Zachary Lee
@zacharylee.bsky.social
editor, critic, journalist | bylines in rogerebert.com, The Chicago Reader, Block Club Chicago, RNS, Dread Central, Sojourners, Think Christian | CFCA Member
Pinned
Zachary Lee
@zacharylee.bsky.social
· Jan 15
Grateful that @ebertvoices.bsky.social asked me to contribute to their Meet the Writers series; a joy & pleasure to write for the site. Link in 1st comment if you want to hear abt my fave movie snacks, 1st R rated film experience, “The Magnificent 7 incident” & my ongoing beef w/ claymation:
Reposted by Zachary Lee
"Audiences embrace being trapped if it’s a result of investing in the story being told; the longer Nick Lepard’s script unspools, the more our engagement slips, and we feel caged by a writer who has written himself into a narrative cul-de-sac,” writes @zacharylee.bsky.social abt KEEPER.
Keeper movie review & film summary (2025) | Roger Ebert
Ultimately, it's a tedious genre exercise undone by an undercooked narrative and its allergy to mystery.
www.rogerebert.com
November 14, 2025 at 10:39 PM
"Audiences embrace being trapped if it’s a result of investing in the story being told; the longer Nick Lepard’s script unspools, the more our engagement slips, and we feel caged by a writer who has written himself into a narrative cul-de-sac,” writes @zacharylee.bsky.social abt KEEPER.
Loved chatting with the SENTIMENTAL VALUE on the red carpet for TIFF. Watch to hear which movies have been empathy machines for Renate REinsve, Stellan Skarsgård, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, and Elle Fanning:
SENTIMENTAL VALUE in select theaters now and will expand throughout this month. At @tiffnet.bsky.social, @zacharylee.bsky.social spoke w/ dir. Joachim Trier & stars Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, & Elle Fanning about movies that have been empathy machines for them.
November 14, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Loved chatting with the SENTIMENTAL VALUE on the red carpet for TIFF. Watch to hear which movies have been empathy machines for Renate REinsve, Stellan Skarsgård, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, and Elle Fanning:
For @ebertvoices.bsky.social, I reviewed KEEPER, which I found to be a tedious genre exercise undone by an undercooked narrative & its allergy to mystery, yet it features an all-timer performance of Tatiana Maslany. Woe to those who can’t pick the ghosts of the house they live in. Link ⬇️
November 14, 2025 at 7:39 PM
For @ebertvoices.bsky.social, I reviewed KEEPER, which I found to be a tedious genre exercise undone by an undercooked narrative & its allergy to mystery, yet it features an all-timer performance of Tatiana Maslany. Woe to those who can’t pick the ghosts of the house they live in. Link ⬇️
Reposted by Zachary Lee
SENTIMENTAL VALUE in select theaters now and will expand throughout this month. At @tiffnet.bsky.social, @zacharylee.bsky.social spoke w/ dir. Joachim Trier & stars Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, & Elle Fanning about movies that have been empathy machines for them.
November 13, 2025 at 4:21 PM
SENTIMENTAL VALUE in select theaters now and will expand throughout this month. At @tiffnet.bsky.social, @zacharylee.bsky.social spoke w/ dir. Joachim Trier & stars Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, & Elle Fanning about movies that have been empathy machines for them.
Grateful I could go to various red carpets on behalf of @ebertvoices.bsky.social to ask folks, in the spirit of Roger, “What’s a movie that’s been an empathy machine for you?” The teaser shows a snapshot of the fine folks I was able to interview:
Our Social Media Manager, @Zacharylee.bsky.social, attended red carpets at various Fall Film Festivals. In the spirit of Roger’s famous words, he asked actors and directors "Which movies have been empathy machines for you?” Watch the teaser to see the talent he talked to. Who can you spot? 🧵
November 13, 2025 at 2:21 AM
Grateful I could go to various red carpets on behalf of @ebertvoices.bsky.social to ask folks, in the spirit of Roger, “What’s a movie that’s been an empathy machine for you?” The teaser shows a snapshot of the fine folks I was able to interview:
ROOFMAN is now available on digital. For @sojo.net, I had the privilege to speak w/ Derek Cianfrance & the real life Leigh Moore abt the film’s peculiar inclusion of Christmas songs & the ways our capitalist society instills harmful expectations around provision. sojo.net/articles/cul...
