Your Movie Sucks

Book Description

From Roger's review of Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo (0 stars): "The movie created a spot of controversy in February 2005. According to a story by Larry Carroll of MTV News, Rob Schneider took offense when Patrick Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times listed this year's Best Picture nominees and wrote that they were 'ignored, unloved, and turned down flat by most of the same studios that . . . bankroll hundreds of sequels, including a follow-up to Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, a film that was sadly overlooked at Oscar time because apparently nobody had the foresight to invent a category for Best Running Penis Joke Delivered by a Third-Rate Comic.'

"Schneider retaliated by attacking Goldstein in full-page ads in Daily Variety and the Hollywood Reporter. In an open letter to Goldstein, Schneider wrote: 'Well, Mr. Goldstein, I decided to do some research to find out what awards you have won. I went online and found that you have won nothing. Absolutely nothing. No journalistic awards of any kind. . . . Maybe you didn't win a Pulitzer Prize because they haven't invented a category for Best Third-Rate, Unfunny Pompous Reporter Who's Never Been Acknowledged by His Peers. . . .'

"Schneider was nominated for a 2000 Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actor, but lost to Jar-Jar Binks. But Schneider is correct, and Patrick Goldstein has not yet won a Pulitzer Prize. Therefore, Goldstein is not qualified to complain that Columbia financed Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo while passing on the opportunity to participate in Million Dollar Baby, Ray, The Aviator, Sideways, and Finding Neverland. As chance would have it, I have won the Pulitzer Prize, and so I am qualified. Speaking in my official capacity as a Pulitzer Prize winner, Mr. Schneider, your movie sucks."

Customer Reviews:

Great Popcorn Book.......2007-09-14

I've always been on the fence about Ebert, but this book does a lot to improve my opinions on his work. His writing skills are unquestionably good, remarkable given that this book is made up of films that are not even worth seeing, much less writing about. His ability to express his feelings about a film in words is masterful.

If you love movie criticism in general, then this is a great book, but if you love to read negative movie reviews, then it is a must-have. Each review is given at least a couple of pages, and nearly all contain a good, hearty laugh. The only questionable part is that Ebert does love to include spoilers, but these films are so terrible that you would not want to see them anyway. So it kind of works out: rather than seeing the film you can just read Ebert's review, find out what exactly happens, and laugh away as he rips these cinema travesties apart.

It is a book that you can read in a day or two, if you really love film. It's not a scholarly book, but it is a blast to read; a great gift for that person you know who is obsessed with cinema or someone who is just very cynical.

My hat is off to you, Mr. Ebert, for having the guts to devote a whole book to negative reviews. Also worth getting--but not as current--is his earlier compilation of negative reviews, "I Hated, Hated, Hated This Movie". That one includes reviews of films dating back the the seventies, while "Your Movie Sucks" focuses on films from 2000-2006.

This Book Rocks!.......2007-09-09

You gotta respect someone that sits through an average of 500 films a year, especially when a huge chunk of those are absolutely dreadful. And when that someone is film critic Roger Ebert you also need to pay attention to what he has to say. As his former reviewing partner, the late Gene Siskel, once stated on The Tonight Show, they watch the good, bad, the mediocre and all the Friday the 13th movies, so they know what they're talking about.

"Some of these reviews were written in joyous zeal. Others with glee. Some in sorrow, some in anger, and a precious few with venom, of which I have a closely guarded supply", Ebert states in the introduction to Your Movie Sucks. This isn't the first time that he's gone to that well: I Hated, Hated, Hated, This Movie (2000)--its title taken from Ebert's review of director Rob Reiner's North (1994)--was his first collection of movie reviews with a rating of one and a half stars or less. The full-on skewering continues on Your Movie Sucks and it sure is fun.

Before jumping into the 175 film reviews from this decade compiled in alphabetical order, Ebert singles out three of them for the book's prologue:

- Deuce Bigelow: European Gigolo (2005), sequel to the contemptible Deuce Bigelow: Male Gigolo (1999). The last three words of the former's review give this book its title and is the funny one among the three in this prologue.

- Chaos (2005), which its producers billed as "the most brutal, horrifying movie ever made" and engage Ebert in an open letter discussion of the movie's merits. "...Ugly, nihilistic, and cruel--a film I regret having seen." A sobering review and exchange.

- Actor/director Vincent Gallo's The Brown Bunny (2004), which after Gallo cuts a half-hour from the original version and has a lengthy face-to-face with Ebert explaining his predicament and the circumstances leading to showing an unfinished film at Cannes, the latter gives the new version a 3 star review. The choice insults and name calling on both sides that precedes this is also included and together with the above titled The Brown Bunny Saga.

Your Movie Sucks is not only entertaining and often funny, but it frequently explains to the layperson why these movies don't work. If you ever walked out of some of these films thinking they just didn't feel right but couldn't really put your finger on it, you're in luck. Of course, the likes of Daddy Day Care, Dirty Love, The Dukes of Hazzard, Scooby Doo, and the inimitable Freddy Got Fingered are way too easy targets. But there are quite a few films that perhaps with a casting change here, a screenplay touch up there, and maybe with a more sympathetic and/or talented director they could've had a decent flick. But they didn't, and we have Mr. Ebert to thank for sitting through them so we don't have to. Then again, some of these films are so unbelievably bad your curiosity may be piqued. (We personally do not enjoy horror/slasher films but plan on seeing the aforementioned Chaos at some point.) Just don't say Roger Ebert didn't warn you.

When Bad is Good.......2007-09-04

Roger Ebert's reviews of bad movies are well worth reading, even if you've never seen the movie, and never want to see the movie that he's reviewing. His humorous zingers and well-aimed sarcastic strikes at awful movie-making are laugh-out-loud funny, and if you've been 'lucky' enough to sit through some of these awful movies you'll appreciate the reviews even more.

For example: I saw Fantastic Four and enjoyed it immensely. Roger didn't. Even though I wouldn't say I agree with his review, I do see his side of the review and recognize that what he says has merit.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was one of the most absurd movies I ever had the displeasure to sit through. My friend thought it was good. I was rolling on the floor (metaphorically, not literally) reading Ebert's review that totally backed up my opinion of the movie.

This is a great book to have around the house, but I don't think you should read it in one sitting.

This Book Does Not Suck.......2007-08-18

If ever there was the golden voice of sanity and culture crying out in the wilderness, Surely it belongs to Roger Ebert. Despite what thin-skinned movie makers and actors think, Mr. Ebert has the cred (Pulitzer Prize, anyone?)to lay the movies bare with one scintillating slash of his rapier-like pen. As another review said, when a movie is good, he's unstinting with his praise. Let me put it another way: how many times have you sunk into your movie seat, deliciously hot, oily popcorn at the ready, soda and candy poised, only to start checking your cell phone for the time, and it's only 10 minutes into the movie? You've paid nearly $50 for you and your companion to see a first-run movie, including the aforementioned snacks, and you realize that most movies put out today are utter krappola. Mr. Ebert glares an icily candid look at the gar-bahge foisted off on the paying public. When we refuse to support this twaddle, perhaps the movie makers and actors will make movies with great stories, fabulous character development, judicious editing and brilliant acting. And as he points out, there is space in the universe for 'fluff'. There is room for slapstick. But please, quit making movies that are vapid, unfunny comedies, labored dramas, meaningless or distorted documentaries. If you've wondered what movie to rent, get this book and make a list of both the best and worst for your next trip to Blockbuster. And read his reviews before plunking down half a day's wage on yet another movie that just plain sucks.

