Bob Mondello

Bob Mondello appears in the following:

Fall Movie Preview: Blockbusters And Awards Contenders

Monday, September 02, 2019

A selective preview of the would-be blockbusters and awards contenders that Hollywood has in store for the fall.

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In Buenos Aires, Crowds Line Up For A Taste Of Sweeter Days

Monday, August 19, 2019

The preview reopening of the Confitería del Molino, a long-shuttered art nouveau pastry cafe near the Argentine Capitol, prompted lines around the block — and, for some former patrons, good memories.

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Documentary Review: 'One Child Nation'

Saturday, August 17, 2019

China's most far-reaching social experiment — a multi-decade attempt at population control — is the subject of the documentary One Child Nation.

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Is This Star Student A Saint Or A Sociopath?: 'Luce'

Friday, August 02, 2019

Where a teacher sees red flags in one popular student's behavior, his parents refuse to believe it. Director Julius Onah's film will keep you guessing, too.

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Hollywood Shoots The Moon: 117 Years Of Lunar Landings At The Movies

Friday, July 19, 2019

Motion pictures went to the moon long before Apollo 11 did, and they keep going back. Critic Bob Mondello reflects on the many films, from 1902 to today, that have made the journey.

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In 'Sword Of Trust,' A Questionable Antique, An Unquestionable Cast

Thursday, July 11, 2019

Director Lynn Shelton and writer Mike O'Brien constructed an outline and got a cast of great comics to improvise the details in this agreeably loose comedy about an antique sword.

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Spider-Man Faces The Usual Villains, An Unusually Tricky Storyline In 'Far From Home'

Monday, July 01, 2019

Marvel's Spider-Man: Far From Home finds Peter Parker on vacation in London when a new super-guy shows up: Mysterio, played by Jake Gyllenhaal.

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'Ophelia' Sees The World Differently Than Shakespeare's Prince Hamlet

Friday, June 28, 2019

Claire McCarthy's new film Ophelia takes the Bard's advice to "hold, as 'twere, the mirror up to nature," and finds a fresh angle on the story Shakespeare called Hamlet.

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'Endgame' Nears All-Time Record, And The Age Of Disney Mega-Blockbusters Is Upon Us

Tuesday, June 25, 2019

Critic Bob Mondello reviews the history of movie blockbusters and tracks how Disney's ownership of mega-blockbusting franchises is reshaping the multiplex.

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'Toy Story 4' Reaches For An Even More Resonant Sense Of Closure Than Last Film

Friday, June 21, 2019

Woody, Buzz Lightyear and the gang are back for a new adventure involving Bonnie's newest toy, Forky, a spork, in Pixar's Toy Story 4.

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Movie Review: 'Late Night' With Emma Thompson And Mindy Kaling

Friday, June 07, 2019

In the movie Late Night, a legendary female late night talk show host played by Emma Thompson is faced with plummeting ratings and impulsively hires a new writer, Mindy Kaling, to spice up her show.

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'The Fall Of The American Empire' Is An Intimate Crime Comedy With An Intellectual Twist

Friday, May 31, 2019

A philosophical heist comedy, The Fall of the American Empire is the latest intellectual critique from Canadian auteur Denys Arcand.

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Hollywood's Best Hopes To Keep Moviegoers Engaged After 'Endgame'

Monday, May 27, 2019

Hollywood's summer blockbuster season got a $2 billion head start this year from Avengers: Endgame. Now, with summer actually getting under way, how will Tinseltown keep the momentum going?

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Disney's Live-Action 'Aladdin' Aims To Correct 1st Film's Problems, Replicate Success

Friday, May 24, 2019

Disney's live-action version of its 1992 cartoon Aladdin features Will Smith in the Genie role originally played by Robin Williams.

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NPR's Summer Movie Guide: 27 Films Coming Soon To Theaters

Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Superhero capes and cartoons headline this year's batch of summer flicks, but there's plenty of smaller and weirder stuff, too. Here are the movies we're looking forward to this season.

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The Tale Of Young 'Tolkien' Adopts The Language Of A Standard Biopic

Thursday, May 09, 2019

The film, starring Nicholas Hoult as the linguist who created Middle Earth, is full of shout-outs to the Lord of the Rings (books and films), though it "connects the dots a bit literally."

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Juliette Binoche Stars In 'Non-Fiction,' A Comedy About Book Publishing And Adultery

Friday, May 03, 2019

Juliette Binoche stars in a satirical comedy, and intellectual puzzle, about publishing and adultery called Non-Fiction.

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'Avengers: Endgame' Turns Previous Box Office Record To Dust

Monday, April 29, 2019

More than 100 million people went to see the Marvel superhero epic Avengers: Endgame during the film's worldwide opening and left all Hollywood records far behind.

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'The White Crow' Shows The Complicated Life Of Russian Ballet Star Rudolf Nureyev

Friday, April 26, 2019

Ralph Fiennes steps behind the camera for a ballet biopic — not Black Swan, but The White Crow — about the early years and defection to the west of Russian ballet star Rudolf Nureyev.

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'Avengers: Endgame' Brings Marvel Saga To Close With Epic Three-Hour Film

Thursday, April 25, 2019

With most of the Marvel superheroes turned to dust in the last Avengers movie — along with half the universe — Avengers: Endgame brings the Marvel saga to a close in an epic three-hour film.

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