Bob Mondello appears in the following:
'Viva': Seeking A Spot In Havana's Spotlight
Monday, May 02, 2016
Viva is a father-son drama from Havana — one of the first from Cuba to be commercially released in the U.S. in decades.
'The Meddler' Pokes Fun Without Mocking The Mom
Friday, April 22, 2016
The Meddler is a new comedy starring Susan Sarandon about mom who's just a bit much — just in time for Mother's Day.
Mowgli Takes Convincing Lumps In The Digital World Of 'The Jungle Book'
Friday, April 15, 2016
A new version of the classic Disney animated movie The Jungle Book features a live-action Mowgli in a digital jungle.
AMC Backtracks On Experiment To Allow Texting In Theaters After Outcry
Friday, April 15, 2016
AMC said on Thursday it was considering allowing texting in some of its movie theaters. The outrage was immediate and loud, and on Friday, the company announced that it had reconsidered.
Feats Of Technical Magic Bring Disney's New 'Jungle Book' To Life
Friday, April 15, 2016
A new version of the classic Disney animated movie features a live-action Mowgli and digitally created animals. It's feat of animation and technical magic — the new smoke and mirrors of Hollywood.
Clash Of The Screens: Should Movie Theaters Allow Texting? AMC Says Maybe
Thursday, April 14, 2016
The CEO of AMC Entertainment says he is considering allowing texting during some movie showings at AMC Theaters. A good thing? Our pop culture blogger and movie critic weigh in.
Grief Goes Explosive In 'Demolition' And 'Louder Than Bombs'
Friday, April 08, 2016
Louder Than Bombs and Demolition both deal with car crashes and grieving men, but the damage looks very different.
Upending Troubled-Teen Conventions In 'Standing Tall' And 'The Dark Horse'
Friday, April 01, 2016
France's Standing Tall and the Maori drama The Dark Horse both feature adults reaching out to teens in unorthodox ways.
Remembering Patty Duke, Hollywood's 'Miracle Worker'
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Actress Patty Duke, who played an adolescent Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker, and starred in her own TV sitcom — The Patty Duke Show — while still in her teens, has died. She was 69.
Fun And Entertainment Are Collateral Damage In 'Batman V Superman'
Thursday, March 24, 2016
Batman V Superman positions DC Comics' best-known heroes as tragic Greek figures. NPR film critic Bob Mondello says it tries to go big on the psychological nuances but skimps on fun.
Kidnapping As A Family Business In The True Life Thriller 'The Clan'
Friday, March 18, 2016
The Clan is an Argentine thriller about the real-life Puccio family, which kidnaps for profit. NPR film critic Bob Mondello finds it an unnerving allegory.
Only Script In Shakespeare's Handwriting Urges Compassion For Migrants
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
A scrap of a play written in part by Shakespeare answers contemporaries who were angry that England was admitting religious refugees.
Meet 'Marguerite,' A Tone-Deaf Opera Singer Who's Determined To Perform
Friday, March 11, 2016
Socialite Marguerite has no idea how bad she is — servants, friends and even other opera singers are too polite to tell her. Critic Bob Mondello says her story is both hilarious and heartbreaking.
'Zootopia' Makes A Pitch For A More Paw-fect Union Without Being Preachy
Friday, March 04, 2016
Zootopia exists in a world where lions and lambs get along just fine. NPR film critic Bob Mondello says it avoids being a lecture and ends up one of the more amusing kid flicks out there.
Oscars Preview: A Look At The Diversity Problem, Performances And Predictions
Friday, February 26, 2016
NPR's Audie Cornish talks with NPR's pop culture blogger Linda Holmes and movie critic Bob Mondello about Sunday's Oscar awards.
Navigating A Minefield Of Moral Quandaries And Consequences In 'A War'
Friday, February 12, 2016
The Danish entry in the foreign language Oscar sweepstakes, A War, begins in Afghanistan, deep in Taliban territory. A Danish patrol is walking single file across a field. Each man steps where the previous man stepped ... alas, to no avail. A land mine explodes, killing the baby-faced last soldier ...
'Deadpool' Is a Potty-Mouthed Splatterfest. A Really Funny One
Thursday, February 11, 2016
NPR film critic Bob Mondello says Deadpool goes in deep on its R rating — and has plenty of fun doing it.
'We're Mostly Republicans': New Hampshire Voters Explained By 'Our Town'
Monday, February 08, 2016
After NPR's Bob Mondello used The Music Man to help explain the Iowa caucuses, he wished there was a musical of Our Town so he could do the same for New Hampshire. It turns out there is one.
In 'Rams,' Two Icelandic Brothers Tend Troubles Of Flock And Family
Friday, February 05, 2016
Gummi and Kiddi are two sheep-herding brothers who've spent a lifetime butting heads near the top of the world. When a disease threatens their flocks, they must overcome decades of estrangement.
The Iowa Caucuses Explained ... By Broadway?
Monday, February 01, 2016
Critic Bob Mondello has never been to Iowa, but he learned a lot about the state from The Music Man. The classic American musical follows a travelling salesman who finds himself in River City, Iowa.