Frequent Zingers, But Not Always On.......2007-07-28

This collection of 1 and 1/2 down to zero starred reviews, ranging from roughly 2000 through 2006, usually kept me interested, but there were more than a few instances of phoned in reviews. The 'one and a halfs' were often as much -- Movies not so bad that he could really pull out the whetstone and start slashing away, but movies bad enough that I really didn't care about them or the reviews about them. Essentially, these reviews were filler to make the book big enough to sell.

That said, there were many instances of zero-star and half-star films where Ebert just lets loose and lands a haymaker, so I had no problem reading through front to back. The "Your movie sucks," line and background story is just one example of the zinger that made this all worthwhile. (And, it was good to see Ebert as an early hater of what's coming to be known as Torture Porn.)

Another thing -- Here in 2007 and thereafter, the likelihood that I'm going to actually go out and see (rent) any of these clunkers is essentially nil. (Remember -- These aren't movies that are 'so bad they're good' -- They are essentially 'don't waste your money' movies.) So, it might have been a nice touch to go ahead and append notes to each of the reviews where he then gives up the spoilers that he necessarily had to withhold back at the time of the original review.

Happily for him, and for all of us, Mr. Ebert has recently returned to work after an extended absence. No doubt that means he will find even more instances of junk in the new releases. If he chooses to fill yet another book with reviews of the worst-of-the-worst, I hope the editors will consider a few of the above ideas.

Awake in the Dark: The Best of Roger Ebert

Average customer rating:

Awake in the Dark : Roger Ebert
Pleasurable prose from one of America's great underappreciated treasures
Let Roger help you love the movies
A great writer writing about what he loves
Unveiling Roger Ebert

Awake in the Dark: The Best of Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Your Movie Sucks
Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2007 (Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook)
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The Great Movies II
I Hated, Hated, Hated This Movie

ASIN: 0226182002

Book Description

Roger Ebert has been writing film reviews for the Chicago Sun-Times for nearly forty years. And during those four decades, his wide knowledge, keen judgment, prodigious energy, and sharp sense of humor have made him America’s most celebrated film critic. He was the first such critic to win a Pulitzer Prize—one of just three film critics ever to receive that honor—and the only one to have a star dedicated to him on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His groundbreaking hit TV show, At the Movies, meanwhile, has made “two thumbs up” one of the most coveted hallmarks in the entire industry.

No critic alive has reviewed more movies than Roger Ebert, and yet his essential writings have never been collected in a single volume—until now. With Awake in the Dark, both fans and film buffs can finally bask in the best of Ebert’s work. The reviews, interviews, and essays collected here present a picture of this indispensable critic’s numerous contributions to the cinema and cinephilia. From The Godfather to GoodFellas, from Cries and Whispers to Crash, the reviews in Awake in the Dark span some of the most exceptional periods in film history, from the dramatic rise of rebel Hollywood and the heyday of the auteur, to the triumph of blockbuster films such as Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark, to the indie revolution that is still with us today.

The extraordinary interviews gathered in Awake in the Dark capture Ebert engaging not only some of the most influential directors of our time—Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Woody Allen, Robert Altman, Werner Herzog, and Ingmar Bergman—but also some of the silver screen’s most respected and dynamic personalities, including actors as diverse as Robert Mitchum, James Stewart, Warren Beatty, and Meryl Streep. Ebert’s remarkable essays play a significant part in Awake in the Dark as well. The book contains some of Ebert’s most admired pieces, among them a moving appreciation of John Cassavetes and a loving tribute to the virtues of black-and-white films.

If Pauline Kael and Andrew Sarris were godmother and godfather to the movie generation, then Ebert is its voice from within—a writer whose exceptional intelligence and daily bursts of insight and enthusiasm have shaped the way we think about the movies. Awake in the Dark, therefore, will be a treasure trove not just for fans of this seminal critic, but for anyone desiring a fascinating and compulsively readable chronicle of film since the late 1960s.

Customer Reviews:

Awake in the Dark : Roger Ebert.......2007-09-09

Finished the book in just under two days - he's my favorite author on cinema and this one didn't disappoint!

Pleasurable prose from one of America's great underappreciated treasures.......2007-07-27

You know, there's a very good reason Roger Ebert won a Pulitzer. The man is an amazing writer. If you enjoy the pure pleasure of reading, and have a passion for the movies, you would be hard-pressed to find a better book than this to read.

The book is mostly a collection of writings by Ebert over the last several decades. There's some interviews with famous film folk, a collection of essays on subjects such as colorization, digital vs film, the need for a viable "adults only" rating, a few movie reviews, a discussion on the past, present and future of film review, and, most importantly, a serious love of the movies that comes through on every page.

I confess I am somewhat biased. Until I began reading Roger Ebert's fine website, I'd never heard of films such as M - Criterion Collection (Special Edition), Nosferatu, The Third Man - Criterion Collection (2-Disc Edition), or The Grapes of Wrath (I knew about the novel, of course). I'd also never had any real interst in, or appreciation for, movies such as Dark City (New Line Platinum Series), "The Bride of Frankenstein", Citizen Kane, or The Adventures of Robin Hood (Two-Disc Special Edition).

Fool that I was.

Now thanks largely to Roger Ebert I've began to really develop a love and passion for movies in ways I never thought that I would. Just looking over my recent purchases on Amazon, I see things like Babette's Feast, Russian Ark: The Masterworks Edition, All About Eve, All Quiet on the Western Front (Universal Cinema Classics), the "Godfather" films, and many others. Roger Ebert really opened my eyes to the glory of film, and helped me to understand why something like "Sunrise", is a glorious movie and something like "White Chicks" is not (hint: the abscence of anyone named Wayans helps).

I cannot recommend this book enough. If you like movies, buy it. If you like reading good writing, buy it. If you even think you might like this book, buy it! You'll be doing yourself a favor.

Let Roger help you love the movies.......2007-05-14

Not only does Ebert thoughtfully review movies, he writes so well that each essay is a pleasure to read whether we saw or will see the movie or not. These are reviews of his "best" movies for almost thirty years, as well as an explanation of how he came to be exclusively a movie reviewer. Funny, literate, and informative.

A great writer writing about what he loves.......2007-04-16

Roger Ebert loves movies, and he is a wonderful writer. He can reveal the essence of a movie with a poet;s touch, and he can point out some elements of the great mystery that draws us to an actor we might love, but not know why (thinking of his piece on Tom Hanks).

In one of the last reviewed movies in the book, "Crash" his writing helped me understand why a movie that seemed to rely so much on the most unlikely of fates, really deserved to be seen as a great movie. In the review of "Million Dollar Baby" which precedes "Crash", he shines a light on the heart of a movie that touched my heart, and does so with such simple and elegant precision.

It is easy to think of Mr. Ebert giving a thumbs up sign, doing battle with one of his guest hosts, or trying to find some way to indicate how much better than that a movie might be by using a series of adjectives or modifiers. Sometimes this has seemed silly, and inaccurate. For my wife and I, an unmodified "Two thumbs up" these days is as likely to reveal a mild stinker as something worthwhile and entertaining. Yet, I appreciate that he even writes an essay about another writer who decries such kinds of "criticisms and rating systems", doing so elegantly and non-defensively.

Yet when you read these reviews and interviews and let yourself be touched by them you can feel the author's joy and appreciation of the movies as well as his great understanding of this art form. That he is able to do this with a complete lack of pretense allowed me to fully appreciate the stand he has carved for himself as falling between the critic's movie critic and the people's movie critic.