I Want to Go to the Church in ‘Roofman’
Director Derek Cianfrance told Sojourners that he wanted to depict the church in a way that embodied Jesus’ teachings of radical inclusion.
sojo.net
November 12, 2025 at 1:30 AM
ROOFMAN is now available on digital. For @sojo.net, I had the privilege to speak w/ Derek Cianfrance & the real life Leigh Moore abt the film’s peculiar inclusion of Christmas songs & the ways our capitalist society instills harmful expectations around provision. sojo.net/articles/cul...
Elated that ALIEN: EARTH is coming back for s2. Back when the season finale aired, I spoke with Sydney Chandler & Babou Ceesay abt where they’d like to see their characters go. Full interview at @ebertvoices.bsky.social (spoilers: will the partnership between hybrid & Xeno last?) Link below:
November 12, 2025 at 1:30 AM
Elated that ALIEN: EARTH is coming back for s2. Back when the season finale aired, I spoke with Sydney Chandler & Babou Ceesay abt where they’d like to see their characters go. Full interview at @ebertvoices.bsky.social (spoilers: will the partnership between hybrid & Xeno last?) Link below:
Reposted by Zachary Lee
**** for Predator: Badlands, "an exceptional sci-fi action thriller with memorable characters, beautiful and terrifying animals (and plants), a structurally airtight script, and lead performances that deserve to be included in discussions of the year’s best." www.rogerebert.com/reviews/pred...
Predator: Badlands movie review (2025) | Roger Ebert
An exceptional sci-fi action thriller with memorable characters and lead performances that deserve to be included in discussions of the year's best.
www.rogerebert.com
November 5, 2025 at 1:45 AM
**** for Predator: Badlands, "an exceptional sci-fi action thriller with memorable characters, beautiful and terrifying animals (and plants), a structurally airtight script, and lead performances that deserve to be included in discussions of the year’s best." www.rogerebert.com/reviews/pred...
Reposted by Zachary Lee
NEW EPISODE: Horror Subgenre Movie Draft (w/ @zacharylee.bsky.social)
The horror genre is a beloved one, and it is teeming with multitudes of subgenres. We explore all of these subgenres in this week’s movie draft. From slashers to paranormal to monster…
www.establishingshotpod.com/horror-subge...
The horror genre is a beloved one, and it is teeming with multitudes of subgenres. We explore all of these subgenres in this week’s movie draft. From slashers to paranormal to monster…
www.establishingshotpod.com/horror-subge...
Horror Subgenre Movie Draft (w/ Zachary Lee)
The horror genre is a beloved one, and it is teeming with multitudes of subgenres. We explore all of these subgenres in this week’s movie draft. From slashers to pa…
www.establishingshotpod.com
October 31, 2025 at 3:07 PM
NEW EPISODE: Horror Subgenre Movie Draft (w/ @zacharylee.bsky.social)
The horror genre is a beloved one, and it is teeming with multitudes of subgenres. We explore all of these subgenres in this week’s movie draft. From slashers to paranormal to monster…
www.establishingshotpod.com/horror-subge...
The horror genre is a beloved one, and it is teeming with multitudes of subgenres. We explore all of these subgenres in this week’s movie draft. From slashers to paranormal to monster…
www.establishingshotpod.com/horror-subge...
Reposted by Zachary Lee
What better way to spend spooky day than to listen to this spooky movie draft episode w/ the great @zacharylee.bsky.social?? Enjoy!
NEW EPISODE: Horror Subgenre Movie Draft (w/ @zacharylee.bsky.social)
The horror genre is a beloved one, and it is teeming with multitudes of subgenres. We explore all of these subgenres in this week’s movie draft. From slashers to paranormal to monster…
www.establishingshotpod.com/horror-subge...
The horror genre is a beloved one, and it is teeming with multitudes of subgenres. We explore all of these subgenres in this week’s movie draft. From slashers to paranormal to monster…
www.establishingshotpod.com/horror-subge...
