
Zama
Zama is a mordantly funny and relentlessly modernist critique of colonialism that makes no conclusions, ultimately resting on a scene of verdant nature not entirely…
Zama is a mordantly funny and relentlessly modernist critique of colonialism that makes no conclusions, ultimately resting on a scene of verdant nature not entirely…
I Am Evidence will be undoubtedly eye-opening.
Roger Ebert on James Ivory's "Howards End".
"The Ballad of Narayama" is a Japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice, telling a story of startling cruelty. What a space it opens…
A closer look at the 13 reviews by Roger Ebert chosen for the front page today to mark the anniversary of Roger's passing and the…
A collection of memories from fans of Roger Ebert.
Starring Dwayne Johnson and other giant creatures.
A closer look at the 13 reviews by Roger Ebert chosen for the front page today to mark the anniversary of Roger's passing and the…
Some directors are all about the visual symbolism, but Forman was more of a people-watcher.
After all these years it’s hard for me to say if “Earthquake” is either a guilty pleasure or a movie so bad that it’s good.
A review of the second season of HBO's great Westworld.
Our full slate of critics scheduled to attend Ebertfest 2018.
Our Far-Flung Correspondents are cinephiles from all over the world, hand-picked by Roger Ebert to write about movies from their unique international perspectives. They include contributors from (alphabetically) Brazil, Canada, Egypt, Great Britain, India, Mexico, the Philippines, South Korea, Turkey and the U.S. They converge every year at Ebertfest.
With two impressive genre films in two years, director Jim Mickle has established himself as a filmmaker to keep an eye on. "We Are What We Are" impressed both in Sundance and Cannes last year, and his second Cannes film in as many years proved to be one of the most deliciously addictive films of this year’s Directors’ Fortnight.
When his wife hears a noise during the night, Richard Dane (Michael C. Hall) immediately grabs the gun his father left him. Nervously, he walks to the living room. When a masked intruder appears, Dane's fear takes over. Without meaning to do so, he shoots and kills the burglar. The next day, the sheriff writes up a quick report stating that he acted in self-defense. Richard is hailed as a hero by the locals but can’t shake the event, especially when the convicted father of his victim shows up in town and starts threatening Richard’s family.
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"Cold in July" can be divided into three very different parts. At first, it is an intense thriller in which an average guy fears for the life of his child. Based on a 1989 Joe R. Lansdale novel, the film shifts into a lighthearted buddy road trip movie before settling into a fun and excessive '80s revenge flick. The way that Mickle seamlessly introduces new genres into the story shows tremendous craftsmanship and makes it impossible to predict where the insane story will go next. "Cold in July" is hilarious and shallow when it can be, but dark and heavy when it needs to be; a tricky combination that Mickle confidently intertwines into one solid narrative.
"Cold in July" evokes memories of last year’s Directors’ Fortnight title "Blue Ruin." Both films take their time to put all the chess pieces into place before erupting with extreme violence. "Cold in July" adds a dash of "Pulp Fiction" to the mix with great characters and the way the film uses abrupt outbursts of violence as comic relief. Most of all, the film reminds us of the work of horror legend John Carpenter, in not just the opening sequence and score but in the terrific 1980s atmosphere as well.
Another film with lots of over-the-top violence in the 2014 Directors’ Fortnight was Zack Hilditch's "These Final Hours." It’s about one man’s quest to attend the party to end all parties, twelve hours before the world will end. What could have been an exciting road movie filled with questions about the meaning of life and fear of the unknown ends up being a dumb trip that focuses too much on action; no room to think or reflect remains.
On his way to the party, the protagonist sees all things we assume will happen during the final hours of human existence. People commit suicide, people kill their annoying neighbors, people have orgies, people kill their children to protect them from more suffering, and people plunder and rape. In short, civilization is coming to an end long before the world itself.
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The problem with "These Final Hours" is that the film does nothing beyond showing the expected mayhem. The film leaves no room to breathe, no room to fully realize what this all means. It’s too busy bashing in the skulls of lowlifes with hammers or having one last orgasm before it’s too late. It’s like the film is afraid to just pause for a moment and contemplate the future. Sometimes it’s easier to scream and fight than to deal with reality, but in this case it results in a very superficial and empty film.
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A tribute to the late Oscar-winning filmmaker, Milos Forman.