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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

Favorite Films Of 2014: Why Stop At 10?

Richard Linklater's daringly experimental Boyhood is Bob Mondello's favorite film of 2014. IFC Productions hide caption

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IFC Productions

Favorite Films Of 2014: Why Stop At 10?

Box-office figures were gloomy in 2014, but movie critic Bob Mondello still found a lot to cheer about among the year's quirky offerings — and as usual, his annual 10-best list runneth over.

Favorite Films Of 2014: Why Stop At 10?

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'A Most Violent Year' Captures You And Doesn't Let Go

The new film A Most Violent Year is written and directed by J.C. Chandor. The crime drama starring Jessica Chastain takes place in New York City in 1981, one of the city's most violent years.

'A Most Violent Year' Captures You And Doesn't Let Go

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Bob Mondello Watched 'The Interview,' So You Don't Have To (Really, You Don't)

Our movie critic reviews The Interview: He says it's not a political satire, or even satire of tabloid journalism. It's just another bromance, with jokes so bad he calls them "freshmanic."

Bob Mondello Watched 'The Interview,' So You Don't Have To (Really, You Don't)

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'Unbroken' Skips Over Louis Zamperini's Post-War Struggles

The movie is based on the 2010 nonfiction book by Laura Hillenbrand about a U.S. Olympic track star who survives a plane crash during World War II only to be taken prisoner by the Japanese.

'Unbroken' Skips Over Louis Zamperini's Post-War Struggles

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'Selma' Manages To Be Both Passion-Inspiring And Measured

Critic Bob Mondello reviews Selma, Ava DuVernay's film chronicling Martin Luther King Jr.'s historic voting-rights march in 1965. Mondello notes that recent protests make the film resonate today.

'Selma' Manages To Be Both Passion-Inspiring And Measured

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In A 'Depressing' Year For Films, Edelstein Finds Some Greats

Ellar Coltrane, who plays Mason in Boyhood, was 6 years old when director Richard Linklater picked him for the role. Made over the course of 12 years, the film is David Edelstein's favorite of the year. Courtesy of Matt Lankes hide caption

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Courtesy of Matt Lankes

In A 'Depressing' Year For Films, Edelstein Finds Some Greats

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Film critic David Edelstein says in 2014 none of the great material came from Hollywood studios. But, he says, it was a "wonderful year" for indie films. He names Boyhood as the best of the year.

In A 'Depressing' Year For Films, Edelstein Finds Some Greats

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A Vital Chapter Of American History On Film In 'Selma'

David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King Jr. and Carmen Ejogo as Coretta Scott King in the new movie Selma. Paramount Pictures hide caption

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Paramount Pictures

A Vital Chapter Of American History On Film In 'Selma'

Director Ava DuVernay speaks to NPR's Michele Norris about making Selma, a searing depiction of the battle for voting rights — and the first major movie about the life of Martin Luther King Jr.

A Vital Chapter Of American History On Film In 'Selma'

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Scoring The Screen

Scoring The Screen: Thomas Newman And the Music Of 'Shawshank'

Oscar-nominated composer Thomas Newman — whose credits include animated films like Finding Nemo and Wall-E to The Shawshank Redemption — kicks off our "Scoring the Screen" series with Robert Siegel.

Scoring The Screen: Thomas Newman And the Music Of 'Shawshank'

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'Mr. Turner' Is A Snuffling, Growling Work Of Art

Timothy Spall finds beauty in the unlikeliest places as painter J.M.W. Turner. Sony Pictures Classics hide caption

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Sony Pictures Classics

'Mr. Turner' Is A Snuffling, Growling Work Of Art

Critic Bob Mondello says Mike Leigh's earthy new biopic about the famed British painter J.M.W Turner shows viewers the incandescent beauty of the world as Turner himself must have seen it.

'Mr. Turner' Is A Snuffling, Growling Work Of Art

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The Strange World — And Life — Of 'Mr. Turner'

Fresh Air

The biopic of landscape painter J. M. W. Turner depicts a man whose mind is barely engaged by anything other than his work. He's a mystery, and his art is magically indefinite — just like the movie.

The Strange World — And Life — Of 'Mr. Turner'

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