Movie Reviews : NPR

'Gone Girl': A Missing Wife And A Cloud Of Suspicion

Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) finds himself the chief suspect behind the shocking disappearance of his wife Amy (Rosamund Pike), on their fifth anniversary. Merrick Morton/Twentieth Century Fox hide caption

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Merrick Morton/Twentieth Century Fox

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Gone Girl': A Missing Wife And A Cloud Of Suspicion

September 30, 2014 • Director David Fincher's excellent adaptation of Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl relies on stellar performances and ultimately on a diabolically twisting narrative structure.

'Equalizer' Devotes Time To Character Development, Graphic Violence

Denzel Washington stars as a retired intelligence officer in The Equalizer. Scott Garfield/Sony Pictures hide caption

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Scott Garfield/Sony Pictures

'Equalizer' Devotes Time To Character Development, Graphic Violence

September 29, 2014 • When Denzel Washington and director Anton Fuqua collaborated on 2001's Training Day, the film won Washington an Oscar and changed the trajectory of his career. They're together again in The Equalizer.

'Equalizer' Devotes Time To Character Development, Graphic Violence

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British Coalminers Strike With A Gay Coalition In 'Pride,' A Crowd-Pleaser

Fresh Air

September 26, 2014 • The film is based on a true story about the '80s strike Margaret Thatcher vowed to break. It's full of the Britain's best actors, and nearly every line makes you cackle or puts a lump in your throat.

British Coalminers Strike With A Gay Coalition In 'Pride,' A Crowd-Pleaser

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Coal Miners And Gay Activists Partner In 'Pride'

Faye Marsay, George MacKay, Joseph Gilgun and Paddy Considine play a group of London activists who march in support of Welsh miners. Nicola Dove/Courtesy of CBS Films hide caption

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Nicola Dove/Courtesy of CBS Films

Coal Miners And Gay Activists Partner In 'Pride'

September 26, 2014 • The film offers a rousing, true-life take on a British coal miners' strike that led to an unusual union. Critic Bob Mondello says the storyline blends Norma Rae with sillier, Kinky Boots-ish stuff.

Coal Miners And Gay Activists Partner In 'Pride'

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'The Equalizer' Pits Mallet Against Man And Man Against Corkscrew

Denzel Washington stars as a retired intelligence officer in The Equalizer. Scott Garfield/Sony Pictures hide caption

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Scott Garfield/Sony Pictures

'The Equalizer' Pits Mallet Against Man And Man Against Corkscrew

September 26, 2014 • Denzel Washington is a former special ops agent thrust back into action in this film adaptation of the '80s television show that's entertaining enough until it goes off the rails.

'Two Faces' Of Reinvention And Deceptive Identity

Viggo Mortensen and Kirsten Dunst star as Chester and Colette MacFarland in The Two Faces of January. Jack English/Magnolia Pictures hide caption

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Jack English/Magnolia Pictures

'Two Faces' Of Reinvention And Deceptive Identity

September 25, 2014 • The Two Faces of January stars Viggo Mortensen, Oscar Isaac and Kirsten Dunst as three travelers grappling with matters of truth and perception.

'Lilting' Traces A Mother's Grief, In Imperfect Language

Cheng Pei-pei and Ben Whishaw star in Lilting. Artificial Eye Film Company hide caption

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Artificial Eye Film Company

'Lilting' Traces A Mother's Grief, In Imperfect Language

September 25, 2014 • The drama Lilting follows a grieving mother and her son's left-behind love on a strange trajectory of flawed communication and shared emotion.

A Detective's 'Walk Among The Tombstones' Is Gripping But Unsatisfying

Fresh Air

September 19, 2014 • In the '70s, novelist Lawrence Block created New York private investigator Matthew Scudder who chases extreme bad guys. Liam Neeson now plays the character the new grisly film directed by Scott Frank.

A Detective's 'Walk Among The Tombstones' Is Gripping But Unsatisfying

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Terry Gilliam Sees Future Through Familiar Eyes In 'The Zero Theorem'

Christoph Waltz plays a genius programmer in The Zero Theorem. Voltage Pictures hide caption

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Voltage Pictures

Terry Gilliam Sees Future Through Familiar Eyes In 'The Zero Theorem'

September 19, 2014 • Terry Gilliam's latest sci-fi drama stars Christoph Waltz as a computer whiz working to decipher the titular equation. But the film's future is disappointingly similar to those we've seen many times.

