Movie Reviews : NPR

'Jason Bourne' Returns, In A Dizzying And Frenetic Thriller

Fresh Air

July 29, 2016 • Actor Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass pair up again for another chapter in the series about a rogue CIA assassin. Critic David Edelstein says Jason Bourne is very flashy — but not much fun.

'Jason Bourne' Returns, In A Dizzying And Frenetic Thriller

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Movie Review: 'Jason Bourne,' A Thriller For Our Times

July 29, 2016 • In Jason Bourne, the latest in the secret agent series starring Matt Damon, director Paul Greengrass presents a thriller relevant to today's world, says Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times.

Movie Review: 'Jason Bourne,' A Thriller For Our Times

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In 'Tallulah,' An Aimless Young Woman Stumbles Across A Purpose: Kidnapping

Ellen Page in Tallulah. David Newsom/Netflix/David Newsom/Netflix hide caption

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David Newsom/Netflix/David Newsom/Netflix

In 'Tallulah,' An Aimless Young Woman Stumbles Across A Purpose: Kidnapping

July 28, 2016 • The plot's overstuffed, but whenever Ellen Page and Allison Janney share the screen, Tallulah finds its palpably human center.

'Indignation,' Based On Philip Roth's Autobiographical Novel, Marred By Miscasting

Sarah Gadon and Logan Lerman in Indignation. Alison Cohen Rosa/Roadside Attractions hide caption

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Alison Cohen Rosa/Roadside Attractions

'Indignation,' Based On Philip Roth's Autobiographical Novel, Marred By Miscasting

July 28, 2016 • Roth's mercurial 2008 coming-of-age novel gets a dutiful, sober-minded adaptation undercut by a miscast Logan Lerman in the film's lead role.

In 'Equity,' Wall Street's Glass Towers Have Glass Ceilings

Sam (Alysia Reiner) in Equity. Sony Pictures Classics hide caption

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Sony Pictures Classics

In 'Equity,' Wall Street's Glass Towers Have Glass Ceilings

July 28, 2016 • Anna Gunn plays a Manhattan investment banker determined to succeed, but powerful men — and slack film-making — let her down.

This Time Out, Matt Damon's Not Feeling The 'Bourne'

Matt Damon in Jason Bourne. Universal Studios hide caption

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Universal Studios

This Time Out, Matt Damon's Not Feeling The 'Bourne'

July 28, 2016 • Jason Bourne is back — still, again, some more — in a new film critic Chris Klimek calls an "idea-starved vestigial tail" on the Bourne series.

Ruby Wallau

'Sunlight Pilgrims' Is More Than Just A Chilling Tale Of Climate Change

July 26, 2016 • Jenni Fagan's latest follows a transgender girl and her mother in a near-future world that's slowly freezing to death. Fagan makes potent but subtle links between climate change and personal change.

Pop Culture Happy Hour: 'Ghostbusters' And 'Mr. Robot'

Patty Tolan (Leslie Jones), Abby Yates (Melissa McCarthy), Erin Gilbert (Kristen Wiig) and Jillian Holtzmann (Kate McKinnon) are the Ghostbusters. Hopper Stone/Sony Pictures hide caption

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Hopper Stone/Sony Pictures

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Pop Culture Happy Hour: 'Ghostbusters' And 'Mr. Robot'

July 22, 2016 • On this week's show, we bust some ghosts — well, we don't, but we watch those who do — and we address the beginning of the second season of USA's Emmy-nominated conspiracy thriller.

Pop Culture Happy Hour: 'Ghostbusters' And 'Mr. Robot'

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'Star Trek Beyond' Is An Unapologetically Wild Ride, Steeped In Human Drama

Fresh Air

July 22, 2016 • The Enterprise has been destroyed and its inhabitants have been thrown to the winds in the latest of the Star Trek series. Critic David Edelstein calls it a well-made action-adventure film.

'Star Trek Beyond' Is An Unapologetically Wild Ride, Steeped In Human Drama

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Bigger Budgets Boost 'Star Trek: Beyond,' But Small Screens Might Work Better

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Paramount Pictures

Bigger Budgets Boost 'Star Trek: Beyond,' But Small Screens Might Work Better

July 22, 2016 • Chris Klimek says the fancy effects and swooping camera work of the new Star Trek film are fun to watch, but the story's civilization-seeking imperatives might still be better served by TV.

'Don't Think Twice' Scripts Improv With Ease

Don't Think Twice is about fame and friendship, but mostly it's a celebration of improv. (Pictured: Tami Sagher, Gillian Jacobs, Kate Micucci, Mike Birbiglia, Chris Gethard and Keegan-Michael Key) Jon Pack/Courtesy of The Film Arcade hide caption

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Jon Pack/Courtesy of The Film Arcade

'Don't Think Twice' Scripts Improv With Ease

July 22, 2016 • Sad sacks and stage hogs chase stardom in Don't Think Twice. But rest assured writer/director Mike Birbiglia keeps it funny.

'Don't Think Twice' Scripts Improv With Ease

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The Enduring 'AbFab' Picks Up Right Where It Boozily Left Off

Patsy (Joanna Lumley) and Edina (Jennifer Saunders) in Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation hide caption

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Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

The Enduring 'AbFab' Picks Up Right Where It Boozily Left Off

July 21, 2016 • For Absolutely Fabulous to return as a movie 20 years after its sitcom phenom phase might seem absurd, but it's in line with the show's commitment to Patsy and Eddy's timeless lack of cachet.

A Love Story Set In France's Heady Political Past

Izïa Higelin and Cécile de France in Summertime. Strand Releasing/Strand Releasing hide caption

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Strand Releasing/Strand Releasing

A Love Story Set In France's Heady Political Past

July 21, 2016 • Director Catherine Corsini sets the story of two women in love against a moment in the early 1970s when France was in a period of leftist ferment.

Comedy Really Is Hard Among Friends In 'Don't Think Twice'

Tami Sagher (Lindsay), Gillian Jacobs (Samantha), Keegan-Michael Key (Jack), Mike Birbiglia (Miles), Chris Gethard (Bill), Kate Micucci (Allison) in Mike Birbiglia's Don't Think Twice. Jon Pack/The Film Arcade hide caption

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Jon Pack/The Film Arcade

Comedy Really Is Hard Among Friends In 'Don't Think Twice'

July 21, 2016 • Mike Birbiglia wrote and directed this affecting story of the members of an improv troupe whose commitment to working together is mixed with rivalries and jealousy.

'Zero Days' Documentary Exposes A Looming Threat Of The Digital Age

Alex Gibney's new documentary Zero Days focuses on the large-scale implications of computer malware. Magnolia Pictures hide caption

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Magnolia Pictures

'Zero Days' Documentary Exposes A Looming Threat Of The Digital Age

Fresh Air

July 18, 2016 • Filmmaker Alex Gibney's new documentary focuses on the large-scale implications of computer malware. Critic John Powers calls Zero Days an important — and chilling — film.

'Zero Days' Documentary Exposes A Looming Threat Of The Digital Age

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