Late last week, the Internet collectively furrowed its brow, cocked its head sideways a bit, and then issued a unanimous “Ohhhh” and turned a little red before quickly closing the tab window as Lars von Trier unleashed the dirty/artsy poster for his latest film, the two-part, LaBeouf-enabling, unsimulated-sex epic Nymphomaniac. But how do Von Trier parenthetical genitals stack up against the cinema’s naughtier one-sheets? A roundup of some of the dirtiest movie posters to date after the jump. … Read More
Roger Ebert
In Defense of Mandy Stadtmiller: Why Internet Oversharing Isn’t Just xoJane’s Problem
As long as there are blogs, people will overshare. The term that came into popularity in the late aughts is a catchall to describe those who willingly offer up embarrassing details of their lives for the entertainment of others. It’s a word usually lobbed at female writers, particularly those whose personal essays are reduced by male critics (a nice way of saying “Internet commenters”) as self-indulgent, navel-gazing screeds that serve no purpose other than directing attention to the writer’s byline. And in an era with a multitude of ladyblogs, there are as many female writers who respond to these personal essays with derision, usually questioning the source material’s brand of feminism (or lack thereof). The mass response to anyone who is willing to share parts of her (or, sometimes, his) life online usually stems from the fact that the critics wouldn’t personally share the same type of material themselves. Because someone is doing something they wouldn’t do, that person must be doing something wrong. … Read More
Cool Russ Meyer-Inspired ‘Star Wars’ Figures, Commissioned by Patton Oswalt
It’s not every day that you hear about a project that brings together (psychically, at least) George Lucas, Roger Ebert, Russ Meyer, and Patton Oswalt, but here goes: when Oswalt was acting in Young Adult, he became interested in Jamie Follis (aka “Sillof”), an “action figure customizer” with a specialty in physical reimaginings of the Star Wars universe. Oswalt liked Sillof’s work so much that he commissioned him to create a series of figures that mashed up the world of Lucas with that of exploitation movie legend Russ Meyer, resulting in the artist’s latest series, Faster, Empire! Strike! Strike! … Read More
The Best Writing on Roger Ebert and His Legacy
Just a day after he announced a “leave of presence” from his full-time position as film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, readers everywhere were devastated to hear of Roger Ebert’s death yesterday. As warm and empathetic as he was eloquent and critical, Ebert and his countless reviews inspired and influenced a generation of writers, many of whom (including our own Jason Bailey) immediately took up the difficult task of doing him justice. Here are some of the most moving tributes to the legendary critic, who concluded a decades-long career that only accelerated as he battled cancer, with his signature, hauntingly evocative sign-off, “I’ll see you at the movies.” … Read More
A Personal Remembrance of Roger Ebert, A Critic Who Took Movies Personally
This is going to be personal, because with Roger Ebert, the movies were always personal. He was fond of quoting Robert Warshow: “A man goes to the movies. The critic must be honest enough to admit that he is that man.” Ebert was always that honest; it was part of what made him great. He didn’t watch films from the detached viewpoint of a scholar or observer — he loved movies, genuinely, and when he loved a film, his commentary of it pulsed with enthusiasm, and when he hated a film, it was like a betrayal. He took it personally. … Read More
The Morning’s Top 5 Pop Culture Stories
1. “You and Hillary are going to have a hell of a battle in 2016.” — Jon Stewart grilled Chris Christie about everything from his love of Bruce to his sudden 180 on President Obama’s leadership skills on last night’s Daily Show. Watch the full interview here. … Read More
20 Books About Movies Every Film Lover Should Own
September is a very good month for books about film. Roger Ebert’s wonderful memoir Life Itself is out in paperback; J. Hoberman’s excellent survey of 21st century cinema culture, Film After Film, is available in hardback and on Kindles; and there’s an all-new edition of Leonard Maltin’s movie guide. It’s the kind of thick, information-packed reference that is getting rarer and rarer in the IMDb age, but as Maltin notes on his Indiewire blog, “To those who think it’s been supplanted by the Internet I can only say, ‘We’re still here.’ And as someone who uses the ‘net every day, I can tell you that my colleagues and I still face surprising hurdles trying to get reliable information about brand-new movies. That’s one reason I think our book still has relevance to anyone who cares about accuracy, useful information, and of course, reviews.”
He’s right; the Maltin book is indispensible, and not just for those of us playing the home version of the “Leonard Maltin game” on Doug Loves Movies. Its newest iteration, and the embarrassment of other riches this month, got us thinking about the essential books about film; we’ve put together our suggested library after the jump, but feel free to add your own must-haves in the comments. … Read More
Roger Ebert’s Memoir Headed to Hollywood
Roger Ebert has made an exciting announcement via Twitter: “Whoa! My memoir has been optioned for a doc by Steve James (Hoop Dreams) and Steven Zaillian, with Martin Scorsese as exec producer.” The 70-year-old Chicago Sun-Times critic’s 2011 book, Life Itself, spans his complete autobiography, from his Illinois childhood through his… Read More
What’s On at Flavorpill: The Links That Made the Rounds In Our Office
Today at Flavorpill, we wished LEGO a very happy 80th birthday. We read the first few entries to Dave Eggers’ 90 Days, 90 Reasons, a political project which currently includes contributions from cultural icons like Roger Ebert and George Saunders. We were fascinated by this infographic of every trip… Read More
Books to Give Every Kind of Dad on Father’s Day
It is a truth universally acknowledged that our dads never seem to be in want of much of anything, probably because at this point, they’ve set themselves up pretty nicely, and they don’t understand the purpose of, say, buying jeans that cost more than twenty dollars. We’ve already given you a heads up on a few last minute Father’s Day gifts that don’t suck to break the tie-or-cufflinks curse, but if your dear daddy is the bookish type (tweed, pipe, armchair), or you want to give him something you can both talk about over the next few weeks, we’ve got you covered there too. We’ve limited ourselves to recommending books that have come out since last Father’s Day (since we’re sure last year you picked the perfect book), but we have options for adventurers and film geeks, science fiction lovers and history buffs, and every kind of dear old dad in between. Enjoy! … Read More
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