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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

Taking To The Waves As The World Catches Fire

Otelo (Jafta Mamabolo, right) and his best friend, New Year (Thomas Gumede), grow up in South Africa during the violent years toward the end of apartheid. Indigenous Film Distribution hide caption

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Indigenous Film Distribution

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Taking To The Waves As The World Catches Fire

The South African film Otelo Burning tells the story of black teenagers who escape the world of apartheid by learning to surf. Critic Joel Arnold says the film presents its characters with a choice between hoping for the impossible and accepting the unfortunate.

From A Rom-Com Director, A Subtle Kung Fu Flick

Donnie Yen stars as Liu Jinxi, a quiet mountain-village family man who turns out to have a complicated past, in Dragon. Radius/The Weinstein Co. hide caption

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Radius/The Weinstein Co.

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From A Rom-Com Director, A Subtle Kung Fu Flick

Director Peter Ho-Sun Chan is better known for romantic comedies than for action movies. Critic Mark Jenkins says his film Dragon reflects multiple influences — from classic kung fu to Guy Richie's Sherlock Holmes -- that come together to create an eye-catching mood piece.

Brad Pitt, 'Killing Them Softly' (And With Style)

Brad Pitt's Jackie Cogan is a midlevel mob enforcer in Killing Them Softly, adapted by Andrew Dominik from the 1974 novel Cogan's Trade. Melinda Sue Gordon/The Weinstein Co. hide caption

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Melinda Sue Gordon/The Weinstein Co.

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Brad Pitt, 'Killing Them Softly' (And With Style)

As a wiseguy charged with enforcing the rules after a couple of two-bit hoods knock over a mob-run card game, the actor wears his character's back story on the inside — which is where it belongs.

A Sturdy 'Collection' Of Horror's Goriest Tropes

Abby (Erin Way) becomes another player in the Collector's (Randall Archer) deadly game. LD Entertainment hide caption

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LD Entertainment

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A Sturdy 'Collection' Of Horror's Goriest Tropes

The Collection, a sequel to 2009's The Collector, dives back into the world of a serial killer and his growing body count. Critic Ian Buckwalter says it's self-aware of the genre's indulgences — and unlike in most horror franchises, the open ending is its strongest feature.

A Rocker's 'Solo' Slide, Intimately Chronicled

Flying 'Solo': Robert Carlyle plays a burnout Britpop veteran drinking his way through a second career among the farmers markets of Southern California — until a DUI bust sends him into a tailspin. Matthew Barnes/Strand Releasing hide caption

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Matthew Barnes/Strand Releasing

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A Rocker's 'Solo' Slide, Intimately Chronicled

Robert Carlyle (Heroes, Once Upon a Time) plays a past-his-prime guitarist whose dissolution deepens when a DUI arrest raises the possibility of deportation. Critic Ella Taylor says it's a modest but satisfying story of self-destruction and redemption.

Rape, Race And The Press, Entangled In 'Central Park'

Yusef Salaam, wrongly accused of rape, is escorted by police. He and four other teens were eventually found guilty of a crime they didn't commit. Getty Images hide caption

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Getty Images

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Rape, Race And The Press, Entangled In 'Central Park'

Ken Burns, Sarah Burns and David McMahon document the wrongful 1989 rape conviction of a group of teens in The Central Park Five. Critic Mark Jenkins says the directors' careful consideration of the topic sheds light on racism and the state of the criminal-justice system. (Recommended)

'Guardians' Doesn't Rise To Its Potential

Bunnymund (Hugh Jackman), Sandman, North (Alec Baldwin) and Tooth (Isla Fisher) welcome Jack Frost (Chris Pine) to a group of mythical characters sworn to protect the world's children. DreamWorks hide caption

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DreamWorks

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'Guardians' Doesn't Rise To Its Potential

Rise of the Guardians is based on the William Joyce book series The Guardians of Childhood. Critic Stephanie Zacharek says that on the big screen, the story of Santa Claus and other mythical figures saving the world's children is too cluttered and manic to be truly enjoyed.

'Hitchcock': Mr. And Mrs. 'Master Of Suspense'

Alfred Hitchcock (Anthony Hopkins) and his wife, Alma Reville (Helen Mirren), work together to produce Psycho. Fox Searchlight hide caption

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Fox Searchlight

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'Hitchcock': Mr. And Mrs. 'Master Of Suspense'

Sacha Gervasi's Hitchcock contemplates the relationship between Alfred Hitchcock and his wife, Alma Reville, during the making of Psycho. Critic Ella Taylor says Anthony Hopkins' turn as the famous director falls flat, while the film adds little new insight into the story.

A Remake That Will Leave Fans Seeing 'Red'

From left: Matt Eckert (Josh Peck) and his friend Robert (Josh Hutcherson) join Matt's Marine brother Jed (Chris Hemsworth) on a mission to stop North Korean invaders. Ron Phillips/Open Road Films hide caption

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Ron Phillips/Open Road Films

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A Remake That Will Leave Fans Seeing 'Red'

Dan Bradley's remake of 1984's Red Dawn retells a story of high schoolers fighting off communist invaders. Critic Mark Jenkins says the new version suffers the same fate as many reboots, lacking weight and coming off as an inadvertently comic misfire.

In 'Silver Linings Playbook,' Lawrence Is Golden

Jacki Weaver and Chris Tucker also help round out a team of actors who score a touchdown with the critics. The Weinstein Co. hide caption

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The Weinstein Co.

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In 'Silver Linings Playbook,' Lawrence Is Golden

Fresh Air

David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook stars Bradley Cooper as a bipolar high school teacher trying to put his life back together. But critic David Edelstein says it's the performance of co-star Jennifer Lawrence that makes the film a hot ticket.

'Tis The Season For Oscar-Bait Adaptations

Leo Tolstoy's Countess Vronsky (Olivia Williams) and Anna (Keira Knightley) come to life in Joe Wright's adaptation of the classic Russian novel Anna Karenina. Laurie Sparham/Focus Features hide caption

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Laurie Sparham/Focus Features

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'Tis The Season For Oscar-Bait Adaptations

Cinematic adaptations of beloved literary tales are nothing new. Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina is no stranger to the adaptation process, and newcomer Silver Linings Playbook enters the romantic comedy game. NPR critic Bob Mondello has his review of both.