ROGER EBERT HATES ROLLERBALL!

god i saw leaving las vegas again on tv recently, what a turd.

-Russ Meyer

Yeah, I've noticed that he refuses to give anything with Angelina Jolie or Jennifer Lopez a bad review.

Yes, I have seen both "Tomb Raider" films.

Have you seen that new one with Ethan Hawke in it? Maybe that should be the test, because it looks horrid.

x-post

yuck

That's fair enough, I guess. There's no point in hoping that there's many truly overlooked films in that format, either. (Introducing Jaccov Jaccovi's The Chaperone... in 70mm!!!)

He probably hates all sports!!!!

OH SNAP!

sports that involve physical activity.

because he's chubby, see?

It's kinda funny.

Well, DUH! It's just that we all want an excuse to mock Roger Ebert.

"I'd birdy that ass" just doesn't work.

it wasnt the fact that he placed leaving las vegas after au hasard balthazar but just the surreality of the juxtaposition

that thing about the little girl is gross

"keep it in your pants dude" would be a good name for a column

http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2004/SHOWBIZ/Movies/05/20/film.ebertincannes.ap/story.ebert.ap.jpg

I approached "Super Size Me" in a very particular frame of mind, because in December 2002, after years of fooling around, I began seriously following the Pritikin program of nutrition and exercise, and have lost about 86 pounds. Full disclosure: Fifteen of those pounds were probably lost as a side effect of surgery and radiation; the others can be accounted for by Pritikin menus and exercise (the 10,000 Step-a-Day Program plus weights two or three times a week). So of course that makes me a True Believer.

The best part is that it now contains ALL of Ebert's reviews and essays going back to the late 60s.

What was it about?

-- miloauckerman (suspectdevic...) (webmail), September 7th, 2004 10:55 AM. (miloauckerman) (later) (link)

she subscribed to yale's new budget distance learning program, obviously

much more than any other chicago film critic, at least

I met him at a party once. He seemed like kind of a dick.

roger ebert can be extraordinarily frustrating. he's so intelligent but he really goes in for big, right-thinking ambitious films even if they suck. well not all the time but too much of the time.

but it's amazing to have a critic of his knowledge and broad-mindedness at a major daily paper--and to be the most visible film critic in america to boot.*

*ok, well there's gene shalit, but wtf. and michael medved, but he's not really a film critic, he's a professional moralizer.

but it's amazing to have a critic of his knowledge and broad-mindedness at a major daily paper--and to be the most visible film critic in america to boot.*

otm

http://archives.cnn.com/2000/fyi/teachers.offcampus/11/30/richard.roeper/story.roeper.jpg
What?!!

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/graphics/roger_home.jpg
You know, light and fancy free! Mothers, lock up your daughters! Roeper is on the town!

http://archives.cnn.com/2000/fyi/teachers.offcampus/11/30/richard.roeper/story.roeper.jpg
Oh! Of course.

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/graphics/roger_home.jpg
Oh, hot dog. Thank you for making my last few moments on earth socially awkward.

One day he'll be quoting Shakespeare, the next day it's all about 'Booty Call.'

!!!

Roger Ebert IS Ben Franklin in "The Constitution", coming to theters in 2006.

all largely bland, middlebrow snoozefests.

OTM. I haven't seen it yet but I'm pretty sure that Kung Fu Hustle (also Columbia) is better than all of those combined.

All of this from the guy who dreamed up scenes of a woman fellating a gun and a transsexual getting decapitated.

My biggest problem with Ebert is that he tends to give four fat stars to all those Oscar bids that I will forget ten minutes after I see them. And yet I have my copy of "Great Movies II" here with me, and it's totally readbale, informative, insightful, and a great resource if you want to see more great movies. He's not always right, but he's a great film critic all the same.

x-post

(Saw Ebert speak with Meyer and most of the cast at a Beyond screening at UCLA back in 1991 -- wonderful evening!)

