Film Critic David Edelstein Says 2015 Offered An 'Embarrassment Of Riches'
Fresh Air's movie critic had no shortage of material to consider when it came time to make his top 10 list this year.
Movies
Eddie Redmayne: Reading 'Danish Girl' Script Was Like Getting 'Sucker-Punched'
The film centers on Lili Elbe, one of the first people known to have had gender reassignment surgery. Redmayne says it's "about love not being defined by gender ... but really being about souls."
A Marriage Upended In '45 Years'
Charlotte Rampling takes the lead in the story of a couple whose long and stable union is thrown off-balance by news that dredges up the past.
A Sagging 'Joy' That Doesn't Live Up To Its Inspiration
David O. Russell re-teams with Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper in a film based on the story of a real-life inventor. Unfortunately, the story is neither believable nor particularly interesting.
Tarantino Holes Up A Few Outlaws In 'The Hateful Eight'
Quentin Tarantino makes a three-hour Western pastiche with help from Samuel L. Jackson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and a cast of other old and new associates.
Iñárritu Delivers A '360-Degree Emotional Experience' In 'The Revenant'
The Revenant is a brutal Western, set in 1823. Filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu shot the film chronologically, using only natural sunlight and firelight in remote areas of Canada and Argentina.
An Icy Chill From The Past Threatens A Steady Flame In '45 Years'
NPR film critic Bob Mondello reviews the harrowing film 45 Years in which a happy decades-long marriage is upended by an unexpected revelation.
'Funny Or Die' Creator Adam McKay Takes On The 2008 Economic Crash In 'The Big Short'
Not only do the characters in McKay's new film warn about the collapse of the global economy — they make money off of it. McKay calls the movie, based on the book by Michael Lewis, a "traumedy."
Actor (And Football Dad) Will Smith On Playing The 'Concussion' Doctor
The film centers on the man who linked a brain disease to football player deaths. Smith says, "This is probably the farthest role away from me that I've ever played, but it was exhilarating."
In 'The Revenant,' A Return From Death's Door — Onscreen And Off
Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu's last film, Birdman, sparked Oscar controversy with its spare music. The Revenant features a swirl of sounds, anchored by the work of Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto.