Documentarian Genevieve Bailey certainly means well with “I Am Eleven,” in which she interviews 11-year-old boys and girls from around the world on topics ranging from love and marriage to war and religion to culture and the environment. But she’s included so many kids and she skips around between them...
Read more
Reviews
On Joan Rivers, 1933-2014
So much of what I recall and appreciate about Joan Rivers exists in my review of the 2010 documentary “Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work.” If you haven’t seen it, please seek it out. I’m sure it’s streamable in any number of formats at this point. It’s enlightening and entertaining...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — Elena
The documentary “Elena” is intimate and impressionistic but ultimately a little self-indulgent as it explores the transcendent nature of the sisterly bond. But what begins in beautiful, intriguing fashion ends up feeling surprisingly dull. My RogerEbert.com review. Read the review here...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — Ai Weiwei: The Fake Case
“Ai Weiwei: The Fake Case” is the follow-up documentary to 2012’s “Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry.” It tracks the iconoclastic Chinese artist and political activist as he comes home from 81 days of detention and tries to reestablish his life and career. It’s how Weiwei got his groove back. At RogerEbert.com....
Read moreRogerEbert.com — Bears
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...
Read moreWhat the Flick?! — Bears
“Bears”! It’s about … bears. They’re cute and cuddly until they get hungry and angry. Matt, Alonso and I packed a pic-a-nic basket to discuss the latest Disneynature documentary....
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 moreWhat the Flick?! — Mistaken for Strangers
“Mistaken for Strangers,” about the indie rock band The National, takes a totally different route into a genre we’ve all seen a million times: the music documentary. Matt encouraged all of us to see it because he loved it so much, and I’m so glad we did....
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 — Particle Fever
It’s a documentary … about physics. But “Particle Fever” is surprisingly thrilling with an emotional payoff. It takes a potentially daunting topic — the search for the elusive Higgs boson particle — and makes it accessible for the layperson without dumbing anything down. It’s also shot beautifully. My RogerEbert.com review....
Read more