Well, BVD would obviously win. I think Ebert is great but it's annoying when he gets all highbrow and moralistic considering his past.

Like someone else said, I think Ebert was more directly addressing Schneider's infantile behavior. He's not a good comedian, but some people do like him, and he really needs to just shut up and cash his checks instead of worrying about what critics think. Ebert's just goading him, you see. I think it's really funny.

ebert otm

http://www.efectotabano.com.ar/IMG/hermione.jpg

She really is a beautiful young lady.

see also kirsten dunst in interview with a vampire, natalie portman in the professional, etc. and just like them, in about 4 years, you'll be able to ogle her legally.

or christina ricci, in the case of one guy i know

During the course of "Failure to Launch," characters are bitten by a chipmunk, a dolphin, a lizard and a mockingbird. I am thinking my hardest why this is considered funny, and I confess defeat. Would the movie be twice as funny if the characters had also been bitten by a Chihuahua, a naked mole rat and a donkey? I was bitten by a donkey once. It was during a visit to Stanley Kubrick's farm, outside London. I was the guest of the gracious Christiane Kubrick, who took me on a stroll and showed me the field where she cares for playground donkeys after their retirement. I rested my hand on the fence, and a donkey bit me. "Stop that!" I said, and the donkey did.

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060330/REVIEWS/60323008

McTiernan is the highest-profile figure yet named in the probe of Pellicano, who denies wrongdoing.

Asked by the judge if the statements he made to the FBI agent were false, McTiernan said, "They were knowingly false, your honor."

McTiernan described getting a phone call at his home on Feb. 13 from a person identifying himself as an FBI agent.

He was asked questions about Pellicano, and he said he "denied that Pellicano ever discussed his wire taping ability. He asked me if I had hired him in any other area, and I said, 'No I didn't.'"

Actually, McTiernan added, "I had hired Anthony Pellicano to wiretap Charles Roven in the summer of 2000. ... But I never received a report or specific information."

Roven worked with McTiernan on the 2002 box-office flop "Rollerball." Roven was a producer and McTiernan directed and produced the film.

McTiernan said he paid Pellicano $50,000 for the illegal wiretap, and in the end, "I paid him off and fired him."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan Saunders asked the judge to seal the plea agreement documents, and he refused to answer questions outside court about whether the government had agreed to make a recommendation for leniency in sentencing.

The judge scheduled sentencing for July 31 and allowed McTiernan to remain free on bond. The charge to which the director pleaded carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

McTiernan is among an array of people charged in connection with Pellicano, 62, who is accused of bugging phones and bribing police to get information on celebrities and others. He has pleaded not guilty.

Allegations against Pellicano include tapping the phone of actor Sylvester Stallone and having police run the names of comedians Garry Shandling and Kevin Nealon through a government database.

lmao

the general public?

The TV archive is up! Here's one of my favorite disses from the Siskel (or better still, the Golden) era: Masterminds

yay live chat:

Moderator:
Welcome to AttheMoviestv.com! Thank you for joining us. Roger Ebert will begin answering your questions shortly!
• • •

Roger Ebert:
Hi, this is Roger, and I'm online now. I'll start answering in about...let's see...eight minutes. To increase speed, I don't think I'll worry too much about typos.
• • •

Roger Ebert:
Seven minutes. I feel like Mission Control.
• • •

Roger Ebert:
No, I have not been drinking before my launch. :)
• • •

Roger Ebert:
Six...five...four and a half...
• • •

Roger Ebert:
Why do we have to wait until 7, anyway?
• • •

Roger Ebert:
three...
• • •

Roger Ebert:
Two...this is driving me crazy...
• • •
Ben:
what was your opinion of Children Of Men? It was my favorite movie of 2006, and I'm wondering if you got a chance to see it.

