Posts Tagged ‘Roger Ebert’

  • 06 Apr

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    Mamo #299: The Grand Poobah’s Chair

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    Mamo discusses the life and career of Roger Ebert.


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    To download this episode, use this URL: http://rowthree.com/audio/mamo/mamo299.mp3

  • 05 Apr

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    Cinecast Episode 303 – Prolificity

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    With Andrew’s new night school/work schedule things are a bit weird in the Cinecast scheduling department, but we still manage to get to a lot of new ground (and some old Australian ground) in this 3+ hour episode of The Cinecast. Two definitely “off the beaten path” films from a Hollywood standpoint to talk about. Yet both as different from each other as they could possibly be. We introduce a new segment to The Cinecast this week with our weekly “Game of Thrones” recap in which we realize that although this week’s episode covered more ground in 55 minutes than most television covers in half a season, it still left about a third of the character threads off the screen this week. A healthy Watch List harkens back to Australian (not really) blockbusters, Harmony Korine’s previous works and a couple of straight to DVD pictures that might (might) surprise you.

    As always, please join the conversation by leaving your own thoughts in the comment section below and again, thanks for listening!


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    Full show notes are under the seats…
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  • 29 Apr

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    Mamo #252: On Ebertfest, Part Three

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    We wrap up our Ebertfest 2012 coverage from the Valois Cafeteria in Chicago IL, with an in-depth chat about A Separation, Take Shelter, Higher Ground, and the meaning of faith in the universe. Special bonus: surreptitious Q&A audio clips!

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    To download this episode, use this URL: http://rowthree.com/audio/mamo/mamo252.mp3

  • 28 Apr

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    Mamo #251: On Ebertfest, Part Two

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    Live from the Aroma Cafe in Champaign, IL, we continue to recap Ebertfest as it happens. Today we discuss the beautiful film Terri, a terrific program of shorts accompanied by the Alloy orchestra, and our thoughts on a panel about VOD vs. the future of theatrical moviegoing.

    Mamo #251: On Ebertfest, Part Two [ 33:00 | 0.01 MB ] Play Now | Play in Popup

    To download this episode, use this URL: http://rowthree.com/audio/mamo/mamo251.mp3

  • 27 Apr

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    Mamo #250: On Ebertfest

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    Mamo comes to you from Champaign, Illinois, the home of Roger Ebert’s Film Festival – Ebertfest! We sit down on a park bench to discuss the festival and three of its films: Joe vs. the Volcano, Big Fan, and Kinyarwanda. Plus a big shout-out to the Jane Addams Book Shop.

    Mamo #250: On Ebertfest [ 37:53 | 0.01 MB ] Play Now | Play in Popup

    To download this episode, use this URL: http://rowthree.com/audio/mamo/mamo250.mp3

  • 16 Aug

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    Read exerpts from Roger Ebert’s Memoir: Life Itself

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    Any time Roger Ebert puts up his own person reveries on the past, it is the best reading over at his Sun-Times Journal. Even tough I more or less agree with his politics, I find his personal processing and musing of his past to be 1000x more compelling. Today he put up the opening pages of his Memoir there, and it is well worth your time.

    “When I returned to 410 East Washington with my wife, Chaz, in 1990, I saw that the hallway was only a few yards long. I got the feeling I sometimes have when reality realigns itself. It’s a tingling sensation moving like a wave through my body. I know the feeling precisely. I doubt I’ve experienced it ten times in my life. I felt it at Smith Drugs when I was seven or eight and opened a nudist magazine and discovered that all women had breasts. I felt it when my father told me he had cancer. I felt it when I proposed marriage. Yes, and I felt it in the old Palais des Festivals at Cannes, when the Ride of the Valkyries played during the helicopter attack in Apocalypse Now.

    I was an only child. I heard that over and over again. “Roger is an only boy.” My best friends, Hal and Gary, were only children, too. We were born at the beginning of World War II, four or five years earlier than the baby boomers, which would be an advantage all of our lives. The war was the great mystery of those years. I knew we were at war against Germany and Japan. I knew Uncle Bill had gone away to fight. I was told, your father is too old so they won’t take him. He put bicycle clips on his work pants and cycled to work every morning. There was rationing. If Harry Rusk the grocer had a chicken, we had chicken on Sunday. Many nights we had oatmeal. There was no butter. Oleo came in a plastic bag, and you squeezed the orange dye and kneaded it to make it look like butter. “It’s against the law to sell it already looking like butter,” my parents explained. Daddy and Uncle Johnny ordered cartons of cigarettes through the mail from Kentucky. Everybody smoked. My mother, my father, my uncles and aunts, the neighbors, everybody. When we gathered at my grandmother’s for a big dinner, that meant nine or ten people sitting around the table smoking. They did it over and over, hour after hour, as if it were an assignment.”

