Alpha
There’s a pleasant, old-fashioned feel to Alpha.
David Lean
-
Ryan's Daughter (1970)
—
Directed by
Roger Ebert -
Doctor Zhivago (1965)
—
Directed by
Roger Ebert -
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
—
Directed by
Roger Ebert
* This filmography is not intended to be a comprehensive list of this artist’s work. Instead it reflects the films this person has been involved with that have been reviewed on this site.
The First Cut is the Deepest: A Tribute to Anne V. Coates
A tribute to the legendary editor Anne V. Coates.
Dear Roger: I Can't Believe Our Film Festival is Twenty Years Old!
A Look back at the origins of Ebertfest twenty years ago and a look forward to Ebertfest 2018.
Home Entertainment Consumer Guide: August 24, 2017
A guide to the latest and greatest on Blu-ray and DVD, including three Criterion releases, The Wall, and Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2.
Bright Wall/Dark Room July 2016: "Watch the Skies: 'Empire of the Sun' and the Difficult Third Album" by Brian Doan
An excerpt from the July 2016 issue of Bright Wall/Dark Room about Steven Spielberg and "Empire of the Sun."
Home Entertainment Consumer Guide: May 12, 2016
A bunch of 2016 Oscar nominees and must-own Criterion releases just hit Blu-ray. Pick your favorite!
Roger's Favorites: Peter Weir
Roger's Favorites: director Peter Weir.
"70mm Film Festival: The Ultimate Edition" Arrives at Chicago's Music Box Theater
An in-depth preview of the upcoming 70mm film festival occurring at Chicago's Music Box Theatre from February 19 to March 10.
Natural Revelations: Andrew Haigh & Tom Courtenay on “45 Years”
An interview with writer/director Andrew Haigh and actor Tom Courtenay regarding "45 Years."
Omar Sharif: 1932-2015
An obituary for the legendary Omar Sharif.
"Mountains of the Moon": Bob Rafelson's lost classic
Barry Lyndon with Monsters: The Directors of “The Boxtrolls”
In interview with Anthony Stacchi and Graham Annable, directors of LAIKA's "The Boxtrolls".
Richard Attenborough: 1923-2014
Lord Richard Attenborough, legendary director and actor, has passed away at the age of 91.
Exploring Israel-Palestine through Movies, Part 4: Pro-Palestinian Narratives and Conclusions
The fourth and final part in a series on how film has addressed the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
Cannes 2014 Dispatch: Lust for Light in Mike Leigh's "Mr. Turner"
The 67th Cannes Film Festival kicks off with an original, adventurous and beautiful film from the great Mike Leigh.
Interview: Kevin Spacey Takes Another Left Turn
Kevin Spacey discusses the timelessness of William Shakespeare, impact of Hill Street Blues, and the moment he knew he was an actor.
In Defense of Armond White
Walter Biggins defends Armond White, the City Arts critic and editor who was recently expelled by the New York Film Critics Circle, as a provocative but necessary voice in movie criticism.
An uncommon man: Peter O'Toole, 1932-2013
Peter O'Toole, who died this weekend at 81, was great in great films and great fun in bad ones, and equally convincing as a rascal and a saint.
#179 August 6, 2013
Marie writes: Behold an ivy covered house in Düsseldorf, Germany and the power of plants to transform stone, brick and mortar into a hotel for millions of spiders. To view an amazing collection of such images and showcasing a variety of buildings from around the world, visit The Most Colorful Houses Engulfed in Vegetation at io9.com.
#175, July 10, 2013
Marie writes: I've been watching a lot of old movies lately, dissatisfied in general with the poverty of imagination currently on display at local cinemas. As anyone can blow something up with CGI - it takes no skill whatsoever and imo, is the default mode of every hack working in Hollywood these days. Whereas making a funny political satire in the United States about a Russian submarine running aground on a sandbank near a small island town off the coast of New England in 1966 during the height of the Cold War - and having local townsfolk help them escape in the end via a convoy of small boats, thereby protecting them from US Navy planes until they're safely out to sea? Now that's creative and in a wonderfully subversive way....
My Ten Greatest Movies
May Contain Spoilers
Dedicated to memories of Roger Ebert, for the simple reason that talking about movies is so thrilling. He did not like lists, but I love his lists.
#157 February 27, 2013
Marie writes: It's a long story and it starts with a now famous video of a meteor exploding over Chelyabinsk, Russia. Followed by alien conspiracies fueled by the internet and which led me to investigate further. Where did it come from? Does anyone know..? Yes! According to The NewScientist, the rock came from the Apollo family of near-Earth asteroids, which follow an elongated orbit that occasionally crosses Earth's path.That in turn led me to yet another site and where I learned a team of scientists had discovered two moons around Pluto, and asked the public to vote on potential names. They also accepted write-in votes as long as they were taken from Greek and Roman mythology and related to Hades and the underworld - keeping to the theme used to name Pluto's three other moons. And how I eventually learned "Vulcan" has won Pluto's moon-naming poll! and thanks to actor William Shatner who suggested it. Behold Vulcan: a little dot inside a green circle and formally known as P5.
#136 October 3, 2012
Marie writes: It's that time of year again! Behold the shortlisted nominees for The Turner Prize: 2012. Below, Turner Prize nominee Spartacus Chetwynd performs 'Odd Man Out 2011' at Tate Britain on October 1, 2012 in London, England.
(click image to enlarge.)
#132 September 5, 2012
Marie writes: According to the calendar, summer is now officially over (GASP!) and with its demise comes the first day of school. Not all embrace the occasion, however. Some wrap themselves proudly in capes of defiance and make a break for it - rightly believing that summer isn't over until the last Himalayan Blackberry has been picked and turned into freezer jam!
The great movies (almost) nobody voted for
OK, this is where it really gets interesting. Forget the consensus Top 50 Greatest Movies of All Time; let's get personal. Sight & Sound has now published the top 250 titles in its 2012 international critics poll, the full list of more than 2,000 movies mentioned, and all the individual lists of the 845 participating critics, academics, archivists and programmers, along with any accompanying remarks they submitted. I find this to be the most captivating aspect of the survey, because it reminds us of so many terrific movies we may have forgotten about, or never even heard of. If you want to seek out surprising, rewarding movies, this is a terrific place to start looking. For the past few days I've been taking various slices at the "data" trying to find statistical patterns, and to glean from the wealth of titles some treasures I'd like to heartily recommend -- and either re-watch or catch up with myself.
I know we're supposed to consider the S&S poll a feature film "canon" -- a historically influential decennial event since 1952, but just one of many. I don't disagree with Greg Ferrara at TCM's Movie Morlocks ("Ranking the Greats: Please Make it Stop") when he says that limiting ballots to ten all-time "best" (or "favorite," "significant," "influential" titles is incredibly limiting. That's why I think perusing at the critics' personal lists, the Top 250 (cited by seven critics or more) and the full list of 2,045 films mentioned is more enjoyable pastime.
It's wise to remember that, although the top of the poll may at first glance look relatively conservative or traditional, there's a tremendous diversity in the individual lists. Even the top vote-getter, "Vertigo," was chosen by less than one quarter of the participants.
#127 August 8, 2012
Marie writes: This week's Newsletter arrives a day early and lighter than usual, as come Tuesday morning, I'll be on a Ferry heading to Pender Island off the West Coast, where I've arranged to visit old friends for a few days and enjoy my first vacation in two years; albeit a brief one. No rest for the wicked. :-)