Roger Ebert:
yes, I've seen it. I'm gradually going back and picking up some of the movies I missed, and I have a feeling it might be a Great Movie on my website
• • •
Joseph:
Have you picked a high definition format of choice for viewing at home (i.e. Blu-ray or HD-DVD) or do you actually have old film reels being projected?

Roger Ebert:
I haven't jumped either way. DVDs look great on my high-def projector. I'm waiting to see which format wins.
• • •
Bennett:
Mr. Ebert, In 1999, Dean Goodhill invented Maxivison, which you said was 4 times better than the current projected image. Does the fact, that 8 years later Maxivison gone nowhere mean that the studios believe that the theater is becoming obsolete in favor of home video and it's not worth the money to upgrade to Maxivision? Thank you and keep up the outstanding work you do.

Roger Ebert:
Goodhill informs me his system is still very viable, especially since IMAX is coining money and no system in existence is remotelyas good as Maxivision. Investors are still interested. If you ever saw it in a theater you'd go bananas. Spielberg or Lucas should four-wall one of their epics using it.
• • •
Henrick:
What motion picture inspired you to become a film critic and why did you decide to become one? (you are the best Mr. Ebert, God bless you and I hope you heal well and return to the balcony)

Roger Ebert:
"Citizen Kane" was the movie that made me aware, as a teenager, that movies didn't make themselves, but were DIRECTED. Then at our local art theater i started going to Bergman, Fellini, etc.
• • •
Chris:
Has anyone that you know personally ever been mad about a negative review of a film that they were a part of, or has knowing someone personally ever swayed a review?

Roger Ebert:
I'm glqd I live in Chi so I don't know a lot of the movie people well. It is hard to pan a friend, but I do it. The great Robert Altman once asked me, "If you never gave me a bad review, what would a good review mean?"
• • •
LOREN:
Roger, you're my heor since our days at the U of I. Did you review TOM JONES for the Daily Illini?

Roger Ebert:
Nope. But I saw it at the old Co-Ed. The chicken eating scene! Smack!
• • •

Roger Ebert:
I HAVE THE SAME OBJECTION TO HOW ROSSELLINI WAS TREATED (AND DO DOES SHE, JUDGING BY HER AUTOBIOGRAPHY). BUT LYNCH IS A GOOD DIRECTOR AND I SHOULD RE-VISIT THE FILM. OOPS, SORRY FOR CAPS.
• • •
Charlie:
Still have the same thoughts on Blue Velvet 21 years later?

Roger Ebert:
I still feel badly about how Rossellini wqs treated (and so does she, judging by her autobiography). But Lynch is a good director and I should re-visit the film.
• • •
Joseph:
If it were possible to live in a world where the written word was paramount, would you forgo a thumbs up and star rating?

Roger Ebert:
Yes. Or lacking that, I'd like a five-star or horizontal thumb system where you could have a true middle position, which is really where I am some of the time.
• • •
Justin:
As someone who has given Quetin Tarantino four stars for almost all of his films, what were your thoughts on "Grindhouse?"

Roger Ebert:
I thought his half was better than the other, and want to see the director's cut.
• • •
JK:
Did you ever read a movie review in which the critic made some valid and interesting point that you missed completely in your own experience of the same movie? In other words, where you ever WOWed by someone else's criticism?

Roger Ebert:
One critic I often bow to is Stanley Kauffmann of The New Republic. But yes, any good critic can see something one missed, and vice-versa.
• • •
Dane :
(1) Why do you think that there are not as many positions open for future film critics as there are, say, sports writers?
(2) What is the biggest obstacle between the casaul movie goer who wants really good movies, and a film critic?

Roger Ebert:
1. Sports writers cover local teams. Movie critics cover national releases. But I bemoan the newspapers that are pinching pennies by firing criics. A local voice is important. 2. If they want really good movies, none.
• • •
Katy:
What was the most satisfying review you ever wrote and why?

