Movie Reviews

L to R: Eddy Galland, David Kellman and Bobby Shafran were identical triplets separated at birth; the documentary Three Identical Strangers explores their fascinating story. ... Stories.

Arts

'Three Identical Strangers': Nuanced Doc Tells A Gripping Tale — In Triplicate

5:00pm June 28, 2018

by Ella Taylor

Filmmaker Tim Wardle reveals the fascinating story of three identical triplets who found one another by chance, and shows how the ensuing media circus, and long-buried secrets, took a toll on each.

Benicio Del Toro, at least, is back battling drug cartels in Sicario: Day of the Soldado.

Arts

'Sicario: Day Of The Soldado' Is A Scattershot Sequel

5:00pm June 28, 2018

by Chris Klimek

The lackluster sequel to 2015's moody and violent Sicario is missing that film's director (Denis Villeneuve), its stars (Emily Blunt and Daniel Kaluuya) and its artfulness.

The Path of Yeast Resistance: In The Cakemaker, Thomas (Tim Kalkhof) involves himself in the life and work of his dead lover's family.

Arts

In 'The Cakemaker,' Grieving Is Baked In

5:00pm June 28, 2018

by Andrew Lapin

An impassive German baker travels to Jerusalem to work in the restaurant owned by his dead lover's wife. It's complicated.

Arts

'Sicario: Day Of The Soldado' Is A Swaggering Sequel That's Short On Precision

3:51pm June 27, 2018

by Justin Chang

The war on drugs has gone from bad to worse in this follow-up to the 2015 film. Justin Chang says that though its "bigger and brasher" than the original, the story in this sequel doesn't fully engage.

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Leapin' Lizards! The Dinos Are Loose Again In 'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom'

5:02pm June 22, 2018

by Bob Mondello

It's been 25 years and four movies since T. Rexes, velociraptors and their variously lethal cousins stomped on screen in Jurassic Park. NPR critic Bob Mondello says they're still stomping in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and are, once again, threatened with extinction.

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Arts

'The King' Fuses Elvis' Turbulent Life Story With The Soul Of America

1:23pm June 22, 2018

by Justin Chang

Eugene Jarecki's documentary uses the rise and fall of Elvis Presley to track the ups and downs of America's past century. Critic Justin Chang calls The King a "feverishly analytical" musical essay.

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Sleep Dino More: Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) and Owen (Chris Pratt) try not to wake one of Isla Nublar's grumpiest residents in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.

Arts

Dino Vs. The Volcano: 'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom' Generates Intermittent Heat

5:06pm June 21, 2018

by Chris Klimek

In this derivative but fitfully inventive fifth installment of the Jurassic franchise, our heroes try to rescue Isla Nublar's dinosaurs from extinction-by-lava, only to get their ash handed to them.

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Itchy Trigger Figures: Penelope (Mia Wasikowska) and Samuel (Robert Pattinson) in the Zellner Brothers' Western farce Damsel.

Arts

This 'Damsel' Is In No Distress

5:00pm June 21, 2018

by Mark Jenkins

In this goofy Wild West farce from the Zellner Brothers, a fop (Robert Pattinson) and his miniature horse (Butterscotch) set out to rescue a young woman (Mia Wasikowska) who needs no rescuing.

In "a mad experiment" that pays off hugely, documentarian Eugene Jarecki examines Elvis Presley's life — including this meeting with Nixon — from the driver's seat of the singer's 1963 Rolls-Royce.

Arts

Elvis Documentary Comes For 'The King' — And Does Not Miss

5:00pm June 21, 2018

by Andrew Lapin

Filmmaker Eugene Jarecki masterfully explores Presley's life as a metaphor for America as he drives the late singer's 1963 Rolls-Royce across the country, interviewing those he meets along the way.

On The Down Low And Outside: Estella Huni (Sienna Miller) and Moe Berg (Paul Rudd) dance around the truth in The Catcher Was a Spy.

Arts

'The Catcher Was A Spy': World War II Biopic Barely Singles

5:00pm June 21, 2018

by Scott Tobias

Despite a fascinating subject and an impressive cast, this tale of MLB catcher Moe Berg's stint as an OSS agent simply presents the facts without generating any insights.