
Traffik
There isn’t an honest moment in all 96 minutes of Traffik.
There isn’t an honest moment in all 96 minutes of Traffik.
William Friedkin, the director of "The Exorcist," documents what might be a real-life exorcism.
Roger Ebert on James Ivory's "Howards End".
"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…
A closer look at the 13 reviews by Roger Ebert chosen for the front page today to mark the anniversary of Roger's passing and the…
A collection of memories from fans of Roger Ebert.
A new video essay explores the uncanny durability of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers"
Starring Dwayne Johnson and other giant creatures.
Some directors are all about the visual symbolism, but Forman was more of a people-watcher.
After all these years it’s hard for me to say if “Earthquake” is either a guilty pleasure or a movie so bad that it’s good.
A report on the second day of Ebertfest, which included a massive critic's panel and three very special films.
The latest on Blu-ray and DVD, including Phantom Thread, Molly's Game, and The Commuter.
* 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.
A look at the latest on Blu-ray, including several Criterion releases, "Their Finest," "The Fate of the Furious," and "The Lost City of Z"!
An extensive preview of 50 films coming out within the next four months, from "Sully" to "Toni Erdmann."
A tribute to the late Arthur Hiller, director of classics that include "The Americanization of Emily," "Love Story," "The In-Laws."
An excerpt from the May 2016 issue of Bright Wall/Dark Room about "The Man with Two Brains" and "All of Me."
FFC Seongyong Cho on Paul Weitz's "Grandma."
An appreciation of the late novelist and filmmaker Nora Ephron.
An op-ed on how the decision to move the Lifetime Achievement Oscar off the telecast hurts us all.
An interview with actor Adam Scott, star of The Overnight and Parks and Recreation.
An interview with film critic Matt Fagerholm.
Sam Fragoso interviews Spike Lee; Why Christian movies are so bad; "SNL" anniversary a hollow milestone; Cinephiles need to care about PBS; Diane Rehm and the right-to-die debate.
Donald Liebenson chats with actor/comedian/writer Patton Oswalt about his new book "Silver Screen Fiend: Learning About Life From an Addiction to Film."
A report from the New York Comic-Con previewing the upcoming films, "Penguins of Madagascar" and "Home."
An obituary for actor Bob Hoskins, star of The Long Good Friday, Mona Lisa, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, and many more.
Jana Monji reports in from the American Film Institute's Film Festival in Hollywood, CA.
Ultra-indie director Cory McAbee ("The American Astronaut," "Stingray Sam") talks about making musical sci-fi cowboy movies, writing an opera and the Monkees.
Tom Shales looks at "Carson on TCM," a weekly series of shows culling great Carson interviews.
What are we to make of Owen Wilson, he with the tow-colored mop of hair, the crooked nose, and the smile that seems to need so much in return? In certain contexts, Owen Wilson's smile is heartbreaking. Not just in more serious roles, but in everything. One does not often think of grown men as being "wistful" or full of "pathos"; only little plucky orphans in pig-tails and pinafores should be "wistful."
"American Masters: Inventing David Geffen" premieres Tuesday, Nov. 20th at 8:00pm on PBS. (Check local listings.) It can also be viewed, where available, via PBS On Demand.
by Jeff Shannon
It was my good fortune to be working at Microsoft when the big announcement was made in March of 1995: Microsoft was entering into a joint venture with DreamWorks SKG, the new film studio and entertainment company founded the previous year by mega-moguls Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen (the "SKG" in the company's original moniker). At the time, Microsoft dominated the booming business of multimedia publishing, and the group I was working in, nicknamed "MMPUB," was producing a dazzling variety of CD-ROM games and reference guides. As an independent contractor I was the assistant editor of Cinemania, a content-rich, interactive movie encyclopedia (later enhanced with a website presence) that was an elegant and in some ways superior precursor to the Internet Movie Database.
"Paul Williams Still Alive" (87 minutes) will be available on VOD October 16th via (Comcast, Time Warner, Cox, Bright House, among other cable providers), iTunes, VUDU, YouTube, Amazon, Sony (Playstation), Microsoft (Zune, Xbox), Blockbuster, AT&T, DirecTV, DISH.
by Donald Liebenson
In begrudgingly recommending "Paul Williams Still Alive" to his legion of fans, I am reminded of a Rolling Stone magazine review of Janis Joplin's first solo album, "I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!" Janis never sounded better, the reviewer said, but to enjoy her, you had to be able to tune out her backup band. A similar caveat is necessary here. Enjoyment of "Still Alive" will depend on your tolerance of writer-director Stephen Kessler, who takes Williams' joke at one point that the documentary could become the "Paulie and Steve Show" as a carte blanche invitation to intrude on the proceedings.
Marie writes: Recently, a fellow artist and friend sent me the following photos featuring amazing glass mosaics. She didn't know who the artists were however - and which set me off on a journey to find out! I confess, the stairs currently continue to thwart me and thus remain a mystery, but I did uncover who created the "glass bottle doorway" and was surprised to learn both its location and the inspiration behind it. (click image.)
Lawrence Kasdan's "Grand Canyon" didn't make a splash when it opened here in Mexico, and it's not the kind of feature that's ever shown on our TV, so hardly anybody I know has even heard about it. It's not an easy movie to describe. When people ask me about its subject, I say something like "It's about a group of people from Los Angeles living in despair who end up feeling better when they all get together and visit the Grand Canyon." Most of them seem to loose interest but the response of those who do see it is mostly overwhelming.
Watching "The Tree of Life" brought "Grand Canyon" to mind. The films couldn't be more different, but both deal with a search for a deeper meaning in our existence-- a sense of helplessness in trying to place ourselves in the grand scheme of things. They also lack defined plots or conventional structures.
Q. I've read your statement many times that the best film experience is in a real theater with a real audience. So, do you consider the screening room where you see films that you are reviewing a "real theater with a real audience?" And if not, I'm just curious as to how many films you've seen at "real theaters" with "real audiences" in, say, the last month or two (not counting film festivals.) I very well admit I could be wrong, but I have a hunch that, like many of us, the answer would be not too many. (Mark)
Marie writes: my brother Paul recently sent me an email sharing news of something really cool at the Capilano Suspension Bridge in North Vancouver. For those who don't remember - as I'm sure I've mentioned it in the Newsletter before, the Capilano Suspension Bridge was original built 1889 and constructed of hemp rope and cedar planks. 450 feet (137m) long and 230 feet (70m) high, today's bridge is made of reinforced steel safely anchored in 13 tons of concrete on either side of the canyon (click images to enlarge.)
Back then, I could watch Max Fleischer's Superman cartoons forever and never get bored. Today, the case is almost the same. Oh, those films have some of the finest animation I've ever seen--even by today's standards, the animation is phenomenal, right from the fluidity of the movements of the characters to the uncanny weight of the objects. The characters and objects had shadows too.