Roger Ebert:
Maybe "Bonnie and Clyde," because it got such horrible opening reviews and I thought it was a masterpiece. Or "2001," where I wrote my review the same night as the sneak preview, and was *right* when so many reviews were wrong-headed.
• • •
Karen:
What was the most difficult movie for you to review?

Roger Ebert:
"Birth of a Nation." See my struggle with it on my website in the Great Movies section.
• • •
Omar:
Which director do you like better: Francis Ford Coppola or Martin Scorsese?

Roger Ebert:
Do you prefer apples, or peaches?
• • •
Nick:
Is there any up and coming director or actor that you think has a big future ahead of him/her?

Roger Ebert:
I think the New Mexican Cinema is on fire right now. Cuaron, Inarrituz, del Toro, excuse my spelling live online. And...Ashley Judd is not "up and coming," but in her recent films has shown amazing greatness. Rent "Come Early Morning."
• • •
Chris:
Why on earth would anyone want to watch a subtitled movie??? Especially if its in a theatre were you cannot go back if you missed anything. This is a no brainer, sure they may be good movies,but I want to watch the actors ACT , if I am constantly reading to keep up with the movie I miss seeing the film , this is what books are for.Then there is the problem of not being able to read whats on the screen when it is against a white background,Yellow should be the default colour not white. This is my big point how can you review a movie if you can not watch the expressions on the faces etc. of all the actors.

Roger Ebert:
Because you don't just WATCH actors act, you HEAR them. Why rob an actor of his or her instrument? Dubbed movies sound phoned in on amateur night. And many of the best films are foreign, so don't deprive yourself. Also, don't tell a lot of people you won't go to subtitled movies. They may leap to assumptions.
• • •
Rich:
How do you feel about Beyond the Valley of the Dolls after all these years?

Roger Ebert:
For what it is, it is kind of amazing. It still plays like gangbusters, and is one of the few big studio satires. I've written about it on my website.
• • •
John:
When you see the reviews you did with Gene now, what thoughts do you have?

Roger Ebert:
Nostalgia. We had so much fun. I miss Roeper, too, but I shouldn't complain after being able to sit in that wonderful chair for more than 30 years. Those were the days, my friend.
• • •
Matt:
What's the most memorable on-air fight you ever had with Gene?

Roger Ebert:
Maybe over "Apocalypse Now." Even more memorable were the off-air fights.
• • •
Don:
Roger, You have long championed a new A Rating for intelligent, sophisticated movies aimed at adults. But would a new Rating really change things or just be banned from newspapers ads as well as most theaters, the same as happened the NC-17 Rating before?

Roger Ebert:
The A would come BETWEEN the R and NC-17, signaling adult not NOT hard-core pornographic content. It would remove the stigma of hard-core and broaden the margins for true adult films. Jack Valenti once asked me, "How can you tell if a film is hard core?" I asked him if he really didn't know, and to his credit he laughed.
• • •
Brian:
Hi Roger - Do you ever feel that the television format limits your ability to fully convey your opinion of a film? Your written reviews have so much more depth than what you're able to say in a minute or two on screen.

Roger Ebert:
They are different mediums for different purposes. It's great to be able to show scenes from a movie and discuss them. It's a best of both worlds choice.
• • •
Lana:
Why do most date movies receive bad reviews from critics?

Roger Ebert:
I'd argue that only the bad ones do. On the other hand, some dating couples actually prefer a film they don't have to pay too much attention to...I like date movies like "Tully," "Come Early Morning," "Becoming Jane," etc.
• • •
Kent:
Hi Roger- If you had to see Bourne Ultimatum or Hot Rod this weekend, which would it be?

Roger Ebert:
Two good movies for different moods. What are you looking for? Action or laughs?
• • •
Neil:
Having just lost Ingmar Bergman, can you talk a little about his influence on American audiences and the subsequent young turk filmmakers of the early 60's?