Horror Subgenre Movie Draft (w/ Zachary Lee)
The horror genre is a beloved one, and it is teeming with multitudes of subgenres. We explore all of these subgenres in this week’s movie draft. From slashers to pa…
www.establishingshotpod.com
October 31, 2025 at 4:20 PM
What better way to spend spooky day than to listen to this spooky movie draft episode w/ the great @zacharylee.bsky.social?? Enjoy!
“I think the best thing you can do for a friend is do what you need to do for yourself too.”
Resharing my convo w/ Eva Victor. For @ebertvoices.bsky.social we spoke abt their trenchant & miraculous debut, SORRY, BABY, the influence of BURNING, & stunt driving. www.rogerebert.com/interviews/e...
Resharing my convo w/ Eva Victor. For @ebertvoices.bsky.social we spoke abt their trenchant & miraculous debut, SORRY, BABY, the influence of BURNING, & stunt driving. www.rogerebert.com/interviews/e...
Friendship Is Insane: Eva Victor on "Sorry, Baby" | Interviews | Roger Ebert
An interview with the writer-director of A24's latest dramedy.
www.rogerebert.com
October 30, 2025 at 7:15 PM
“I think the best thing you can do for a friend is do what you need to do for yourself too.”
Resharing my convo w/ Eva Victor. For @ebertvoices.bsky.social we spoke abt their trenchant & miraculous debut, SORRY, BABY, the influence of BURNING, & stunt driving. www.rogerebert.com/interviews/e...
Resharing my convo w/ Eva Victor. For @ebertvoices.bsky.social we spoke abt their trenchant & miraculous debut, SORRY, BABY, the influence of BURNING, & stunt driving. www.rogerebert.com/interviews/e...
Loved Radu Jude’s DRACULA, which suggests that a holistic embrace of humanity’s most debased and colorful tendencies can be the wooden stake that’s plunged into the soulless heart of work made using generative AI. Review for @movie-web.bsky.social: movieweb.com/dracula-2025...
Radu Jude's 'Dracula' Puts a Colorful, Profane Stake into the Heart of Generative AI
With Dracula, Jude turns humanity’s most debased tendencies into a wooden stake that's plunged into the soulless heart of generative AI.
movieweb.com
October 29, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Loved Radu Jude’s DRACULA, which suggests that a holistic embrace of humanity’s most debased and colorful tendencies can be the wooden stake that’s plunged into the soulless heart of work made using generative AI. Review for @movie-web.bsky.social: movieweb.com/dracula-2025...
For @ebertvoices.bsky.social, had the privilege to review COEXISTENCE, MY ASS!, which uses humor as a cathartic, light-hearted vehicle to entertain what a plausible reconciliation might look like. One of the best docs you’ll see this year: www.rogerebert.com/reviews/coex...
Coexistence, My Ass! movie review (2025) | Roger Ebert
“Coexistence, My Ass!” uses humor as a cathartic, light-hearted vehicle to entertain what a plausible reconciliation might look like.
www.rogerebert.com
October 29, 2025 at 4:08 PM
For @ebertvoices.bsky.social, had the privilege to review COEXISTENCE, MY ASS!, which uses humor as a cathartic, light-hearted vehicle to entertain what a plausible reconciliation might look like. One of the best docs you’ll see this year: www.rogerebert.com/reviews/coex...
Reposted by Zachary Lee
Spooky season movie draft w/ @zacharylee.bsky.social coming soon!
The horror genre contains multitudes of subgenres! In this movie draft, we draft films in various subgenres of horror, highlighting various ways we want to be spooked! Full episode releases Friday!
October 29, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Spooky season movie draft w/ @zacharylee.bsky.social coming soon!
Reposted by Zachary Lee
The horror genre contains multitudes of subgenres! In this movie draft, we draft films in various subgenres of horror, highlighting various ways we want to be spooked! Full episode releases Friday!
October 29, 2025 at 3:23 PM
The horror genre contains multitudes of subgenres! In this movie draft, we draft films in various subgenres of horror, highlighting various ways we want to be spooked! Full episode releases Friday!