If this were the last major work that Mr. Ebert creates in his life, he has performed a great service to those of us fortunate to pick this book up and read it. Thank you Roger Ebert. Two Thumbs pointing to the stars!

Unveiling Roger Ebert.......2006-11-10

When you think of Roger Ebert you think of "movie critic". However, this book introduces us to the depth of this man's love of the cinema and his ability to understand it. The book covers forty years of reviews, essays and interviews. For the film lover it will be an exciting journey back to the darken theaters of yesterday, and to the present blockbusters. His engaging style of interviewing is tops. A great reference book..... highly recommended!

Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2007 (Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook)

Average customer rating:

Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2007
Does it contain a movie list of all reviewed past movies?
An Old Reliable
BOOK NOT PUBLISHED
YET ANOTHER GREAT EDITION

Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2007 (Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook)
Roger Ebert
Manufacturer: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Reference | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

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Awake in the Dark: The Best of Roger Ebert
Your Movie Sucks
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Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2006 (Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook)
The Great Movies

ASIN: 0740761579

Book Description

America's favorite movie critic assesses the year's films from Brokeback Mountain to Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2007 is perfect for film aficionados the world over.

Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2007 includes every review by Ebert written in the 30 months from January 2004 through June 2006¿about 650 in all. Also included in the Yearbook, which is about 65 percent new every year, are:

Interviews with newsmakers such as Philip Seymour Hoffman, Terrence Howard, Stephen Spielberg, Ang Lee, and Heath Ledger, Nicolas Cage, and more.

All the new questions and answers from his Questions for the Movie Answer Man columns.

Daily film festival coverage from Cannes, Toronto, Sundance, and Telluride.

Essays on film issues and tributes to actors and directors who died during the year.

Customer Reviews:

Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2007.......2007-09-09

I have been an avid Roger Ebert fan for many years, and have purchased many of his books from amazon; this one is no exception and has fulfilled all my expectations!
Would like to know when the 2008 edition is likely to be published?

Does it contain a movie list of all reviewed past movies?.......2007-03-22

I have every one of Roger's books but this one. I was so disappointed last year that the old standby lists of rankings of movies, going back even decades, were missing. Does anyone know if this is included in this edition?

An Old Reliable.......2007-02-06

I find Roger Ebert's reviews an indespensible resource for ordering video rentals. He'll always give you a good, well written summary and review of any recent movies you're interested in. This latest '07 edition matches the excellence you've come to expect in this series.

BOOK NOT PUBLISHED.......2007-01-05

THIS BOOK WAS PRE-ORDERED AND HAS NOT YET BEEN PUBLISHED, TO MY KNOWLEDGE. YOU NEED TO CHECK YOUR COMPUTER.

YET ANOTHER GREAT EDITION.......2006-12-01

Roger's absence for the last 5 or so months only makes you value this book more. Not being able to get his opinion before going to a movie or even missing his bi-weekly Answer Man column has pretty much driven me nuts.
Here's hoping his recovery goes by quickly !

Average customer rating:

very good book
Roger Ebert - always interesting
Film buffs will love this
why would one see or not see a movie based upon one man's advice
Some Surprises Liven Up a Typical "Critic's Choice"

The Great Movies II
Roger Ebert
Manufacturer: Broadway
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Guides & Reviews | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

History & Criticism | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
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The New York Times Guide to the Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made, Updated & Revised (Film Critics of the New York Times)
Awake in the Dark: The Best of Roger Ebert

ASIN: 0767919866
Release Date: 2006-02-14

Book Description

Continuing the pitch-perfect critiques begun in The Great Movies, Roger Ebert's The Great Movies II collects 100 additional essays, each one of them a gem of critical appreciation and an amalgam of love, analysis, and history that will send readers back to films with a fresh set of eyes and renewed enthusiasm—or perhaps to an avid first-time viewing. Neither a snob nor a shill, Ebert manages in these essays to combine a truly populist appreciation for today's most important form of popular art with a scholar's erudition and depth of knowledge and a sure aesthetic sense. Once again wonderfully enhanced by stills selected by Mary Corliss, former film curator at the Museum of Modern Art, The Great Movies II is a treasure trove for film lovers of all persuasions, an unrivaled guide for viewers, and a book to return to again and again.

Films featured in The Great Movies II

12 Angry Men · The Adventures of Robin Hood · Alien · Amadeus · Amarcord · Annie Hall · Au Hasard, Balthazar · The Bank Dick · Beat the Devil · Being There · The Big Heat · The Birth of a Nation · The Blue Kite · Bob le Flambeur · Breathless · The Bridge on the River Kwai · Bring Me the Head of Alfredo García · Buster Keaton · Children of Paradise · A Christmas Story · The Color Purple · The Conversation · Cries and Whispers · The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie · Don’t Look Now · The Earrings of Madame de . . . · The Fall of the House of Usher · The Firemen’s Ball · Five Easy Pieces · Goldfinger · The Good, the Bad and the Ugly · Goodfellas · The Gospel According to Matthew · The Grapes of Wrath · Grave of the Fireflies · Great Expectations · House of Games · The Hustler · In Cold Blood · Jaws · Jules and Jim · Kieslowski’s Three Colors Trilogy · Kind Hearts and Coronets · King Kong · The Last Laugh · Laura · Leaving Las Vegas · Le Boucher · The Leopard · The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp · The Manchurian Candidate · The Man Who Laughs · Mean Streets · Mon Oncle · Moonstruck · The Music Room · My Dinner with Andre · My Neighbor Totoro · Nights of Cabiria · One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest · Orpheus · Paris, Texas · Patton · Picnic at Hanging Rock · Planes, Trains and Automobiles · The Producers · Raiders of the Lost Ark · Raise the Red Lantern · Ran · Rashomon · Rear Window · Rififi · The Right Stuff · Romeo and Juliet · The Rules of the Game · Saturday Night Fever · Say Anything · Scarface · The Searchers · Shane · Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs · Solaris · Strangers on a Train · Stroszek · A Sunday in the Country · Sunrise · A Tale of Winter · The Thin Man · This Is Spinal Tap ·Tokyo Story · Touchez Pas au Grisbi · Touch of Evil · The Treasure of the Sierra Madre · Ugetsu · Umberto D · Unforgiven · Victim · Walkabout · West Side Story · Yankee Doodle Dandy

Customer Reviews:

very good book.......2007-08-03

I love reading eberts reviews. This book gives alot of information on movies that not just ebert likes but that alot of people like. Ebert gives alot of valuable information.

Roger Ebert - always interesting.......2007-01-29

While I may not always agree with Roger Ebert, I always find his opinion valid and his choices are always intriguing.. His second installment of the great movies is no exception.. Ebert is familiar with a broad range of cinema.. from the classics, to lesser-known foreign films, to neglected movies that deserve more attention.. Ebert's straightforward writing style is unpretentious and stands alongside some of the finer film essays of our time.. It is refreshing to know that such a popular critic has integrity and truly cares about the preservation of cinema..

