Roger Ebert Reviews

"Despicable Me" (PG, 95 minutes). A villain instead of a hero. That's rare in am animated comedy, but the villain is worth his starring role. He's Gru (voice by Steve Carell), who hatches a dastardly scheme to steal the Moon. Supported by countless little yellow Minions and challenged by there plucky orphan girls, he does battle with his arch-nemesis Vector (Jason Segel). Funny, energetic, teeth-gnashingly venomous, and animated with an eye to exploiting the 3D process with such sure-fire techniques as a roller coaster. But 3D dims the brightness, and the film will look and feel better if you can find it in 2D. Three stars

"Dogtooth" (R, 94 minutes) A bizarre fantasy which takes the concept of home schooling into the realm of home psychopathology. Parents imprison their three late-teen children behind high walls and deny them any knowledge of the world outside. In this sealed world, strange words, customs, beliefs and practices emerge. Beyond weird. Winner of the Un Certain Regard section of Cannes 2009. Three stars

"Predators" (R, 106 minutes). Professional killers from earth find themselves in free fall without explanation, and parachute into a forest where they join up to fight ferocious and frisky half-ton warthog-looking things. Much of the fill is spent in fending off attacks shown in often incomprehensible special effects. With Adrien Brody, Alice Braga, Topher Grace, Laurence Fishburne and Danny Trejo. Rating: Two stars

"9500 Liberty" (Unrated, 80 minutes). A law similar to Arizona's controversial recent measure was passed and briefly enforced a few years ago in Virginia's Prince William County, and what happened there may be instructive. This documentary shows the rise and fall of a movement led by a right-wing blogger, and the groundswell of opposition (including many whites and Republicans) that ended it. The cost of the law in higher taxes, exposure to lawsuits and the city's image was startling. The doc shows the rise and fall of the county law, and centers on the American tradition of citizens speaking out in town hall meetings. Three and a half stars

"The Girl Who Played with Fire" (R, 129 minutes). Noomi Rapace, electrifying in last year's "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," returns for the second film drawn from Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy. Once again she's following the same crimes as journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist), but they don't meet until late in the game as a murder trail leads to old family secrets. Well constructed, good cast, not quite up to the "Dragon" standard. Three and a half stars

Why was I thinking about flower arrangement while watching "The Only Son" the first sound film made by the Japanese master Ozu? It must have involved the meticulous and loving care he used with his familiar visual elements. In Japan in 1984 I attended a class at the Sogetsu School, which teaches ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging.  I learned quickly that sorting a big bunch of flowers in a vase was not ikebana. One selected just a few elements and found a precise way in which they rested together harmoniously.

"Cell 211"(Unrated, 111 minutes). Very effective thriller about a man's attempt to save his life by thinking quickly. A new prison guard, being given a tour, is left behind when a riot breaks out. Pretending to be a new prisoner, he improvises well enough to become a de facto leader of the riot, and develops a subtle relationship with the rock-hard leader of the prisoners. Winner of eight Goya awards, the Spanish Oscars, this year, including Best Picture. Three and a half stars

"Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky" (R, 120 minutes). The romance between two of the icons of the 20th century was something like a negotiation between two mighty egos. They felt attraction in the form of challenge. Anna Mouglalis and Mads Mikkelsen play the title roles with elegance, and between them stands Stravinsky's wife Katarina (Elena Morozova), who sees everything and perhaps understands better than they do. Fascinating, gorgeous, but of course not heart-warming. Three stars

"Restrepo" (R, 94 minutes). A documentary shot during the 15 months an American company fought under almost daily fire in Afghanistan's Korangal Valley, described as "the most dangerous place on earth." The Taliban is a constant presence; the Americans take fire three, four, five times a day; they establish the strategic Outpost Restrepo, named for the first of their number to die, and it seems to turn the tide in the Valley. The 15-month tour is hard duty, and our admiration grows for these men. The film is non-political; the men are fighting above all to simple survive. Four stars

This film will air July 12 on HBO. The heartwarming documentary "A Small Act" centers on the life story of Chris Mburu, who as a small boy living in a mud house in a Kenyan village  had his primary and secondary education paid for by a Swedish woman. This cost her $15 a month. They had never met. He went on to the University of Nairobi, graduated from Harvard Law School, and is today a United Nations Human Rights Commissioner.

This film will air July 12 on HBO. The heartwarming documentary "A Small Act" centers on the life story of Chris Mburu, who as a small boy living in a mud house in a Kenyan village  had his primary and secondary education paid for by a Swedish woman. This cost her $15 a month. They had never met. He went on to the University of Nairobi, graduated from Harvard Law School, and is today a United Nations Human Rights Commissioner.

