The Descendants
Written by
Payne
Payne
Payne Movie Reviews
Blog Posts That Mention Payne
25 Years Later, Alexander Payne’s Election Remains as Relevant as Ever
From My Block to Wakanda: Movies and Black Travel
Cannes 2026: Maverick: The Epic Adventures of David Lean, Dernsie: The Amazing Life of Bruce Dern
Remote-Droppers and Jeff Bridges: Nick Digilio on His Book About 40 Years Reviewing Movies
Flying with Her Angels: Diane Ladd (1935-2025)
11 Times That D’Angelo Made a Movie Better with his Music
Locarno Film Festival 2025 Wrap-up
Restored and Rediscovered Festival Spotlights Organizations at the Forefront of Film Restoration
January 2025 Blu-Ray Guide: “Hundreds of Beavers,” “Smile 2,” “Venom: The Last Dance,” and More
It’s Time to Give a FECK: Elevating Humanity through Forgiveness, Empathy, Compassion and Kindness (book by Chaz Ebert, with Foreword by Tamron Hall)
2025 Sundance Film Festival Announces Ambitious Program
The Steady, Inevitable Decline: Sideways at 20
TIFF 2024: 20 World Premieres We Can’t Wait to See
Prime Video’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” is the Boldest Fantasy Show of the Year
MGM+’s Messy The Emperor of Ocean Park Rules Over Convoluted Empire
San Francisco Silent Film Festival Highlights Unearthed Treasures of Film History
Spirit Awards 2024: A Platform for Essential Independent Films
2023: The Year of the Teacher
Oscar Predictions 2024: What Will Be Nominated This Year
The 29th Critics Choice Awards Honor a Wide Variety of Film and TV
The Return of 70MM
The Great Craft of 2023
2024 Awards Season Kickoff: Palm Springs, Variety Honorees, Golden Globes, Governors Awards
The Great Performances of 2023
Trailers for Chaz Ebert’s Top 10(-ish) Films of 2023
The Critics Choice Association’s Celebration of Cinema and Television Honoring Black, Latino, and AAPI Achievements in 2023
The Year of Black Men in Cinema: Chaz Ebert’s Top Ten(-ish) Films of 2023
TIFF 2023: A Canadian Looks Back at a Tumultuous Fest
TIFF 2023 Video: Festival Highlights Including Spike Lee Receiving the TIFF Ebert Director Award
The State of the 2024 Oscar Race: The Fall Festivals Leave Burning Questions
59th Chicago International Film Festival Announces Exciting Full Line-up of Features and Shorts
Criterion Releases Special Edition of Nicolas Roeg’s Masterful Walkabout
Telluride Film Festival 2023 Highlights
TIFF 2023: 20 World Premieres We Can’t Wait to See
Noir City Returns to the Music Box in Chicago
Ten Must-See Films at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival
Highlights of the 2023 TCM Film Festival
The Protein of It All: A Conversation with Tamara Jenkins, BendFilm Festival’s Indie Woman of the Year
Serious Oscar Contenders Dazzle at 2022 BendFilm Festival
Prime Video’s Lord of the Rings Keeps the Spectacle of Peter Jackson, Loses Some of the Spirit
The Annotated Table of Contents and Bios for Women Writers Week 2022
NBC Tries to Keep Sitcom Alive with New Shows from Established Veterans
Home Entertainment Guide: December 2021, New Releases
Words of Love: Shailene Woodley and Felicity Jones on The Last Letter From Your Lover
Going All In On Romance: Jojo Moyes & Augustine Frizzell on The Last Letter From Your Lover
Forget the Alamo: The Silver Anniversary of Lone Star
The Annotated Table of Contents for Women Writers Week 2021
Tyler Perry to Receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 2021 Oscars
8 Films to See at the Nightstream Virtual Film Festival
Thumbnails 4/12/20
The Best Films of the 2020 Sundance Film Festival
Sundance 2020: Charm City Kings, Save Yourselves!, Blast Beat
Sundance 2020 Announces Competition, Midnight, Premiere Titles and More
Netflix’s The Politician is Ambitious but Messy
TV Review: FOX Looks For Their Own Hannibal in Effective Prodigal Son
Short Films in Focus: Squirrel
Short Films in Focus: One Cambodian Family Please For My Pleasure
Ebertfest 2019: A Photo Journal
Ebertfest 2019, Day 4: Maya Angelou – And Still I Rise, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, Almost Famous, Sideways
Ebertfest 2019 Reveals Full Line-Up Honoring Scott Wilson, Richard Roeper and Jonathan Demme
The Absurdity of Life: Elizabeth Chomko and Robert Forster on What They Had
Netflix’s Excellent Wanderlust is a Deep Dive into Love and Marriage
Acclaimed Producer Effie T. Brown Salutes Project Involve on its 25th Anniversary
Join Project Involve As We Celebrate Jon M. Chu of “Crazy Rich Asians” on September 22nd
Project Involve Paves A Path to Inclusive Storytelling on its 25th Anniversary on September 22nd
Eighth Grade and the Political Currency of Being a Teenage Girl
Figuring It Out: The Films of Laura Dern
Home Entertainment Consumer Guide: December 14, 2017
Deadline’s The Contenders 2017 Kicks Off Oscar Season
Cupid’s Arrow Pierced My Tender Heart at the Movies
Illuminating the World: Wim Wenders Honored at TIFF
The Greatest Show on Earth: Recap of the 2017 Telluride Film Festival
TIFF 2017: “Downsizing,” “Beast,” “Who We Are Now”
TIFF 2017 Preview: 20 World Premieres We Can’t Wait to See
A Box of Chocolates: Preview of the 2017 Telluride Film Festival
2017 Fall Movie Preview: 25 Films We’re Excited About
The Big Knockover: “Noir City: Chicago” Brings Heist Films to the Music Box Theater
Nitrate and Old Favorites: A Recap of the 2017 TCM Classic Film Festival
Winners Announced for Great Movies IV Giveaway
Thumbnails 7/8/16
Humor is the Most Important Thing in Life: Paul Rudd & Rob Burnett on “The Fundamentals of Caring”
Thumbnails 6/17/16
Driven to Discussion: An Interview with the Hosts of the “Black on Black Cinema” Podcast
Thumbs Way Up for “The BlackWhite Love Play”
Who’s Who In Reviews: Susan Wloszczyna
Interview: Thomas Haden Church on “Max,” “Killer Joe”
Showtime’s “Happyish” is a Smug, Self-Righteous Bore
In Praise of Film Critics: Why They Matter More Than Ever
Home Entertainment Consumer Guide: November 20, 2014
Thumbnails 4/24/14
One Year Later: Richard Roeper on Roger
Bateman’s Switch: Jason Bateman Talks About Directing “Bad Words”
Guilds Trifecta Could Put the Final Stamp on the Oscars Race
Top Ten Lists of 2013 From Our Contributors
Films, DVDs, Chickens and Eggs: How Screeners Affect Awards Season
It Truly Is an Honor Just To Be Nominated
Which Movies Would Roger Choose?
Critic Awards Begin to Shape the Oscar Race
New York Film Critics Circle and National Board of Review Start the Oscar Race
