When Kirsten Johnson’s dad started showing signs of dementia, she struggled to accept the impending loss. So she staged a series of imagined accidents in her new film, Dick Johnson Is Dead.
‘The Forty-Year-Old Version’ Is Fast, Funny, Multi-Faceted And No Small Feat
Radha Blank plays a fictionalized version of herself — a struggling artist from Harlem, who was hailed years earlier as a promising playwright. The film is gorgeously shot in black-and-white.
‘The Boys In The Band’: Raging Gracefully
Netflix’s adaptation of Mart Crowley’s 1968 play about a gay birthday party that goes off the rails features hard liquor, sharp tongues and broad types.
Miranda July’s ‘Kajillionaire’ Follows A Family Of Schemers
NPR’s Scott Simon speaks with writer-director Miranda July about her new film, Kajillionaire, which focuses on a family of thieves.
Documentary Explores Emancipating From Foster Care System
The new documentary Unadopted explores what happens to teenagers in foster care as they approach the point of “aging out” of the system. NPR’s Noel King talks to Noel Anaya about his film.
New Movie: ‘The Secrets We Keep’
NPR’s David Greene speaks with actress Noomi Rapace about her new film: The Secrets We Keep. She also starred in the Swedish version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.
In The Lively ‘Enola Holmes,’ Sherlock’s Little Sister Goes Sleuthing
This bright and breezy Netflix adaptation of a YA novel finds Millie Bobbie Brown starring as the brilliant, fourth-wall-busting little sister of Sherlock Holmes.
What It’s Like To Attend A Film Festival During The Pandemic
The Toronto International Film Festival has ended. This year, it offered socially distanced in-person screenings as well as virtual ones.
‘Antebellum’: A Movie That Uses Horror To Process America’s Racial Problems
NPR’s Ari Shapiro talks with filmmakers Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz about their new movie, Antebellum. It stars Janelle Monáe in a story that takes on the legacy of slavery in a surprising way.
Everyone’s A Sinner In ‘The Devil All The Time’
The Netflix adaptation of Donald Ray Pollock’s novel is grim in ways that can be both exciting and wearying: so many twists and betrayals, so many awful characters, so many horrific acts of violence.
‘We Are Who We Are’: Coming-Of-Age Story Offers A Different View Of Italy
NPR’s Ari Shapiro speaks with Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino about his new series, We Are Who We Are. It’s a coming-of-age drama set on an American military base in Italy.
Rachel Lee Goldenberg On Directing A Road Trip Comedy About Abortion
NPR’s Lulu Garcia-Navarro talks to Rachel Lee Goldenberg about her new comedic drama, Unpregnant. It’s a movie about two teen girls who take a long road trip so that one can have an abortion.
Charlie Kaufman’s ‘I’m Thinking Of Ending Things’ Is A Wildly Inventive Comic Thriller
The relationship at the center of Kaufman’s new Netflix film might not be long for the world, but the main characters are nevertheless awfully hard to get out of your mind.
How Trump’s Presidency Helped Shape Isabel Sandoval’s ‘Lingua Franca’ Movie
NPR’s Ailsa Chang talks with filmmaker Isabel Sandoval, who wrote, directed and starred in the new film Lingua Franca, about Filipinx and trans representation in Hollywood during polarizing times.
Diana Rigg, ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘The Avengers’ Actor, Has Died At 82
The actor died in her London home Thursday morning after being diagnosed with cancer. In addition to her work in television and film, she was also an acclaimed stage actor.
Film Academy Announces New Diversity Requirements For Best Picture Nominees
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has established new diversity and representation rules for films that want to qualify for best picture, beginning in 2024.
New Diversity Standards For Best Picture Oscar Nominees, Starting In 2024
The new Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences requirements are part of a larger effort to promote inclusion in an industry that has faced criticism for its lack of diversity.
Whatever Happened To … The Filmmaker Focusing On A New Face For African Women?
Rosine Mbakam was headed from Belgium to Cameroon, her homeland, to make a documentary. Then lockdown struck. So did inspiration for a new topic: How coronavirus is linked to the “virus” of racism.
Sequel To 1976 Horror Movie ‘Grizzly’ Is Finally Released
In the original, a gigantic bear is on the prowl. After nearly 40 years, Grizzly II is coming to streaming platforms and drive-in theaters. It stars Laura Dern, Charlie Sheen and George Clooney.
What Movies To Expect This Fall
NPR offers a selective preview of what Hollywood thinks it will be showing in cinemas this fall.
‘Cuties’ Calls Out The Hypersexualization Of Young Girls – And Gets Criticized
The new French film, Cuties, is about an 11-year old Senegalese Muslim girl growing up in Paris and struggling with the contradictions between her strict upbringing and the demands of social media.
New ‘Rocky IV’ Director’s Cut Will Be Missing A Character
Sylvester Stallone is revisiting Rocky IV with a director’s cut, which will edit out a robot maid. Cartoon Network’s J. Christopher Arrison is sad, and explains his feelings to NPR’s Scott Simon.
Michael Mann’s ‘Heat’ At 25: A Newly Relevant Study In Loneliness
Like many of us, Marc Rivers has watched a lot of movies during self-isolation. But it was a 25-year old crime drama about emotional isolation that offered him the greatest comfort.
‘Feels Good Man’ Traces Pepe The Frog From Hate Symbol To Democracy Icon
Pepe the Frog is one of the most prolific images on the Internet. A new documentary follows the frog’s creator, cartoonist Matt Furie, as he fights to regain control over his character.
In ‘I’m Thinking Of Ending Things,’ A Couple Gets Stuck In A Dreamlike Limbo
In writer/director Charlie Kaufman’s latest, a couple spouts pat, pseudo-intellectual bromides. But stay with it — because that’s a clue to what’s really going on in this tense, surprising film.
Christopher Nolan’s Time-Bending Thriller ‘Tenet’ Reviewed
Christopher Nolan’s time-bending thriller is the film that Hollywood has been counting on to bring audiences back to movie theaters. Tenet was released in movie theaters Thursday.
‘As An Asian Man, I Want To Represent’: ‘Mulan’ Movie Star On Hollywood’s Stereotypes
NPR’s Ailsa Chang speaks with martial arts expert and actor Donnie Yen about his role in the live-action remake of Mulan.
‘Mulan’ Reboot Is Beautiful, But Fails To Breathe New Life Into An Old Tale
Spinning a Chinese legend into family-friendly entertainment with worldwide appeal is a tricky business. The new version of Mulan feels like a watered-down version of a potentially captivating story.
Venice Film Festival To Return Amid The Pandemic
NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly talks with Andreas Wiseman of Deadline about the Venice Film Festival, which is scheduled to start Wednesday.
Looking Back On Chadwick Boseman’s Culture Significance
Actor Chadwick Boseman died after battling colon cancer at the age of 43. Film-goers comment on his pivotal role as a Black actor in films that depicted Black heroes and superheroes.