The Criterion Collection

[Scottie]

Roger Ebert was JUST on the news last night. I can't believe it.

[BohemianGraham]

Originally Posted by bluesilo

But I've had the DVD of Army since its come out and I have never sat down and watched it. Out of the three that is the one I'd most likely part with.

Sell the DVD copy then. Keep the Blu-ray. The DVD will still fetch a high price.

Also, Ebert is dead? I also disagreed with him frequently, and would often say he had no business reviewing films because he co-wrote Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (guilty pleasure, but for him to shit on films that shall currently remain nameless after writing that one, it's a bit hypocritical ), but still, he's definitely passionate about film. I'm going to miss his reviews.

[Fellini912]

Originally Posted by bluesilo

RIP Roger Ebert http://todayentertainment.today.com/...ies-at-70?lite

Thank you for the post.

Back in college I started to dig deeper in the film classics. I soon found out that Ebert's The Great Movies book was the best source of guidance. The way he wrote his essays (which included other art forms such as literature to compare films) showed that he was very educated thoughtful critic. He truly loved films.

I had hopes to meet him some day.

RIP Roger Ebert.

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by BohemianGraham

Also, Ebert is dead? I also disagreed with him frequently, and would often say he had no business reviewing films because he co-wrote Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (guilty pleasure, but for him to shit on films that shall currently remain nameless after writing that one, it's a bit hypocritical ), (

Actually, Russ Meyer hired Ebert for the Beyond script, after Ebert had written some essays defending Meyer's cult-director style.
It wasn't as if Roger sat down and realized his dream of writing a softcore epic (as most detractors seem to believe ), he was just doing his own pastiche of Russ's style, and remarked later that "Meyer had no idea how to work with scriptwriters--He thought you pay a scriptwriter to sit down in front of a typewriter, and later, a script comes out."

[ShellOilJunior]

Roger Ebert leaves us with a treasure of writings on film. I remember his weekly show with Richard Roeper. Those two reviewing bad films was almost as good as them talking about great films.

It's sad he lost his speech in his later years but was still a productive critic. I think it may take some time to hit home about how much we'll be missing with his passing.

Roger Ebert RIP

[The Great Owl]

I feel as thought I've been punched in the stomach.

I've enjoyed Roger Ebert's reviews since childhood, when I used to watch Siskel and Ebert: At the Movies. I have been visiting Roger Ebert's website on a weekly basis to read his reviews for many years now. I did not always see eye-to-eye with his reviews, but I loved his down-to-Earth perspective and his writing style.

Roger Ebert's Great Movies list inspired me to investigate a great many films that are now favorites of mine (and favorite Criterion titles of mine!). He acknowledged the brilliance of Melville's Le Samouraï by including it in his Great Movies list, and that was actually one of the reasons why I made a blind-buy of that DVD when it was released.

Oh man...

So long, Roger Ebert.

[drbikeshorts]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Watch it before you decide to sell it. It's one of my favorite movies, and my favorite film currently out on Blu-ray (although Le Cercle Rouge and Casino Royale both come close). It's worth keeping, in my opinion.

Is it even possible to exaggerate how great Army of Shadows is?
Amazing film.

[metaridley]

Thanks a lot for making the Criterion thread a lot more depressing today, guys. I'm saddened by the news too but why don't you do what I did and take it to the "RIP Roger Ebert" thread in the Hollywood and Celebrities sub forum? So far only The Great Owl has managed to tenuously tie his death to a Criterion discussion anyways.

[drbikeshorts]

Originally Posted by bluesilo

But I've had the DVD of Army since its come out and I have never sat down and watched it. Out of the three that is the one I'd most likely part with.

To watch it is to love it.

[metaridley]

Originally Posted by drbikeshorts

Is it even possible to exaggerate how great Army of Shadows is?
Amazing film.

I would watch Army of Shadows but the plot doesn't interest me. Oh, well. Maybe some day.