Roger Ebert:
On rogrebert.com, I have tributes from then-young turks like Gregory Nava and David Mamet who speak eloquently of his influence on them.
• • •
dkk:
I just saw your review of Hoop Dreams for the first time. Reflections on it all these years later?

Roger Ebert:
One of the best docs of all time. Astonishing, how it unfolds and climaxes like fiction! I've seen it so many times.
• • •
Rolmos:
What is your opinion on the new Asian cinema, especially the Korean industry?

Roger Ebert:
The Koreans are on a roll right now, although the films are sometimes hard to fine. Have you seen "The Isle" (ouch!), "Audition" or "Old Boy?"
• • •
ash:
would you please help me understand why you thought "Bug" with Ashley Judd was such a good movie. I felt it was an incredible waste of time. Thank you.

Roger Ebert:
I reviewed it on my website and tried to explain why, along with an interview with Friedkin, who I thought found rediscovered the fire of his youth.
• • •
Russell:
First of all, I would like to say that I recently purchased "Your Movie Sucks" and I have to say that I find it to be a very interesting read. But my question is: do you ever read some of the comments on movie website forums, like IMDB or Rottentomatoes? If so, have you ever considered posting at one of those sites? Thank you for your time and a speedy recovery!

Roger Ebert:
I visit both sites all the time, but much more for info than opinion. I like to write with a relatively uncluttered mind. Also, many or even most of my reviews are written before any comments are posted (except possibly by publicists...have you noticed how the "Simpson's Movie" was as high as #33 on IMDB's all-time top 250 BEFORE it opened, and is currently at #116?)
• • •
Lori:
Are there plans for any further Ebert and Roeper Film Festivals at Sea on the Disney Cruise Line?

Roger Ebert:
Richard and I both are very enthusiastic about doing one, maybe in the spring. If I can't talk by then, I'll wink and make interesting signals with the ship's flags.
• • •
Jared:
Are there any television programs you watch religiously?

Roger Ebert:
I never miss Ebert & Roeper, which continues to be a must-view for me. You didn't ask, but I think it's TERRIFIC that 5,000 reviews are now online, including THIS WEEK'S! I don't know what it cost Disney to digitize more than 1,000 shows, but cinematical.com was just enthusing that they're FREE!
• • •
Matt:
Why did you decide to stay in Chicago and not move to Hollywood or New York?

Roger Ebert:
Chicago is America's largest habitable city.
• • •
Andrew:
There's a story I heard about you visiting Russ Meyer in the hospital. Since he was suffering from Alzheimer's, he didn't remember you but was still able to point out to you how buxom the nurse was. Is this a true anecdote?

Roger Ebert:
It happened in his home, where he had skilled care. The nurse was not buxom. He didn't know who I was or he was, but he noticed that. Some things must be hard-wired in the brain.
• • •
Andrew:
Do you and your wife tend to like the same types of films? And if now, who has better taste??

Roger Ebert:
Chaz loves movies and knows all about them. More often than not we agree, which shows what good taste we both have.
• • •
Andrew:
Do you and your wife tend to like the same types of films? And if now, who has better taste??

Moderator:
We're going to extend the live chat with Roger Ebert until 8:15 Central time. Keep those questions coming!
• • •
Miriam:
Mr. Ebert, you always say that "Say Anything" is one of your favorite teenage comedies of all time. Have any other teenage comedies taken its place so far?

Roger Ebert:
Not "taken its place," but I liked "Welcome to the Dollhouse," "Election," "Clueless," the re-cut "Donnie Darko" and the new "Rocket Science." I'm probably forgetting a lot.
• • •
Mark:
Who was your favorite person to interview? Why?

Roger Ebert:
Robert Mitchum, hands down. He was like watching performance art.

Saul:
Are there any great novels you've read, that you feel would work well as films, that haven't been adapted yet?