Reposted by Zachary Lee
"The gift of Eliassi’s work is that it invites people to look inward and ask questions about what they champion, rather than go with the tide of ease and the loudest voice,” writes @zacharylee.bsky.social about COEXISTENCE, MY ASS!
Coexistence, My Ass! movie review (2025) | Roger Ebert
“Coexistence, My Ass!” uses humor as a cathartic, light-hearted vehicle to entertain what a plausible reconciliation might look like.
www.rogerebert.com
October 29, 2025 at 3:24 PM
"The gift of Eliassi’s work is that it invites people to look inward and ask questions about what they champion, rather than go with the tide of ease and the loudest voice,” writes @zacharylee.bsky.social about COEXISTENCE, MY ASS!
Reposted by Zachary Lee
"The structure I’ve created has allowed the audience to bring their own baggage into the film.” @zacharylee.bsky.social spoke w/ Yorgos Lanthimos & screenwriter Will Tracy abt BUGONIA, formative Korean films, and stewarding the vocation of storytelling.
The Breadth of Humanity: Yorgos Lanthimos & Will Tracy on "Bugonia" | Interviews | Roger Ebert
A conversation with director Yorgos Lanthimos and writer Will Tracy on their new film, Bugonia.
www.rogerebert.com
October 24, 2025 at 7:30 PM
"The structure I’ve created has allowed the audience to bring their own baggage into the film.” @zacharylee.bsky.social spoke w/ Yorgos Lanthimos & screenwriter Will Tracy abt BUGONIA, formative Korean films, and stewarding the vocation of storytelling.
Reposted by Zachary Lee
"So long as mothers continue to live in a world that doesn’t value their work, stories like THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE will be prescient necessities,” writes @zacharylee.bsky.social. Streaming now on Hulu:
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle movie review (2025) | Roger Ebert
Cerveza has found a way to take an old story and comment on something new without fundamentally altering the source material.
www.rogerebert.com
October 22, 2025 at 2:24 PM
"So long as mothers continue to live in a world that doesn’t value their work, stories like THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE will be prescient necessities,” writes @zacharylee.bsky.social. Streaming now on Hulu:
“Even now, in Iran, you can’t ignore the films from the underground.”
It was a gift to talk w/ Jafar Panahi for @ebertvoices.bsky.social abt his Palme d’Or winning film, IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT, using screen time as a tool of justice, & the gift of working with family.
It was a gift to talk w/ Jafar Panahi for @ebertvoices.bsky.social abt his Palme d’Or winning film, IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT, using screen time as a tool of justice, & the gift of working with family.
Nothing Closes the Doors to Creating: Jafar Pahani on "It Was Just an Accident" | Interviews | Roger Ebert
An interview with the acclaimed Iranian director about his latest work of cinematic resistance.
www.rogerebert.com
October 18, 2025 at 8:12 PM
“Even now, in Iran, you can’t ignore the films from the underground.”
It was a gift to talk w/ Jafar Panahi for @ebertvoices.bsky.social abt his Palme d’Or winning film, IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT, using screen time as a tool of justice, & the gift of working with family.
It was a gift to talk w/ Jafar Panahi for @ebertvoices.bsky.social abt his Palme d’Or winning film, IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT, using screen time as a tool of justice, & the gift of working with family.
Reposted by Zachary Lee
I reviewed Kelly Reichardt's The Mastermind, which contains a sharp performance by Josh O'Connor, who is "great at playing one of those old friends you might still let stay overnight at your house, even though the last time he did, a couple of things went missing." www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-...
The Mastermind movie review & film summary (2025) | Roger Ebert
A story about what happens to a person who wildly overestimates his own abilities.
www.rogerebert.com
October 17, 2025 at 3:19 PM
I reviewed Kelly Reichardt's The Mastermind, which contains a sharp performance by Josh O'Connor, who is "great at playing one of those old friends you might still let stay overnight at your house, even though the last time he did, a couple of things went missing." www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-...