    Read the rest here.

  • 17 Feb

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    Siskel & Ebert Full Archives Now Available

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    If you’re interested in some nostalgia, Siskel and Ebert’s very, very early episodes of “At the Movies” (then titled “Opening Soon”) are now available for viewing online. The post 1985 archive was put online quite a while back for searching and viewing but anything pre-1985 was thought to be lost. Now thanks to the Library of Congress you can catch a lot of of those early reviews with Gene Siskel sporting an almost Shalit like mustache.

    I’ve embedded the very first episode from 1975(!) under the seats since the damn thing auto-plays (with a review for something called One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) and you can see a lot more of these early episodes (full episodes too, no just individual reviews!) with the search function over at Siskel & Ebert.org. Good times. Now I’m off to go see what their initial impression of Return of the Jedi and Blue Thunder was.
     

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  • 19 May

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    Bookmarks for May 17-19

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    • Stephen Frears and ‘Tamara Drewe’ eschews English fixation on class system
      Stephen Frears banters and spars with the Cannes International Media: “Well, I’ll defend ambiguity til I die … and if I said I were in favor of telling the truth, I’d be lying.” And so the bantering went back and forth.
    • Ridley Me This: Why Isn’t Sir Scott as Great as You Tell Me He Is?
      “I saw Ridley Scott’s tired Robin Hood this past weekend and I was underwhelmed. It’s not a bad movie. Scott rarely makes bad films, just frequently uninspired ones.”
    • Top 10 Underrated Sci-Fi Stories Before 1864
      “The science fiction genre developed over the latter half of the 19th century with the works of Jules Verne and, subsequently, H.G. Wells. For the sake of a clear cut off date for this list, however, we shall say the cut off date for novels not to be influenced by these fathers of the genre is 1864, the year in which Verne published “A Journey to the Center of the Earth.” These are the classic science fiction novels that preceded the fathers of the genre that are commonly overlooked by modern audiences.”
    • The Secrets of Marienbad
      “Everyone is of course familiar with Alain Resnais’s cult film, written by Alain Robbe-Grillet and made just fifty years ago, L’Année dernière à Marienbad (Last Year at Marienbad). It happened that a young actress named Françoise Spira was on the set during the shooting of the film. She didn’t play the lead role … She didn’t even have one of these real supporting roles that leave you with the memory of a few unforgettable scenes. But in any case, she was there from the beginning of the shoot to the end, with her Super 8 without sound, and she filmed the film, capturing its most magical instants — Resnais’s youthful laughter, Seyrig’s delightful caprices, the somber and childlike charm of Albertazzi. In short, off in her little corner and without shouting from the rooftops, she produced the “making of” of the most formal, glacial and, actually, unerring, unwavering film in the history of contemporary cinema. But Françoise Spira committed suicide. Her ‘making of’ was lost with her.”
    • A Roger Ebert Tribute
      “I guess the biggest criticism I have of Roger is that his reviews are often too easy on films, except for my films of course–he could never be too easy on them–but, the guy loves films so much that it’s almost contagious. He’s open, he’s smart, he’s thoughtful, he’s always very clear, and he’s got a really good heart and–like I said–he’s really funny, which is hard to do as a writer. He manages to make you think critically without making it seem like homework. God knows the world needs more people thinking critically these days about a lot of things. ”
    • Malick, Coppola could lead strong crop at Venice (or Toronto) for 2010
      Here is hoping for Tree of Life for Tiff, but ather potentials on the fall festival circuit include Sofia Coppola’s Somewhere, Clint Eastwood’s Hereafter, Tom Hooper’s The King’s Speech, Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan, Anton Corbijn’s The American, Julian Schnabel’s Miral, Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours, John Cameron Mitchell’s Rabbit Hole, Bruce Robinson’s The Rum Diary, Robert Rodriguez’s Machete and Julie Taymor’s The Tempest. Screendaily mentions many, many more.