Roger Ebert:
"A Fine Balance," by Rohinton Mistry, "The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay," by Michael Chabon, "The Quincunx," by Charles Palliser, Dave Eggers' "Work of Unspeakable Genius' (I always get the title wrong), any of Simenon's non-Maigret novels.
• • •
Jared:
In one word how would you describe your time with Siskel and in another your time with Roeper? How would you compare the two.
And why do you think it is important to launch these old episodes of your classic show?
Thanks

Roger Ebert:
(1) Tempestuous. (2) Productive. I think the episodes keep alive reviews IN THE MOMENT, with all the freshness of what was almost live TV.
• • •
Jared:
In one word how would you describe your time with Siskel and in another your time with Roeper? How would you compare the two.
And why do you think it is important to launch these old episodes of your classic show?
Thanks

Roger Ebert:
(1) Tempestuous. (2) Productive. I think the episodes keep alive reviews IN THE MOMENT, with all the freshness of what was almost live TV.
• • •
Mark:
A thought crossed my mind about what would happen if Hollywood remade Citizen Kane. If there really was a mainstream Hollywood remake of Citizen Kane, do you think legions of movie-goers would rise up against the studio producing it or would nobody care?

Roger Ebert:
You could remake the story but not the film. "Kane" is great because of how it is great. Today's audiences would be indifferent, and "Kane" lovers would be outraged.
• • •
Keith:
What is your feeling about the new genre of horror films like Hostel and Captivity which they call "torture porn" or "gorenography"? Is it just that the studio's feel the audience has to be shocked instead of scared or is it the fact that torture is so in the news now that if we actually see it, we may think differently about using that as a tactic?

Roger Ebert:
Some disgust me. Some can be very good. The subject matter isn't the determining factor--it's the purpose and style and artistry.
• • •
Bobby:
If someone made a film about you, who would you want to play you?

Roger Ebert:
Brad Pi...excuse me, Philip Seymour Hoffman.
• • •
Dylan:
In regards to the "games as art" discussion, you wrote "Art seeks to lead you to an inevitable conclusion". Do you feel that an film with an ambiguous ending, or one in which you cannot tell the intention of its maker, is not art, regardless of any other artistic qualities it may have?

Roger Ebert:
No. "Cache" and "L'Avventura" and countless other great films (even "Citizen Kane") had ambiguous endings. Ambiguity can be an inevitable conclusion
• • •
Deb:
Who actually came up with the "Thumbs Up" idea?

Roger Ebert:
Me.
• • •
Geoff :
Who's amazing idea was it for putting 5,000 reviews online? Thank you, i don't have to search through old video tapes.

Roger Ebert:
We have to thank Janice and Gwynne and Sal and David in Burbank, Don and David here, and for that matter, Richard, Gene and I, who all wanted them online. Disney stepped up to the plate. I think IMHO it's one of the most remarkable free resources on the web. And with that...well, we're 15 minutes over, but I have enjoyed this so much I INSIST on doing it again. Now go see a good movie.
• • •
Geoff :
Who's amazing idea was it for putting 5,000 reviews online? Thank you, i don't have to search through old video tapes.

Moderator:
That's it for tonight... Thanks for joining in for the live chat with Roger Ebert! Keep searching through the archives and enjoy the show!

thanks for posting that

he's totally OTM about dave eggers' book making a good movie

I don't think Ebert gets Donnie Darko.

lol

Q. You wrote of Ellen Page: "I have seen her in only two films." Rather, you have seen her in three: "Juno," "Hard Candy" and "X-Men 3," in which she played the role of Kitty Pryde, the girl who got chased through walls by the Juggernaut.
Jacob Pease, Charlottesville, Va.

A. She was up to a lot of shenanigans in that movie!

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/graphics/roger_home.jpg
Roeper, do you realize if I had died, there would be no one to carry on my legacy. Due to my hectic schedule and lethargic sperm, I never fathered an heir. Now I have no one to leave my show to. No one.

http://archives.cnn.com/2000/fyi/teachers.offcampus/11/30/richard.roeper/story.roeper.jpg
Ahem --

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/graphics/roger_home.jpg
You, Roeper? Oh no, my dear friend. I've planned a far greater reward for you. When I pass on, you shall be buried alive with me.