Film buffs will love this.......2006-11-06

Roger Ebert follows his book that compiles his bi-weekly column "The Great Movies" with a second volume.
Classics such as "The Grapes of Wrath" and "Five Easy Pieces" are examined here. Foreign films get their due, with films by Godard, Ozu, and Kurasawa that are discussed at legnth. So are obscure movies in need of rediscovery.
What may surprise some readers is the inclusion of some audience favorites as "A Christmas Story", "Planes, Trains and Automobles", "Say Anything" and "This is Spinal Tap". We watch different movies for different reasons, and Ebert is no exception. If someone like Ebert loves to watch "A Christmas Story" (one of my favorites) over and over, then why shouldn't he include it in his book? How many other critics would have thought to include these movies together with "Rashomon" and "The Searchers"? Not very many. Bravo to Ebert for doing so.
Ebert also looks at Gene Siskel's favorite movie "Saturday Night Fever". It as much a tribute to Gene's memory as it is a film review.
Movie fans will love both volumes of this series. They are essential reading for anyone who loves film.

why would one see or not see a movie based upon one man's advice.......2005-11-03

roger ebert has his own individual tastes and I respect that. I have my my own tastes too. Ebert thought "the pillow book" was a great film. He didn't like reservoir dogs. Don't adhere to this guy's recommendations. Anyone who does should read a story called the emporor's new clothes and reflect on the moral.

Some Surprises Liven Up a Typical "Critic's Choice".......2005-09-26

Roger Ebert isn't your typical movie reviewer; he takes the time to evaluate a film, highlight its good points and bad, and let you know what he really thinks of it (as opposed to some studio-paid shill who automatically praises whatever's sent down the pipeline). And Ebert collects some of his favorites in "The Great Books II", a continuation of the previous collection from 2002. To be sure, there are plenty of obvious "artistic classics", but it's the suprises that make this a worthy read.

Ebert's reviews are presented alphabetically, with no frills. It's his writing that he's known for (apart from his show with the late Gene Siskel and now Richard Roeper), and that's what carries even the more boring choices. Heavy on French New Wave and Japanese cinema, sometimes the book could get to be too much for people looking for a casual recommendation. But even if you get tired of hearing about Godard, Cocteau, and every single French or Italian director who ever lived, there's plenty else to keep you interested.

It's the surprises that make this book work for me; who would've thought that a critic with the esteem of Ebert would give time to movies like "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles"...and not only talk about it, but praise it? As Ebert admits in the introduction, these aren't necessarily the *greatest* movies, but they're great for what they represent, what they speak about, and what they mean to continuing generations of people who discover them for the first time. "Spinal Tap" gets equal play to "Rashomon", "Scarface" is praised *for* Al Pacino's performance (most other peer reviewers cited him as the reason it didn't work), and "Say Anything", "Moonstruck", "Raiders of the Lost Ark", and "Saturday Night Fever" get some well-deserved praise.

What Ebert is doing with these reviews is that film criticism doesn't have to be "All Truffaut, All The Time"; you bring to a review what you like about the film, and what makes it work for you. And that's true whether you're talking about Nigel Tufnel's guitar amps or Ingmar Bergman's camera angles and lighting choices. Ebert proves you don't have to be a snob to be a film critic. It's your perspective, anyway, that's all that should matter as long as you bring intelligence to it and can back up your position.

To be sure, Ebert's affection for foreign films gets to be a bit much, but the point is that he wants to expose readers not only to the obvious choices for any aspiring film-lover but to those films that he loves, and why. If he leads you to seek out some obscure flick that he praises for three pages-worth of the book, then he's done his job. And if you come away from it understanding why he chose to include the film in a book titled "The Great Films", then it's time well spent.

Roger Ebert does first-rate criticism not only on the films that everyone would expect, but also on the films that few would think merit "serious" criticism. That's what makes "The Great Movies II" such a delight. And that's what makes Roger Ebert the greatest at his craft.

So pick up "The Great Movies II", and hope that "The Great Books III" is just as good.

Roger Ebert's Video Companion 1998 (Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook)

Average customer rating:

A nightly read for me
To like or dislike that is the question...
Informative
Fails to serve its purpose
More essay collection than standard review book...

Roger Ebert's Video Companion 1998 (Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook)
Roger Ebert
Manufacturer: Andrews Mcmeel Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Guides & Reviews | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

History & Criticism | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Reference Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2003
Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2006 (Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook)
Roger Ebert's Video Companion 1996/Roger Ebert's Pocket Video Guide (Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook)
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Roger Ebert's Movie Home Companion, 1989 Edition: Full-Length Reviews of 875 Films on Cassette

ASIN: 0836236882

Customer Reviews:

A nightly read for me.......2002-01-07

I once saw Siskel and Ebert speak in Cleveland, Ohio. After they tossed opinions back and forth about the great and not-so-great films of that year, a person in the audience asked them how they differed as critics. Without hesitation, Gene said he was repeatedly outdone by Roger's ability to write beautiful essays. Beautiful, he said. And in this book, you are continuously hit with just that. Roger Ebert has the ability to distill the essence of a film in words that often leave me amazed. He is able to pinpoint the exact moment in a film that doesn't leave you, the moment that stays with you for days, and is able to describe the human dimensions beneath that moment with insightful detail and accuracy. As an avid fan of film, I repeatedly turn to Roger Ebert's Video Companion, not because I want to know whether or not I should watch a movie. But because I learn a little bit more about life from his reviews.

To like or dislike that is the question..........2000-04-29

On one level, I like this book. Ebert's witty and insightful reviews truly are enjoyable to read. I enjoy reading about films I know I'll never see.

I also enjoy the added features, such as the Film Clip interviews, essays, and obituaries as appendices at the end of the book.

On the other hand, I dislike the fact that many of the movies I want to read about are not in the book. I'm surprised at how many times I have turned to the book looking for a review only to come up empty handed. There can be nothing more disappointing. Granted, the book is thick enough as it is, but perhaps Roger could shorten his reviews and pack more into a volume.

Informative.......1999-09-14

Roger Ebert, by my opinion, is the greatest living film critic out there writing today. He brings a touch of intellectuality to his reviews. They are really informative and interesting. Those who say they are too long must not enjoy reading or being well-informed on a film's intellectual issues. Of course, like a good film critic, I don't always agree with his ratings (I totally disagree with his arguement on giving four stars to "The Last Temptation Of Christ"). But mostly I do, and his video guide is the best out there. I also enjoyed the fact that he keeps old reviews in print. It's interesting to read his comments on films such as "Scarface," "JFK," "Natural Born Killers," and "Apollo 13." Ebert embodies in his books how film criticsm should be approached. He makes Leonard Maltin look like a momma's boy or boy scout (he obviously didn't understand the message in "Natural Born Killers" and obviously coulden't reach the peak of intelligence Ebert shows here). In the area of video guides, Ebert's continues to be the best. I hope he keeps them coming!

Fails to serve its purpose.......1999-06-16

When I say that Gene Siskel was the better critic (and writer), it's not just sentiment talking. How in the heck does one give **** to so many perfectly average movies (like "L.A. Story") as Ebert does in his book? The biggest fault with this annual collection is that it completely fails in its intention. Ebert seems to think of this as a more in-depth version of Leonard Maltin's guide but who needs to read a full-length review of a movie to determine if it's worth a rental or watching on the late show? A better idea for Ebert would be to just issue a complete volume of his work through the years instead of dumping the same reviews (with some additional material to make it "new") on the market year after year.

More essay collection than standard review book..........1999-03-27

This is a great book. Ebert's writing style is solid and his reviews are in depth and on the mark. The only slight problem, or maybe misconception, I had with the book was that it isn't the review book you've come to expect. Instead of a quick blurb on if the film is good and worth watching,this book contains full length reviews which are a lot more comphrehensive than most review books (sometimes a little too much info is given,spoiling things if you haven't seen the film).If you're in the market for a book to give you brief good/bad reviews of films, try the Leonard Maltin book, but if you want more essay-like reviews this is for you. It does come with a small booklet with star ratings only for most films.

