The Descendants
Written by
Payne
Payne
Payne Movie Reviews
Blog Posts That Mention Payne
Festivals & Awards
Locarno Film Festival 2026: 17 Urgent Hollywood Blacklist Films
TV/Streaming
“Tires” Has Developed into One of Netflix’s Best Comedies in Season 3
Black Writers Week
From My Block to Wakanda: Movies and Black Travel
Festivals & Awards
Cannes 2026: Maverick: The Epic Adventures of David Lean, Dernsie: The Amazing Life of Bruce Dern
Interviews
Remote-Droppers and Jeff Bridges: Nick Digilio on His Book About 40 Years Reviewing Movies
Tributes
Flying with Her Angels: Diane Ladd (1935-2025)
Tributes
11 Times That D’Angelo Made a Movie Better with his Music
Features
Locarno Film Festival 2025 Wrap-up
Features
Restored and Rediscovered Festival Spotlights Organizations at the Forefront of Film Restoration
DVD/Blu-Ray
January 2025 Blu-Ray Guide: “Hundreds of Beavers,” “Smile 2,” “Venom: The Last Dance,” and More
Chaz's Journal
It’s Time to Give a FECK: Elevating Humanity through Forgiveness, Empathy, Compassion and Kindness (book by Chaz Ebert, with Foreword by Tamron Hall)
Festivals & Awards
2025 Sundance Film Festival Announces Ambitious Program
Features
The Steady, Inevitable Decline: Sideways at 20
Festivals & Awards
TIFF 2024: 20 World Premieres We Can’t Wait to See
TV/Streaming
Prime Video’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” is the Boldest Fantasy Show of the Year
TV/Streaming
MGM+’s Messy The Emperor of Ocean Park Rules Over Convoluted Empire
Features
25 Years Later, Alexander Payne’s Election Remains as Relevant as Ever
Festivals & Awards
San Francisco Silent Film Festival Highlights Unearthed Treasures of Film History
Chaz's Journal
Spirit Awards 2024: A Platform for Essential Independent Films
Features
2023: The Year of the Teacher
Festivals & Awards
Oscar Predictions 2024: What Will Be Nominated This Year
Festivals & Awards
The 29th Critics Choice Awards Honor a Wide Variety of Film and TV
Features
The Return of 70MM
Features
The Great Craft of 2023
Festivals & Awards
2024 Awards Season Kickoff: Palm Springs, Variety Honorees, Golden Globes, Governors Awards
Features
The Great Performances of 2023
Chaz's Journal
Trailers for Chaz Ebert’s Top 10(-ish) Films of 2023
Festivals & Awards
The Critics Choice Association’s Celebration of Cinema and Television Honoring Black, Latino, and AAPI Achievements in 2023
Chaz's Journal
The Year of Black Men in Cinema: Chaz Ebert’s Top Ten(-ish) Films of 2023
Festivals & Awards
TIFF 2023: A Canadian Looks Back at a Tumultuous Fest
Festivals & Awards
TIFF 2023 Video: Festival Highlights Including Spike Lee Receiving the TIFF Ebert Director Award
Festivals & Awards
The State of the 2024 Oscar Race: The Fall Festivals Leave Burning Questions
Festivals & Awards
59th Chicago International Film Festival Announces Exciting Full Line-up of Features and Shorts
TV/Streaming
Criterion Releases Special Edition of Nicolas Roeg’s Masterful Walkabout
Festivals & Awards
Telluride Film Festival 2023 Highlights
Festivals & Awards
TIFF 2023: 20 World Premieres We Can’t Wait to See
Festivals & Awards
Noir City Returns to the Music Box in Chicago
Chaz's Journal
Ten Must-See Films at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival
Festivals & Awards
Highlights of the 2023 TCM Film Festival
Interviews
The Protein of It All: A Conversation with Tamara Jenkins, BendFilm Festival’s Indie Woman of the Year
Festivals & Awards
Serious Oscar Contenders Dazzle at 2022 BendFilm Festival
TV/Streaming
Prime Video’s Lord of the Rings Keeps the Spectacle of Peter Jackson, Loses Some of the Spirit
Chaz's Journal
The Annotated Table of Contents and Bios for Women Writers Week 2022
TV/Streaming
NBC Tries to Keep Sitcom Alive with New Shows from Established Veterans
TV/Streaming
Home Entertainment Guide: December 2021, New Releases
Interviews
Words of Love: Shailene Woodley and Felicity Jones on The Last Letter From Your Lover
