Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
While the original Harry Potter saga achieved a magnificent balance between the heart-pounding and the thought-provoking, the Fantastic Beasts spin-off universe still struggles to find…
Viggo Mortensen
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Captain Fantastic (2016)
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Ben
Sheila O'Malley -
Far from Men (2015)
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Daru
Glenn Kenny -
Jauja (2015)
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Gunnar Dinesen
Matt Zoller Seitz -
The Two Faces of January (2014)
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Chester MacFarland
Odie Henderson -
A Dangerous Method (2011)
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Freud
Roger Ebert -
The Road (2009)
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The Man
Roger Ebert -
Appaloosa (2008)
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Everett
Roger Ebert -
Eastern Promises (2007)
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Nikolai
Roger Ebert -
A History of Violence (2005)
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Tom Stall
Roger Ebert -
Hidalgo (2004)
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Frank T. Hopkins
Roger Ebert -
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
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Aragorn
Roger Ebert -
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
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Aragorn
Roger Ebert -
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
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Aragorn
Roger Ebert -
28 Days (2000)
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Eddie Boone
Roger Ebert -
A Walk on the Moon (1999)
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Walker Jerome
Roger Ebert -
A Perfect Murder (1998)
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David Shaw
Roger Ebert -
G.I. Jane (1997)
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Master Chief Urgayle
Roger Ebert -
Albino Alligator (1997)
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Guy
Roger Ebert -
Daylight (1996)
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Roy Nord
Roger Ebert -
The Indian Runner (1991)
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Frank
Roger Ebert
* This filmography is not intended to be a comprehensive list of this artist’s work. Instead it reflects the films this person has been involved with that have been reviewed on this site.
How the Fall Festivals Shaped the 2018 Oscar Race
On how the Oscar race gained focus after Venice, Telluride, and TIFF.
TIFF 2018: Green Book, First Man, Hotel Mumbai
On three very different films from TIFF 2018 that fall into one of the most popular categories of this fest every year, the true story.
The 20 Most Exciting World Premieres of TIFF 2018
The 20 films world premiering at the Toronto Film Festival that you can expect to find covered here over the next week, among many others.
Lucky 13 Must-See Films of 2016
Chaz Ebert highlights 13 must-see films of 2016.
Carving With Words: Matt Ross on “Captain Fantastic”
An interview with Matt Ross, writer/director of "Captain Fantastic."
2016 Summer Movie Preview: A Four-Month, Blockbuster Festival, Part II
A preview of dozens of films coming out this summer.
“La Dolce Vita” No More: On The Current State of Foreign-Language Film Distribution
A look at the devolving marketplace in America for foreign language films.
Sundance 2016: “Sing Street,” “Complete Unknown,” “Captain Fantastic”
A review of three films in the Premieres section at Sundance, including the breakout hit from John Carney.
Sundance 2016 Completes Lineup with New Films from Werner Herzog, Kelly Reichardt and More
A look at the latest additions to the now-completed Sundance 2016 lineup.
Who's Who In Reviews: Sheila O'Malley
The movie questionnaire and 2015 reviews of RogerEbert.com film critic Sheila O'Malley.
The Unique Narrative of Lisandro Alonso’s “Jauja”
May Contain Spoilers
Scout Tafoya analyzes the unique narrative of "Jauja" with Viggo Mortensen.
Bright Wall/Dark Room December 2014: The Thing About Ghent by Fran Hoepfner
An excerpt from the December 2014 issue of "Bright Wall/Dark Room."
TIFF 2014: Journeys to the Past in “’71,” “Jauja,” “The Keeping Room”
A TIFF 2014 report on three very different period pieces: "'71," "Jauja" and "The Keeping Room."
Meet the Writers: Sheila O'Malley
Writer Sheila O'Malley responds to our Movie Love Questionnaire.
#134 September 19, 2012
Marie writes: Intrepid club member Sandy Kahn came upon the following recipe and wisely showed it to me, so that I might share it in turn with all of you. Behold the morning chocolate cookie - a healthy breakfast treat loaded with good stuff; like fiber and imported French chocolate.
#119 June 13, 2012
Marie writes: Next door, across a long narrow drive and beyond the row of cedar hedges which run parallel to it, there resides an elementary school dating back to 1965, along with an assortment of newer playground equipment rendered in bright, solid primary colors...I'm sure you know the sort I mean...
#102 February 15, 2012
Marie writes: my art pal Siri Arnet sent me following - and holy cow! "Japanese artist Takanori Aiba has taken bonsai trees, food packaging, and even a tiny statue of the Michelin Man and constructed miniature metropolises around these objects, thus creating real-life Bottled Cities of Kandor. Explains Aiba of his artwork:"My source of creations are my early experience of bonsai making and maze illustration. These works make use of an aerial perspective, which like the diagram for a maze shows the whole from above (the macro view) while including minute details (the micro view). If you explore any small part of my works, you find amazing stories and some unique characters." ( click to enlarge.)
