Whitney Cummings tries to breathe new life into the tired, men-are-like-this, women-are-like-this style of romantic comedy both in front of and behind the camera with “The Female Brain.” But the stand-up comedian’s feature filmmaking debut is frustratingly hit-and-miss. My mixed review, at RogerEbert.com. Read the review here...
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Reviews
Revisiting Syriana
People often ask me if, after all these years of covering entertainment, there’s a celebrity I was especially nervous to interview. It wasn’t a superstar like Chris Evans or Penelope Cruz. It wasn’t an influential filmmaker like Clint Eastwood or Noah Baumbach. (Although I will say that Tommy Lee Jones...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — Bilal: A New Breed of Hero
“Bilal: A New Breed of Hero” tells an inspiring story from a cultural perspective we don’t hear from enough in film, especially in animation. If only it were good. The narrative jumps all over the place in tone, and with its PG-13 rating, “Bilal” is really too intense and violent...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — Maze Runner: The Death Cure
Supposedly, the maze running is over. We’re out of the Glade and the Scorch, and we’ve escaped the flailing, gnashing zombies. The third and final installment in this particular dystopian Young Adult franchise is now complete. While its action sequences are strong — as was also the case in director...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — 12 Strong
“Understated” isn’t a word you’d ordinarily use to describe a Jerry Bruckheimer production, but that’s surprisingly what “12 Strong” ends up being. Director Nicolai Fuglsig, making his feature filmmaking debut, draws on his photojournalism background in telling this story of real-life heroism. Chris Hemsworth stars as the leader of a...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — Paddington 2
“Paddington 2” is completely charming and exactly what we need right now. And it proves that the wonderful, original “Paddington” was no fluke three years ago. Maybe it’s not the revelation that the first film was, but its central message of being kind to others, even during the most troubling...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — Dark Meridian
Welcome to the cinematic dumping ground that is January. My first review of 2018 is of the utterly forgettable crime thriller “Dark Meridian,” a title that says nothing at all. It could be a high-octane action flick about extreme sports enthusiasts. It could be a supernatural thriller about hopeful fools who...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — Molly’s Game
If you’re a fan of Aaron Sorkin’s particular brand of impossibly intelligent characters exchanging rat-a-tat dialogue, you’ll be in heaven here. The hose is on full blast for two-plus hours. Nothing and no one seems to be holding the longtime screenwriter back in his directorial debut, for better and for...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — Pitch Perfect 3
“Pitch Perfect 3” supposedly is the final film in the wildly successful series about the musical misadventures of the Barden Bellas. Lots of overlong, tearful group hugs after the final a cappella song make that clear. But we really didn’t need a second “Pitch Perfect” movie, much less a third...
Read moreWine the Flick?! — All the Money in the World
My dear friend and What the Flick?! co-host Matt Atchity steps out from behind the camera to join me for a drink and discussion of “All the Money in the World.” Ridley Scott famously did last-minute reshoots of several scenes, replacing Kevin Spacey with Christopher Plummer — his first choice to...
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