Bilge Ebiri Author Archive
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Bilge Ebiri

Movie Critic
See all their articles from across New York Magazine

Bilge Ebiri is a film critic for New York and Vulture. His work has appeared in The Village Voice, the New York Times, Rolling Stone, and the Criterion Collection.

  1. movie reviews
    A Walk in the Woods Is a Trail Not Worth TravelingNothing develops in the movie — not the people, not the journey.
  2. chatroom
    Josh Lucas on The Mend and the Challenges of Microbudget Moviemaking“I absolutely want to direct. But I also know that I may never get to do so.”
  3. movie reviews
    The Second Mother Uses Little Moments of Humiliation to Open Our EyesIf there’s such a thing as humiliation drama, this is it.
  4. movie reviews
    Queen of Earth Is a Psychodrama Shot As HorrorDon’t expect the wry humor of Listen Up Philip in this unsettling film.
  5. movie review
    Do Yourself the Courtesy of Escaping No EscapeIt’s just plain offensive — and not all that well made, either.
  6. movie review
    We Are Your Friends Works. I Can’t Believe It, Either.God help me, I liked The Zac Efron DJ Movie.
  7. Wim Wenders on Salt of the Earth“I could never get a film financed today without a script. Kings of the Road was financed with a half page of exposé. Unthinkable today.”
  8. movie reviews
    The Mend Is Riveting for the Moments It Leaves UnexplainedAn abstract and electrifying tale of brotherly dysfunction.
  9. movie reviews
    She’s Funny That Way Isn’t a Return to FormMiscasting tempers the film’s fun.
  10. movie reviews
    Some Kind of Beautiful Is Some Kind of UglyGrotesquely duplicitous characters try to teach us a loving story about fathers and sons.
  11. movie reviews
    Being Evel Is an Entertaining Warts-and-All FilmThe documentary doesn’t shy away from the darkness of the iconic performer’s life.
  12. movie reviews
    Hitman: Agent 47 Pretends (Poorly) to Be an Action MovieMaybe being a superhuman assassin is cool in video games, but it doesn’t work so well in this movie.
  13. Christopher Nolan and the Brothers Quay Hold Court at Film ForumThe Quays seemed to delight in revealing some of their tricks.
  14. movie reviews
    Sinister 2 Succeeds by Giving Viewers More to Feel Than Just FearIt’s far from perfect, but it has a nobility that’s rare in modern horror.
  15. movie review
    Xavier Dolan Goes Psychosexual in Tom at the FarmNobody shoots Xavier Dolan like Xavier Dolan.
  16. movie review
    People Places Things Is a Proud TrifleJemaine Clement uses his deadpan delivery to evoke pain and loneliness as a struggling dad.
  17. movie review
    Kevin Bacon Plays Both Terminator and Clown in Cop CarHe has a great mustache too.
  18. movie review
    Dark Places Is Dark, But Doesn’t Go AnyplaceCharlize Theron is awesome (duh), but the film lets her down.
  19. movie review
    The Gift Lives Up to the Term ‘Psychological Thriller’Joel Edgerton shows off his directing chops with his tense feature debut.
  20. movie review
    Diary of a Teenage Girl’s Message Is Good, and Its Star Even BetterNewcomer Bel Powley is staggeringly good in it.
  21. movie review
    Movie Review: Shaun the SheepA film that’s shorn of unnecessary dialogue and plot frills.
  22. movie review
    Fantastic Four Is a Confused, Joyless MessThis thing, one suspects, went off the rails early, and hard.
  23. It’s Time to Start Liking Tom Cruise AgainCruise went from being the biggest star on the planet to his own films’ worst enemy.
  24. movie review
    The Kindergarten Teacher Goes Beyond Simple AllegoryThe Israeli film depicts a poetry prodigy in an era that hates poetry.
  25. movie review
    Best of Enemies Is the Saddest Film of the YearWilliam F. Buckley and Gore Vidal engage in political bloodsport.
