A look back at Peter S. Traynor's Death Game, newly restored on Blu-ray and touring theaters nationwide.
Two fans of Martin Scorsese's 1999 urban thriller talk about its relevance to the pandemic.
Matt writes: Annette Insdorf's new book, Cinematic Overtures: How to Read Opening Scenes, will be released next month by the Columbia University Press.
Matt writes: Chaz Ebert commemorated the 25th anniversary of her marriage to Roger on July 18th by republishing his unforgettable essay, "Roger Loves Chaz." She accompanied the post with various rarely seen wedding photos as well as the following video embedded below (entitled Joy).
A look at the legacy of "Independence Day," as reflected in films that tried to top it, including its sequel.
The latest on Blu-ray, including collector's editions of masterpieces from Robert Altman and Michael Mann.
Q. Big problem arose last night for me at Spielberg's "Lost World: Jurassic Park." When T-Rex goes storming through San Diego, there's a brief shot of a group of Japanese businessmen fleeing along with the rest of the crowd. I laughed aloud (as did many others in the house). My spontaneous outburst, in appreciation of what I saw as Spielberg's tip of the hat to a convention of Japanese monster movies, set my fiancee off on a tear that began with an elbow in my ribs and a warning to behave myself, and a berating as soon as the house lights came up. Her reason: The folks seated to her left were Asian--and my applause was an indication of racism. Roger, look at that scene: It's shot from the same low, three-quarters behind the characters angle, with the characters' faces turned to look back as they flee (running slo-mo), just like any Godzilla, Rodan or Mothra movie. It is a tribute to the genre; use of a cinematic convention. She says it's a stereotype--because bad monster flicks "are all they make in Japan" and that Spielberg is no better for including it than I am for liking it. (Gerard Farrell, Bay City, TX)
Q. I watched the new CBS show "Early Edition" and found out that they use Chicago Sun-Times as their one-day-ahead-paper. When the paper was zoomed in, I could clearly see and read "Roger Ebert's movie review" on the paper. I was wondering if you have seen the show or not. (Min Woong Lee, Costa Mesa, CA.)
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