Average customer rating:

A Rare Dish Indeed
Ebert is the best that film criticism has to offer today- maybe ever.
Makes me laugh
Ebert sees all the movies he reviews
I've semi-often found Ebert's reviews a little inaccurate

Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2005
Roger Ebert
Manufacturer: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2006 (Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook)
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ASIN: 0740747428

Book Description

The Movie Yearbook also contains the year's interviews and essays-perceptive profiles of actors such as Kevin Costner and Russell Crowe-and the biweekly "Questions for the Movie Answer Man," which never fails to unearth fascinating tidbits about filming particulars, per-screening revenues, and similar details, all based on reader-generated queries.To cap it off, the book highlights Ebert's film festival coverage from Cannes and includes a list of all movies previously appearing in a Video Companion or Movie Yearbook with Ebert's star ratings. The result is truly the bible for moviegoing readers everywhere. They know that Ebert is the source for all things cinema.

Customer Reviews:

A Rare Dish Indeed.......2005-09-10

Being given the chance to critique Roger Ebert is a heady dish indeed. Holding the microscope to the man who has held the microscope to so many others is a little like being divine, if just for a moment.

What do you say to the man who holds more sway over the movie-going public than any other critic? The easy answer is to criticize the obvious blunders he's made. How in the world could he not like Fight Club? It's the anthem for my generation, for God's sake. I'm also not sure I trust Roger's interpretation of foreign films either. He has a decidedly American view towards life and tends to look at the world through red, white and blue colored glasses. His negative review of 2046 is evidence of this. Roger Ebert is many things but a foolish man is not one of them. He knows which side his bread is buttered on. When a film like Fahrenheit 911 comes along, obviously pandering to the Hollywood liberal elite, you can trust Roger to fall in line with a good review.

Despite all this, whenever I want to know how good a movie is, the first person I go to is Roger Ebert. Roger is straightforward and intelligent and he usually likes the same kind of films I do. He's the critic I trust most and unlike most of his colleagues, he's already successful enough that he doesn't need to go out on a limb just to get noticed. He gets noticed for the insightfulness and intelligence of his reviews. Sometimes he makes me angry but maybe that's the mark of a good critic. Good, bad or indifferent, I always want to know what Roger has to say.

Ebert is the best that film criticism has to offer today- maybe ever........2005-07-08

Roger Ebert is not only a great Film Critic, but he is also an excellent writer.Mmore than just rehashing a film, Mr. Ebert finds the humanity and subtle nuances that exist in film, and finds the greatness in those traits. There has never been a year when I have seen every movie that is included in his annual movie yearbooks, but I could still read every review in the book! It is his prose, his wit, his love for film, and his desire to see the medium move forward, while recoginizing the gennius that can be found in [some] genre films. I highly recommend his writing- There is simply no one better.

Makes me laugh.......2005-07-01

I don't always agree with Roger Ebert's assessment of movies (especially comedies), but I do appreciate his sense of humor, which frequently surprises me. He does write with wit and his prose is usually a pleasure to read.

I also like his philosophy of trying to judge a film according to its purpose and how effectively it accomplishes its vision. That seems like a fair way to assess a film.

Ebert's reviews sure beat the bland summaries included in other movie books!

Ebert sees all the movies he reviews.......2005-02-24

And reviews them from the point of view of someone who actually likes movies. He likes more movies than I do, but his reviews do give me enough to know if I want to see the film - and that is really what it's all about. I buy the current book every year.
If you are worried about "accuracy" of his reviews - check out the big objections others have raised. Most people are aware there are more important things than obssessing over a minor detail from an F/X flick or the dialog in a 50 year old monster movie.

I've semi-often found Ebert's reviews a little inaccurate .......2005-01-22

In this book when he reviews the film The Day After Tomorrow Ebert claims the character of Sam's mother (you'll understand this if you've seen TDAT) is in New York taking care of a sick hospital patient even though the city is now frozen under ice. Actually, Sam's mother is in another american city (not NYC) taking care of the kid. Some years ago I found the way Ebert reviewed another film (called In THe Dead of Winter) also to be a little inaccurate as well. I think he should watch all the films he puts into books at least half a dozen times before he puts them into book form. He seemingly only watches some of them once and it shows in his work.

Ebert's Little Movie Glossary: A Compendium of Movie Cliches, Stereotypes, Obligatory Scenes, Hackneyed Formulas, Shopworn Conventions, and Outdated Archetypes

Average customer rating:

:Glossary for Movie fans
Saying this book is full of Cliches is a good thing
You have to reeeeaaally like the movies
A must-have for cinema buffs
Contains More Fun Than Any Fruit Cart

Ebert's Little Movie Glossary: A Compendium of Movie Cliches, Stereotypes, Obligatory Scenes, Hackneyed Formulas, Shopworn Conventions, and Outdated Archetypes

Manufacturer: Andrews Mcmeel Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0836280717

Customer Reviews:

:Glossary for Movie fans.......2007-05-13

If you're a movie fan, I mean a REAL movie fan who knows films by genre including the classics, this book's a winner. Over his years reviewing films,Ebert has collected his personal favorites of "movie cliches, stereotypes, obligatory scenes, hackneyed formulas, shopworn conventions and outdated archetypes." Ebert has also encouraged viewers to send him their favorite cliches in movies, so his latest movie glossary is his "BIGGER Little Movie Glossary." It's the kind of book you can leave next to your bed or favorite chair, and dip into for a few minutes to get some quick laughs. As you read, you find your head moving up and down in agreement and thinking, "Yeah, I know that! I remember that scene in such-and-such movie." Typical listing (and they each have a funny title)--"Fruit Cart!" defined as "any chase scene involving a foreign or ethnic locale...and the "certainty a fruit cart will be overturned during the change, and an angry peddler will run into the middle of the street to shake his first at the hero's departing vehicle." This book would make a great gift for friends who think they know it all when it comes to movies. It's hard to find, though, so I ordered it through Amazon.

Saying this book is full of Cliches is a good thing.......2006-05-07

Folks have been flocking to the Fleas and Itches to view the Flickers for a century, and everyone, if they have been to enough of them, begins to notice certain things:

How this or that action, or personality trait, occurs over and over again, and how certain rules of behavior always are attributed to a certain type person, event, or whatever.

There are also many rules regarding the act of watching a film, and the places that show them.

Well, way back in the early 80's film critic Roger Ebert started writing about them, and giving them names in his newspaper column.

This was so popular that it was included in his Movie Home Companions every year. Finally the idea was put into book form.

The readership of ordinary filmgoers eagerly contributed their own examples, and the rest is history.

I own a 2nd edition of the book ( 1st ed. 1994).

Just to whet your appetite for this wonderful little book here are several brief examples of the formulas:

Have you ever noticed that.....

All movie bartenders, when first seen, are wiping the inside of a glass with a rag.

99% of sex scenes show couples coupling for the first time.

People in movies ALWAYS undress from the top down.

AND

Any theatre that accepts passes will invariably exclude their use for any movie worth seeing.

This book makes for a fun addition to anyones book collection.

You have to reeeeaaally like the movies.......2006-03-17

Well, not really a plot here, but this book is a collection of creative movie definitions concerning common clich?s and plot lines. Organized alphabetically based on contributions both from Roger Ebert and from others who sent him their own definitions, and containing seemingly random weird not that helpful illustrations interspersed throughout, at a little over one hundred pages there is room for quite a few definitions.

Quote: "You go to enough different movies, you start to notice things. Like how every time there's a chase scene in an exotic locale, a fruit cart gets overturned . . . or how there are lots that would be over in five minutes, if all the characters weren't idiots."

