Movie Reviews : NPR

Mathematician's Story Is Dramatic Enough For The Big Screen

November 28, 2014 • The new movie The Imitation Game is about British mathematician Alan Turing and his attempts to crack Germany's Enigma Code during World War Two.

Mathematician's Story Is Dramatic Enough For The Big Screen

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In A Weekend Or A Year, Remoteness Is Captured On Film

Christine Powell in Antarctica: A Year On Ice. Music Box Films hide caption

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Music Box Films

In A Weekend Or A Year, Remoteness Is Captured On Film

November 27, 2014 • Documentaries Remote Area Medical, about the operation of a pop-up medical clinic, and Antarctica: A Year On Ice have the extremes of human life in common, but their methods and tone differ vastly.

In 'The Babadook,' A Mother's Sacrifices And A Monster's Roar

Essie Davis and Noah Wiseman in The Babadook. Matt Nettheim/Brigade Marketing hide caption

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Matt Nettheim/Brigade Marketing

In 'The Babadook,' A Mother's Sacrifices And A Monster's Roar

November 27, 2014 • Jennifer Kent's genre-bending horror film gives brave voice to the fury of many mothers and continues a tradition of Australian women unafraid of explorations of fear.

Benedict Cumberbatch Lifts Above Biopic Formula In 'Imitation Game'

Keira Knightley, Matthew Beard, Matthew Goode, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Allen Leech in The Imitation Game. Jack English/The Weinstein Company hide caption

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Jack English/The Weinstein Company

Benedict Cumberbatch Lifts Above Biopic Formula In 'Imitation Game'

Fresh Air

November 25, 2014 • Cumberbatch stars as British mathematician and World War II code breaker Alan Turing in a film directed by Morten Tyldum and co-staring Keira Knightley as Turing's comrade in arms.

Benedict Cumberbatch Lifts Above Biopic Formula In 'Imitation Game'

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'Hunger Games: Mockingjay' Opens Where 'Catching Fire' Ended

November 21, 2014 • The final novel of the trilogy has been cut into two pictures. This one is a placeholder film. It exists to smooth the transition from its successful predecessors to a glorious concluding part.

'Hunger Games: Mockingjay' Opens Where 'Catching Fire' Ended

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A Concert Film Without Much Concert Film, 'Pulp' Sketches A Hometown

Pulp bandmates Jarvis Cocker, Nick Banks, Candida Doyle, Steve Mackey, and Mark Webber. Oscilloscope hide caption

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Oscilloscope

A Concert Film Without Much Concert Film, 'Pulp' Sketches A Hometown

November 20, 2014 • The documentary Pulp: A Film About Life, Death And Supermarkets is not much about any of those things, but it does try to take a closer look at the band's singer-songwriter and the town he left.

A Frustrating Love Letter In 'Monk With A Camera'

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Kino Lorber, Inc.

A Frustrating Love Letter In 'Monk With A Camera'

November 20, 2014 • The documentary Monk With A Camera follows Nicholas Vreeland, born to New York socialites, who has been a Buddhist monk for decades.

It's Getting Serious In Panem As 'Mockingjay' Goes Dark

Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen. Murray Close/Lions Gate hide caption

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Murray Close/Lions Gate

It's Getting Serious In Panem As 'Mockingjay' Goes Dark

November 20, 2014 • The first half of the last third of the Hunger Games trilogy — really — dismisses much of the colorful action of the first two films and draws focus to a dangerous propaganda war.

Satirists Go Serious in 'Foxcatcher' And 'Rosewater' — And It Works

Steve Carell ditches any pretense of comedy in Foxcatcher. Scott Garfield/Sony Pictures Classics hide caption

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Scott Garfield/Sony Pictures Classics

Satirists Go Serious in 'Foxcatcher' And 'Rosewater' — And It Works

November 14, 2014 • NPR film critic Bob Mondello reviews two serious films based on real-life events — Foxcatcher, which stars comedian Steve Carrell, and Rosewater, directed by Comedy Central's Jon Stewart.

Satirists Go Serious in 'Foxcatcher' And 'Rosewater' — And It Works

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'Foxcatcher': A Bloated True-Crime Story Based On Wealthy Heir John du Pont

Fresh Air

November 14, 2014 • The film is based on du Pont's fraught relationship with two Olympic wrestlers. Wealth isn't enough — his identity hinges on winning. It's a fascinating case study, but as drama, it's one sick joke.

'Foxcatcher': A Bloated True-Crime Story Based On Wealthy Heir John du Pont

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Jon Stewart's 'Rosewater': The Serious Side Of Comedy

November 14, 2014 • Written and directed by Jon Stewart of The Daily Show, the film tells the true story of an American journalist covering Iran's 2009 election, who was detained and tortured by Iranian authorities.

Jon Stewart's 'Rosewater': The Serious Side Of Comedy

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