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Movies: Movie Reviews and Commentary on New and Classic Films NPR Movies podcast, movie reviews, and commentary on new and classic films. Interviews with filmmakers, actors, and actresses.

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At The 'Love Ranch,' A Valentine Of Another Color

One Big Lothario: Sergio Peris-Mencheta plays Armando Bruza, a boxer who sparks an awakening in Mirren's Grace. Richard Foreman/E1 Entertainment hide caption

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Richard Foreman/E1 Entertainment

Review

At The 'Love Ranch,' A Valentine Of Another Color

Helen Mirren stars and husband Taylor Hackford directs a long-gestating pet project about a husband and wife running a brothel -- the first legal establishment of its kind -- in 1976 Nevada. Joe Pesci returns to the screen as the husband; Spanish heartthrob Sergio Peris-Mencheta is the man who comes between them.

'Agony' Aunt: Phil Spector Gets A Sympathetic Ear

Unchained Melody: In his documentary The Agony And Ecstasy Of Phil Spector, director Vikram Jayanti casts the eccentric music producer in a decidedly kindly light. Vixpix Films hide caption

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Vixpix Films

Review

'Agony' Aunt: Phil Spector Gets A Sympathetic Ear

In The Agony And Ecstasy Of Phil Spector, director Vikram Jayanti interviews the eccentric music producer in an attempt to unravel the man's contradictory reputation. Initially famous for his production work on such classic songs as "Be My Baby," Spector made headlines more recently when he was tried for the murder of actress Lana Clarkson.

'Eclipse': Love In The Time Of Lycanthropy

Want Your Bad Romance: Tortured lovers Bella (Kristen Stewart), still human for the moment, and Edward (Robert Pattinson), still a vampire, are at it again in the latest installment of the Twilight mega-franchise. Kimberley French/Summit Entertainment hide caption

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Kimberley French/Summit Entertainment

Review

'Eclipse': Love In The Time Of Lycanthropy

In this, the third installment of the Twilight franchise, broody, beautiful Bella must choose between two hunky, supernatural beings: Edward the pasty vampire and Jacob the shirtless werewolf. What, again?

John C. Reilly Moves Beyond Dope To Romantic Lead

In Cyrus, John C. Reilly (left) goes head to head with Jonah Hill, who plays the troublesome son of his new girlfriend. Chuck Zlotnick/Fox Searchlight Pictures hide caption

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Chuck Zlotnick/Fox Searchlight Pictures

Movie Interviews

John C. Reilly Moves Beyond Dope To Romantic Lead

Melissa Block speaks with John C. Reilly about his new film Cyrus, a story about a divorced man who meets the woman of his dreams -- and her odd twentysomething son. Reilly has starred in intense dramas like Boogie Nights and Magnolia, and comedies like Talladega Nights. His latest role has elements of both.

'Restrepo' And 'The Lottery': Two Places, Two Battles

Kyle Steiner, a member of Battle Company, stands in the Korengal Valley in Afghanistan's Kunar Province. Battle Company's actions were the basis of the documentary Restrepo by Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington. Outpost Films hide caption

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Outpost Films

Review

'Restrepo' And 'The Lottery': Two Places, Two Battles

Fresh Air

David Edelstein reviews two new documentaries he loves: Restrepo is set in Afghanistan and co-directed by photographer Tim Hetherington and author Sebastian Junger, who wrote The Perfect Storm. Madeleine Sackler's The Lottery centers on high-testing charter schools in Harlem and the drawing that determines who gets in. (Recommended)

'Grown Ups'? Oh, Adam Sandler, Aren't You A Riot!

Boys Will Be Boys: Chris Rock, Kevin James, David Spade and Adam Sandler play childhood friends who were once on a championship basketball team back in 1978. Tracy Bennett/Sony Pictures hide caption

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Tracy Bennett/Sony Pictures

Review

'Grown Ups'? Oh, Adam Sandler, Aren't You A Riot!

The funnyman teams up with some of his former Saturday Night Live castmates in a lumpen comedy that tries to pair his bratty bathroom humor with a Norman Rockwell vision of family life.

Oliver Stone, Visiting Points 'South' With A Few Buds

The Odd Couple: Filmmaker Oliver Stone (left) caused quite a stir at the Venice Film Festival when he invited Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez — and an attendant posse of security guards — to the premiere of his documentary South Of The Border. Jose Ibanez hide caption

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Jose Ibanez

Review

Oliver Stone, Visiting Points 'South' With A Few Buds

Oliver Stone's new documentary is a travelogue with a political twist: The filmmaker journeys across Latin America in an attempt to expose what he sees as the American media's distorted view of the region's politics. NPR's Bob Mondello says Stone's views are somewhat rose-tinted, but he finds South Of The Border thought-provoking nonetheless.

Alain Resnais, 88 And Still Planting Surprises

Lost In The Tall Grass: Sabine Azema, who plays the role of the beleaguered Marguerite, has appeared in almost all of Alain Resnais' recent films. Sony Pictures Classics hide caption

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Sony Pictures Classics

Review

Alain Resnais, 88 And Still Planting Surprises

Veteran new wave director Alain Resnais returns with a playful paean to the power of cinema to both illuminate and obfuscate. Critic Mark Jenkins applauds Wild Grass for its beautiful cinematography and anarchic sense of fun. (Recommended)

Filmmaker's Goal: To See Combat Through GIs' Eyes

Restrepo directors Sebastian Junger (left) and Tim Hetherington pose for a photo in Restrepo, an outpost in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley. Their film was awarded the Grand Jury Prize for best documentary at this year's Sundance Film Festival. Tim Hetherington/Outpost Films hide caption

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Tim Hetherington/Outpost Films

Movie Interviews

Filmmaker's Goal: To See Combat Through GIs' Eyes

In 2007, British photographer Tim Hetherington and American journalist Sebastian Junger traveled to Afghanistan to make a documentary. The resulting film, Restrepo, is an unflinching look at war through the eyes of the soldiers fighting it -- just life in combat, no talking heads allowed.

Tom Cruise And Hollywood's Superstar Crisis

Anything Seemed Possible: Tom Cruise and then-wife Nicole Kidman arrive at the premiere of Cruise's massive blockbuster hit, Mission: Impossible. Vince Bucci hide caption

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Vince Bucci

Tom Cruise And Hollywood's Superstar Crisis

Once, Tom Cruise was a marquee name. Then he was a late-night joke. Now Hollywood is hoping he can jump-start a wan summer at the box office. But even as Cruise reboots his career, some in the movie business wonder if the age of the star vehicle is drawing to a close.