  26. movie review
    Movie Review: Vacation“Vacation is lazy, idiotic, and gross — and I laughed my ass off at it.”
  27. Tom Cruise’s 10 Greatest Movie Stunts, Reviewed by a Stuntman“The fact that we can always see that it’s Tom really helps make the scene.”
  28. sundance 2015
    How the Hell Did They Get Marlon Brando to Narrate a Documentary About His Life?His personal recordings became Listen to Me Marlon.
  29. movie review
    The Incredible Cobie Smulders Saves UnexpectedSmulders has mastered the art of emotional release.
  30. movie review
    The Vatican Tapes Is Possessed by IncompetenceHey look, the Devil is possessing young girls — how original.
  31. movie review
    Paper Towns Finds Something Special Amid All of the MelodramaIt’s the rare movie that can sacrifice the clean lines of fantasy for the messiness of ordinary life.
  32. best of 2015
    The Best Movies of 2015 (So Far)Let’s get this out of the way now: The list includes Blackhat.
  33. movie reviews
    The Slow, Dumb Pixels Showcases Adam Sandler at His Weariest“A movie like Pixels should be stupid and energetic, not stupid and lifeless.”
  34. movie review
    Viola Davis and Jennifer Lopez Go on a Revenge Spree in Lila & EveThe two grieving women take the law into their own (very capable) hands.
  35. movie review
    Ian McKellen Is a Fine, Complicated Mr. HolmesThis is excellent fan fiction.
  36. movie review
    The Profoundly Sad Look of Silence Is NecessaryThe film is a companion piece to the equally upsetting The Act of Killing.
  37. movie review
    Boys Become Brutes in The Stanford Prison ExperimentA coin toss is all that separates the oppressors from the oppressed.
  38. obit
    That Face, Those Eyes: Omar Sharif’s Journey to International SuperstardomThe legendary actor had an ineffable presence, more so than any other actor of his generation.
  39. movie review
    Robin Williams’s Final Film, Boulevard, Is a Sad, Hesitant Little MovieWilliams’s final role isn’t great, but it’s not a bad one to go out on.
  40. Self/Less Is Point/LessThe film has an interesting idea that soon gives way to generic action.
  41. movie reviews
    Movie Review: Minions “Minions could be [smarter], but it might have also lost a certain amount of its appeal if it were.”
  42. The 25 Best Animated Movie Voice Performances Since AladdinFrom The Lion King to Inside Out.
  43. close reads
    The David Lynchian Overtones of True Detective’s Second SeasonThe man is everywhere.
  44. movie review
    The Immersive, Intimate Stray Dog Casts America in a Different LightWe’ve rarely seen this kind of desperation portrayed so vividly.
  45. movie review
    Jimmy’s Hall Wins You Over HonestlyIt’s more Footloose than The Wind That Shakes the Barley, but it has a complicated and serious subject.
  46. movie review
    Jackie & Ryan Is Like Nicholas Sparks–LiteThe underdeveloped film seems to be missing an act, or two, or three, but the great music forms an uneasy glue to hold it all together.
  47. movie review
    Zarafa Is Wise and Elegant, for Kids and AdultsHow often do you see a children’s animated movie that’s this insightful about death and mourning? Not very.
  48. movies
    Movie Review: Escobar: Paradise Lost Could Have Used More EscobarThere’s a good idea floating around somewhere inside this thing.
  49. movies
    Corey Stoll’s Face Is the Star of Glass ChinThere’s something about that boyish half-smile and those lean features: You feel for the guy, even if you don’t trust him.
  50. movies
    Ted 2 Is Pointlessly Irreverent, But Parts of It Work AnywayNo movie in which Mark Wahlberg and a talking teddy bear break into Tom Brady’s house and try to jack him off in his sleep in an attempt to harvest his sperm can be entirely bad.
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