Post by klep on May 29, 2017 9:26:28 GMT -6
MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 5/29: Life Itself
FIFTH WEEK OF DOCUMENTARY MONTH!
I took Roger Ebert for granted. I was always aware of him; everyone was. You think of "the movies" and you think of Roger Ebert. I didn't watch a lot of movies until most of the way through college, but even then I didn't properly appreciate him. I'd look up his opinion on films sometimes as a voice of authority, but I didn't really read him as a writer.
Even so, when Ebert died, it was like a punch in the gut. My interest in film was accelerating at the time, and I was starting to pay more attention to what he had to say. He had always been there and my assumption was that he always would be. All of a sudden he was gone and there was an absence where he had been.
Life Itself looks to explore that absence, as Steve James uses excerpts from Ebert's memoir - aided by Stephen Stanton's uncanny narration - and interviews with Ebert and his friends and family to paint a portrait of who Ebert was and why he mattered so much to people. It's an emotional experience. James spends a lot of time on Ebert's wild years, his love of his job, his love/hate relationship with Gene Siskel and so on, but what really injects the heart into the film is the anecdotes of people who interacted with him.
James doesn't step in front of the camera to talk about Ebert's advocacy on his own behalf, but he does bring plenty of other people who have careers in part because of Ebert's kindness and generosity, including a bright young filmmaker you might have heard of named Martin Scorsese. Chaz and their kids and grandkids talk about what an important part of their lives he was. It's a portrayal of a man with a giant heart.
I'm not going to pretend to be objective here. I sobbed my way through the documentary because I've only belatedly been learning to appreciate this man, and I've been mourning the loss of a true treasure just as I was learning what we had. We won't have Roger around writing for us anymore, but Steve James has done his best to ensure we'll always remember him.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 6/5: The Spy Who Loved Me
JAMES BOND WEEK
With the passing of Roger Moore, we'll be taking a week to look at the franchise that made him a household name. For many of us growing up, Roger Moore was our James Bond, and The Spy Who Loved Me was his best outing as Britain's top secret agent. Join us next week as we talk about the gadgets, quips, and and the indelible introduction of Richard Kiels' Jaws. The Spy Who Loved Me is available for purchase digitally on Amazon Video.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 5/30: The Brady Bunch Movie
As Baywatch enters theaters hoping to capitalize on nostalgia for a television show, the Next Picture Show Podcast is taking the opportunity to pair it with another attempt to do the same. We'll have a thread Wednesday to talk about The Brady Bunch Movie, which is available for streaming on Amazon Video (and free for Prime members).
FIFTH WEEK OF DOCUMENTARY MONTH!
I took Roger Ebert for granted. I was always aware of him; everyone was. You think of "the movies" and you think of Roger Ebert. I didn't watch a lot of movies until most of the way through college, but even then I didn't properly appreciate him. I'd look up his opinion on films sometimes as a voice of authority, but I didn't really read him as a writer.
Even so, when Ebert died, it was like a punch in the gut. My interest in film was accelerating at the time, and I was starting to pay more attention to what he had to say. He had always been there and my assumption was that he always would be. All of a sudden he was gone and there was an absence where he had been.
Life Itself looks to explore that absence, as Steve James uses excerpts from Ebert's memoir - aided by Stephen Stanton's uncanny narration - and interviews with Ebert and his friends and family to paint a portrait of who Ebert was and why he mattered so much to people. It's an emotional experience. James spends a lot of time on Ebert's wild years, his love of his job, his love/hate relationship with Gene Siskel and so on, but what really injects the heart into the film is the anecdotes of people who interacted with him.
James doesn't step in front of the camera to talk about Ebert's advocacy on his own behalf, but he does bring plenty of other people who have careers in part because of Ebert's kindness and generosity, including a bright young filmmaker you might have heard of named Martin Scorsese. Chaz and their kids and grandkids talk about what an important part of their lives he was. It's a portrayal of a man with a giant heart.
I'm not going to pretend to be objective here. I sobbed my way through the documentary because I've only belatedly been learning to appreciate this man, and I've been mourning the loss of a true treasure just as I was learning what we had. We won't have Roger around writing for us anymore, but Steve James has done his best to ensure we'll always remember him.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 6/5: The Spy Who Loved Me
JAMES BOND WEEK
With the passing of Roger Moore, we'll be taking a week to look at the franchise that made him a household name. For many of us growing up, Roger Moore was our James Bond, and The Spy Who Loved Me was his best outing as Britain's top secret agent. Join us next week as we talk about the gadgets, quips, and and the indelible introduction of Richard Kiels' Jaws. The Spy Who Loved Me is available for purchase digitally on Amazon Video.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 5/30: The Brady Bunch Movie
As Baywatch enters theaters hoping to capitalize on nostalgia for a television show, the Next Picture Show Podcast is taking the opportunity to pair it with another attempt to do the same. We'll have a thread Wednesday to talk about The Brady Bunch Movie, which is available for streaming on Amazon Video (and free for Prime members).