Oh...goody.

The best clip from Siskel & Ebert I saw on their site was when they got bitchy about The Shadow vs. Baby's Day Out. Can you guess which liked which?

Gene Siskel is a person I hate myself for having taking him for granted while he was alive, which is exactly how I'm feeling about Murderdogger right now.

RIP

The best clip from Siskel & Ebert I saw on their site was when they got bitchy about The Shadow vs. Baby's Day Out. Can you guess which liked which?

-- da croupier, Friday, December 28, 2007 3:02 PM (12 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

siskel - the shadow, ebert - babys day out?

rong!

you must remember Ebert can't think of 10 movies made in the 90s better than Dark City.

hahahaha

i was imagining an ebert review of babys day out praising its 'surprising warmth' or something

Siskel thought kids would love it, that it was whimsical blah blah and ebert got huffy, saying that those were the SAME REASONS he liked the shadow so why did Gene give him so much shit when he said he liked it and siskel says "what so i'm not allowed to have a different opinion than you?" and eventually they agreed to disagree.

I'm not even sure either movie is out on DVD, maybe they should put the Shadow in the Overlooked Film Festival.

actually, both are available for 9.99! decide for yourself which was in the right.

I watched The Shadow the other day and was kind of shocked at just how cheap and campy it is, way more than I even remembered. Ebert probably defended it in the same way he did with Beowulf.

Kevin Smith should stop making movies and just replace Ebert on the show. They're both fat sci-fi geeks who can make a half-decent barb and are prone to overpraising mawkish crap.

uh

what we hate is what we hate about ourselves

ebert would probably (in a written review) praise baby's day out by saying something like "This is a story about parenting--about how the most painful thing about it can be learning when to let go. To let Baby have his day out."

ha!

what we hate is what we hate about ourselves

i am not nor have ever been a sci-fi geek, though I once did share their kinship for the ouvre of Cameron Crowe.

'I would love to have been a fly on the wall during the production of Baby's Day Out...'

"Do you remember your first Day Out? Mine was in Paris, studying there in 1972. I would spend my days at tiny Left Bank cinemas--admiring the French appreciation for the Golden Age of American cinema, and, of course, the women, who seemed as foreign to me as an exotic alien species. My first Day Out was on a rainy January afternoon in St-Germain-des-Près, after a screening of Howard Hawks' great 'Red River.'"

"It's not what entails this Baby's Day Out that makes it so enticing -- it's how it's about it. "Slow down, kid, before you hurt yourself!" says one of the crooks in this film, and it's advice even grown-ups like us could stand to appreciate."

"And so I've come to the end of this review without talking much about the movie. That's just as well. To really appreciate A Baby's Day Out, one must go beyond the margins of a newspaper or the frame of a computer."

"If the action is inspired by cartoons, the three kidnappers are inspired by the Three Stooges. They're not really evil, of course, simply stupid and incompetent, as they allow the kid to crawl out of captivity and then somehow can't recapture him even though he's usually in sight."

is that the movie about babies that are geniuses?

no, that's Brilliant Babies

it's the post-home alone john hughes movie, right?

His actual review of Baby's Day Out in full (slocki just quoted it)

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19940701/REVIEWS/407010301/1023

One of the worst sequences in "Baby's Day Out" involves Mantegna hiding the kid under a coat on his lap, while two cops question him. Baby Bink finds Mantegna's lighter, snaps it on, and sets his crotch on fire. The hidden fire lasts forever, it seems, while Mantegna's face tries to mask the pain. Then the cops leave, Mantegna leaps up, his pants burst into flame, and one of his pals saves him by stamping out the fire - grinding his heel into the burning crotch, of course. The sequence was agonizing, but I didn't think it was funny.

one of the few scenes in the film I even remember

i wanted to see if anyone would notice

Baby's Day Out stars a remarkable infant who keeps his composure in the center of chaos. Other child actors might mug to get a point across, but this Baby remains safe, observant and collected. To see him on screen, surrounded by such a glorious mess, is the essence of filmgoing.