     

    You can now take a look at RowThree’s bookmarks at any time of your choosing simply by clicking the “delicious” button in the upper right of the page. It looks remarkably similar to this:

  • 20 Apr

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    Bookmarks for April 16-20th

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    • Dennis Cozzalio on the Memorable Lee Van Cleef
      “And because of the angularly unique sculpting of his features— an arrow-shaped head complemented by hawk-like nose, a smile that could seem warm and sinister almost simultaneously, and yes, those eyes—Van Cleef seemed destined, from the beginning of his movie career—a small part in Fred Zinnemann’s High Noon– to be typecast, albeit memorably, as a bad guy.”
    • Ray Harryhausen and the State of the Animation
      Horatia Harrod meets Ray Harryhausen at his London home and finds the post-war animation legend none too pleased with the state of modern film-making.
    • Actor Idris Elba, Generating His Own Buzz
      ““In this day and age, actors can’t afford to be pompous,” the 37-year-old Mr. Elba said, discussing a career that first caught fire with “The Wire” and peaked with last year’s popular but critically reviled potboiler “Obsessed.” “You can’t afford to turn your nose up at things. Audiences want to see you a bit more dynamic. We know you can act, Daniel Day-Lewis. That’s fantastic. Show us a bit more. We want to be entertained.””
    • “Video games can never be art” – Roger Ebert
      “…nevertheless, I remain convinced that in principle, video games cannot be art. Perhaps it is foolish of me to say “never,” because never, as Rick Wakeman informs us, is a long, long time. Let me just say that no video gamer now living will survive long enough to experience the medium as an art form.”
    • Better-Late-Than-Never: Another analysis of Starship Troopers
      “The business of satire is a risky one. When the concept is applied in literature, theatre, film or any other medium there is always a risk that it will be misunderstood. Satire is an ironic and sometimes sarcastic means of making an indirect social or political point, often leaving the author open to attack from those who were simply unable to distinguish their tone. Occasionally the reader/viewer will miss the point entirely or they’ll be convinced that the author believes in what they are satirising. Paul Verhoeven’s 1997 film Starship Troopers was not immune from the dangers of the audience misreading the films satirical content.”
    • Matt Brown on Kick-Ass
      “This is also why Kick-Ass is properly fantasy, and damned successful fantasy at that: because in the end of it all, Dave designs, and realizes, a complete revolution of the self. It’s a revolution which could never occur in the real world in the death-and-spraypaint comic book terms expressed here, but it’s a revolution which needs to happen for kids in the real world in some terms expressable somewhere. And baby, revolution’s afoot.”

     

    You can now take a look at RowThree’s bookmarks at any time of your choosing simply by clicking the “delicious” button in the upper right of the page. It looks remarkably similar to this:

  • 12 Mar

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    Bookmarks for March 10-12

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    • Banned from the screening room!
      In the latest scuffle between critics and studios, a New York Press critic Armond White is barred from a Noah Baumbach preview (…but eventually is capitulated to despite the unearthing of some mean spirited words)
    • Roger Ebert’s Thumbs Down for Variety in Letting Go Todd McCarthy in favour of Freelance Reviewing
      “What I’m saying is that Todd McCarthy is not a man Variety should have lightly dismissed. He is the longest-serving and best-known member of the paper’s staff, and if they made such a drastic decision, we are invited to wonder if Variety itself will long survive.”
    • The Cove Team go after Restaurants Serving Illegal Whale-meat
      “In the clash of two Southern California cultures – sushi aficionados and hard-core animal lovers – the animal lovers have thrown a big punch.”
    • Meet the real Shirley Henderson“Her tiny frame and bubble-light voice have made Shirley Henderson a shoo-in for roles such as Harry Potter’s Moaning Myrtle – but don’t be fooled she’s a tough cookie.”
    • I Am Love: More Alternate One Sheets
      Yes, we love looking at all possible designs for the Posters of this particular film.
    • Godzilla Haiku
      AHaiku about Godzilla. There’s really nothing more to say, except “BRILLIANT.”
    • Eric Skillman Interview
      “You may not know the name, but you’ll know the work. He creates a feeling for an entire film, distilled down to a tiny rectangular image. Eric Skillman has been designing DVD covers for the Criterion Collection for a few years now, and each one is a work of art. Serving as either the primary designer or the art director, Skillman has helped to create some of the most memorable discs to come out in the last few years–including the epic designs for Berlin Alexanderplatz and the upcoming Stagecoach.”
    • Do Most Scorsese Pictures End With The Same Line?
      “Every one seems to be about a man who has realized the dichotomy of his life and making a choice. Once blind, now seeing… for better or worse.”
    • Vincent Cassel and FLAUNT Maganzie
      “In Hollywood there’s politics; young actors have to do big, stupid movies to eventually be a box office figure and have access to great directors, stuff like that. But in France the market is a little different. In a minute, you know everybody, so you stick to what you like because, otherwise, you won’t be able to come back to it.”