[metaridley]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

Just this morning, in fact, I was reading his one-star review of the Evil Dead remake and laughing out loud at some of his witticisms.

That was written by Richard Roeper, not Roger Ebert.

[ShellOilJunior]

I'll never forget emailing him several years ago and he was kind enough to reply.

I was browsing his Great Movies section and had asked him when we could expect a Great Movies piece on ACE IN THE HOLE. He said "very soon". Sure enough the article was out within a few days!

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by metaridley

That was written by Richard Roeper, not Roger Ebert.

Argh. I assumed so since it was on his website, but you're right. The internet and I are a poor match. The writing styles of the two are uncannily comparable.

[Fellini912]

Originally Posted by metaridley

Thanks a lot for making the Criterion thread a lot more depressing today, guys. I'm saddened by the news too but why don't you do what I did and take it to the "RIP Roger Ebert" thread in the Hollywood and Celebrities sub forum? So far only The Great Owl has managed to tenuously tie his death to a Criterion discussion anyways.

All these "pseudo-moderators" keep popping up, with a false sense of entitlement. It's getting old pretty fast.

[Arkadin]

also very sad about the death of RE.
I remember watching Siskel and Ebert on wgn way before they became "stars" and thought it was just the coolest show. It was so terrible when Siskel died, and I feel even worse today. I used Ebert's "Great Movies" books as one of my first resources when I began seriously trying to collect great cinema on dvd, and became determined to get every single film in all 3 volumes. I still highlight the title in its respective volume when I acquire a new one.
RIP Roger Ebert--movie fans will never forget you.

[jrsl76]

Originally Posted by ShellOilJunior

I'll never forget emailing him several years ago and he was kind enough to reply.

I was browsing his Great Movies section and had asked him when we could expect a Great Movies piece on ACE IN THE HOLE. He said "very soon". Sure enough the article was out within a few days!

That's cool. I will treasure my one connection to him. When Eyes Wide Shut came out, I wrote to him about the censorship and was published in his column with his response. He kind of took what I wrote and molded it to what he had to say, but it was still pretty great to get a response.

[The Great Owl]

I hope that Ebert's Great Movies links on the website stay in place in some form or fashion, so that they can continue to steer viewers like me in the direction of some of the better Criterion titles and such. He is spot-on in some many of those reviews, and the Great Movies are an excellent source of information for a number of Criterion films.

I love searching back on the website and reading Ebert's reviews from the late 1960s that are still archived there. His review of another one of my favorite films, Planet of the Apes (1968), is a trip.


By the way, I'm about to go to sleep early and I'm going to be offline for several days for an out-of-town trip, so continue enjoying good movies, y'all!

[Abdrewes]

This is sort of CC related,

Eberts scathing review of Criterion's very own Armageddon may be the funniest piece I've ever read by him.

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/...807010301/1023

[Fellini912]

Originally Posted by Arkadin

also very sad about the death of RE.
I remember watching Siskel and Ebert on wgn way before they became "stars" and thought it was just the coolest show. It was so terrible when Siskel died, and I feel even worse today. I used Ebert's "Great Movies" books as one of my first resources when I began seriously trying to collect great cinema on dvd, and became determined to get every single film in all 3 volumes. I still highlight the title in its respective volume when I acquire a new one.
RIP Roger Ebert--movie fans will never forget you.

I had the same experience. If it was not for criterion thread, I would have not known of his death. "Great Movies" books will be his legacy. I believe he loved writing about classic films more than anything.

I would not of known about criterion, if it was not for Mr. Ebert's great essays on classic films. I am glad I am not the only one that shares that experience.

Like I mentioned before, if someone does not like a topic or post, they can easily ignore the post. Only true moderators should moderate. As simple as that.

[Abdrewes]

^^^
There are plenty of Criterion titles in his Great films series so talking about him is fine, there's also a

[Show spoiler]Four Star review of Inglorious Basterds