Roger Ebert

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 Wastes Its Potential
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It’s okay for stories to end, and when I rolled credits on 2017's “Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice,” I thought Ninja Theory, its developer, understood that as well. Senua, a woman who hears voices and was thought cursed by those around her,...
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Living Through Words: Ethan Hawke on His Career, Poetry, and Wildcat
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By-the-books biopics are a dime a dozen and often result in a shallow portrait of their subject. But every once in a while you'll get a filmmaker whose film's unconventional form perfectly aligns with the singular talent at its heart....
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STAX: Soulsville, USA
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"STAX: Soulsville USA" is a four-part, four-hour series about the legendary Memphis soul music label's rise and fall, as well as its impact on American culture and history.  The company was founded in 1957 by two white Memphis music fans, Jim Stewart (a country fiddle...
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Cannes 2024: The Apprentice, The Shrouds
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Ali Abbasi's "The Apprentice," a portrait of the friendship between Donald Trump and Roy Cohn, leaves little doubt about who is top dog. The film is so thoroughly owned by Jeremy Strong, who plays Cohn, that the ostensibly headline-grabbing notion...
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Cannes 2024: Blue Sun Palace, Julie Keeps Quiet, Simon of the Mountain
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Critics Week at Cannes, of course, is where new rising filmmakers are often found, mostly presenting their first feature. Sometimes there’s an obvious theme to be sussed out, but mostly the spiritual theme is the energy of young filmmakers plying...
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Always a Rebel: Alessandro Nivola on The Big Cigar
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In 1974, film producer Bert Schneider – the producer behind such industry shifting New Hollywood hits as "Easy Rider, "Five Easy Pieces, and "The Last Picture Show" – put together a fake film production in order to help Huey P....
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The Garfield Movie
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I cannot think of a single reason for another Garfield movie, and apparently, the people who made this couldn't, either. It reminds me of the legendary comment about “Nancy,” which, like “Garfield,” was originally a comic strip known for the...
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Cannes 2024: The Weirdo Films of Cannes
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With so many films playing in Cannes, from the competition to the sidebars like UCR and Fortnight, right through to the special presentations and other premieres, it’s often a point of amazement to ponder the sheer diversity that you get...
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Cannes 2024: The Substance, Visiting Hours
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At this point in Cannes, exactly half the competition titles have premiered, which means that audiences are now primed to engage in a classic festival ritual. If you subject viewers to six days of some of the most demanding cinema...
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Jack Flack Always Escapes: Dabney Coleman (1932-2024)
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It takes a lot of courage to play a buffoon, and Dabney Coleman, who passed on May 16 at the age of 92,  had it in spades. Not many character actors of his constitution in 1980 -- white, male, middle-aged, thick...
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