I'll pretty much watch any shitty comedy where a successful character actor has their crotch pulverized, Chazz P in Little Man is a similar example.

Donal Logue has said that the closest he ever came to quitting acting was when he did a 3 Ninjas movie and the director's translator said his reaction to a kick to the groin wasn't belabored enough. "Not OW! Go OWOWOWOWOWOWOW!"

the idea of a world without the tao of steve is just... i dont want to think about it.

he was good in your precious zodiac

Juno is a film of such transcendent miracles that I half-expected the title character's child to pop out and perform the sort of majestic feats witnessed in Baby's Day Out.

I vaguely remember Siskel and Ebert's bitter internecine war over the merits of Cop and a Half.

What was it about kids' movies that got them going? I remember that one of the biggest fights I've ever seen them get into was over Alaska.

Kevin Smith should stop making movies and just replace Ebert on the show. They're both fat sci-fi geeks who can make a half-decent barb and are prone to overpraising mawkish crap.

he was good in your precious zodiac

-- da croupier, Friday, December 28, 2007 4:01 PM (5 hours ago) Bookmark Link

are you trying to sound like dr morbius?

kinda

Da. Morbier

i kind of like how the grumpy old man-ness has increased in ebert's reviews

The two meet at a club, when Norah needs Nick to pose as her boyfriend to make her ex-boyfriend jealous. He is named Tal (Jay Baruchel). My first Chicago girlfriend was named Tal, which is Hebrew for "the morning dew." I don't think he knows that.

Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist is a comedy about two people thrust together for one hilarious, sleepless night of adventure in a world of mix tapes, late-night living, and, live, loud music. Nick (Michael Cera) frequents New York's indie rock scene nursing a broken heart and a vague ability to play the bass. Norah (Kat Dennings) is questioning pretty much all of her assumptions about the world. Though they have nothing in common except for their taste in music, their chance encounter leads to an all-night quest to find a legendary band's secret show and ends up becoming the first date in a romance that could change both their lives.

(not Ebert, Sony Pictures synopsis)

I'm kind of irritated they stole the names from the Thin Man for this stupid looking movie.

technically they stole the name for the book

I'm sorta hoping that Cera will develop Powell-esque gravitas and wit, though.

(xpost)

"technically they stole the name for the book"

I don't understand what you are saying here.

names, not name

Nick and Norah's was a teen novel before it was a movie.

the movie is based on a novel

x-post

Oh I get it (I thought you were saying Hammett stole the names and I was wondering from where?)

i always wanna call it nick and nolte's infinite playlist

I'd totally see Nick Nolte's Infinite Playlist.

it is a one minute loop of painful deep-toned caterwauling

I fear that when the poor man kicks the bucket, this will be the thread that ILX announces it on.

http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2008/12/win_ben_steins_mind.html

absolutely unrelentingly brutal, verging on cruel in its asymmetry! nonetheless deserved.

Roger Ebert
I submit to you that when it comes to smiles, Joey Lauren Adams is right up there with Kerry Washington and Marisa Tomei.

I'm aving a lot of health troubles that are keeping me from doing work and functioning online. Best person to contact is Chaz. Not in best of shape.

:(

"In the film the world of 2018 (referred to in the tagline as 'the not too distant future') is a global corporate state, containing entities such as the Energy Corporation, a global energy monopoly based in Houston, which deals with nominally peer corporations controlling access to all transport, luxury, housing, communication, and food on a global basis."

oh

soylent green is set in 2022 just fyi