Cameron Crowe’s latest, “Aloha,” is so baffling that I’m not even going to bother trying to explain the plot to you here. But it definitely shows the signs of massive re-editing, and not in a good way. Maybe a great film is hidden in there somewhere. We’ll have to wait...
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Reviews
RogerEbert.com — Far From the Madding Crowd
I am not a romantic or traditional kinda gal, which you may have noticed if you’ve read me for a little while. But damned if Thomas Vinterberg’s take on on the classic novel “Far From the Madding Crowd” didn’t do it for me. It is just breathtakingly beautiful, and it...
Read moreThe Longest Ride
20th Century Fox Rated PG-13 for some sexuality, partial nudity, and some war and sports action. Running time: 128 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four. Movies based on Nicholas Sparks novels are low-hanging fruit. With their patented formula of painfully earnest romance and melodrama, they are easy...
Read moreCinderella
Walt Disney Pictures Rated PG for mild thematic elements. Running time: 105 minutes. Three stars out of four. The Cinderella of Kenneth Branagh’s “Cinderella” never wields a samurai sword or a snarky, well-timed quip. She doesn’t transform herself into a warrior princess, nor does she wallow in too-hip pop culture...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — Focus
Will Smith and Margot Robbie share a crackling chemistry and snappy banter in a series of luxurious locations as con artists conning each other and everyone else they meet. It’s a lot of fun, until it isn’t. At RogerEbert.com. Read the review here...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — The DUFF
Mae Whitman dazzles as the title character — which stands for Designated Ugly Fat Friend — a brilliant and quick-witted high school senior who takes that derogatory label and makes it her own. This breezy comedy is Whitman’s “Easy A”: the movie that will make the longtime supporting actress a...
Read moreFifty Shades of Grey
Universal Pictures Rated R for some strong sexual content including dialogue, some unusual behavior and graphic nudity, and for language. Running time: 125 minutes. Three stars out of four. I liked “Fifty Shades of Grey,” and I am not ashamed. I realize this is not the most popular opinion. The...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — Love, Rosie
Lily Collins and Sam Claflin are attractive and appealing as lifelong best friends who are clearly meant to be together, but the many contrived obstacles that keep them apart are more irritating than romantic. The lighting is pretty, though. My RogerEbert.com review. Read the review here...
Read moreRogerEbert.com — The Humbling
Al Pacino dials it down and does some of his best work in a long time as a veteran actor struggling to regain his former glory. If that premise sounds a lot like “Birdman,” well, yes — that is an unfortunate coincidence. But Pacino’s performance is the strongest element in...
Read moreWhat the Flick?! — Beyond the Lights
Gugu Mbatha-Raw gives a powerhouse performance as a Rihanna-esque R&B singer on the brink of superstardom, and she has insane chemistry with Nate Parker as the member of her security detail with whom she falls in love. Writer-director Gina Prince-Bythewood’s film has its melodramatic moments, but Parker and Mbatha-Raw bring...
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