Interviews
Going All In On Romance: Jojo Moyes & Augustine Frizzell on The Last Letter From Your Lover
MZS
Forget the Alamo: The Silver Anniversary of Lone Star
Chaz's Journal
The Annotated Table of Contents for Women Writers Week 2021
Festivals & Awards
Tyler Perry to Receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 2021 Oscars
Features
8 Films to See at the Nightstream Virtual Film Festival
Features
Thumbnails 4/12/20
Festivals & Awards
The Best Films of the 2020 Sundance Film Festival
Festivals & Awards
Sundance 2020: Charm City Kings, Save Yourselves!, Blast Beat
Festivals & Awards
Sundance 2020 Announces Competition, Midnight, Premiere Titles and More
TV/Streaming
Netflix’s The Politician is Ambitious but Messy
TV/Streaming
TV Review: FOX Looks For Their Own Hannibal in Effective Prodigal Son
Features
Short Films in Focus: Squirrel
Features
Short Films in Focus: One Cambodian Family Please For My Pleasure
Festivals & Awards
Ebertfest 2019: A Photo Journal
Festivals & Awards
Ebertfest 2019, Day 4: Maya Angelou – And Still I Rise, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, Almost Famous, Sideways
Festivals & Awards
Ebertfest 2019 Reveals Full Line-Up Honoring Scott Wilson, Richard Roeper and Jonathan Demme
Interviews
The Absurdity of Life: Elizabeth Chomko and Robert Forster on What They Had
TV/Streaming
Netflix’s Excellent Wanderlust is a Deep Dive into Love and Marriage
Features
Acclaimed Producer Effie T. Brown Salutes Project Involve on its 25th Anniversary
Chaz's Journal
Join Project Involve As We Celebrate Jon M. Chu of “Crazy Rich Asians” on September 22nd
Chaz's Journal
Project Involve Paves A Path to Inclusive Storytelling on its 25th Anniversary on September 22nd
Features
Eighth Grade and the Political Currency of Being a Teenage Girl
Features
Figuring It Out: The Films of Laura Dern
TV/Streaming
Home Entertainment Consumer Guide: December 14, 2017
Festivals & Awards
Deadline’s The Contenders 2017 Kicks Off Oscar Season
Festivals & Awards
Cupid’s Arrow Pierced My Tender Heart at the Movies
Festivals & Awards
Illuminating the World: Wim Wenders Honored at TIFF
Festivals & Awards
The Greatest Show on Earth: Recap of the 2017 Telluride Film Festival
Festivals & Awards
TIFF 2017: “Downsizing,” “Beast,” “Who We Are Now”
Festivals & Awards
TIFF 2017 Preview: 20 World Premieres We Can’t Wait to See
Festivals & Awards
A Box of Chocolates: Preview of the 2017 Telluride Film Festival
Features
2017 Fall Movie Preview: 25 Films We’re Excited About
Festivals & Awards
The Big Knockover: “Noir City: Chicago” Brings Heist Films to the Music Box Theater
Festivals & Awards
Nitrate and Old Favorites: A Recap of the 2017 TCM Classic Film Festival
Chaz's Journal
Winners Announced for Great Movies IV Giveaway
Features
Thumbnails 7/8/16
Interviews
Humor is the Most Important Thing in Life: Paul Rudd & Rob Burnett on “The Fundamentals of Caring”
Features
Thumbnails 6/17/16
Interviews
Driven to Discussion: An Interview with the Hosts of the “Black on Black Cinema” Podcast
Chaz's Journal
Thumbs Way Up for “The BlackWhite Love Play”
Chaz's Journal
Who’s Who In Reviews: Susan Wloszczyna
Interviews
Interview: Thomas Haden Church on “Max,” “Killer Joe”
TV/Streaming
Showtime’s “Happyish” is a Smug, Self-Righteous Bore
Chaz's Journal
In Praise of Film Critics: Why They Matter More Than Ever
TV/Streaming
Home Entertainment Consumer Guide: November 20, 2014
Features
Thumbnails 4/24/14
Chaz's Journal
One Year Later: Richard Roeper on Roger
Interviews
Bateman’s Switch: Jason Bateman Talks About Directing “Bad Words”
Festivals & Awards
Guilds Trifecta Could Put the Final Stamp on the Oscars Race
Features
Top Ten Lists of 2013 From Our Contributors
Festivals & Awards
Films, DVDs, Chickens and Eggs: How Screeners Affect Awards Season
Festivals & Awards
It Truly Is an Honor Just To Be Nominated
Chaz's Journal
Which Movies Would Roger Choose?
Festivals & Awards
