Movie Reviews

Velvet Underground documentary gets to the heart of the band's radical magic

1:23pm October 20, 2021

by John Powers

Todd Haynes' inventive, immersive movie is full of interesting ideas. The Velvet Underground neatly sidesteps the usual rock-doc banalities as it plunges us into the Velvets and their world.

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'The Last Duel' was inspired by a real trial by combat in medieval France

6:00am October 18, 2021

NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to film critic Kenneth Turan about The Last Duel, directed by Ridley Scott. The story takes place in 14th century France, based on true events about a trial by combat.

Paul (Timothee Chalamet) and the Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother (Charlotte Rampling) regard each other warily in DUNE.

Arts

'Dune': A sweeping, spectacular spice-opera — half of one, anyway

11:00pm October 16, 2021

by Glen Weldon

Denis Villeneuve's take on Frank Herbert's novel of galactic intrigue and revolution manages to be both epic and introspective, though it doles out its story with gravid deliberateness.

Jodie Comer as Marguerite de Carrouges in The Last Duel.

Arts

The joys of surprising yourself with 'The Last Duel' ... and 'Succession'

6:00am October 16, 2021

by Linda Holmes

There's a kind of satisfaction that comes from something living up to your expectations. But there's a different kind of pleasure that only being surprised by your own reactions can bring.

Adam Driver and Matt Damon play real-life combatants Jacques Le Gris and Sir Jean de Carrouges in The Last Duel.

Arts

'The Last Duel' is a 'Rashomon'-style #MeToo story — and a messy medieval epic

2:37pm October 14, 2021

by Justin Chang

Ridley Scott's epic, which opens in 1386 Paris, tells the story of a duel between a squire of a knight from three points of view — including that of the woman they're fighting over.

Paul Morrissey, Andy Warhol, Lou Reed and Moe Tucker from archival photography in a split-screen frame from "The Velvet Underground."

Todd Haynes' new film takes us deep into The Velvet Underground

1:44pm October 14, 2021

by Allyson McCabe

In his first documentary, filmmaker Todd Haynes uses the language of experimental cinema to spotlight the Velvet Underground, a legendary band that flowered within New York's avant-garde art world.

Daniel Craig as James Bond in No Time to Die.

Arts

Coming to terms with James Bond's flawed past — as a fan and as a critic

12:24pm October 09, 2021

by Eric Deggans

The new James Bond movie, No Time To Die, is out in theaters, ending Daniel Craig's run as 007. NPR critic Eric Deggans has long loved the franchise — yet its flawed legacy is hard to see past.

Bond (Daniel Craig) teams up with secret agent Paloma (Ana de Armas) in Havana in No Time to Die.

Arts

Daniel Craig outshines 'No Time To Die' in his final turn as James Bond

2:14pm October 08, 2021

by Justin Chang

Craig has been a terrific James Bond, maybe even the best. But there's something a little too strained about the tragic emotional arc his character has carried with over the past several movies.

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National

'Old Henry' Honors The Western Genre While Offering Surprises

5:00pm September 30, 2021

by Bob Mondello

The "elevated Western" Old Henry stars Tim Blake Nelson as a farmer in the Oklahoma Territory whose past comes back to haunt his adversaries.

Yu Aoi plays the title character in Wife of a Spy.

Arts

Heroism Exacts A Daunting Price In 'Wife Of A Spy' And 'Azor'

8:01am September 24, 2021

by John Powers

Two new films grapple with the complexity of moral courage. Wife of a Spy is set in Japan on the cusp of WWII. Azor follows a Swiss banker during the Argentine dictatorship of the 1980s.