Bob Mondello

Bob Mondello appears in the following:

Alan Rickman, Much More Than Hollywood's Go-To Villain

Thursday, January 14, 2016

The British actor who starred in the Harry Potter movie series as Severus Snape and in such hits as Die Hard and Love Actually died Thursday. He was 69.

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Ziggy Stardust Was A Star On-Screen, Too

Monday, January 11, 2016

David Bowie may have been best-known for his music, but NPR's movie critic Bob Mondello points out that he was also a gifted actor, both onstage and in movies like The Man Who Fell To Earth.

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'Anomalisa' Is A Charlie Kaufman Movie Featuring Puppets. Yes, It's Weird

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

NPR film critic Bob Mondello reviews Anomalisa, the latest weirdness from the writer of Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

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Seeing Double: Bob Mondello Picks 2015's Best Movies, 2 At A Time

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

When NPR's movie critic sat down to write this year's best-of list, he kept seeing matched sets: two cinematic head trips, two brutal historical epics and even two riveting mortgage crisis flicks.

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'Chimes At Midnight' Gives Weight To A Shakespearean Knave

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

For our "Ones That Got Away" series, NPR film critic Bob Mondello checks out Chimes at Midnight, an Orson Welles masterpiece that hasn't been available in the U.S. for decades.

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'Revenant' Reveals A Breathtaking, Punishing Saga Of Survival And Revenge

Friday, December 25, 2015

NPR film critic Bob Mondello reviews The Revenant, a harrowing survival tale from the director of last year's best picture Oscar winner.

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An Icy Chill From The Past Threatens A Steady Flame In '45 Years'

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

NPR film critic Bob Mondello reviews the harrowing film 45 Years in which a happy decades-long marriage is upended by an unexpected revelation.

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Shallow Focus Creates Depth Of Feeling In 'Son Of Saul'

Friday, December 18, 2015

NPR's Bob Mondello reviews Son of Saul, a Hungarian film about 24 hours in the life of one man trying to bury the body of a boy under the most dire of situations.

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'Star Wars': The Force Of Nostalgia Is Strong With This One

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Star Wars: The Force Awakens brings the old gang back together while also introducing a handful of new, young characters. Critic Bob Mondello says watching it made him feel like a kid again.

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Spike Lee's 'Chi-Raq' Pits Abstinence Against Violence In Rhyme

Friday, December 04, 2015

NPR film critic Bob Mondello reviews Spike Lee's Chi-Raq, a movie satire in rap and verse based on Aristophanes' ancient Greek satire Lysistrata.

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Maggie Smith Is Deft, Daft And Driven In 'The Lady In The Van'

Thursday, December 03, 2015

The Lady in the Van is the true story of a homeless woman who moved into a playwright's driveway for three weeks and stayed for 15 years. NPR film critic Bob Mondello says it's both funny and frail.

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'Tis The Season For Coming Attractions: What To Watch For At The Multiplex

Thursday, November 26, 2015

NPR film critic Bob Mondello offers a selective preview of the likely blockbusters and Oscar contenders that Hollywood has in store for the end of the year.

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Arrested Development Meets Adulthood In 'James White'

Friday, November 13, 2015

James White is an indie drama about a slacker dealing with the death of one parent and the decline of another. NPR film critic Bob Mondello says it's both intimate and intense.

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In 'Spectre,' Bond's Back And Looking Over His Shoulder

Thursday, November 05, 2015

NPR film critic Bob Mondello reviews Spectre, the latest in the Bond franchise. It's got the Bond cars, the Bond villain and the Bond girls, but it lacks the feeling of its predecessors.

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It's Astounding ... Time Is Fleeting ... And 'Rocky Horror' Is 40

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Critic Bob Mondello has been doing the Time Warp longer than anyone: He saw the Rocky Horror Show onstage in London, before it became a movie, and now he reflects on 40 years of midnight madness.

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'Bridge Of Spies': Solid Storytelling And Atmospherics

Friday, October 16, 2015

Director Steven Spielberg — with some help from script polishers Joel and Ethan Coen — brings echoes of our own modern day to the Cold War.

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'Steve Jobs': As Ambitious As Its Title Character

Friday, October 09, 2015

Danny Boyle's new biopic, Steve Jobs, is a look at the man who made Apple mean computers, not fruit. NPR film critic Bob Mondello says it's an invigorating story told in three acts of crisis.

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Latest LGBT Films Move Beyond 'Coming Out' Narrative

Thursday, October 08, 2015

There are a large number of LGBT films in theaters this fall. NPR explores what that says about Hollywood and society in general.

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In Argentina, Where Culture Is 'A Right,' A Free New Arts Center Opens

Saturday, October 03, 2015

A new tourist attraction in Argentina — The Centro Cultural Kirchner in downtown Buenos Aires — has been posting some impressive numbers since it opened in mid-May. As many as 10,000 patrons a day are trooping through an ornate, turn-of-the-last-century building that has been converted into what's said to be ...

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Riding Rings Around Iran's Censors In 'Jafar Panahi's Taxi'

Friday, October 02, 2015

An Iranian director banned from making films skirts the rules again in Jafar Panahi's Taxi.

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