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 I just got back from seeing this; it was alternately heartwarming and heart-wrenching. The rehab scenes were absolutely brutal, but all the clips and stories, especially ones that included Siskel, were so bittersweet. I really just need to discuss it with people. Here's the trailer: https://vimeo.com/95514817 Go here to find a theater. e: fff I forgot to change the thread icon, apologies to Roger for insulting his legacy with a poo poo post 
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Jul 13, 2014 23:01
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 20:55 |
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I am still too upset about his death to watch this.
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Jul 16, 2014 09:54
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The voice actor they got to narrate passages from his book (Stephen Stanton) freaked me out for real.
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Jul 16, 2014 12:57
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Cool Cherry Cream posted:I am still too upset about his death to watch this. Then definitely don't watch it. The film was made when he was near the end so a large portion of it focuses heavily on the very depressing time just leading up to his death. There is a scene where he goes home and is frustratedly unable to communicate about how to navigate stairs. There is a scene where you hear the letter he wrote to a conference he attended every year, explaining that he was too sick to attend and knew that he would never be returning. It's not an uplifting movie, and in fact it's quite punishing, moreso if you were a fan. It has moments though, like Werner Herzog being Werner Herzog or Ebert admitting he worked with Russ Meyer "for the tits". EDIT -- I don't know if it's necessary to spoiler known facts about his life and death, but I'll err on the side of caution.
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Jul 16, 2014 14:43
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I disgree. I found the movie uplifting in the face of death and illness. He suffered at the end, but he never wanted pity. As Herzog said so beautifull, he soldiered on. Most of the film is about his life and career. It's only at the end that they discuss the illness and the last phase of his life. But even in his death they find light. I found the ending sequence, after his funeral, to be Fellini-esque, akin to a shortened version of the ending to 8 1/2. We should celebrate life and appreciate that we have it. I think it's very much a film that lives up to its title.
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Jul 16, 2014 17:41
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robix smash posted:The voice actor they got to narrate passages from his book (Stephen Stanton) freaked me out for real. Agreed. I thought at first that Ebert had somehow recorded an audio version of his book before his cancer surgeries, and they were using those for the narration. The hard-cut to Herzog after they mention him to Ebert was really funny, but watching this movie was sad as hell. I definitely was tearing up near the end when his wife was discussing the last few minutes of Roger's life. Great movie, however.
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Jul 16, 2014 19:34
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TrixRabbi posted:We should celebrate life and appreciate that we have it. I read this as "We should celebrate life and appreciate that we have tits." and now I'm disappointed this isn't the tagline of the movie.
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Jul 16, 2014 20:33
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I haven't cried so much at a movie in a long long time. Eberts death just hit me so much harder than any celebrity death ever. I really underestimated how much the man meant to me. His reviews, archived in an old Microsoft program called Cinemania 97, were a big part of my learning to appreciate film as a kid.
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Jul 27, 2014 04:17
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 20:55 |
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So I just saw this. I guess I was a fan of Ebert. Like most good critics, I didn't always agree with him but he had the ability to highlight things that I hadn't considered and made some compelling arguments which forced me to re-evaluate my position on certain films. He was probably one of two critics I'll seek the opinion of when choosing a film to watch. What I liked about this film is that, even though it's a beautiful tribute to a pretty iconic guy, it didn't really shy away from suggesting he was a bit of a dick. Don't get me wrong. I seriously think Ebert was an amazing guy and he seems like a bunch of fun. But he is rightly presented as a flawed character. The whole relationship between him and Siskel highlights this. There's a lot of speculation about their rivalry(some of which I'm not 100% convinced of) but its obvious that their competitiveness presented an ugly streak in both guys. It reminded me of some long friendships I've had and how after time people can bring out the worst of each other. He was such a strong character, warts and all. As for the film, there really isn't much to say. I've seen Hoops Dreams and The Interrupters but there isn't much of a comparison here. It's quite by the numbers but it is edited well and shows some pretty interesting stuff, especially if you're familiar with Ebert. I think Roger would have hated this out of personal embarrassment but probably would've really enjoyed this if this was someone elses story. You should watch this if you're even vaguely familiar with Ebert.
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Aug 4, 2014 01:34
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