Movie Reviews

Regina King Imagines What 4 Black Icons' Gathering In 1964 Might Have Looked Like

3:45pm December 28, 2020

by Bob Mondello

Regina King's directorial film debut, One Night in Miami, envisions a 1964 gathering of boxer Cassius Clay, activist Malcolm X, fullback Jim Brown and singer Sam Cooke.

Arts

'Soul' Surprises With Its Messages About Finding Purpose

5:00pm December 27, 2020

by Eric Deggans

Pixar's new film stars Jamie Foxx as a jazz musician whose soul gets separated from his body. The animated feature explores themes of music and transformation.

Carey Mulligan stars as Cassie in Promising Young Woman.

Arts

'Promising Young Woman' Is A Dark Comedy That Will Keep You On Your Toes

10:18am December 26, 2020

by Linda Holmes

The darkly comic thriller Promising Young Woman, starring Carey Mulligan as a woman on a mission, is a carefully constructed mix of genres and moods that doesn't pull its punches.

Review: News Of The World With Tom Hanks

4:29pm December 25, 2020

by Bob Mondello

Tom Hanks travels from town to town in the Texas frontier a few years after the Civil War, reading newspapers to settlers. When he comes across a young girl who was kidnapped, his life changes.

(Clockwise from upper left) Vitalina Varela plays the title character in Vitalina Varela, Jessica Cressy and Luca Marinelli in Martin Eden, Marty Walsh in City Hall and two men try to start a business in the Oregon Territory in First Cow.

Arts

A Terrific Year For Smaller Films: Critic Justin Chang Pairs 10 Favorites From 2020

1:28pm December 24, 2020

by Justin Chang

Even though most of us stayed away from movie theaters, 2020 was a banner year for independent narrative films, feature-length documentaries and pictures of all types and genres from overseas.

Queue Listen Now

'Wonder Woman' Sequel Left Movie Critic With Mixed Feelings

7:23am December 24, 2020

NPR's David Greene talks to Claudia Puig, president of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, about the new movie: Wonder Woman 1984.

Queue Listen Now

Tessa Thompson as Sylvie and Nnamdi Asomugha as Robert in Sylvie's Love.

Arts

Let 'Sylvie's Love' Wrap You In All Its Goodness

5:01am December 24, 2020

by Aisha Harris

Eugene Ashe's romance is a refreshing throwback to Classic Hollywood, starring Tessa Thompson and Nnamdi Asomugha.

She's Running: Diana (Gal Gadot) chases her quarry through the streets of Washington in the sequel Wonder Woman 1984.

Arts

'Wonder Woman 1984' And The One-Villain-Too-Many Problem

5:00am December 23, 2020

by Glen Weldon

The sequel to 2017's Wonder Woman is bright, entertaining, frequently funny — and overstuffed with villain backstories that crowd out the action.

A scene from 76 Days, a new documentary about frontline health workers and patients during Wuhan's lockdown.

A Doc About Wuhan's Lockdown Was 'Too Real' For My Wuhan-Born Dad. I'm Glad I Watched

7:00am December 19, 2020

by Laura Gao

The reviewer's father, who was born in Wuhan and lived there until he was 28, couldn't bear to keep watching. But she did — and was deeply moved by this new documentary film.

Chadwick Boseman's Last Movie, 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom,' Reviewed

3:49pm December 18, 2020

by Bob Mondello

August Wilson's award-winning play, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, about a recording session in 1927 Chicago, comes to the screen with Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman in his final role.