David Edelstein

Chief Film Critic for New York Magazine and Fresh Air

David Edelstein appears in the following:

Orson Welles' Long Anticipated 'Other Side Of The Wind' Is Finally Finished

Thursday, November 01, 2018

Critic David Edelstein says the story behind the The Other Side Of The Wind — how Welles made it and what happened to it after his death in 1985 — is more fun than the completed film itself.

Comment

Bradley Cooper And Lady Gaga Shine In A Winning Remake Of 'A Star is Born'

Friday, October 05, 2018

Critic David Edelstein says that despite the film's "mushy" story arc, it's hard to resist Cooper's remake of the classic film about an up-and-coming superstar.

Comment

The Music Soars As A Singer Burns Out In A Muddled 'Blaze'

Thursday, September 06, 2018

Critic David Edelstein says Ethan Hawke's new film about country singer-songwriter Blaze Foley is best at its simplest: "When [star Ben] Dickey performs, the movie is great."

Comment

Documentary Reveals The 'Secret History' Of Hollywood Pimp Scotty Bowers

Thursday, August 02, 2018

A veteran of World War II, Bowers bought a gas station on Hollywood Boulevard in 1946 and began arranging trysts for stars. A new documentary that's "as sympathetic as it is lurid" tells his story.

Comment

'Three Identical Strangers' Tells The Astounding Story Of Triplets Separated At Birth

Monday, July 09, 2018

Tim Wardle's new knockout documentary starts out as a Parent Trap-like lark about three young men who, by chance, realize that they are triplets, but ultimately takes a more devastating turn.

Comment

'Leave No Trace' Follows A Father And Daughter Off The Grid

Friday, June 29, 2018

Director Debra Granik's new film is based on a true story about a veteran suffering from PTSD who lives secretly in a municipal forest with his teenage daughter.

Comment

A Birdbrained Library Heist Is Suffused With Irony In 'American Animals'

Thursday, May 31, 2018

In 2004, four young men stole rare art books valued at more than three-quarters of a million dollars from a college library. American Animals blends fiction and documentary to retell the story.

Comment

2 Women Share The Stress And Sleeplessness Of Motherhood In 'Tully'

Friday, May 04, 2018

An exhausted mother hires a free-spirited night nurse to tend to her baby in a Diablo Cody's latest film. Critic David Edelstein calls Tully a "strange and mythic" movie.

Comment

Amy Schumer Deftly Challenges Beauty Standards In 'I Feel Pretty'

Friday, April 20, 2018

A woman with low self-esteem hits her head and suddenly sees herself as madly attractive. Critic David Edelstein says I Feel Pretty suggests the notion of what's "pretty" should be "elasticized."

Comment

Giddy, Over-The-Top 'Blockers' Makes Parents The Butt Of Prom Night Jokes

Thursday, April 05, 2018

Three teenage girls make a pact to lose their virginity after senior prom — and three parents embark on a hysterical odyssey to stop them — in Kay Cannon's raunchy new sex comedy.

Comment

Philosophically Rich 'Isle Of Dogs' Is A Howl Of Joy

Friday, March 23, 2018

Wes Anderson's new animated feature centers on canines living on a garbage dump off the coast of Japan. David Edelstein says the film will make you laugh — even as you gasp at its visual brilliance.

Comment

Humor Blends With Tragedy In The Farcical 'Death of Stalin'

Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Armando Iannucci's new film satirizes the days in 1953 when the Soviet Union lost its totalitarian leader and members of his inner circle argued, plotted and killed while selecting a successor.

Comment

Spy Thriller 'Red Sparrow' Is A Long Slog With Minimal Suspense

Thursday, March 01, 2018

Jennifer Lawrence is unconvincing as the star of the Bolshoi Ballet in the espionage thriller Red Sparrow. Critic David Edelstein says the film features "one bad note after another."

Comment

Mythic 'Black Panther' Is A Momentous Event In Pop Culture History

Thursday, February 15, 2018

As originally conceived in 1966, the Black Panther was an African king who fought crime in a high-tech panther suit. David Edelstein says Marvel's new film about the character was worth the wait.

Comment

Clint Eastwood Celebrates Old-Fashioned Heroism In 'The 15:17 To Paris'

Friday, February 09, 2018

In 2015, three Americans on a Paris-bound train stopped a terrorist attack in progress. Eastwood recreates the incident — and audaciously casts the real-life heroes as themselves — in his new film.

Comment

Documentary Offers A Devastating Look At The Obama Administration's 'Final Year'

Friday, January 19, 2018

Greg Barker's new film follows Obama's foreign policy team as they set about negotiating an arms deal in Iran, a climate accord in Paris and a response to refugee crises in Syria and parts of Africa.

Comment

The Vigilant Thriller 'Into The Fade' Melds Tragedy With Nihilism

Monday, January 15, 2018

Diane Kruger plays a German woman whose Turkish husband and young son are killed in a bomb attack. David Edelstein says that despite its crisp storytelling, Into The Fade is "a little disappointing."

Comment

'Florida Project' Tops David Edelstein's List Of The Year's Best Films

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

In a year dominated by stories of sexual harassment and abuse, Fresh Air's movie critic says his favorite films featured voices that aren't heard from enough.

Comment

'Phantom Thread' Is Deeply Weird And Marvelously Entertaining

Friday, December 22, 2017

Paul Thomas Anderson's new movie stars Daniel Day-Lewis as a British women's fashion designer in the 1950s. Critic David Edelstein says the film is an amusing portrait of artistic and marital anguish.

Comment

'Last Jedi' Puts The Smarts — And The Heart — Back Into The 'Star Wars' Franchise

Friday, December 15, 2017

The late Carrie Fisher makes her final appearance — now as General Leia — in Star Wars Episode VIII. Critic David Edelstein says The Last Jedi is nothing short of terrific.

Comment