“Newsies” was not exactly a massive hit when it came out in April 1992. It made only about $2.8 million at the box office and currently stands at a meager 39 percent on the Tomatometer. But something has happened over the years since then — a change of heart through...
Read more
Christy by Request
RogerEbert.com — 7 Days in Entebbe
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...
Read moreChristy 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 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...
Read moreWine the Flick?! — Fifty Shades Freed
It’s the thrilling climax of the “Fifty Shades” series — mainly because it’s so deliriously bonkers and unintentionally hilarious. My dear friend and former fellow school mom Jen Wang came with me to see the original “Fifty Shades of Grey” — and, like me, she was masochistic enough to read...
Read more