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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

'Anomalisa' Is A Charlie Kaufman Movie Featuring Puppets. Yes, It's Weird

Actor David Thewlis voices Michael Stone as he engages in puppet showering, puppet profanity, puppet nudity and puppet hallucinations. Courtesy of Paramount Pictures hide caption

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Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

'Anomalisa' Is A Charlie Kaufman Movie Featuring Puppets. Yes, It's Weird

NPR film critic Bob Mondello reviews Anomalisa, the latest weirdness from the writer of Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

'Anomalisa' Is A Charlie Kaufman Movie Featuring Puppets. Yes, It's Weird

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Seeing Double: Bob Mondello Picks 2015's Best Movies, 2 At A Time

(From left) Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant; Amy Poehler as Joy in Inside Out; Matt Damon in The Martian; Kettly Noël in Timbuktu; and Charlize Theron in Mad Max: Fury Road. 20th Century Fox/Pixar/20th Century Fox/Cohen Media Group/Warner Bros. hide caption

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20th Century Fox/Pixar/20th Century Fox/Cohen Media Group/Warner Bros.

Seeing Double: Bob Mondello Picks 2015's Best Movies, 2 At A Time

When NPR's movie critic sat down to write this year's best-of list, he kept seeing matched sets: two cinematic head trips, two brutal historical epics and even two riveting mortgage crisis flicks.

Seeing Double: Bob Mondello Picks 2015's Best Movies, 2 At A Time

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'Chimes At Midnight' Gives Weight To A Shakespearean Knave

Orson Welles plays Sir John Falstaff, the portly Shakespearean rapscallion in Chimes at Midnight. Courtesy of Janus Films hide caption

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Courtesy of Janus Films

'Chimes At Midnight' Gives Weight To A Shakespearean Knave

For our "Ones That Got Away" series, NPR film critic Bob Mondello checks out Chimes at Midnight, an Orson Welles masterpiece that hasn't been available in the U.S. for decades.

'Chimes At Midnight' Gives Weight To A Shakespearean Knave

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'Revenant' Reveals A Breathtaking, Punishing Saga Of Survival And Revenge

Leonardo DiCaprio, as Hugh Glass, bears the elements in a scene from The Revenant. Kimberley French/Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Film hide caption

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Kimberley French/Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Film

'Revenant' Reveals A Breathtaking, Punishing Saga Of Survival And Revenge

NPR film critic Bob Mondello reviews The Revenant, a harrowing survival tale from the director of last year's best picture Oscar winner.

'Revenant' Reveals A Breathtaking, Punishing Saga Of Survival And Revenge

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'Joy' Sinks Into A Morass As Its Protagonist Faces Irritating Obstacles

The last two films by writer-director David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle, had 18 Oscar nominations between them. So anticipation is high for his new film, Joy.

'Joy' Sinks Into A Morass As Its Protagonist Faces Irritating Obstacles

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Film Critic David Edelstein Says 2015 Offered An 'Embarrassment Of Riches'

The drama Room tells the story of a boy and his mother (played by Jacob Tremblay and Brie Larson) who are being held captive in a windowless room. Caitlin Cronenberg/Courtesy of A24 hide caption

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Caitlin Cronenberg/Courtesy of A24

Film Critic David Edelstein Says 2015 Offered An 'Embarrassment Of Riches'

Fresh Air

Fresh Air's movie critic had no shortage of material to consider when it came time to make his top 10 list this year.

Film Critic David Edelstein Says 2015 Offered An 'Embarrassment Of Riches'

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An Icy Chill From The Past Threatens A Steady Flame In '45 Years'

Tom Courtenay and Charlotte Rampling are a long-married couple unsettled by a revelation from his past in 45 Years. Agatha A. Nitecka/IFC Films hide caption

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Agatha A. Nitecka/IFC Films

An Icy Chill From The Past Threatens A Steady Flame In '45 Years'

NPR film critic Bob Mondello reviews the harrowing film 45 Years in which a happy decades-long marriage is upended by an unexpected revelation.

An Icy Chill From The Past Threatens A Steady Flame In '45 Years'

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HBO Documentary Explores Dark Underbelly Of Russia's Bolshoi Ballet

Russia's Bolshoi Ballet was rocked following the 2013 acid attack on the company's artistic director. A new documentary airing Monday on HBO, Bolshoi Babylon, looks at the culture of the company and how things got to that point. NPR explores how the paranoia and distrust of management within the ranks of the company is both very Russian and a symbol of the Bolshoi Ballet.

HBO Documentary Explores Dark Underbelly Of Russia's Bolshoi Ballet

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Shallow Focus Creates Depth Of Feeling In 'Son Of Saul'

Saul (Géza Röhrig) is almost always seen in a near close-up in Son of Saul, putting you right there next to him. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics hide caption

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Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Shallow Focus Creates Depth Of Feeling In 'Son Of Saul'

NPR's Bob Mondello reviews Son of Saul, a Hungarian film about 24 hours in the life of one man trying to bury the body of a boy under the most dire of situations.

Shallow Focus Creates Depth Of Feeling In 'Son Of Saul'

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Pop Culture Happy Hour: 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' And Toys

Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) in a scene from Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Courtesy of Lucasfilm hide caption

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Courtesy of Lucasfilm

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Pop Culture Happy Hour: 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' And Toys

We talk about the new Star Wars film (because of course we do), as well as about tie-in toys and merchandise. Plus: a bonus review with a little more meat on the bones.

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