I like movies, movie reviews, and things of this nature, but maybe not quite enough to be completely entertained by this book. If you really REALLY like movies, probably good times will be had. My only recommendation otherwise would have been to have more specific movie examples so that one could see it in action if they chose, but I enjoyed how Ebert combined the definitions he wrote with ones that others had sent him.

A must-have for cinema buffs.......2004-03-03

It's not a glossary so much as a joke book ... a compilation of both Mr. Ebert's own list of cinematic cliches and those submitted by his readership. It's a great browser's book, something you can just open up to any page and start reading. I've taken to leaving my copy by the couch, so I can flip through it during commercials and see how many points the film's racked up since the last commercial.

The only real problem with the book is the inherent flaw in having a book that features submissions ... quality is uneven, and a few cliches appear multiple times submitted by different people. This is balanced out by some very clever observations, patterns that I hadn't noticed before and which informed by later movie watching.

It's not quite as good as "I Hated, Hated, Hated, HATED This Movie," but it's still a seriously funny book for anyone who's fed up with seeing the same movie made over and over again with different titles.

Contains More Fun Than Any Fruit Cart.......2003-08-28

Ebert's "bigger little book" of movie cliches, stereotypes, obligatory scenes, etc. exposes the vast majority of movie directors/producers/studios as what they truly are: Dumb. But hey, learning just HOW dumb they can be has never been so much fun. You'll find yourself reading the book from cover to cover, nodding your head, saying, "I just saw that in a movie last week! Man, that was stupid." Ebert also gives credit to fans who have written in with their own entries. Loads of fun!

228 pages

Average customer rating:

Ebert is the number one film critic in America -- PERIOD!

Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2006

Roger: My Go-To Guy

AIN'T WHAT HE USED TO BE...

ROGER EBERT IS THE GREATEST FILM CRITIC EVER!!!

Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2006 (Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook)
Roger Ebert
Manufacturer: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0740755382

Book Description

This has been a big year for Roger Ebert. In January 2005 he received TelevisionWeek's Lifetime Achievement Award, and this summer he will be honored with a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. It seems only fitting that his Movie Yearbook is annually regarded as the best place to turn to learn about and choose a movie. The 2006 volume contains all Ebert reviews written from January 2003 through June 2005. That includes blockbusters such as Million Dollar Baby and The Aviator along with surprise hits like Sideways, and such moving films as Hotel Rwanda and Vera Drake. (Oh, yes, and Brown Bunny as well.) Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2006 also includes all Ebert interviews and essays for the year, the biweekly Questions for the Movie Answer Man, and Ebert's well-respected film festival coverage.

Customer Reviews:

Ebert is the number one film critic in America -- PERIOD!.......2006-03-19

If you're a moviegoer, you NEED Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook. The 2006 edition covers films from January 2003 to June 2005 (almost 700 reviews according to the book). But it's not just movie reviews, it also has interviews with various movie stars and directors.

What I really love about this book is the style of writing Ebert uses. His style of criticism is fantastic which is why I admire his work. Not only is he a fantastic critic but he is an inspiration to writers all over the United States.

I did enjoy this book. I could not put it down, literally. If I closed the book and put it back on the shelf, two seconds later, I was looking up another film. I highly recommend it to EVERYONE -- especially moviegoers. I don't see how they can live without owning this book. "Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2006" gets a well-deserved 5 stars.

Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2006.......2006-02-17

I really enjoyed reading Roger's reviews. He's not just a movie goer; he's also obviously a reader. If the movie has been based on a book, you can bet he's read the book. His reviews have prompted me to seek out movies I might not otherwise watch.

Roger: My Go-To Guy.......2005-12-25

A Christmas tradition, I read this book all year long and reference the earlier books often as well when doing research, picking dvds, arguing with fellow movie buffs and often just for intelligent writing and interviews. He os not the only critic that I read, but he is the one that I read religiously and after all these years I am sure of what he means when he writes a review. I am fond of the EW crtics but they are often at odds, abd I can count on Mr Ebert's books to steer me in the direction that best suits my taste. This book is, as always, invaluable and a great read. I don't findthat he has mellowed with age as much as his tastes have grown and matured as he has, and we all refect the changes in our lives. Roger is not the same person perhaps as he was 10 years ago, but then neither am I. Love this book, and love his earlier yearbooks as well!

AIN'T WHAT HE USED TO BE..........2005-12-12

With all due respect, the passion and meticulousness that used to be found in Mr. Ebert's movie reviews are fairly much long gone.

These qualities began to fade from his work beginning in the early 1990's, but we must credit him for being on top of things for approximately 25 years (he began reviewing movies in the late 1960's). That's a heck of a long run and an accomplishment that Mr. Ebert can be darn proud of.

But don't misunderstand; I'm glad he's still around, championing passion and meticulousness, despite the fact that these qualities have been absent from his own work for about a decade and a half.

But I also want to say this: Ebert is quite a bit better than roughly half of the movie critics that are on the scene today.

I recommend Mr. Ebert's movie guide, but please don't restrict your attention solely to Mr. Ebert. There are other movie guides on your local bookstores' shelves that are superior to his. And don't forget to cruise the web for a number of very good movie critics that are at the height of their game, i.e., movie critics whose work contain plenty of passion and meticulousness.

ROGER EBERT IS THE GREATEST FILM CRITIC EVER!!!.......2005-12-03

Roger Ebert, who has been writing print-reviews at the Chicago Sun-Times since 1967, has revitalized and changed the way we look at cinema.

When Gene Siskel and he took a job reviewing movies on a nationally syndicated TV show, they trademarked the phrase "Two Thumbs Up!"

I'm sure there are people who don't know what reviews will be in this edition, but it ought to contain (based on the timeline on the back of the book) not just **** (4 star) reviews like THE AVIATOR, MILLION DOLLAR BABY (Ebert's pick for Best Film of 2004-which won the Oscar for that honor), HOTEL RWANDA, SIDEWAYS and VERA DRAKE, but also good movies like THE BROWN BUNNY (Vincent Gallo's controversial vanity fest that Ebert initially panned at the Cannes Film Festival in 2003!), and OCEAN'S TWELVE, as well as mediocre films like I ROBOT and SUSPECT ZERO, and terrible films like SLEEPOVER and THE VILLAGE. These should all be new to the annual movie yearbook.

These, and other films from January 2003-June 2005 will appear, including such gems as BRIGHT YOUNG THINGS, CELLULAR, MILLIONS, ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW, PALINDROMES, MELINDA & MELINDA, CRASH (my favorite film of this year), BAD EDUCATION, ALEXANDER (Ebert gave **), and others.

NOTE: The frustrating thing about Ebert's Movie Yearbook is that it somehow is missing something. If you look at the index, it has all the films published in the series of yearbooks (that's true). However, it DOES NOT have the reviews and commentary, best film lists and so on from every year since 1967. When Ebert finally switched his webpage to [...], I was happy to see that you could finally access all of his writings going back to his beginning as a film critic.

Now if only we could get his print reviews back onto the printed page. I suggest he release a series of Decade by Decade Film Review Guides, which will have all of his writings from 1967.

Suggested titles:

THE 60s: 1967-1969 -- would contain every review, interview, best film list, festival report, etc. from his beginnings as a film critic to the end of that decade, including PERSONA, EASY RIDER, COOL HAND LUKE, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY and many others.

