Roger Ebert (1942-2013) was undoubtedly our generation's greatest movie critic. He was not always completely unbiased; he gave a good score to any movie highlighting man's detriment to the environment, no matter how bad — "The Happening" somehow got away with 3/4 stars — it really was. But he was always fair. And man, was he prolific.
His website is still running strong, kept up-to-date by other trusted critics, but there's a constant Ebert-shaped hole in modern film review where his voice is gone. But fret not, for he reviewed enough movies available for Netflix instant streaming to keep you busy for a while. Below, find just a handful of his three-and-a-half- or four-out-of-four-star picks.
(If you want to read Roger Ebert's full review, keep in mind there might be spoilers!)
"Across the Universe" (PG-13, drama, 2007)
A British boy and an American girl fall in love to the sounds of war-torn government and the Beatles.
Roger's Rating: ★★★★
This isn't one of those druggy 1960s movies, although it has what the MPAA shyly calls "some" drug content. It's not grungy, although it has Joe Cocker in it. It's not political, which means it's political to its core. Most miraculous of all, it's not dated; the stories could be happening now, and in fact, they are.
"Antichrist" (NR, horror, 2009)
A couple tries to reconcile their marriage by secluding themselves in a cabin in the woods after the tragic death of their child.
Roger's Rating: ★★★½
More than anything else, I responded to the performances. Feature films may be fiction, but they are certainly documentaries showing actors in front of a camera. Both Dafoe and Gainsbourg have been risk takers, as anyone working with von Trier must be. The ways they're called upon to act in this film are extraordinary. They respond without hesitation. More important, they convince.
"Jane Eyre" (PG-13, drama, 2011)
A young governess gets more than she bargained for as she grows closer to her employer and spends more time on his estate.
Roger's Rating: ★★★½
Whether in any version he is old enough to accomplish what he has done in life is a good question, but this film is correct in making their age difference obvious; Jane in every sense must be intimidated by her fierce employer. No version I know of has ever made Rochester as unattractive as he is described in the book.
"Liberal Arts" (PG-13, comedy, 2012)
When a cynical 35-year-old college grad and a plucky 19-year-old undergrad meet, questions arise about life, love and how to spend precious time.
Roger's Rating: ★★★½
"Liberal Arts" has been criticized in some quarters as a sitcom, in part because Radnor stars in a famous one, "How I Met Your Mother." Those who see it that way are well-guarded. God forbid that they would ever "fall for anything." I strive to leave myself vulnerable. There is a word to explain why this particular film so appealed to me. Reader, that word is "escapism." If you understand why I used the word "reader" in just that way, you are possibly an ideal viewer for this movie.
"Pride and Prejudice" (PG-13, drama, 2005)
In the late 18th century, a rich man and a young woman desperately refuse to fall in love with each other... until they finally do.
Roger's Rating: ★★★★
Knightley's performance is so light and yet fierce that she makes the story almost realistic; this is not a well-mannered "Masterpiece Theatre" but a film where strong-willed young people enter life with their minds at war with their hearts.
"Proof" (PG-13, drama, 2005)
A genius mathematician grieves the loss of her father while trying to push away both the inheritance of his mental illness and one of his ex-students wanting to sift through his journals.
Roger's Rating: ★★★★
It is a rare movie that gets the tone of a university campus exactly right, and at the same time communicates so easily that you don't need to know the slightest thing about math to understand it. Take it from me.
"Side Effects" (R, thriller, 2013)
A young woman is forced to answer the question "Is it worth it?" when she experiences strange side effects of a pill her doctor prescribed to combat her depression.
Roger's Rating: ★★★½
You know those scores that make you think of sad merry-go-rounds? In "Side Effects," the viewer is being drawn into a vortex. Is there a level we don't suspect? Some people, ambushed by the last 10 minutes, will be thinking, "What a load of crap." Soderbergh has retrofitted his film from the end backward.
"We Need to Talk About Kevin" (R, thriller, 2011)
A mother struggles to love and care for her child, abusive from a very early age, but finds doing so increasingly difficult as he, and his abuse, matures.
Roger's Rating: ★★★★
That the film works so brilliantly is a tribute in large part to the actors. Kevin is seen at three ages. As a baby and toddler, he is merely colicky, irritating and would try the patience of a saint. Between the ages of 6 and 8 years old, played by Jasper Newell, he is a clever little monster who glares at Eva hurtfully, soils his pants deliberately and drives her into such a fury that she breaks his arm. In any other movie, that would be child abuse. In this one, it is Kevin's triumph.
Like I said, these are just a few of the many, many movies Roger Ebert loved that are available on Netflix. (Others include "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," "Fish Tank," and "Beginners.")
And of course, other critics continue to review movies in his place, many of which are both considered quality flicks and are available on Netflix instant streaming. Check out "Nightcrawler," "Short Term 12," and "Beyond the Lights," for films picked by Ebert's crew.
Netflix has a reputation for hosting bad movies, but a little digging will tell you that the member reviews can't always be trusted. But as long as you're not looking for an opinion on killer plants (seriously, how did "The Happening" get 3/4 stars?!), Roger Ebert usually can.
