Accessibility links
Movies: Movie Reviews and Commentary on New and Classic Films NPR Movies podcast, movie reviews, and commentary on new and classic films. Interviews with filmmakers, actors, and actresses.

Movies

'Twisters' has us spiraling

Glen Powell in Twisters. Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal hide caption

toggle caption
Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Twisters' has us spiraling

Twister was one of the biggest disaster movies of the '90s. Now, it's finally got a sequel — one with an all-new cast, state-of-the-art effects, and a whole lot of tornadoes. The new film stars Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones as rival storm-chasers who have a habit of running into tornadoes while everyone else is fleeing. Twisters was directed by Lee Isaac Chung, who also directed the Oscar-nominated Minari.

'Twisters' has us spiraling

Listen · 27:04
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197967704/1255917113" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
'Longlegs' is a (satanic) panic

Maika Monroe in a scene from Longlegs. Neon hide caption

toggle caption
Neon

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Longlegs' is a (satanic) panic

They're calling it the scariest movie of the year. The new horror film Longlegs follows FBI special agent Lee Harker (Mika Monroe) tracking a serial killer in the 1990s. If that sounds like familiar ground, consider this – the clues she follows hint at the involvement of the occult in general and Satanism in particular. And the killer in question: Nicolas Cage, uncaged.

'Longlegs' is a (satanic) panic

Listen · 14:28
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197967691/1255588459" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
'Fly Me to the Moon' soft launches Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum

Channing Tatum in Fly Me to the Moon. Apple TV+ hide caption

toggle caption
Apple TV+

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Fly Me to the Moon' soft launches Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum

The cheeky new romantic dramedy Fly Me to the Moon stars Scarlett Johansson as a NASA publicist at the height of the space race. She must stage a top-secret fake version of the moon landing as backup, just in case the real attempt fails. No one else at NASA can know about it — especially the upstanding launch director, played by Channing Tatum. The pair clash (and flirt) as they prepare for Apollo 11 to launch.

'Fly Me to the Moon' soft launches Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum

Listen · 17:47
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197967548/1255525415" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
We recommend three great sports documentaries

Lance Armstrong celebrates during the Tour de France in 2004. He is the subject of the documentary The Armstrong Lie. Doug Pensinger/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

We recommend three great sports documentaries

Sports aren't just games. They're intertwined with epic stories about struggle, human behavior, historic greatness and grand emotions. In other words, sports make for great documentaries. And if you're looking for some good ones, we've got recommendations: Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks, The Armstrong Lie, and Athlete A.

We recommend three great sports documentaries

Listen · 9:34
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197967535/1255441650" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
'Despicable Me 4' serves up 90 minutes of bankable mayhem

Steve Carell voices Gru in Despicable Me 4. Universal Pictures hide caption

toggle caption
Universal Pictures

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Despicable Me 4' serves up 90 minutes of bankable mayhem

Despicable Me 4 is the latest film in an animation franchise that made household names of reformed supervillain Gru (Steve Carrell) and his army of nattering Minions. The franchise has grossed billions of dollars, and the latest movie topped the weekend box office. But are these films growing up with their audience, or continuing to cater to young kids? And does that matter?

'Despicable Me 4' serves up 90 minutes of bankable mayhem

Listen · 16:43
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197967530/1255412924" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
'MaXXXine' closes a grisly trilogy in style

Mia Goth and Halsey in MaXXXine. Justin Lubin/A24 hide caption

toggle caption
Justin Lubin/A24

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'MaXXXine' closes a grisly trilogy in style

The new movie MaXXXine stars Mia Goth as an adult-film actress who gets her big break in Hollywood, only to be revisited by horrors from her past. Set in 1985 Los Angeles, it's the final film in director Ti West's beloved horror trilogy that began with the movie X. MaXXXine also features performances from Kevin Bacon, Elizabeth Debicki, and Giancarlo Esposito.

'MaXXXine' closes a grisly trilogy in style

Listen · 20:49
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197967394/1255174889" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
In 'A Quiet Place: Day One', Lupita Nyong'o makes silence golden

Lupita Nyong'o in A Quiet Place: Day One. Gareth Gatrell/Paramount Pictures hide caption

toggle caption
Gareth Gatrell/Paramount Pictures

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

In 'A Quiet Place: Day One', Lupita Nyong'o makes silence golden

In the post-apocalyptic world of A Quiet Place, aliens kill anyone who makes a sound, forcing humans into a near-silent existence. The new movie A Quiet Place: Day One takes us back to the beginning, but this time through the eyes of a terminally ill cancer patient played by the excellent Lupita Nyong'o.

