In Memoriam 1942 – 2013 “Roger Ebert loved movies.”

RogerEbert.com

Thumb_bnttrkdytuerpiguxyx79crwwuf

Star Trek Into Darkness

Less a classic "Star Trek" adventure than a Star Trek-flavored action flick, shot in the frenzied, handheld, cut-cut-cut style that’s become Hollywood’s norm, director J.J.…

Thumb_szppk9nvgnnzkhevqzkttfpvcce

Stories We Tell

Families create their own narratives. Stories are passed on from generation to generation, and in this way the past continues to live, but it can…

Other Reviews
Review Archives
Thumb_xbepftvyieurxopaxyzgtgtkwgw

Ballad of Narayama

"The Ballad of Narayama" is a Japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice, telling a story of startling cruelty. What a space it opens…

Thumb_jrluxpegcv11ostmz1fqha1bkxq

Monsieur Hire

Patrice Leconte's "Monsieur Hire" is a tragedy about loneliness and erotomania, told about two solitary people who have nothing else in common. It involves a…

Other Reviews
Great Movie Archives
Other Articles
Cannes Archives

Moving Forward

Mother’s Day I awakened to spirited calls from my children and grandchildren. As Roger wrote in his memoir, “Life Itself,” I came from a large family of nine, and I had four brothers and four…

Other Articles
Blog Archives
Other Articles
Far Flunger Archives
Other Articles
Channel Archives

Burt-Man Begins; Black History Mumf

burt.jpg

Burt Reynolds, Superstar.

The Burt-a-Thon (formally known as the Burt Reynolds-a-Thon) starts today over at the Welcome to L.A. blog. The awesome Larry Aydlette, whom some of you may know from his blog-lives as That Little Round-Headed Boy and/or The Shamus, has set himself a truly daunting, awesomely ambitious task: For the entire month of February, he will... well, let Larry explain it himself:

Obviously, Burt Reynolds didn't get the e-mail that he was supposed to go quietly away. But that's not the Burt Reynolds way. In his autobiography, "My Life," he begins with a quote from George Bernard Shaw: "I want to be thoroughly used up when I die. For the harder I work, the more I live."

burtcosmo.jpg

Cosmo centerfold Burt, 1972.

So, I've decided to honor that work ethic and use his birth month for 29 straight days of Burt Reynolds coverage. This isn't a love-a-thon. In rewatching a lot of his movies, I've come to the conclusion that he didn't necessarily deserve to win the Oscar for the films that he and many critics thought he should have won them for. And he was never nominated for what seems to me to be his one indisputable masterpiece (although I doubt many critics will agree with me). But there are quite a few of his films that are very, very good, and deserve reconsideration.

I do think the breadth of his career is certainly worthy of an honorary Oscar. Let's not forget that he ruled America's box office from the late '70s to the early '80s. He is the self-proclaimed "Picasso of car pictures." He was a big, big star. Just because he hasn't chosen to be a less ubiquitous star shouldn't negate the fine and interesting work that fills his resume.

That's right, it's Burt History Month at Welcome to L.A. 

And, in an astonishing coincidence, Odienator has emerged from the Fortress of OdieTude and seized control of Big Media Vandalism by declaring The "It's Black History Mumf, Odienator!" Film Festival:

Popular Blog Posts

#168 May 22, 2013

Marie writes: Now this is really neat. It made TIME's top 25 best blogs for 2012 and with good reason. Behold arti...

Cannes: Yacht parties, Faulkner, and cannibal families

If you go to a yacht party, don't expect to be living out your own version of "The Talented Mr. Ripley."

Postcards from Chaz to Roger

When Chaz has gone to Cannes without Roger in the past, she has written about the festival n the form of letters and ...

Love & Money with James Toback

James Toback discusses his new documentary, "Seduced and Abandoned," which traces the life of a failed movie project....

Popular Reviews

Reveal Comments
comments powered by Disqus