It’s not as fantastic as the original, and there aren’t nearly as many beasts. Still, this spin-off series from the “Harry Potter” universe keeps slogging along. The second of five planned movies has its moments of magic, but it also features way too many characters and subplots to even begin...
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Reviews
What the Flick?! Podcast 11/9/18
Christmas is here whether you’re ready for it or not, and the What the Flick?! Podcast is here for you, too. This week, Alonso, Matt and I review the animated “The Grinch” starring Benedict Cumberbatch, the Nazi zombie thriller “Overlord” and the political drama “The Front Runner.” We also play catch...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — The Front Runner
The typically charismatic Hugh Jackman is horribly miscast in “The Front Runner” as Gary Hart, the Colorado senator who was on his way to the Democratic nomination — and probably the presidency — before a sex scandal derailed his career in 1987. Jackman seems too old, too mad and too...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
Disney’s “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” is an enormous, expensive lump of coal, as complicated and convoluted as its title. It’s so garish and misguided, it reminded me of “Cloud Atlas” at times. If you’re going to see it, just go for the costumes and the brief, beautiful snippets...
Read moreWhat the Flick?! Podcast 11/1/18
It’s the most … wonderful time … of the year. That’s right, it’s time for another episode of the What the Flick?! Podcast. And since it’s November, that means it’s also time for Christmas movies. This week, Alonso, Matt and I review the overstuffed yet empty Disney extravaganza “The Nutcracker and...
Read moreWhat the Flick?! Podcast 10/25/18
Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? They’re questions that apply to both of the big movies we review on the latest What the Flick?! Podcast: Luca Guadagnino’s thrillingly gonzo “Suspiria” remake and the frustratingly safe Freddie Mercury biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which Ben, Alonso and I discuss a week...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — Suspiria
Luca Guadagnino’s “Suspiria” is a gloriously gonzo take on Dario Argento’s 1977 horror classic — not a remake, exactly, but more of a serious (and seriously insane) expansion. The mood is deeply creepy from the get-go and Dakota Johnson and Tilda Swinton are exquisite. It doesn’t always work in its...
Read moreWhat the Flick?! Podcast 10/18/18
It’s a Halloween miracle: Ben Mankiewicz actually joined me and Alonso for the latest What the Flick?! Podcast. (One of these days, all four of us will be in the same place at the same time, I promise.) This week, we talk about the latest incarnation of the horror classic...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — Beautiful Boy
Steve Carell and Timothee Chalamet share several emotional moments as father and son in this real-life addiction drama. But “Beautiful Boy” might be too beautiful itself, depicting its horrors in a gauzy way with a distracting, time-hopping narrative. And the soundtrack of on-the-nose tunes is often cringe-inducing as it comments...
Read moreWhat the Flick?! Podcast 10/11/18
Come walk on the moon with us on the latest episode of the What the Flick?! Podcast. “First Man” is the biggie of the week as we venture deeper into awards season. But Alonso, Matt and I have plenty of other movies to review, including the political satire “The Oath,” the...
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