Tag: Roger Ebert
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The Correct Order To Watch The Halloween Movie Franchise
John Carpenter’s 1978 horror film “Halloween” was famously inspired by 1960s serial killer films like Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” and Powell/Pressburger’s “Peeping Tom,” only filtered through a low-budget, ’70s grindhouse lens. Initially, “Halloween” was dismissed by audiences, but legend has it that Roger Ebert’s overwhelmingly positive 1979 review saved it from obscurity. This may seem like…
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Roger Ebert and Stephen King Disagreed Over This Horror Classic
Stephen King and Roger Ebert are two legends of cinema. The former is probably the most famous American novelist of his generation, and his books have led to countless film adaptations, from The Shining to Misery to It. The latter is a film critic who was popular not just in print but on TV with…
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Roger Ebert’s Favorite Mob Movie Isn’t the One You’re Thinking
There are a few film critics as influential and easily recognizable as Roger Ebert. He was not only renowned within the niche of filmmakers and industry insiders, but also had a loyal fanbase consisting of laypeople. And there’s a good reason for it. Yes, he was deeply intelligent and knowledgeable about movies and their history,…
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Roger Ebert’s Favorite Actor Was This Noir Anti-Hero
Famed movie critic Roger Ebert claimed to have seen 10,000 films and reviewed over 6,000 of them, and with that comes exposure to a lot of actors and actresses across different generations of film. Picking favorites would be difficult for almost anyone to choose, but this is Roger Ebert, a man confident enough to say…
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Spike Lee Blasts Critics at TIFF Tribute Awards for Initially Suggesting ‘Do the Right Thing’ Would Incite Riots
Spike Lee blasted critics who suggested that “Do The Right Thing” would spark riots when it opened in 1989, while honoring one of the reviewers who came to the film’s defense. The remarks came as Lee received the Ebert Director Award, named for the late film critic Roger Ebert, at the Toronto International Film Festival…
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The Twilight Zone Episode That Gave Planet Of The Apes Its Famous Twist Ending
When I was a kid, no movie ending scared me more than “Planet of the Apes.” Granted, I was exposed to Tim Burton’s poorly received update on the film before I ever saw the stunning ending of Franklin J. Schaffner’s original, but the effect was the same both times: total shock, awe, and primal fear…
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This Was Roger Ebert’s Favorite Film — And It’s Not ‘Citizen Kane’
No matter how many 4/4-star reviews you may read from the great Roger Ebert, his favorite film remained a mystery for the longest time, only for him to confess in 2008 that it was in fact Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita. The reasons why, however, may be considered too personal for a film critic. Roger…
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Siskel and Ebert Voiced Themselves (and Sang!) in This Cartoon
There are no two film critics as well-known as Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert. The famed hosts of At the Movies spent over twenty years together reviewing movies, advocating upcoming filmmakers, and making their own picks for the winners of the Academy Awards. They appeared on talk shows, reviewed an episode of Saturday Night Live…
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This Was the Final Film Roger Ebert Reviewed
Roger Ebert, who was for several decades the face of film criticism, died on April 4, 2013. For several years he had been managing life with a particularly destabilizing cancer, which had altered his appearance, and taken away his ability to eat, drink, and speak. Many public figures would have withdrawn, but Ebert remained visible…
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Roger Ebert’s Final 4-Star Review Couldn’t Have Gone to a More Fitting Film
Few films of the past twenty years have nailed the delicate balance of realism and melodrama that comes with the coming-of-age genre so perfectly as 2013’s The Spectacular Now. The late great Roger Ebert acknowledged as such in his review of the film, awarding it his famous and highest rating of four stars, making it…