Bob Mondello

Movie 'She Dies Tomorrow' Reviewed

By Bob Mondello • Jul 31, 2020

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

Movies generally take a couple years to get from concept to screen, so when a film seems timely, that's almost always a matter of luck. Critic Bob Mondello says, by that measure, the film "She Dies Tomorrow" is very lucky.

Blocked Busters: Disney Pushes 17 Movie Release Dates

By Bob Mondello • Jul 23, 2020

When Warner Brothers pulled Christopher Nolan's $200-million thriller, Tenet, from its release schedule earlier this week, industry analysts expected a domino effect, and Disney announced this afternoon that the first 17 dominos have fallen.

The Mouse House's live-action remake of Mulan, the last big-budget Hollywood blockbuster scheduled for August, is now "unset," on the company's release schedule.

And the studio has pushed back or cancelled the release of another 16 Disney and Fox films, in a ripple-effect that will affect movie releases for years.

More Epic Than You May Think: Marie Curie's Biopic, 'Radioactive,' Reviewed

By Bob Mondello • Jul 23, 2020

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

2 New Movies Exploring Mother-Daughter-Granddaughter Relationships Reviewed

By Bob Mondello • Jul 9, 2020

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

What To Watch This Weekend: 'Hamilton' And 'John Lewis: Good Trouble,' Reviewed

By Bob Mondello • Jul 2, 2020

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

'Jurassic Park' Gets To The Top Of The Weekend's Top 10 List

By Bob Mondello • Jun 25, 2020

SARAH MCCAMMON, HOST:

What It Is Like To Be Back To The Movie Theater

By Bob Mondello • Jun 2, 2020

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Missing the magic of seeing a movie in the theater with a crowd - hardly the most pressing problem right now. Big-screen viewing is not an essential activity, not even for critic Bob Mondello, though he does miss it.

What Movies Hollywood Prepared For The Reopening Of Theaters

By Bob Mondello • May 25, 2020

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Steve Coogan and Rob Bryden Follow Homer's 'Odyssey' In Their New Film

By Bob Mondello • May 21, 2020

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

It's been a decade since celebrity pals Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon had their dueling impressions of Michael Caine go viral in the movie "The Trip."

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "THE TRIP")

Disney Announces The Date Of 'Hamilton' Movie Release

By Bob Mondello • May 12, 2020

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

A Sensational Film About Street Violence In London Is Now Streaming

By Bob Mondello • May 7, 2020

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

As Some States Reopen, Theater Owners Are Watching — And Mostly Waiting

By Bob Mondello • May 6, 2020

For the first time in more than a month, a handful of U.S. movie theaters is screening films for the public. It's a toe-dip, not a dive. Santikos Entertainment in San Antonio opened three of its nine Texas cineplexes with masks and social distancing protocols in place this past Saturday. Two days later, EVO Entertainment did the same with two of its Texas theaters.

Tom Cruise And NASA Could Be A Match Made In The Heavens

By Bob Mondello • May 5, 2020

It's a long way to liftoff — there's not even a studio attached yet — but the latest news about Tom Cruise is not just a Hollywood rumor. The film industry website Deadline reports that the Top Gun and Mission Impossible star is in preliminary talks with both NASA and with Elon Musk's Space X to film a feature-length action-adventure in orbit.

French Satire 'Deerskin' Opens Online — But Will Share Proceeds With Movie Theaters

By Bob Mondello • May 1, 2020

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

Bollywood and Hollywood Actor Irrfan Khan Dies After A Long Illness

By Bob Mondello • Apr 29, 2020

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

The Indian actor Irrfan Khan was known for his work in both arthouse films and blockbusters like "Slumdog Millionaire" and "Jurassic World." Khan has died at the age of 54 from a colon infection. NPR's Bob Mondello has this remembrance.

Fred And Ginger Cheered Us Up During The Depression. Might They Do It Again?

By Bob Mondello • Apr 8, 2020

Sequestering is getting old, right? And so are reruns of every sitcom you've ever watched. Maybe it's time to face the music ... and dance, with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

They danced America through the Great Depression. No reason they can't dance us through this — he, suave and ever on the make; she, lovely and feisty when she feels she's been crossed. He's forever crossing her.

