David Edelstein

Film critic David Edelstein reviews the films that are up for an Academy award under the Best Foreign Language Film category. They are: Paradise Now, Sophie Scholl: The Final Days, Don't Tell, Joyeux Noel and Tsotsi.

Race and politics add to the tension of a detective's search for a kidnapped child in Freedomland, starring Samuel L. Jackson and Julianne Moore. The film's screenplay was written by Richard Price; the story is based on his novel of the same name.

Actor and director Albert Brooks trolls for laughs in Asia and the Middle East in Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World. Playing a version of himself, Brooks is recruited by the U.S. government to help foster a deeper understanding of the region. A comedy tour ensues.

Imagine what would go through your mind if your mailbox suddenly became a stream of video, secretly filmed movies that feature you and your family -- and possibly presage a deadly threat. That's the predicament of Cache, starring Daniel Auteuil and Juliette Binoche.

As part of Fresh Air's annual 10 Best edition, film critic David Edelstein offers his take on the year's crop of movies. And as part of his conversation with Terry Gross, Edelstein discusses movies opening this holiday season. David Edelstein is also chief film critic for www.slate.com.

The new film version of King Kong, the story of a lovelorn giant ape taken from his island home, was directed by Peter Jackson. It's the first release for Jackson since his trilogy of Lord of the Ring films.

The new film Brokeback Mountain, directed by Ang Lee, stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger. Based on a short story by Annie Proulx, it describes the relationship between two young men in the West in the 1960s.

The new film Syriana is an interwoven tale of terrorism and covert business interests. Written and directed by Stephen Gaghan, the movie stars George Clooney, Matt Damon, William Hurt, Amanda Peet and Chris Cooper.

Walk the Line is the new biopic about music icon Johnny Cash, starring Joaquin Phoenix as the "Man in Black" and Reese Witherspoon as his wife, June Carter.

Jarhead tells the story of a Marine sniper whose unit is sent to the Middle East for the Iraq conflict of 1991. It stars Jake Gyllenhaal, who narrates the film; Jamie Foxx; and Peter Sarsgaard. It was directed by Sam Mendes, who won an Oscar for American Beauty.