May 12, 2025 3:04 am

Roger Ebert Reviews

The Movies That Underwent Major Changes After Their Festival Premiere

When films premiere at festivals, it’s not unusual for those movies to go through some fine-tuning before they make their way to general audiences. Maybe a little color-correction still needs to be done—a small tweak here or there is necessary. Most times, you wouldn’t notice the differences. But occasionally, the changes are more substantial.  Last

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Netflix’s Dead Boy Detectives Is A Spinoff Stuck In Limbo

Like its ghostly protagonists, Netflix’s “Dead Boy Detectives” is caught between two worlds—or rather, IPs. Initially conceived as a spinoff of then-HBO Max’s cult DC anti-hero series “Doom Patrol” (in which the characters, all played by different actors than here, guested in a backdoor pilot of sorts), the show was sold to Netflix—presumably as a

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Art College 1994

It’s weirdly funny to see a year mentioned in the title of “Art College 1994,” an animated Chinese college dorm rom-com about young people and their greatest loves, themselves. You could easily imagine this feature-length cartoon taking place in another time or place without losing much of either its specificity or universality. Swap out a

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Preview of Tributes at the 58th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival

As we enter the warmth of spring, we are one step closer to the return of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) — this year celebrating its 58th edition. As one of Europe’s oldest film festivals, nestled in a verdant, picturesque, mountain spa town in the Czech Republic, the festival has always been a

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Cinema Femme Short Film Festival Preview

The sixth annual Cinema Femme Short Film Festival will celebrate its second year of in-person events and screenings from April 25th to May 2nd. The festival’s ethos centers on uplifting up-and-coming female and non-binary filmmakers by platforming their work and facilitating connections with industry professionals.  Hosted at Chicago’s beloved Music Box Theatre, twenty short films

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25 Years Later, Alexander Payne’s Election Remains as Relevant as Ever

There’s an ongoing theme in Alexander Payne’s films — the people we think are the antagonists aren’t actually bad people; we simply force ourselves into the corner of seeing them that way. From the simple-minded and unfortunately coiffed future in-laws in “About Schmidt” to the adulterous characters in “Sideways” and “The Descendants,” to the animosity of

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Sharp Writing, Excellent Cast Keep Spy Thriller The Veil Engaging

By now, we’re all aware that Elisabeth Moss can do anything. She’s proven it again and again in film and television. However, seeing the star of “Mad Men” and “The Handmaid’s Tale” play a suave super-spy with a British accent in the opening scenes of FX’s “The Veil” is initially off-putting. Really? It’s not just

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Take Another Trip to the End of the World with Sony’s Stellar Blade

A weak year for video games so far should get a little bit of a jolt from Sony and Shift Up’s “Stellar Blade,” available this week exclusively on the PS5. Inspired by all kinds of post-apocalyptic gaming, it sometimes feels like a blend of “The Last of Us,” “Fallout,” and “Final Fantasy,” and those influences

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