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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

Soviet Ghosts Resurface In Soggy 'Phantom'

Grizzled Soviet submarine captain Demi (Ed Harris) fights crew subversion and personal pain in a losing Cold War struggle against American opponents. RCR Distribution hide caption

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RCR Distribution

Soviet Ghosts Resurface In Soggy 'Phantom'

A surprising flip of Cold War submarine thrillers, Phantom shows what the Soviets might have been thinking as they battled their American foes. It's unfortunate that the American-produced film that results is such a soggy mess.

'Hava Nagila: The Movie' Pays Homage To Unlikely Jewish Touchstone

Young newlyweds are serenaded with the strains of "Hava Nagila." The unlikely origins of the popular Jewish standard are explored in Roberta Grossman's documentary feature Hava Nagila: The Movie. International Film Circuit hide caption

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International Film Circuit

'Hava Nagila: The Movie' Pays Homage To Unlikely Jewish Touchstone

You may not know all the words to the Jewish staple "Hava Nagila," but you probably know the tune. Roberta Grossman wants to show the unlikely origins of the global phenomenon in her charming documentary — and the result might surprise you. (Recommended)

Adolescent Angst Turns Deadly In 'Stoker'

Evelyn and India Stoker (Nicole Kidman and Mia Wasikowska) slowly descend into icy paranoia after their family patriarch dies through suspicious circumstances in the horror thriller Stoker. Fox Searchlight Pictures hide caption

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Fox Searchlight Pictures

Adolescent Angst Turns Deadly In 'Stoker'

South Korean director Park Chan-wook makes his English-language debut with this taut horror thriller. Though at times the narrative wears thin, tense imagery and a haunting narrative keep the action moving along to a terrifying finale. (Recommended)

A Disappointing Thriller Channels Hitchcock And Bram 'Stoker'

Nicole Kidman (left) and Mia Wasikowska star as Evelyn and India Stoker in Park Chan-wook's new thriller. Macall Polay/Fox Searchlight Pictures hide caption

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Macall Polay/Fox Searchlight Pictures

A Disappointing Thriller Channels Hitchcock And Bram 'Stoker'

Fresh Air

The film is ripe with a creepy-crawly feel that would be affecting if the tone weren't so arch. Directed by Park Chan-wook, written by Wentworth Miller and starring Nicole Kidman, Mia Wasikowska and Matthew Goode, Stoker is a vile little chamber horror, says critic David Edelstein.

'Snitch': Johnson And The Rock, At Odds In A Drug Drama

As hard-hitting father John, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, goes deep undercover to save his son from stern drug-crime laws. Steve Dietl/Summit Entertainment hide caption

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Steve Dietl/Summit Entertainment

'Snitch': Johnson And The Rock, At Odds In A Drug Drama

There are two very different movies going on in Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's new drama, Snitch: One stars Johnson as a concerned father, the other stars The Rock as an undercover drug dealer. The warring conflicts make for a film that works against itself.

'11 Flowers': A Revolutionary Childhood

Wang Han (Liu Wenqing) is given the honor of leading his schoolmates in daily calisthenics, but the honor poses hurdles for his struggling family. First Run Features hide caption

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First Run Features

'11 Flowers': A Revolutionary Childhood

The stark Chinese drama 11 Flowers meditates on the universal experiences of childhood even as it details the bizarre specifics of growing up during Mao's Cultural Revolution. The acquisition of a new white shirt changes a young boy as the revolution draws to a close. (Recommended)

'Red Flag,' 'Rubberneck': A Filmmaker Turns Inward (Twice)

The deeply personal narrative that drives writer-director Alex Karpovsky's road trip comedy Red Flag even extends to his protagonist's name. (Pictured: Karpovsky and Caroline White) Tribeca Film hide caption

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Tribeca Film

Movies

'Red Flag,' 'Rubberneck': A Filmmaker Turns Inward (Twice)

Writer-director-actor Alex Karpovsky has two intensely personal films out this week, and in one of them he's straight-up playing a version of himself. That film, the wacky road comedy Red Flag, plays better than his overly tense thriller, Rubberneck.

Voting Pinochet Out Was More Than Just A Yes Or 'No'

Gael Garcia Bernal stars as an advertising man in Chile under Pinochet in the 2012 film No, which is nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the upcoming Academy Awards. Sony Pictures Classics hide caption

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Sony Pictures Classics

Voting Pinochet Out Was More Than Just A Yes Or 'No'

Fresh Air

In the Chilean film No, which is nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, a young ad man devises a campaign to vote the dictator Augusto Pinochet out of office using rainbows and catchy theme songs.

Home Video Review: 'On The Waterfront'

As dockworker Terry Malloy in Elia Kazan's On the Waterfront, a young Marlon Brando firmly established himself as a leading Hollywood icon. Criterion Collection hide caption

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Criterion Collection

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Home Video Review: 'On The Waterfront'

Marlon Brando gives a strong case for method acting in the film's famous "I coulda been a contender" sequence. Film critic Bob Mondello says there's no madness to his method — or to the Academy Award-winning film, now out in a superb Blu-ray Disc.