Tag: roger ebert

Poll Results: Favorite Film from Roger Ebert’s Top 10 List

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This one was a nail-biter, but we have a winner:

2001: A Space Odyssey [1968]

THE RESULTS:
– 2001: A Space Odyssey: 6 votes
– Apocalypse Now: 5 votes
– Citizen Kane: 5 votes
– Vertigo: 3 votes
– The Tree of Life: 2 votes
– The General: 1 vote
– La Dolce Vita: 1 vote
– Raging Bull: 1 vote
– Aguirre, Wrath of God: 0 votes
– Tokyo Story: 0 votes

Consider me biased, but I am *very* pleased with these results. 2001: A Space Odyssey may very well be my favorite film of all time, so it’s great to see it end up on top against some amazing competition. A little surprised that Ebert’s #1 film, Aguirre, Wrath of God, didn’t get a single vote though.

This Week’s Poll: This weekend saw the new Jackie Robinson biopic, 42, finish first at the box office. Harrison Ford is one of the stars of this film, and it got me thinking about his long and prolific career. This week’s poll is a pick two: what is Harrison Ford’s best film? Will this come down to Star Wars vs. Indiana Jones? If so, which ones? Perhaps Blade Runner or The Fugitive can push their way to the top? Let us know what you think!

happy-birthday

Also, today is my birthday! While I will be busy working through the night, I plan on taking the day off tomorrow to celebrate. My plan? Spend the day at the movies! I will be seeing at least three films tomorrow, with the tentative lineup being Spring Breakers, Trance and The Place Beyond the Pines. If I’m up for it, I might squeeze in either Evil Dead or 42 later. Should be a fun and rewarding day after the madness that has been the last week!

Have a great week, folks!

Poll Results: Best Cartoon Series

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We had our best turnout yet in last week’s poll! It was a close one, but the odds-on favorite eventually prevailed:

The Simpsons

THE RESULTS:
– The Simpsons: 11 votes
– Looney Tunes: 10 votes
– Batman: The Animated Series: 7 votes
– South Park: 6 votes
– Animaniacs: 4 votes
– Rugrats: 3 votes
– Avatar: The Last Airbender: 2 votes
– Beavis and Butt-head: 2 votes
– The Flintstones: 2 votes
– Futurama: 2 votes
– The Ren & Stimpy Show: 2 votes
– The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show: 2 votes
– Scooby-Doo: 2 votes
– SpongeBob SquarePants: 2 votes
– X-Men: 2 votes
– Archer: 1 vote
– Cowboy Bebop: 1 vote
– Darkwing Duck: 1 vote
– DuckTales: 1 vote
– Family Guy: 1 vote
– Hey Arnold!: 1 vote
– Popeye: 1 vote
– Robotech: 1 vote
– Tom & Jerry: 1 vote

It’s great to see so many shows represented in these results. Ultimately, I think we all knew it would come down to The Simpsons and Looney Tunes, so it’s only fitting that the winner was decided by one vote. Also, an interesting bit of trivia: every single show that I listed in the poll received at least one vote, except for poor G.I. Joe. Wonder if the much-maligned new film has anything to do with that?

This Week’s Poll: As the world continues to mourn the death of the brilliant Roger Ebert, many have taken a look at his past Sight & Sound ballots to see what he considered the greatest films of all time. His most recent list from 2012 shows a very diverse group of films, with picks from the silent era all the way to modern years. My question for you this week: what is your favorite film from Roger Ebert’s most recent list?

Let’s hear your thoughts. What’s your favorite in the new poll? Are you happy that The Simpsons won last week?

R.I.P. Roger Ebert

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Roger Ebert

I had a review of Belle de Jour lined up for today, but now it seems so trivial to post it. Today the world lost one of the most important film critics of all time, Roger Ebert. Roger wasn’t just a great film critic, though; he was an excellent writer, and above all else, a wonderful person. In recent years, I had enjoyed following his Facebook and Twitter feeds, as he continued to share interesting, and often fascinating, material at all hours of the day. When he lost his ability to physically speak, he flawlessly moved into the realm of digital media, never losing his writing voice.

His death today is a major loss not just for film buffs, but for movie lovers and fans of great writing in general. Roger’s influence is monumental, and he will be dearly missed.

His final written words, from his blog post yesterday:

“So on this day of reflection I say again, thank you for going on this journey with me. I’ll see you at the movies.”

Roger Ebert

Questions For The Movie Answer Man [Roger Ebert, 1997]

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Questions For The Movie Answer Man [Roger Ebert]

Questions For The Movie Answer Man
Author: Roger Ebert
Original Release: June 1997

In my latest trip to the library, I decided to peruse the movie book section. Naturally, being in Chicago, there were a large number of books by Roger Ebert sitting on the shelf. I decided to pick up a couple of them since I have been gaining a larger appreciation for his work as of late. One of these books, Questions For The Movie Answer Man, is a compilation of his newspaper columns in which he would answer questions about movies submitted by his readers.

Since this book was published in 1997, it is obviously rather dated. Ebert frequently brings up CompuServe, VHS tapes, LaserDiscs and other technological mediums that are indicative of the time period. A good portion of the book’s content is based on popular movies during that time as well — there are multiple Q&As about Forrest Gump, Independence Day and Pulp Fiction, just to name a few examples. Some of these references are laughable today, as are many of the questions that readers have sent in. It’s hard to find any utility in this book in this day and age since we now have the ability to use IMDB and Wikipedia to obtain movie information, and even Snopes to learn about urban legends (i.e. the infamous munchkin hanging from Wizard of Oz).

I have no doubts that in 1997 this book would have been a fun, quick read. However, not even Ebert’s quick wit can make this dated publication worth reading today. While I got a chuckle out of a handful of his occasional snarky replies, I can’t help but feel I should have just watched a movie instead of taking the time to read this. Do yourself a favor and go to the cinema instead — I’m sure even Ebert would approve of this behavior.

5/10