'Crip Camp' Is A Raucous Celebration Of A World-Changing Place

By Bob Mondello • Mar 25, 2020

Crip Camp opened the Sundance Film Festival two months ago, and it was supposed to arrive in theaters today. But with nearly all movie theaters closed, it's arriving instead on Netflix — and it's a window on a revolution.

The first person we meet is Berkeley Rep sound designer Jimmy LeBrecht, who's climbing above the theater's stage without the use of his legs. He was born with spina bifida. "They didn't think I was going to live more than a couple of hours," we hear him say. "Apparently I had different plans."

China Reopens Movie Theaters For 1st Time Since January

By Bob Mondello • Mar 23, 2020

There's some hopeful news for the film industry coming from China.

As the number of new cases of the coronavirus declines in China, the Chinese government is allowing a few movie theaters to reopen for the first time since the country's theaters were shuttered by decree in January.

According to the entertainment news website Deadline, about 500 have reopened (less than 5% of Chinese exhibitors), mostly in Xinjiang and in far-flung provinces across the country.

Hollywood Reports Its Lowest Daily Box Office In Decades

By Bob Mondello • Mar 20, 2020

On Wednesday, the day all three of the largest U.S. movie exhibitors — AMC, Regal and Cinemark — shut down operations, Hollywood reported the lowest box office figures since the industry began tabulating numbers independently decades ago.

With just 440 of the nation's more than 5,500 theaters (which account for some 40,000 screens) open for business, North American cinemas took in less than $300,000 for all the movies currently in theaters, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

While Waiting Out The Pandemic, It's Worth A Watch Of These Classic Films

By Bob Mondello • Mar 19, 2020

Critics are often asked "What's your favorite movie?" — and most of us have learned to deflect the question.

If you see a few hundred films a year, "favorite" is a moving target. Stiil, when pressed, I do have a ready answer: Buster Keaton's silent, Civil-War comedy The General.

In 'Never Rarely Sometimes Always,' A Teenager With A Choice

By Bob Mondello • Mar 13, 2020

AILSA CHANG, HOST:

Remembering Actor Max Von Sydow, From Bergman To 'Game Of Thrones'

By Bob Mondello • Mar 9, 2020

Actor Max von Sydow, whose career stretched across seven decades, died Sunday at the age of 90. The imposing Swedish star played the title character in The Exorcist and more than 100 other roles.

Movie Review: 'First Cow'

By Bob Mondello • Mar 8, 2020

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Review: Pixar's 'Onward'

By Bob Mondello • Mar 6, 2020

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

Imagine a world filled with mythical creatures but not with magic. That was the task for Pixar's animators when they were making the new film "Onward." Critic Bob Mondello says it's a road trip movie about two teens on a quest.

'Sorry We Missed You': A Working-Class Drama With A Heart

By Bob Mondello • Mar 4, 2020

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

The title of Ken Loach's new film comes from the door tags a British parcel company leaves when it can't make a delivery. Critic Bob Mondello says the working-class drama "Sorry We Missed You" has a subtext no one will miss.

Film Festival Hit 'Saint Frances' Opens In Theaters

By Bob Mondello • Feb 28, 2020

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

The indie comedy "Saint Frances" was a film fest hit even before it won awards and a distribution deal at South by Southwest. Today it opens in theaters, and critic Bob Mondello says it's a low-key charmer.

'The Whistlers': A Noir Heist Film With A Certain Pucker Factor

By Bob Mondello • Feb 27, 2020

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

Making Fun Of The Rich Is A British Comedy Tradition Honored In 'Greed'

By Bob Mondello • Feb 20, 2020

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

'Sonic The Hedgehog' Zooms Ahead At Box Office — A Surprise To Some

By Bob Mondello • Feb 18, 2020

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

The movie "Sonic The Hedgehog" set a record at the box office this weekend. That surprised industry observers and even the film's own studio. NPR's Bob Mondello has details.

In An Age Of Streaming, 'Oscar Bounce' At The Box Office Is ... Less Bouncy

By Bob Mondello • Feb 7, 2020

In Hollywood, the bean counters always talk at this time of year about the "Oscar Bounce" — the boost films get at the box office from Academy Award nominations.

The bounce, which can amount to tens of millions of dollars, is much sought-after by film studios, but their calculus may be altered by recent changes in the industry — especially by the advent of streaming services.

Bob Mondello

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