You’d never know how thrilling this real-life hostage rescue was from the weirdly sluggish “7 Days in Entebbe.” A back-and-forth narrative structure, a wide variety of perspectives and the bizarre intercutting of a modern dance performance into the action only serve to muddle matters. My mixed review, at RogerEbert.com. Read...
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Reviews
Christy by Request — A Bridge Too Far
Sean Connery. Gene Hackman. Anthony Hopkins. Michael Caine. Ryan O’Neal. James Caan. Laurence Olivier. Elliott Gould. Robert Redford. And — eventually — Liv Ullmann. It would seem impossible to go wrong with such an incredible, all-star cast — which makes “A Bridge Too Far” such a frustrating misfire (no pun...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — Thoroughbreds
“Thoroughbreds” marks the exciting, assured filmmaking debut from young playwright Cory Finley. In telling the story of two estranged childhood friends (Anya Taylor-Joy and Olivia Cooke) who reconnect and embark on a deadly scheme in an opulent Connecticut enclave, Finley combines the delicious bitchiness of “Heathers” with the tonal restraint...
Read moreChristy by Request — Graffiti Bridge
When I came up with this new “Christy by Request” feature, I agreed to embrace the randomness of it. That’s part of the fun: You guys suggest movies for me to see, Nicolas chooses one from a giant, plastic bowl, and that’s what I have to review. Whatever happens, happens....
Read moreOscar Picks 2018
Apparently, I didn’t do any Oscar picks last year. Just straight-up blew it off. Unless maybe I did try to make the impossible choice between whether “La La Land” or “Moonlight” should win best picture, and what I wrote just evaporated into the ether. Either way, I’m back with some...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — Red Sparrow
Jennifer Lawrence gets put through the wringer in myriad disturbing ways as a Russian ballerina-turned-spy. In theory, such graphic ordeals are meant to demonstrate her character’s physical and psychological fortitude. But ultimately, these shocking and violent sequences become repetitive and gratuitous, making “Red Sparrow” feel more like a cheap exercise...
Read moreChristy by Request — Bicycle Thieves
So I’m trying a new feature here at my little website called “Christy by Request.” I asked folks on Twitter to suggest movies they’d like to see me review — older movies, newer releases, whatever. Then I put all the suggestions in a bowl and had my delightful son, Nicolas,...
Read moreWine the Flick?! — Annihilation
I’m so glad I had someone to talk about “Annihilation” with me afterward, because there is a LOT to sort through. And I’m so glad that someone was Lisa Evans, a good friend and fellow mom I know from Nic’s former school. Lisa has great taste in movies and she...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — Every Day
“Every Day” has a nice idea within nutty packaging. It’s an angsty teen romance based on a Young Adult novel about a spirit — or a soul, or something — that switches bodies every 24 hours. But in one of those bodies, he/she falls for that guy’s girlfriend: a sweet...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — Nostalgia
Mark Pellington’s “Nostalgia” is an extremely personal exploration of death, loss and memory. It features a strong cast giving their all, including Jon Hamm, Ellyn Burstyn, Bruce Dern and Catherine Keener. But it is just relentlessly somber. My review, at RogerEbert.com. Read the review here...
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