Marie writes: I was looking for something to make Roger laugh, when the phone rang. It was a bad connection, but this much I did hear: "Roger has died." That's how I learned he was gone, and my first thought was of the cruel and unfair timing of it. He'd been on the verge of realizing a life long dream: to be the captain of his own ship.
The Grand Poobah writes: "No man has a better wife than Chaz."
Marie writes: Christmas is almost upon us, and with its impending arrival comes the sound of children running free-range through the snow, while grown-ups do battle indoors in the seasonal quest to find the perfect gift...
Marie writes: Intrepid club member Sandy Kahn has found another auction, and this time it's all about Hollywood! Note: the spaceship on the cover is a screen used miniature from "Aliens" (1986). Estimate: $80,000 - $120,000
Go here to download a free copy of the catalog in .PDF
The Ebert Club is pleased to share the following film by the great French auteur Rene Clair and to invite you to join the Club and see what other mysteries lurk in the tree house!
And Then There Were None (1945) Directed by Rene Clair. Written by Dudley Nichols and based on the novel by Agatha Christie. Starring Barry Fitzgerald, Walter Huston, Louis Hayward, Roland Young, Mischa Auer, June Duprez and Judith Anderson. Winner! 1946 Locarno International Film Festival: Best Film.Synopsis: Ten strangers are summoned to a small island off the coast of Devon, by a mysterious note. Once there they discover that their unknown host, a certain "Mr. Owen", has not yet arrived. They're told he'll be there by dinner and so they retire to their rooms to prepare for the evening. Come dinner, their host has still not arrived and suddenly a voice on a gramophone record proceeds to accuse all of them of past murders they were never prosecuted for. The guests strongly deny any wrong doing and a decision is made to leave the island immediately! A servant however, tells them that there's no way to get the boat from the mainland. There's also no phone on the island and the boat only comes twice a week. It won't be back until Monday morning and it's only Friday night....
Go here to join the Club and see what else we have!
Marie writes: Belgium club member Koen Van Loocke has submitted the following and it's so awesome, I have no words. But first, background..The Cinematic Orchestra is led by composer/programmer/multi-instrumentalist Jason Swinscoe, who formed his first group "Crabladder" in 1990 while a Fine Arts student at Cardiff College. The group's fusion of jazz and hardcore punk elements with experimental rhythms, inspired Swinscoe to further explore the musical possibilites and by the time the group disbanded in the mid-'90s, he was playing DJ at various clubs and pirate radio stations in and around London.
Take a breath and be brave. Very, very brave.... smile....Behold the "Willis Tower" in Chicago (formerly the Sears Tower) - the tallest building in North America and its famous attraction, The Skydeck. In January 2009, the Willis Tower owners began a major renovation of the Skydeck, to include the installation of glass balconies, extending approximately four feet over Wacker Drive from the 103rd floor. The all-glass boxes allow visitors to look directly through the floor to the street 1,353 feet (412 m) below. The boxes, which can bear five short tons of weight (about 4.5 metric tons), opened to the public on July 2, 2009.
From the Big Kahuna: Yes, this is the front of the Virginia Theater in Champaign-Urbana, where Ebertfest is held every year. The old marquee was showing its age, and will be replaced by the time Ebertfest 2011 is held on April 27-30. Update: I read in the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette that the new marquee is still in design, but park officials expect it to be a better complement to the theater's Italian Renaissance-style architecture and resemble the 1921 original marquee. When concepts are finalized, they will go before the park board for approval.
Great Movies