"The Last Airbender" (PG, 103 minutes). An agonizing experience in every category I can think of and others still waiting to be invented. Originally in 2D, retrofitted in fake 3D that makes this picture the dimmest I've seen in years. Bad casting, wooden dialogue, lousy special effects, incomprehensible plot, and boring, boring, boring. One-half of one star.

CHICAGO -- Four years after cancer surgery left the famed film critic unable to speak or eat, Roger Ebert is publishing a cookbook dedicated to rice cookers, a kitchen appliance he lovingly calls "The Pot" and champions as an answer for those strapped for cash, time and counter space.

"Twilight Saga: Eclipse" (PG-13, 124 minutes). Much better than "Twilight: New Moon," not as good as the original "Twilight." Bella (Kristin Stewart) continues to fascinate Edward the vampire (Robert Pattinson) and Jacob the werewolf (Taylor Lautner), as they join forces to protect her from the vengeful Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard) and her Newbie army of freshly-made undead who are ravenous for blood and will do her bidding. As exciting as this sounds, the movie is mostly soppy romantic conversations. Just what turns on "Twilight" fans, I guess. Rating: Two stars

The price for surrendering your virginity is so high in “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” that even Edward Cullen, the proposed tool of surrender, balks at it. Like him, you would become one of the undead. This is a price that Bella Swan, the virtuous heroine, must be willing to pay. Apparently when you marry a vampire, even such a well-behaved one as Edward, he's required to bite you.

"Love Ranch" (R, 117 minutes). The real-life Mustang Ranch, Nevada's first legal brothel, is inspiration for a fictional melodrama in which the madam (Helen Mirren) falls in love with a young Argentinean boxer (Sergio Peris-Mencheta), and her husband (Joe Pesci) is angered and offended. This perhaps has the makings of a tragedy, but the screenplay doesn't look more deeply than the level of soap opera, and good performances aren't translated into something more. Two stars

Q. I was a little surprised by how your review of "Toy Story 3" was largely dismissive of the film as a derivative sequel, stating it is "happier with action and jokes than with characters and emotions." You say the first two films were about a boy and his toys, whereas this one leaves the toys to fend for themselves. On this point, I'd argue that there's more Andy in this film than any before. The earlier films were all about getting back to the house and facing the dangers of highways, a deranged kid, and worse in the process. Andy was rarely seen in his entirety save a few moments at the beginning and the end. Here the film follows the usual formula, yes, (toys get lost, toys get into trouble, toys find their way back home) but there is a heartbreaking coda that allows Andy to have the spotlight for the first time in the series. These ending scenes were, for me, the most emotionally involving of the series and an excellent example of a franchise that works hard to make the sequel enrich and enhance what came before it. On the topic of 3D, however, I heartily agree. (Steven Avigliano, Rockaway NJ) A. I have to be honest with you. I fully believe if I could see the film in 2D, my opinion would deepen and improve. I realize I'm in danger of sounding like an obsessive on his topic, but I find 3D an annoyance and a distraction, and the light in the screen in invariably dimmer than it should be. The so-called third dimension is getting between me and the heart of the story.

Plays in the Chicago Underground Film Festival at the Siskel Center, 7 p.m. Sunday June 27. In a way rarely seen, "Putty Hill" says all that can be said about a few days in the lives of its characters without seeming to say very much at all. It looks closely, burrows deep, considers the way in which lives have become pointless and death therefore less meaningful. It uses fairly radical filmmaking techniques to penetrate this truth, and employs them so casually that they seem quite natural.

"Cyrus" (R, 91 minutes). Two lonely people (John C. Reilly and Marisa Tomei) meet at a party and like each other. She has a 20ish son (Jonah Hill) who welcomes Reilly to their home and invites him to stay for dinner. But a comedy of social embarrassment develops when it becomes clear that the son is jealous and possessive of his mother, and perhaps to physically familiar with her. No, it's not incest; let's call it inappropriate behavior that his mom doesn't seem to discourage. Reilly is caught in an awkward position, which the film simply regards, leaving us to wince in a fascinated way. Three and a half stars

"I am Love" (R, 120 minutes). A sensuous and fascinating story about a modern family of Italian aristocrats. Tilda Swinton plays a Russian who has married the oldest son, learns her husband and their son will take over the family textile business, then suddenly finds herself in the middle of an unexpected affair. Masterfully direct by Luca Guadagnino. One of the year's best. Four stars