When Movies Change After the Premiere

Sometimes, a film undergoes major alterations after its world premiere at a prestigious festival. Maybe the director realized parts of the story weren't working. Maybe the reception was so toxic that it prompted a massive re-edit. For RogerEbert.com, I wrote about some of the most famous examples.

My Interview With Joanna Arnow, the Writer-Director-Star of 'The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed'

Joanna Arnow does practically everything on her feature-length debut, which I think is terrific. I spoke to Arnow about nudity, sexuality, cringe comedy, weird comments she gets at Q&As, and The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed. Hope you enjoy.

Harry Nilsson - "You're Breakin' My Heart"

This is a love song.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Vampire Ballerinas, World War II Warriors and 'Some Like It Hot'

On this week's episode, we don't have much nice to say about Abigail or The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. Then, in our Reboot segment, we take a look back at Billy Wilder's 1959 Oscar-winner. Check it out down below.

I Love Luca Guadagnino

Luca Guadagnino's latest is one of his best. In honor of the imminent release of Challengers, I wrote about the filmmaker's consuming commitment to chronicling love in all its forms. Hope you enjoy.

Why Aren't More Biopics Like 'Man on the Moon'?

For its 25th anniversary, the Jim Carrey film screened at Ebertfest. I explained why it still matters here.

What's Steve Martin's Best Film?

In honor of the new Steve Martin documentary, we ranked all of the man's films. Our No. 1 might not be most people's, but we're sticking with it.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'The People's Joker' and 'Sasquatch Sunset'

We discuss three major movies on the latest episode of the podcast. Will and I start things off with Civil War, and then we segue to a personal favorite from this year's Sundance ... and also a movie I wasn't sure we'd ever be allowed to legally see. Hear the whole thing down below.

The Power Station - "Some Like It Hot"

Cocaine!

The Women You Meet in Alex Garland's Films

Civil War is writer-director Alex Garland's fourth film, and his fourth to feature a woman as its principal character. For RogerEbert.com, I examined the different types of complicated, compelling female protagonists he writes ... and why Civil War is such a disappointment in that regard. Hope you enjoy.

'Abigail' Review

Some crooks kidnapped the wrong 12-year-old ballerina. My review of Abigail is here.

How Eleanor Coppola Helped 'Apocalypse Now'

For RogerEbert.com, I wrote about Eleanor Coppola, who died last week. My focus: her massive contribution to her husband's 1979 war epic, Apocalypse Now.

'The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare' Review

Henry Cavill has great facial hair in Guy Ritchie's latest. As for the rest of Ungentlemanly Warfare ... here's my Screen International review.

My Interview With John Early, Star of 'Stress Positions'

John Early worries about being pretentious. We talked about that -- and Britney Spears and millennials and his sharp new film Stress Positions -- for Cracked. (Also, there's a lot of conversation about Early's 2023 special Now More Than Ever, which connects to Stress Positions in interesting ways.)

My Interview With Wagner Moura, Star of 'Civil War'

Before he was an actor, Wagner Moura was a journalist. So he understands a little about the character he plays in Civil War. We talked about that, and trying to hold on to hope during dark times, for RogerEbert.com.

Your 2024 Cannes Competition Preview

This was very fun: For RogerEbert.com, I wrote about every film that will be screening in the Official Competition at Cannes. (A few more movies are expected to be added in the next couple weeks.) Which movie, sight unseen, do I think has the best chance of winning the Palme d'Or? Read on.

'Challengers' Review

Challengers is Luca Guadagnino's best film since Call Me by Your Name. My review is up at Screen International.

The Rapture - "House of Jealous Lovers"

It's so funny, 20-something years later, how clearly this sounds like a LCD Soundsystem song.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Reviews of 'Monkey Man' and 'Girls State'

The boys are back. This week, we agreed that Monkey Man is mediocre. I raved about The Beast. And then we dig into Girls State. Hope you enjoy.

How Kristen Stewart Became Kristen Stewart

The Criterion Channel is currently featuring the three most crucial movies in Kristen Stewart's post-Twilight career: Clouds of Sils Maria, Personal Shopper and Certain Women. I wrote about that remarkable run of superb films, and how they changed our perception of her, for RogerEbert.com.

The Movies That Got Sued Before They Got Released

In honor of this weekend's The People's Joker, I looked at six other films that had to deal with lawsuits before seeing the light of day. Whether it's the State of Massachusetts or Aretha Franklin, sometimes the powers that be have an issue with a movie, and they'll do whatever they can to stop its release. Hope you enjoy.

Kraftwerk - "Spacelab"

I'm not quite as high on La Chimera as many of my colleagues are, but I was very happy to hear some Kraftwerk in a movie theater.

'The Beast' Review

Is it a horror movie? A sci-fi drama? A love story? Yes, yes and yes. For the Los Angeles Times, I reviewed The Beast.

'Press Play With Madeleine Brand': Directorial Debuts From Dev Patel and Rudy Mancuso

I was on KCRW today talking about this weekend's new releases. Amy Nicholson and I reviewed The Beast, Monkey Man, Girls State and Musica. Check it all out down below.

'The First Omen' Review

While watching The First Omen, I thought, "This is like the Rogue One of horror prequels." I see others have already made that comment in their reviews, so I decided not to in mine. But you can read my thoughts over at Screen International.

'Breakfast All Day': A Spoiler-Heavy Conversation About 'Immaculate'

Now that more people have seen Immaculate, here's a detailed, spoiler-y review of the movie from Christy Lemire and me. (Yes, we discuss the ending in detail.)

Steve Martin, Auteur

 

I make the case over at RogerEbert.com.