The Arikan Agenda: The Best Films of 2011
A few weeks ago on Facebook -- that sly keeper of family secrets, whose memory seems to have increased incrementally with its new Timeline mumbo-jumbo -- an actor of some repute posted a list of the best Twitter accounts of 2011, as compiled by a wholly forgettable outlet. He had been placed relatively highly, and someone commented that it was a very subjective list. Apart from the fact that taking issue with "a list of the best Twitter accounts of 2011, lol" is by definition absurd, the statement presented a logical fallacy (I am fully aware of the irony of regarding a throwaway Facebook comment in such depth). All lists are subjective: that's why they're lists. Nonetheless, this fairly simple fact gets lost in the year-end frenzy as interested parties start calling for the list-maker's head, like angry villagers wielding pitchforks, if and when their favoured books, albums, films, etc fail to place on a given critic's compilation of the year's best.
#79 September 7, 2011
Marie writes: I've always found the ocean more interesting than space and for invariably containing more delights and surprises. Case in point, discovering the existence of an extraordinary underwater museum...
#68 June 22, 2011
Marie writes: this past Monday, the Chicago Sun Times updated "Movable Type" - a program used to create blogs. Roger's journal for example. Other newspapers might use "Word Press" instead; same idea though. Any-hoo, it's hosted on the "new" server at the Sun-Times and as is customary, you have to login to use it. It's online software. Meaning you're totally at the mercy of any freakiness that might be going on.I mention this because there was indeed some weirdness earlier (server choked) and that, plus the fact Movable Type does things differently now, put me behind schedule. So I don't really have anything for the front page. I can go look, though! Meanwhile, just continue reading and if I find anything interesting, I'll let you know....Ooo, clams...
Dark turn for Dunst
In her new film “All Good Things,” Kirsten Dunst plays a character who is murdered, maybe. She certainly disappears. The movie is based on a true story of a poor girl who married into a rich family and vanished into thin air. For an actor, that’s a little like playing the Road Runner. You’re moving straight ahead and then suddenly the road disappears. Or you do.
TIFF #9: And so then I saw...
I always try to find at least one film at Toronto that's way off the beaten track. I rarely stray further afield than I did Tuesday night, when I found myself watching "Wake in Fright," a film made in Australia in 1971 and almost lost forever. It's not dated. It is powerful, genuinely shocking, and rather amazing. It comes billed as a "horror film," and contains a great deal of horror, but all of the horror is human and brutally realistic.
Donald Pleasence in "Wake in Fright"
The story involves a young school teacher in the middle of the desolate wilderness of the Outback. The opening overhead shot shows a shabby building beside a railroad track, the camera pans 360 degrees and finds only the distant horizon. and then returns to find a second building on the other side of the tracks. One building is the school. The other is the hotel. To get to either, people must have to travel a great distance.
TIFF #8: The protest: A change of mind
I'm writing this the day after first posting this entry. I now regret it. The point I make about artists is perfectly valid but I realize I wasn't prepared with enough facts about the events leading up to the Festival's decision to showcase Tel Aviv in the City-to-City section. I thought of it as an innocent goodwill gesture, but now realize it was part of a deliberate plan to "re-brand" Israel in Toronto, as a pilot for a larger such program. The Festival should never have agreed to be used like this. It was naive for the plan's supporters to believe it would have the effect they hoped for. The original entry remains below. The first 50 or so comments were posted before these regrets.
¶ The tumult continues here about the decision to spotlight Tel Aviv in the City-to-City sidebar program of the Toronto Film Festival. The protesters say the festival is thereby recognizing the "apartheid regime" of Israel. The controversy shows no sign of abating, and indeed on Tuesday it was still big news in the Toronto newspapers, with the Star's front page featuring lineups of those opposing the TIFF decision (including Harry Belafonte, Jane Fonda, Viggo Mortenson, Julie Christie and Danny Glover) and those supporting it (including Jerry Seinfeld, David Cronenberg, Sasha Baron Cohen, Lenny Kravitz, Lisa Kudrow and Natalie Portman).
Starting off the season
TORONTO -- In the beginning, its organizers were happy to sell out a 500-seat theater. Now the Toronto Film Festival requires 35 theaters and assorted screening rooms, starting with the 2,800-seat Roy Thomson Hall. If you're a moviegoer in central Toronto and want to avoid the festival, you've got your work cut out for you.
Ebert's predix, Oscar's results
In theory, if I correctly predicted every single Oscar race, nobody could outguess me, and by default, I would win the prize. Alas, that has never, ever happened, and it's unlikely again this year, because as usual I will allow my heart to outsmart my brain in one or two races, which is my annual downfall. In any event, for what they're worth, here are my Academy Award predictions in a year rich with wonderful films.
