Matt, Alonso and I look back at the staggeringly diverse and consistently sharp career of Mike Nichols, who died this week at age 83. It’s hard to think of another director working today who matches his depth and range, and who draws such inspired work from established actors....
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Five Favorite Films at Los Feliz Day Care
One of my favorite Twitter feeds these days is Los Feliz Day Care, a dead-on parody of uptight, ultra-P.C. parenting and educational tactics. Whether or not you’re a parent, you should seriously check it out — you will cackle daily. As the mother of a 5-year-old in Los Angeles, I...
Read moreDear White People
Roadside Attractions Rated R for language, sexual content and drug use. Running time: 108 minutes. Three stars out of four. Writer-director Justin Simien takes a sledgehammer to the rosy notion that we’ve achieved a post-racial utopia — but he does it with great wit, bite and flair — in his...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — One Chance
“One Chance,” inspired by the true story of unlikely opera singer Paul Potts, is pure formula. But it’s charming nonetheless thanks mostly to a winning performance from the irresistible James Corden. You may as well give in — he’s just going to keep singing at you until you do. I...
Read moreWhat the Flick?! — Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
The Judith Viorst children’s book is merely a springboard for this family-friendly comedy, which isn’t as cloying as it looks and features an appealing weird streak. You could do worse....
Read moreWhat the Flick?! — The Boxtrolls
They’re trolls … in boxes. The painstaking stop-motion animation is impressive, but the overall tone of this family-friendly action comedy is rather grim and joyless. There’s a grotesquery to the characters and settings that can be darkly amusing at times but eventually feels smothering. We’re all kinda scattered on this...
Read moreWhat the Flick?! — Space Station 76
This may look like a wacky spoof of 1970s sci-fi — something along the lines of “Airplane!” or “Spaceballs” — but Jack Plotnick’s beautifully designed comedy-drama actually has a lot more on its mind. It’s “The Ice Storm,” in space. We all really liked it....
Read moreThis Is Where I Leave You
Warner Bros. Pictures Rated R for language, sexual content and some drug use. Running time: 103 minutes. One and a half stars out of four. Mawkish, self-satisfied and false, “This Is Where I Leave You” strenuously attempts to wring poignancy from its familial clashes and catharsis. More often, it’s cringe-inducing....
Read moreRogerEbert.com — The Skeleton Twins
Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig have tremendous chemistry as estranged siblings fumbling to reconnect after a decade apart. It’s an unusual dramatic film for them both — although there’s a great deal of twisted laughs in the mix — and the “Saturday Night Live” alumni rise to the challenge spectacularly....
Read moreWhat the Flick?! — The Skeleton Twins
You will never listen to Starship’s “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” the same way again. Alonso and I went a little nuts for this movie....
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