In 'A Quiet Place: Day One', Lupita Nyong'o makes silence golden

Listen · 16:49
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1198005231/1254967783" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
In 'Kinds of Kindness,' the cruelty is the point

Emma Stone in Kinds of Kindness. Yorgos Lanthimos/Searchlight Pictures hide caption

toggle caption
Yorgos Lanthimos/Searchlight Pictures

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

In 'Kinds of Kindness,' the cruelty is the point

Kinds of Kindness is a weird, dark, and bleak film. It's directed by Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things) and it re-teams him with Emma Stone and Willem Dafoe, along with Jesse Plemons. Each actor plays different characters in three different stories — which all involve someone going to extreme measures to regain something they've lost.

In 'Kinds of Kindness,' the cruelty is the point

Listen · 23:25
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197965435/1254898835" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Lily Gladstone's 'Fancy Dance' is a road trip worth taking

Lilly Gladstone in Fancy Dance. Apple TV+ hide caption

toggle caption
Apple TV+

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Lily Gladstone's 'Fancy Dance' is a road trip worth taking

The new film Fancy Dance offers something all-too-rare on screen: contemporary Indigenous perspectives, front and center. Lily Gladstone plays a woman trying to keep it together under stressful circumstances. Her sister's gone missing, and she steps in to look after her young niece (Isabel Deroy-Olson). The pair take what turns out to be a rocky road trip and a unique bonding experience.

Lily Gladstone's 'Fancy Dance' is a road trip worth taking

Listen · 17:18
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197965424/1254847243" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
June Squibb's 'Thelma' is the wrong grandma to mess with

June Squibb and Fred Hechinger in Thelma. Magnolia Pictures hide caption

toggle caption
Magnolia Pictures

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

June Squibb's 'Thelma' is the wrong grandma to mess with

Financial scams are an unfortunate phenomenon, but what happens when a fraudster messes with the wrong grandma? The very fun action-comedy Thelma imagines exactly this scenario. The movie stars June Squibb as a woman scammed by someone pretending to be her grandson. She then enlists her old friend (the late Richard Roundtree) to help get her money back.

June Squibb's 'Thelma' is the wrong grandma to mess with

Listen · 18:14
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197965292/1254459134" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
What 'Inside Out 2' got right about anxiety, per a psychologist

Pixar's new movie Inside Out 2 revisits the internal life of Riley, as she hits puberty and copes with a growing range of emotions. Pixar hide caption

toggle caption
Pixar

Short Wave

What 'Inside Out 2' got right about anxiety, per a psychologist

Pixar's new movie, Inside Out 2 came out Friday. It's the sequel to the 2015 movie Inside Out, which follows the life of 11-year-old Riley and her family as they move to San Francisco. In Inside Out 2, Riley is 13 and thriving in her new city. She has friends and is a star on her hockey team. But when puberty hits one night, four new emotions come into play: Envy, Ennui, Embarrassment and most of all, Anxiety.

What 'Inside Out 2' got right about anxiety, per a psychologist

Listen · 14:05
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1198910281/1254388181" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
We debate the sweatiest movie of all time

Is Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing the sweatiest movie of all time? Anthony Barboza/Getty hide caption

toggle caption
Anthony Barboza/Getty

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

We debate the sweatiest movie of all time

Whether they're lightly perspiring, gently glowing, or soaked through from sweltering, people in the movies sweat a lot. But what movie has had people sweat the very most? With summer underway, we are debating what is the sweatiest movie of all time — including Do the Right Thing, Dog Day Afternoon, Y tu mamá también, and Body Heat.

We debate the sweatiest movie of all time

Listen · 22:10
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197965247/1254205414" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
'Inside Out 2' is a Pixar sequel worth celebrating

Amy Poehler as Joy and Maya Hawke as Anxiety in a scene from Inside Out 2. Pixar hide caption

toggle caption
Pixar

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Inside Out 2' is a Pixar sequel worth celebrating

Pixar's Inside Out introduced us to the core emotions inside an 11-year-old girl named Riley. We met Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), and Anger (Lewis Black). In Inside Out 2, Riley is experiencing puberty and a whole new crop of emotions have popped up. Most notably Anxiety (Maya Hawke) who has literally bottled up Riley's original core emotions and sent them hurtling into the back of her mind, where they plot to get back and set things right.

'Inside Out 2' is a Pixar sequel worth celebrating

Listen · 21:21
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197965158/1254161082" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
David Lynch says he 'died a death' over the way his 'Dune' film turned out

David Lynch on Wild Card Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty hide caption

toggle caption
Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty

Wild Card with Rachel Martin

David Lynch says he 'died a death' over the way his 'Dune' film turned out

David Lynch doesn't do a lot of interviews. The Twin Peaks and Mulholland Drive creator usually just lets his work speak for itself. But he was excited to talk to Rachel about his new album coming out this summer, Cellophane Memories. And he also was game to dive into his love for transcendental meditation, a fateful childhood psychosomatic illness and a memorable encounter with a Buddha statue.

