Alexander Payne rips the lid off the Midwestern mythology with his latest film, “Nebraska.” Bruce Dern gives the performance of his prolific career as a cantankerous drunk who believes he’s won a million dollars and insists on making the 900-mile trek to pick up the prize money personally. This is...
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Reviews
RogerEbert.com — Reaching for the Moon
“Reaching for the Moon,” about poet Elizabeth Bishop’s lesbian romance in Rio, has some strong performances and oozes boldly minimalist mid-century modern style. But ultimately it feels like one of those frustratingly superficial biopics that try to cram in too much without providing much insight. My RogerEbert.com review. Read the...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — Ass Backwards
I first saw “Ass Backwards” as a juror at this year’s Outfest film festival and found myself laughing nearly the entire way through — even though the wild scenarios weren’t always all that funny — thanks to the commitment and outrageous chemistry between co-stars, co-writers and longtime collaborators June Diane...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — Paris Countdown
“Paris Countdown” is a middle-aged bromance tucked inside a French crime thriller, a slick and brutal B-action picture that finds writer-director Edgar Marie channeling Nicolas Winding Refn channeling early Michael Mann. It all feels familiar but never feels memorable. My Roger Ebert.com review. Read the review here...
Read moreAbout Time
Universal Pictures Rated R for language and some sexual content. Running time: 123 minutes. Three stars out of four. “About Time” is an extremely Richard Curtis-y Richard Curtis film, which is great for fans of the British writer-director and perfectly ghastly for everyone else. I have to admit I’m not...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — Free Birds
Everything about “Free Birds” feels perfunctory, from its generic title and holiday setting to its starry voice cast and undistinguished use of 3-D. My RogerEbert.com review of this animated turkey. Read the review here...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — Capital
Comedian Gad Elmaleh is chilling as the young CEO of a powerful French bank trying to master the various power plays in motion around him. Veteran director Costa-Gavras finds greed may not be as good as it used to be in this financial thriller. My RogerEbert.com review. Read the review...
Read moreRevisiting Five Most — Texas Movies
So I just got back in town after visiting Dallas for my 20-year reunion at Southern Methodist University. I would have posted something over the weekend, but I was too busy cramming queso and Shiner Bock into my grill. Apologies for the absence. But being there reminded me of a...
Read moreCarrie
Sony Screen Gems Rated R for bloody violence, disturbing images, language and some sexual content. Running time: 99 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four. Don’t call it a remake. Kimberly Peirce’s version of “Carrie” dubs itself as a “reimagining” of the high-school horror classic. Certainly, the director...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — Kill Your Darlings
“Kill Your Darlings” plays like a sort of Muppet Babies version of the Beat Poets. The self-serious way these figures regard themselves—and the self-serious way the film regards them—is cringe-inducing, early and often. My RogerEbert.com review. Read the review here...
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