Reposted by Zachary Lee
“I never forget all the people who paid the price for this cinema.” @zacharylee.bsky.social w/ with dir. Jafar Panahi abt his Palme d’Or-winning film, IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT, working with family on-screen and off, & using screen time as a tool of justice.
Nothing Closes the Doors to Creating: Jafar Pahani on "It Was Just an Accident" | Interviews | Roger Ebert
An interview with the acclaimed Iranian director about his latest work of cinematic resistance.
www.rogerebert.com
October 15, 2025 at 9:30 PM
“I never forget all the people who paid the price for this cinema.” @zacharylee.bsky.social w/ with dir. Jafar Panahi abt his Palme d’Or-winning film, IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT, working with family on-screen and off, & using screen time as a tool of justice.
Reposted by Zachary Lee
would really love if folks read my recent interview with Lecrae, where we talk about deconstruction and the way he frames it, plus the existence of demons, support for Israel, and more.
probably my best work as an interviewer.
sojo.net/articles/new...
probably my best work as an interviewer.
sojo.net/articles/new...
October 10, 2025 at 7:22 PM
would really love if folks read my recent interview with Lecrae, where we talk about deconstruction and the way he frames it, plus the existence of demons, support for Israel, and more.
probably my best work as an interviewer.
sojo.net/articles/new...
probably my best work as an interviewer.
sojo.net/articles/new...
Reposted by Zachary Lee
"This is a project for and by those who have experienced inhumanity firsthand yet refuse to have their voices snuffed out by a corrupt institution,” writes @zacharylee.bsky.social about THE ALABAMA SOLUTION.
The Alabama Solution movie review (2025) | Roger Ebert
This focus on what happens both inside and outside the prison walls makes “The Alabama Solution” transcend mere documentation.
www.rogerebert.com
October 3, 2025 at 7:30 PM
"This is a project for and by those who have experienced inhumanity firsthand yet refuse to have their voices snuffed out by a corrupt institution,” writes @zacharylee.bsky.social about THE ALABAMA SOLUTION.
Reposted by Zachary Lee
With the first season of ALIEN: EARTH having wrapped, @zacharylee.bsky.social speaks w/ stars Babou Ceesay & Sydney Chandler about the arc of their cyborg and hybrid characters. They discuss the importance of practical effects and their characters inverted journeys.
A Tale of Two Machines: On the First Season of "Alien Earth" | Interviews | Roger Ebert
A conversation with Alien: Earth stars Babou Cesay and Sydney Chandler aabout the first season of the hit FX show.
www.rogerebert.com
September 25, 2025 at 8:30 PM
With the first season of ALIEN: EARTH having wrapped, @zacharylee.bsky.social speaks w/ stars Babou Ceesay & Sydney Chandler about the arc of their cyborg and hybrid characters. They discuss the importance of practical effects and their characters inverted journeys.
Reposted by Zachary Lee
“It's a horrifying job to see humanity’s worst right before your very eyes and then go home at the end of the day."
@zacharylee.bsky.social speaks with Lili Reinhart about AMERICAN SWEATSHOP, how to stop doomscrolling, & the film’s surprising connection to WALL-E. www.rogerebert.com/interviews/a...
@zacharylee.bsky.social speaks with Lili Reinhart about AMERICAN SWEATSHOP, how to stop doomscrolling, & the film’s surprising connection to WALL-E. www.rogerebert.com/interviews/a...
The First Responders of the Internet: Lili Reinhart on "American Sweatshop" | Interviews | Roger Ebert
The star of the haunting internet drama talks about social media and the dangers of doomscrolling.
www.rogerebert.com
September 19, 2025 at 7:52 PM
“It's a horrifying job to see humanity’s worst right before your very eyes and then go home at the end of the day."
@zacharylee.bsky.social speaks with Lili Reinhart about AMERICAN SWEATSHOP, how to stop doomscrolling, & the film’s surprising connection to WALL-E. www.rogerebert.com/interviews/a...
@zacharylee.bsky.social speaks with Lili Reinhart about AMERICAN SWEATSHOP, how to stop doomscrolling, & the film’s surprising connection to WALL-E. www.rogerebert.com/interviews/a...