     

    You can now take a look at RowThree’s bookmarks at any time of your choosing simply by clicking the “delicious” button in the upper right of the page. It looks remarkably similar to this:

  • 28 Feb

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    Bookmarks for Feb. 26-28th

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    • Hollywood hears Roar of Women – Commercial Performance Power of Actresses has Never been Stronger
      “Traditionally, female roles in Hollywood fall into one of three categories: the mother, the ingénue and the quirky (usually unlucky-in-love) best friend or sidekick. Not this year. What we were served in 2009 were some real characters, storylines and performances we could really sink our teeth into.”
    • Variety Will Kill a Bad Review of Your ‘Mediocre’ Movie For Just $400,000
      “Last month, Variety panned a thriller called Iron Cross. But the review has been disappeared from Variety’s web site, which probably has something to do with the $400,000 Iron Cross’ producers paid to Variety for an awards campaign.”
    • David Lynch-ified Movie Trailers
      Well, actually David Lynch had indeed a shot at Return (Revenge) of the Jedi, but passed on it. Want to see what the trailer at least for this, as well as Friday The Thirteenth (Part 5), A Goofy Movie and more would look like? Lynch cliches abound.
    • The Repo Men One Sheet Collection
      Whether or not you feel that the filmmakers are simply re-making Repo! The Genetic Opera with a more traditional style, or there should be a lawsuit, these handsome one-sheets are nifty!
    • The Curious Case of Tilda Swinton
      “Below is a guided tour of Tilda’s career in movie posters. Despite her striking beauty she hasn’t been particularly well served by poster designers (fashion designers, on the other hand, have a field day with her), which makes the I Am Love posters all the more notable. Do make sure to scroll all the way down though for the superb poster for the Beijing installment of her film festival: The Scottish Cinema of Dreams in China. Pure Tilda.”
    • Roger Ebert regains his power of Speech from DVD Commentary Tracks
      “Before I lost my voice due to cancer-related surgery, I’d recorded commentary tracks for some movies on DVD: “Citizen Kane,” “Casablanca,” “Floating Weeds,” “Dark City” and, ah, “Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.” These tracks had been recorded separately from the movies, so they could be edited to fit scenes. They might be “pure” audio. I asked two friends of mine, Ronnie Sass of Warner Bros. and Kim Hendrickson of the Criterion Collection, if they still had the original digital recordings. They rummaged in warehouses and found they did.”

     
     

    You can now take a look at RowThree’s bookmarks at any time of your choosing simply by clicking the “delicious” button in the upper right of the page. It looks remarkably similar to this:

  • 13 Oct

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    Bookmarks for October 10th through October 13th

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    What we’ve been reading – October 10th through October 13th:

    • Does Anyone Like 3D?
      Roger Ebert asks the question: Simply put, has anyone ever attended a 2-D movie and thought, ‘If only it were in 3-D’? I doubt it, because 2-D creates a perfectly effective illusion of depth and dimension. When I see Lawrence growing from a dot far across the desert sands, it never occurs to me that I’m watching a 2-D image. When I watch 3-D, however, I’m constantly reminded that it’s in 3-D. Objects approach and recede alarmingly, drawing you out of the actual film.
    • The Demystifying Adventures of the Amazing Randi
      The Grift, Con Artists and Skeptics. Something tells me that Randi, Errol Morris and Ricky Jay would get along just fine
    • Welcome to the Wild Card Oscars
      The new Oscar rules this year could increase the chances of the "uber-indies" finally having a say in the Oscar winner circle – or at least getting some more much-needed acknowledgement.

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