Mia Wasikowska stars in Tracks. Transmission Films hide caption

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Transmission Films

Crossing The Desert, Making 'Tracks'

September 19, 2014 • Mia Wasikowska takes a long and lonely trek across the Australian desert in a film that leaves her character a bit unformed, but features a strong central performance and a surprising friendship.

A Tall And Silly Tale Signifies Nothing In 'Tusk'

Justin Long stars in Tusk. A24 Films hide caption

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A24 Films

A Tall And Silly Tale Signifies Nothing In 'Tusk'

September 19, 2014 • Kevin Smith's horror story about a podcaster who gets his kicks by humiliating others winds up making primarily its own director and cast look bad.

'This Is Where I Leave You' Makes A Family Story Too Ordinary

Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Adam Driver and Corey Stoll play the quarrelsome Altman siblings, each with their own share of emotional baggage. Nicole Rivelli/Warner Brothers Pictures hide caption

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Nicole Rivelli/Warner Brothers Pictures

'This Is Where I Leave You' Makes A Family Story Too Ordinary

September 19, 2014 • The new comedy-drama brings four siblings — and one strong cast — together to mourn, but it rarely manages to rise above the ordinary, with one exception.

Movie Review: 'Last Days In Vietnam'

September 19, 2014 • Director Rory Kennedy's documentary isn't an examination of the rights or wrongs of U.S. involvement in Vietnam, but a thrilling narrative told with first-person stories of the war's chaotic end.

Movie Review: 'Last Days In Vietnam'

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In 'The Drop,' Mob Bosses Bully Sad Characters At A Bar In Brooklyn

Fresh Air

September 12, 2014 • The film based on Dennis Lehane's short story Animal Rescue is supposed be a thriller, but the narrative doesn't have much urgency. The reason it's worth seeing? James Gandolfini is at his peak.

In 'The Drop,' Mob Bosses Bully Sad Characters At A Bar In Brooklyn

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An Unblinking Lens Turns Toward Lives In Poverty In 'Stray Dogs'

Stray Dogs, set in Taipei, examines a family's bleak experience. Courtesy of Cinema Guild hide caption

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Courtesy of Cinema Guild

An Unblinking Lens Turns Toward Lives In Poverty In 'Stray Dogs'

September 12, 2014 • Stray Dogs is a challenging film about poverty, unconventionally structured and shot but faithful to the emotional resonance conveyed by its very long shots.

Movie Reviews

Tuesday September 30, 2014

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Gone Girl': A Missing Wife And A Cloud Of Suspicion

Monday September 29, 2014

'Equalizer' Devotes Time To Character Development, Graphic Violence

'Equalizer' Devotes Time To Character Development, Graphic Violence

Friday September 26, 2014

British Coalminers Strike With A Gay Coalition In 'Pride,' A Crowd-Pleaser

Fresh Air

British Coalminers Strike With A Gay Coalition In 'Pride,' A Crowd-Pleaser

Coal Miners And Gay Activists Partner In 'Pride'

Coal Miners And Gay Activists Partner In 'Pride'

'The Equalizer' Pits Mallet Against Man And Man Against Corkscrew

Thursday September 25, 2014

'Two Faces' Of Reinvention And Deceptive Identity

'Lilting' Traces A Mother's Grief, In Imperfect Language

Friday September 19, 2014

A Detective's 'Walk Among The Tombstones' Is Gripping But Unsatisfying

Fresh Air

A Detective's 'Walk Among The Tombstones' Is Gripping But Unsatisfying

Terry Gilliam Sees Future Through Familiar Eyes In 'The Zero Theorem'

Crossing The Desert, Making 'Tracks'

A Tall And Silly Tale Signifies Nothing In 'Tusk'

'This Is Where I Leave You' Makes A Family Story Too Ordinary

Movie Review: 'Last Days In Vietnam'

Movie Review: 'Last Days In Vietnam'

Friday September 12, 2014

In 'The Drop,' Mob Bosses Bully Sad Characters At A Bar In Brooklyn

Fresh Air

In 'The Drop,' Mob Bosses Bully Sad Characters At A Bar In Brooklyn

An Unblinking Lens Turns Toward Lives In Poverty In 'Stray Dogs'