THE 70s: 1970-1979 -- would contain every review, interview, best film list, festival report, etc. from the beginning of the decade to the end, including such gems as MASH, MCCABE & MRS. MILLER, A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (**!), NASHVILLE, TAXI DRIVER, MEAN STREETS, ALICE DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE, INTERIORS, APOCALYPSE NOW, etc.

THE 80s: 1980-1989 -- would contain every review, interview, best film list, festival report, etc. from the beginning of the greed era to the ushering in of special effects pictures, including RAGING BULL (the best film of the decade within the decade's first year!?!), AFTER HOURS, ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA, BLUE VELVET (*!), WALL STREET, TALK RADIO, and DO THE RIGHT THING, among many others!

THE 90s: 1990-1999 -- would contain every review, interview, best film list, festival report, etc. from "the best mob movie ever" (GOODFELLAS) to "the best movie of 1999" (BEING JOHN MALKOVICH), and everything in between, such as MAGNOLIA, DARK CITY (best film of 1998), BOOGIE NIGHTS, FARGO, NIXON, NATURAL BORN KILLERS, CASINO, HEAVEN & EARTH, SHORT CUTS, NAKED, MALCOLM X, CITY OF HOPE and MILLER'S CROSSING, among many others. This was the most vibrant decade for Ebert's writing, and it would be wonderful to see it in print.

Now this decade is only half over, so I would have to suggest something a little radical:

EBERT'S GUIDE TO THE NEW MILLENNIUM: 2000-2005 -- which would contain his reviews, festival reports, interviews, top ten lists, etc. from Oscar winner for Best Picture GLADIATOR (**!) to THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN, from REQUIEM FOR A DREAM to GANGS OF NEW YORK, from really terrible films like LOVE & SEX to CATWOMAN and CHRISTMAS WITH THE KRANKS, and many others. This would be a wonderful addition to any film lover's book collection.

A nice bonus would be not just a guide to every review either per decade, per book, or every review from 1967-2005 at the end of each book, but also a guide to that decade's Siskel & Ebert/ Ebert & Roeper ratings (thumbs up/thumbs down) from the beginning of the series (in the 70s, I think?) to the current format. They could even denote the episodes where a guest critic took part!

The only thing I would request about the FORMAT of this series of books, would be to keep it as close to the review format in the paper/website as possible. That means TITLE, star rating (with/without year of release), the by line / theatrical release date (date of print), the review and cast & credits at the end with the actors/participants on camera, the director(s) and writer(s) credits, and the MPAA rating and running time. If it's a foreign film, it should say if it's in another language with subtitles, which I don't believe his current editions do.

I THINK ROGER EBERT IS THE GREATEST FILM CRITIC EVER!!! If anyone can make a book or series of books this relevant and worth while, I believe he can. Now let's cross our fingers and hope he listens to me!

Memo from David O. Selznick : The Creation of "Gone with the Wind" and Other Motion Picture Classics, as Revealed in the Producer's Private Letters, Telegrams, Memorandums, and Autobiographical Remarks

Average customer rating:

This is the man
Engrossing and informative and never dull
Selznick Redux
Insightful look at a bygone era

Memo from David O. Selznick : The Creation of "Gone with the Wind" and Other Motion Picture Classics, as Revealed in the Producer's Private Letters, Telegrams, Memorandums, and Autobiographical Remarks
David O. Selznick
Manufacturer: Modern Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0375755314
Release Date: 2000-03-07

Amazon.com

As Roger Ebert observes in his smart introduction to the collected memos of the legendary producer Selznick, this is no ordinary book. Buzzed on Benzedrine, Selznick dictated his every thought to secretaries from 1916-1965, 2,000 file boxes' worth of priceless, absolutely unique inside information. "What we're given is a seat in his office," Ebert says, "the Nixon tapes of Hollywood's golden age." It's a privilege to see Selznick tussle with Hitchcock (who evidently had a notion about a vaguely Psycho-like grandma in the first draft of Rebecca), Ingrid Bergman (to whom he dictated an amazing tantrum), and Tallulah Bankhead ("Would you care to brave the lioness' den?" he asks his secretary, suggesting that she contact Bankhead about a bit part after spurning her for the Scarlett part in Gone with the Wind). The gestation of Scarlett's flick is especially fascinating. At first, Selznick cautions director George Cukor about "not going overboard on size and expensive production scenes of the civil war," but with Selznick, things always tend to get bigger. To battle bigotry, he cuts the Ku Klux Klan from the film ("Of course we might have shown a couple of Catholic Klansmen, but it would be rather comic to have a Jewish Kleagle.") By the end, he's pulling out the stops--he urges the composer to "go mad with schmaltz in the last three reels." Selznick blows it sometimes: he nixes newcomers Gregory Peck and Burt Lancaster, and John Ford's Stagecoach, which created John Wayne. But by reading his memos, you can't fail to see what made him a true auteur.

All hail Martin Scorsese for editing the classic film-books series of which this is a part, Modern Library: The Movies. Even if he'd never directed, Scorsese would be God's gift to film history. --Tim Appelo

Book Description

"The most revealing, penetrating book on filmmaking I know of . . ."--King Vidor

David O. Selznick was a unique figure in the golden Hollywood studio era. He produced some of the greatest and most memorable American films ever made--notably, Rebecca, A Star Is Born, Anna Karenina, A Farewell to Arms, and, above all, Gone With the Wind. Selznick's
absolute power and artistic control are evidenced in his impassioned, eloquent, witty, and sometimes rageful memos to directors, writers, stars and studio executives, writings that have become almost as famous as his films. Newsweek wrote,"I can't imagine how a book on the American movie business could be more illuminating, more riveting or more fun to read than this collection of David Selznick's memos.

Customer Reviews:

This is the man.......2001-05-22

Fascinating and illuminating book about the way movie classics were made in the 30's and 40's. This man knew his job and we are lucky that in the making he wrote those long memos. The people they were sent to found them annoying. We movie fans find them fascinating.

Engrossing and informative and never dull.......2000-10-26

I was a bit leery of a book of just memoes but ... This is truly an extraordinary book, full of insights into every aspect of film making. The most interesting parts are about scripts and script construction. That was what Selznick had a genius for, and that comes through clearly. Some of his faults come through too. There are a number of memoes about his life and emotions so you get a picture a man not just an executive.

For anyone who likes old movies a must.

Selznick Redux.......2000-04-16

It's a genuine pleasure to see this 1972 volume back in print again. Practically the entire history of classic Hollywood can be seen within the pages of this fascinating series of memos, a veritable stream of behind the scenes trivia and the most impressive book of name-dropping ever seen in print. The cinematic genius of Selznick and Company is told as only it should be told...in the Master's own words.

Insightful look at a bygone era.......2000-03-29

David O. Selznick was behind some the films considered classics from that era. He was known for his memos that he sent to others in the industry and those working for him. The book is a fascinating look at the studio system at the time - and is also a reminder that people at one time actually communicated in writing - no cell phones, no email. This book is a must-read for those interested at all in film lore - and it's a great read!

Average customer rating:

One of the Greatest Books on Film ever put together
Hmm...
Two thumbs up, 'way up...
Uninspired Trifle
Absolutely the best

Roger Ebert's Book of Film

Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Awake in the Dark: The Best of Roger Ebert
The Great Movies II
Questions For The Movie Answer Man
The A List: The National Society of Film Critics' 100 Essential Films

ASIN: 0393040003

Amazon.com

This is the best film book of the mid-'90s and probably the best anthology of writing about the movies ever published. Choosing from the work of novelists and essayists as well as directors, actors, screenwriters and technicians, Ebert places the best that has ever been said or thought about the movies on parade. Here Graham Greene, Delmore Schwartz, and Susan Sontag sit down with Akira Kurosawa, Janet Leigh, and Budd Schulberg; Robert Stone, Julia Phillips, and Kenneth Anger shake hands with Louise Brooks, Gore Vidal, and John Updike. Beautifully organized with lively commentary by the editor, Roger Ebert's Book of Film is entertaining enough to inspire the casual peruser to do further reading and serious enough to be a staple of any good film library.

