approaching The 'Edge Of Darkness' Again

Fresh Air

The star seems as angry as ever in Edge of Darkness, a film about a Boston police detective out to uncover the truth behind his daughter's death. Gibson delivers a quality performance — in a film that's in love with its own rage.

In 'For My Father,' A Bridge-Building Too Far?

Unlikely Couple: An alienated soccer star from the Palestinian city of Nablus, Tarek (Shredi Jabarin, foreground) meets Keren (Hili Yalon) near a bustling market in Tel Aviv — where Tarek, in an effort to save his father, intends to blow himself up. FilmMovement hide caption

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FilmMovement

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In 'For My Father,' A Bridge-Building Too Far?

A Palestinian suicide bomber becomes just another outcast in a shabby Tel Aviv neighborhood in this Israeli fable of cross-cultural empathy. Director Dror Zahavi doesn't go so far as to contrive a happy ending — but he does put an awfully cheerful spin on conflicts that don't usually inspire much optimism.

A 'Saint John' Who's Patron Of Oddballs, Sad Sacks

A Tour Of The Inferno: Insurance-fraud investigator John Alighieri (Steve Buscemi, left) wanders the Nevada desert in search of the truth behind a stripper's auto accident. Romany Malco plays his guide, Virgil. IndieVest Pictures hide caption

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IndieVest Pictures

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A 'Saint John' Who's Patron Of Oddballs, Sad Sacks

John Alighieri (Steve Buscemi) has two great ambitions: To hook up with his co-worker and to talk his boss into giving him a raise. One is easy enough; the other involves a Dante-esque tour of Las Vegas involving everything from scratch-off lottery tickets to a stripper in a wheelchair.

A Daughter, 'Off And Running' In Pursuit Of Herself

On Your Marks, Get Set: Avery Klein-Cloud is the daughter, the sister, the track star and the co-writer of Off and Running — but the film doesn't quite go. First Run Features hide caption

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First Run Features

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A Daughter, 'Off And Running' In Pursuit Of Herself

Avery Klein-Cloud doesn't come from your typical American family, which is probably why director Nicole Opper made a documentary about it. Distanced from her African-American heritage and drawing away from her Jewish adoptive moms, the track star spirals into an identity crisis — which ultimately raises more questions than Opper's film answers.

'Extraordinary Measures': The Least A Father Can Do

Heart Of The Matter: Actor Brendan Fraser (with Diego Velazquez) plays John Crowley, whose American dream shatters when his children are diagnosed with a rare degenerative disease. CBS Films hide caption

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CBS Films

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'Extraordinary Measures': The Least A Father Can Do

Fresh Air

On a mission to save his two dying children, a desperate father recruits a cantankerous scientist to discover a method, and means, for a cure. Critic David Edelstein says the film is more than a formulaic weepie — but still an effective tearjerker.

'The Girl On The Train': A One-Way Ticket To Trouble

Girl In Motion: Jeanne (Emilie Dequenne) ignites a furor with allegations of an anti-Semitic attack on a Paris commuter train. Strand Releasing hide caption

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Strand Releasing

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'The Girl On The Train': A One-Way Ticket To Trouble

A young Parisian's report of an anti-Semitic attack snarls her family and friends in a web of lies and public outrage. Critic Mark Jenkins says Andre Techine's film, based on an actual event, is a freewheeling, expansive take on the many ways people miscommunicate. (Recommended)

'To Save A Life': A Sermon Aimed Right At The Choir

King Of The World: Jake Taylor (Randy Wayne) is a basketball star who seems to have it all — the girl, the bod, the scholarship — until the suicide of a childhood friend turns his life upside down. New Song Pictures hide caption

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New Song Pictures

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'To Save A Life': A Sermon Aimed Right At The Choir

A faith-based filmmaking initiative, Brian Baugh's trite apologue follows a tormented teen who survives the trials of adolescence with a little help from above. It's little more than a parade of cliches and two-dimensional stereotypes, but its production values and earnestness may make it a hit with its target audiences.

Grappling With 'Creation' In The Shadow Of Death

Descent Of A Man: After the loss of his daughter Annie (Martha West), the naturalist Charles Darwin (Paul Bettany) found the strength to order his ideas about nature into the landmark treatise On the Origin of Species. Liam Daniel/Newmarket Films hide caption

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Liam Daniel/Newmarket Films

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Grappling With 'Creation' In The Shadow Of Death

The tale of Charles Darwin's struggle to develop his Origin of Species — and to deal with his daughter's loss — makes for a graceful period biography, according to critic Bob Mondello — though not an especially bold account of the struggle between science and faith.

'Tooth Fairy': A Root Canal, Minus The Laughing Gas

Minor Penalty: Hockey player Derek (Dwayne Johnson) tells his girlfriend's 6-year-old that there's no such thing as molar-collecting fairies — and gets smacked around by Julie Andrews as a result. 20th Century Fox hide caption

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20th Century Fox

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'Tooth Fairy': A Root Canal, Minus The Laughing Gas

Dwayne Johnson stars in a family comedy about a rough-and-tumble hockey player who incurs the wrath of the immortals when he tells a 6-year-old there's no such thing as the Tooth Fairy. The penalty? For two weeks, he must walk a mile in fairy shoes — plus tights and a tutu. And for an hour and a half, parents will just have to suffer through it.

'Fish Tank': A Teen Adrift In A Tough London Suburb

First-time actress Katie Jarvis plays 15-year-old Mia, a confused and troubled teen. Critic David Edelstein says casting a nonactor can sometimes be just a stunt — but director Andrea Arnold hit the jackpot with Jarvis. IFC/IFC hide caption

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IFC/IFC

'Fish Tank': A Teen Adrift In A Tough London Suburb

Fresh Air

Struggling to find her way in the East End of the British capital, 15-year-old Mia (first-time actress Katie Jarvis) looks to her mother's newfound boyfriend (Michael Fassbender) for friendship and support — but finds his motives aren't what they initially seemed. Critic David Edelstein says Andrea Arnold's second feature film is a bold example of disquieting social realism.

'44 Inch': A Flat-Chested Ode To The Male Ego

Boys And Their Toys: When Colin (Ray Winstone) learns that his wife is leaving him, he takes pointed exception to the news. Image Entertainment hide caption

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Image Entertainment

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'44 Inch': A Flat-Chested Ode To The Male Ego

Malcolm Venville's film is a derivative ode to wounded masculinity, a depressing merger of talent and inconsequence in which four seedy characters gather for a bit of revenge-taking — but succeed only in talking the audience half to death.

A Revolting 'Youth,' With A Surprising Charm

French Twist: As Nick Twisp, Michael Cera (with Portia Doubleday, right) confronts the usual teen sexual insecurities. He just has a Gallic alter-ego to help. Chuy Chavez/Dimension Films hide caption

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Chuy Chavez/Dimension Films

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A Revolting 'Youth,' With A Surprising Charm

Fresh Air

These days, adolescence isn't just awkward, it's surreal. Youth In Revolt may not show you anything you haven't seen before, but critic David Edelstein says, who cares? If you've ever been through puberty, or if you have a thing for the French, you'll find something to laugh (or wince) at here.