Richard Roeper

Entertainment columnist

Richard Roeper, a Sun-Times contributor since 1987 and a Chicago native, is the author of seven books and the former co-host of “Ebert & Roeper and the Movies.” He is the film critic for ABC-7’s “Windy City Live.”

Naomi (Vanessa Hudgens, left) invites newcomer Julia (Lily Rabe) out to the bar in "Downtown Owl."

Movies and TV

'Downtown Owl': '80s period piece doesn't know what it wants to be

Co-director Lily Rabe stars as small-town newcomer in disjointed adaptation of Chuck Klosterman novel.

By Richard Roeper

Sports Saturday

Solid FX doc 'Broken Horses' offers answers on why the animals keep dying young

Evidence points to doping by unscrupulous trainers and owners.

By Richard Roeper

The little girl (Alisha Weir) abducted by kidnappers turns out to have an ancient vampire trapped inside her in "Abigail."

Columnists

'Abigail': When the victims aren't exploding, the vampire story is meandering

Toothy young hostage fights back in tedious gore-fest.

By Richard Roeper

Henry Cavill plays a British officer who assembles an off-the-books naval attack squad in "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare."

Movies and TV

'Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare' credits real WWII rule-breakers with some unreal adventures

Good-looking rogues take on the Nazis in Guy Ritchie’s madcap attack mission

By Richard Roeper

Blake Cameron James (left) and Gian Knight Ramirez play the boys looking out at the skyline from their Cabrini-Green homes in "We Grown Now."

Movies and TV

'We Grown Now' a lovely but haunting Chicago snapshot of two boys' lives

Lyrical film juxtaposes the innocence of 10-year-old best friends in Cabrini-Green with the real-life murder of young Dantrell Davis.

By Richard Roeper

Jesse Eisenberg never says a word while playing one of the hairy beasts in "Sasquatch Sunset."

Movies and TV

'Sasquatch Sunset' a surreal showcase for bigfoot bodily functions

In fur and makeup, Jesse Eisenberg and Riley Keough spend most of the movie scratching, sneezing and worse.

By Richard Roeper

An outcast teen (Vritika Gupta) goes missing in "Under the Bridge."

Movies and TV

'Under the Bridge': Heartbreaking Hulu series shows how bullies took the life of an unhappy teen

Streaming drama illustrates the victim’s anguish but also tries to explain the origins of her attackers’ violent ways.

By Richard Roeper

Hoa Xuande (left) stars in "The Sympathizer" alongside Robert Downey Jr., who plays four roles.

Movies and TV

A man from Vietnam feels rooted nowhere in bold HBO series 'The Sympathizer'

Adaptation of the Pulitzer-winning novel boasts intriguing characters, glorious dialogue and lots of Robert Downey Jr.

By Richard Roeper

Movies and TV

'The Absence of Eden' a border drama that's compelling and only slightly political

Zoe Saldaña and Garrett Hedlund star in a story absorbing enough that the viewer is left wanting more.

By Richard Roeper