Bears! They’re cute and cuddly and furry. But sometimes they get hungry, and there isn’t always a pic-a-nic basket lying around. My RogerEbert.com review of the latest family-friendly Disneynature documentary timed to Earth Day. Read the review here...
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Reviews
RogerEbert.com — The Railway Man
Austere and old-fashioned almost to a fault, “The Railway Man” offers tastefully safe treatment of a horrific subject: the torture of a British Army officer at a Japanese prisoner of war camp during World War II. Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman give solid performances in this true story. My RogerEbert.com...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — Island of Lemurs: Madagascar
Lemurs, people! It is impossible not to laugh and smile at the sight of these expressive, playful primates. This family-friendly, 3-D IMAX documentary accomplishes a great deal in its 40-minute running time. It’s both entertaining and educational, with an ecological message that’s clear without being heavy-handed. My RogerEbert.com review. Read...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — Divergent
Stop me if you think you’ve heard this one before: In a rigidly structured, dystopian future, one extraordinary teenage girl will emerge as either its savior or its destroyer. “Divergent,” based on the Veronica Roth novel, definitely follows a familiar, young-adult formula. But the performances — namely from stars Shailene...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — John Doe: Vigilante
“John Doe: Vigilante” is a shrill and sanctimonious screed about the ineffectiveness of the judicial system, combined with gory scenes of repeat offenders dying the deaths they “deserve.” Intended as a serial killer thriller, it’s more of a slog, not so much a whodunit as a whydunit—and by the end,...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — The Missing Picture
With the Oscar-nominated “The Missing Picture,” writer-director Rithy Panh takes a daunting and emotionally draining topic — the atrocities Cambodians suffered under Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge during the 1970s — and presents it in a way that’s personal, imaginative and even strangely beautiful. My RogerEbert.com review. Read the...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — Bad Words
I really wanted to like this movie. I’ve been a big fan of Jason Bateman for years and the premise — a 40-year-old muscles his way into a national spelling bee — had real promise. “Bad Words” is simply trying to hard to shock us. Rather than being funny, most...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — Better Living Through Chemistry
Playing namby-pamby isn’t Sam Rockwell’s strong suit. He’s at his best playing the wild card, the troublemaker, the most charming rogue. Here, he’s stuck as a put-upon pharmacist in this dark romantic comedy opposite Olivia Wilde as the boozy trophy wife who serves as his guide to debauchery. My RogerEbert.com...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — Haunt
“Haunt” trots out haunted-house tropes in such a bland manner, it’s like reading a grocery list. Jacki Weaver is the only remotely interesting figure here and she’s stuck on the sidelines for much of the time. My RogerEbert.com review. Read the review here...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — Journey to the West
By turns daffy and dazzling, awkward and artful, “Journey to the West” takes an ancient tale and gives it contemporary flair. Its action sequences are a blast. But then the characters have to stop and talk. My RogerEbert.com review. Read the review here...
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