Movie Reviews

Micheal Ward and Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn are strangers who connect on the dance floor in Lovers Rock.

Books
Arts

'Fresh Air' Critic Revisits The TV, Books And Movies That Helped Ease Lockdown

1:39pm December 09, 2020

by John Powers

From Lovers Rock to The Good Lord Bird, the titles on John Powers' year-end list didn't simply distract; they also delved into enduring questions of freedom, dignity and survival.

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Arts

Exquisitely Detailed And Impeccably Made, 'Mank' Is A Dazzling Feat

2:08pm December 07, 2020

by Justin Chang

David Fincher's new film is a playful weave of fact and fiction as it reimagines the story of Citizen Kane screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz in the years that inspired the Hollywood masterpiece.

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Amanda Seyfried as Marion Davies and Gary Oldman as Herman Mankiewicz in David Fincher's impressive Mank.

Arts

'Mank' Is A Lushly Rendered Cinematic Landscape

7:00am December 04, 2020

by Aisha Harris

David Fincher's dramatization of Citizen Kane's origin story is an impressive, if occasionally inert, biopic.

Ruben (Riz Ahmed) is a punk-metal drummer who loses his hearing in Sound of Metal.

Arts

In 'Sound Of Metal,' Sudden Hearing Loss Sends A Drummer Reeling

5:08am December 04, 2020

by Glen Weldon

Riz Ahmed gives a quiet, intense and profoundly unsentimental performance as a rock drummer who suddenly loses his hearing and stubbornly refuses to accept it.

'The Prom' Musical Moves From Broadway To Cinema Screens

4:10pm December 03, 2020

by Bob Mondello

The Prom is the latest hit Broadway musical to get a screen adaptation. Starring Meryl Streep, James Corden, Nicole Kidman and Andrew Rannells, it will be released in cinemas on Friday.

'Mosul' Offers A Look At Lives Of Iraqis Who Live On Front Lines Of War With ISIS

3:54pm November 30, 2020

by Eric Deggans

Netflix's Mosul is a scripted film centered on the fight by an Iraqi SWAT team against ISIS. It was produced by Anthony and Joe Russo, directors of the last two Avengers movies.

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The big family in The Happiest Season includes Burl Moseley, Alison Brie, Kristen Stewart, Mackenzie Davis, Mary Holland, Victor Garber and Mary Steenburgen. (Whew!)

Arts

'Happiest Season' Is A Holiday Family Romcom With A Very Merry Cast

7:00am November 27, 2020

by Linda Holmes

Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis play Abby and Harper, a couple headed home to Abby's parents' house for Christmas. Dan Levy, Victor Garber and Aubrey Plaza are among the terrific supporting cast.

Holiday Film Preview: What To Watch Now And What To Expect Next Year

3:59pm November 26, 2020

by Bob Mondello

NPR offers an expanded holiday film preview to cover the movies that have had their releases delayed into January and February 2021.

L to R: Frank (Paul Bettany) Beth (Sophia Lillis) and Walid (Peter Macdissi) pull up to the bumper in Uncle Frank.

Arts

'Uncle Frank': A Melodramatic Meal, Undercooked And Over-Seasoned

5:00am November 25, 2020

by Glen Weldon

A great cast and good intentions can't overcome Alan Ball's rushed, thin story about a closeted gay man returning to his South Carolina hometown in 1974.

In 'Sound Of Metal,' A Man Whose Life Revolves Around Music Faces World Of Silence

3:55pm November 23, 2020

by Bob Mondello

The movie Sound of Metal, starring actor and rapper Riz Ahmed, tells the story of a drummer whose sudden hearing loss changes more than just his career.