David Lynch says he 'died a death' over the way his 'Dune' film turned out

Listen · 30:26
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1244130912/1254067892" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Our favorite graduation moments in pop culture

A graduate in gown and caps and his mother celebrate their graduation. Jens Schlueter/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Jens Schlueter/Getty Images

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Our favorite graduation moments in pop culture

This is the time of year when so many students graduate. Whether it's graduation episodes of our favorite TV series, high school songs, or movies about the last wild night of high school, we're revisiting our episode about the best moments about graduation in pop culture.

Our favorite graduation moments in pop culture

Listen · 23:58
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197965118/1253921027" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
'Am I OK?' is a coming-out movie for adults

Dakota Johnson in the film Am I OK? Emily Knecht/Max hide caption

toggle caption
Emily Knecht/Max

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Am I OK?' is a coming-out movie for adults

Am I OK? is a about what happens when you finally come to accept your sexuality much later in life than many do. It stars Dakota Johnson and Sonoya Mizuno as two women in their 30s who have been best friends a long time. But Johnson's character is grappling with the possibility that she's queer – and with the fact that her most treasured friendship is in trouble. Directed by Tig Notaro and Stephanie Allynne, it's streaming on Max.

'Am I OK?' is a coming-out movie for adults

Listen · 14:36
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197965132/1253819517" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Glen Powell's 'Hit Man' won't kill you, but he may seduce you

Adria Arjona and Glen Powell in Hit Man. Netflix hide caption

toggle caption
Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Glen Powell's 'Hit Man' won't kill you, but he may seduce you

Netflix's entertaining dark comedy Hit Man is not about a hired killer. It's about a guy who pretends to be a hired killer. Director Richard Linklater co-wrote this film with movie star of the moment, Glen Powell. Based very loosely on a real guy, Powell plays a mild-mannered professor who also works undercover for the police as a fake hitman.

Glen Powell's 'Hit Man' won't kill you, but he may seduce you

Listen · 25:39
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197965032/1253770250" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Hollywood flips the script in the new movie 'Ezra'

William A. Fitzgerald and Bobby Carnavale in the film Ezra. Bleeker Street hide caption

toggle caption
Bleeker Street

Consider This from NPR

Hollywood flips the script in the new movie 'Ezra'

'Ezra' is a road trip movie, a movie about fathers and sons.

Hollywood flips the script in the new movie 'Ezra'

Listen · 14:32
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1198912520/1253729555" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Devery Jacobs flies high in 'Backspot'

Devery Jacobs as Riley in Backspot Kirsten Nolan hide caption

toggle caption
Kirsten Nolan

It's Been a Minute

Devery Jacobs flies high in 'Backspot'

Cheerleaders are canonical when it comes to teen media - but is it time we expand our idea of who cheerleaders can be? Devery Jacobs's new film, Backspot, explores the internal life of a cheerleading backspot - the person making sure those high-flying cheerleaders don't break their necks. Devery joins Brittany to talk about redefining the cheerleader for a new generation, and keeping her sense of integrity while navigating the film industry.

Devery Jacobs flies high in 'Backspot'

Listen · 19:12
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197956549/1253631428" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
We debate the best fictional bands

Rosario Dawson, Tara Reid, and Rachael Leigh Cook in Josie and the Pussycats. Moviestore Collection Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo hide caption

toggle caption
Moviestore Collection Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

We debate the best fictional bands

Sometimes, our favorite musical artists are too good to be true because they're sprung from the imaginations of Hollywood screenwriters. But what makes a fake band great? Today, we are debating the best fictional bands in TV and film — including from Mamma Mia!, Josie and the Pussycats, It's Your Move, and Miami Connection.

We debate the best fictional bands

Listen · 27:13
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197964991/1253390007" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
The lesson Chris Pine learned after his new film was 'obliterated' by critics

Chris Pine says he has "fantastic anxiety dreams." Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

Pop Culture Happy Hour

The lesson Chris Pine learned after his new film was 'obliterated' by critics

Today, we are bringing you an episode of a new NPR podcast hosted by our pal Rachel Martin. It's called Wild Card, and it's a new interview show where the game controls the conversation. Each week, the guest chooses questions at random — about the memories, insights, and beliefs that have shaped their lives. This episode is an interview with the actor Pop Culture Happy Hour listeners voted as their favorite Chris — Chris Pine.

The lesson Chris Pine learned after his new film was 'obliterated' by critics

Listen · 25:52
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197964890/1253114772" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga' goes full throttle

Anya Taylor-Joy in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Warner Bros. Pictures hide caption

toggle caption
Warner Bros. Pictures

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga' goes full throttle

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is packed with bone-crunching practical stunts and lots of gnarly, diesel-powered chase scenes. It also shows a commitment to worldbuilding that grapples with themes of feminism, environmentalism, and humanity. Directed by George Miller, the prequel film tells the story of a Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy), who was taken from her home as a girl, raised to be a warrior in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, and now seeks revenge on an evil warlord (Chris Hemsworth).

'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga' goes full throttle

Listen · 25:42
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197964846/1253045486" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Browse archive or search npr.org