Customer Reviews:

One of the Greatest Books on Film ever put together.......2006-05-07

In 1996 Ol' Rog published one of the greatest compilations of film related writing ever produced.

It's huge in more than just its page content, and its cover deserves to be made into a wall poster, and framed.

The cover is the inside of a Movie Palace, & the patrons are a select company of worthies one can only dream about having in the room at the same time....

Sitting front & center are Roger, Orson Welles, and looking, with an arched eyebrow, over Orsons' shoulder is Alfred Hitchcock, while over Rogers is John Huston.

In a funny juxtoposition, 3 rows back, but seen between the heads of Orson & Roger is Woody Allen with his finger to his lips. :-)

Spread out around these gents are Cary Grant, John Wayne, Louise Brooks, Akira Kurosawa, Doris day, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Quentin Tarantino, Leo Tolstoy, Katherine hepburn, Francois Truffaut, Buster Keaton, and Charlie Chaplin.

Um, can I get a collective WOW!! from the readership assembled? :-)

After a fine introduction by the author you are invited to dig into 11 sections with articles on a dozens of films, issues, and personalities.

Articles on film going by, among others, James Agee, Walker Percy.

H. L. Mencken on Rudy Valentino, Nicholas Ray on James Dean, Joan Didion on John Wayne, Rex reed on Ava Gardner, Tom Wolfe on Cary Grant, and John Updike on Doris Day, among other pieces on the Stars.

Carey McWilliams, Sam Arkoff, William Castle, and Elmore Leonard on the film business.

John Kobal on Mae West, Pauline Kael, and Norman Mailer with 2 views on Last Tango in Paris, are just a few of the pieces concerning sex & scandal in film.

The New York Times reports on the Vitascope's debut, the Philadephia Inquirer reviews The Great Train Robbery, Maxim Gorky comments on Lumiere, Leo tolstoy holds forth on Film, and Kevin Brownlow writes about Mary Pickford, and Gloria Swanson.

E. M. Forster writes about Minnie & Mickey, Andre Bazin writes about the Western, Robert Warshow on Gangsters, and Manny Farber on Underground Films,.

Directors Luis Bunel, Ingmar Bergman, Preston Sturges, Jean Renoir, Akira Kurasawa, Satyajit Ray, Andrei Tarkovsky, and Spike Lee are just a few of those whose writings on film apprear here.

Writers Ben Hecht, Gore Vidal, Christopher Isherwood, and Raymond Chandler are also here.

Film critics like Graham Greene, Dwight Macdonald, & Quentin Crisp have contributions here.

Nestor Almendros, Robert Benchley, Janet Leigh, and David Mamet write about technique.

F. Scott Fitzgerald, Robert Bloch, Budd Schulberg, Howard Koch, Nathaniel West, Groucho Marx, and Oscar Levant are among those who write about Hollywood.

At almost 800 pages you will never be bored, and can read the thing straight thru, or skip back and forth to your hearts content.

This is a book well worth searching out.

Hmm..........2003-03-01

Roger Ebert's a very good writer of critical analysis, and I read his reviews every week religiously. However, there's something that just doesn't seem right about this book. It just seems like there wasn't much effort put into it. Ebert pieced together a book made from essays and chapters from other books by other people, and he gives an unenlightening introduction to each of them. There are some good pieces in here (I especially like the ones by Klaus Kinski, Charlie Chaplin, Woody Allen, and John Waters), but it's hardly a major work by the respected film historian.

Two thumbs up, 'way up..........2003-01-09

If you love the movies, if you love good reading and if you love the combination of the two like I do, you will *loooooove* this: a collection of notes, essays, interviews and memoirs by the movie makers, critics and reveiwers, about the icons, the good, the bad and the dirty of Hollywood and the movies.

There's so much good stuff in this, I don't know where to start
to inform you about it. Let me try the bullet approach.

*The important movie critics, of course, are here. Pauline Kael

does a tango with Norman Mailer on the flick "Last Tango in Paris", Sarris and Tynan as well as Editor Ebert are included
here.

*There's a great Truman Capote piece where he and Marilyn Monroe
(in anti-Monroe drag) hang out and dish the dirt. Capote tries to get her to admit that she's seeing writer Arthur Miller.

*Julia Phillips tells of the coked up, spiked up, hyped up days before and after the time she won the Oscar for her producing The Sting.

*There's hilarious sections on WC Fields and Baby Leroy (WC spikes Leroy's orange juice bottle with gin--"the child was more or less restored to consciousness, but in the scene that followed Turog (the director) complained of his lack of animation.") and Groucho Marx' letters to Warners Bros. executives about what "A Night in Casablanca" entailed. (The executives took umbrage to the use of Casablanca in the title.
Groucho, took umbrage to how absurd these guys were so he took the absurdity to another level.)

*There's the Spike Lee "Do the Right Thing" notes which basically outlines the entire film, but are extremely interesting none the less, there's the infamous Gleave and Forest FAQ on Quintin Tarintino's "Pulp Fiction".

*John Waters dishes the dirt on the polyester, back door, wrapped in cellophane and tossed in the dumpster LA. Funny stuff

*Janet Leigh on Hitchcock and the infamous shower scene, Hitchcock on Hitchcock's style of directing, Mamet on Mamet's style of directing.

*Peter Bogdanovich does a excellent piece on Humphrey Bogart and the Bogey Mystique. You are gonna luv that one, trust me.

*Terry 'Waiting to Exhale' McMillian tells us what growing up in Michigan and having the "Wizard of Oz" come on television has meant to her and her family.

And I haven't even scratched the surface of the many pleasures of this great undertaking. There's Mae West, there's Doris Day, there's Orson Welles, there's Frederico Fellini, there's Cary Grant and there's essays from the great novels Hollywood Babylon, Get Shorty and The Player.

There's hours and hours of reading pleasure in this fantastic book. "For me, no other art form touches me the way movies do", says Ebert. I heartily concur and I appreciate that his love of the movies has inspired him to put together this collection.

Uninspired Trifle.......2002-06-27

Pulitzer prize winning author of Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, Roger Ebert won't be remembered much longer then his late cohort Gene Siskel when all that coagulated pasta around his midsection catches up with him. Franchise greedy distributors, who often have the same owners of the newspaper/TV. media who give critics their free tickets slather quotes from Ebert and his one liner reviews on their products as if they were apologizing for it. Least buyer resistance conscience studios find Ebert's politically correct social palliatives congenial to their profits.

Absolutely the best.......1997-10-09

I know, 10's a little high, but come on, where else am I gonna read Klaus Kinski's version of his hellish Aguirre shoot? Or Ebert's own interview with Lee Marvin, itself a small masterpiece of literary journalism. I was glad to see Kael's glowing review of "Last Tango" balanced with Mailer's vulgar ripping of same. The chapter from Kurosawa's autobiography led me find the entire volume at the local library. This book not only highlights our love for the movies, it inspires a new passion for the written word -- and a greater appreciation for film criticism of all types. (And, of course, there's a chapter devoted to "Pulp Fiction" -- of course!)

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