I know the box to the left shows the author as David Bordwell. He wrote the foreword. Aside from a few essays in the final section the entirety is written by Ebert. so there.

Roger Ebert is fantastic. Most folks only know of him as the fat dude on Siskel and Ebert. Well, up yours. Firstly, he's lost a lot of weight (no, not in the Star Jones way. Ebert's weight loss was due to a bout with cancer.). Secondly, Siskel died several years ago and now the co-host is Richard Roeper. Finally, he's a film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times. If you're not familiar with his column i highly recommend you read.

A friend asked me for a non-fiction recommendation after finishing the Harry Potter series. I mentioned this book and he told me he wasn't into movies like I was and really couldn't read reviews of movies he'd not seen. Well, I said, I haven't seen many of the movies he reviews but never once felt as though this was a problem. Ebert has a way of writing about a movie that just makes sense. he's incredibly brilliant but writes in a way that's easy to read. To me, the smartest people make being smart look effortless and don't feel the need to talk over your head to prove intelligence.

I have loved Roger Ebert for years. He's got a healthy respect for cheesy movies and never comes off as a film snob. he does scene by scene analysis of movies at several venues and what I wouldn't give to attend one of these sessions involving "Citizen Kane." If you're looking for a late birthday/early christmas present that would be it. i suppose for the time being i'll have to settle for the commentary track on the DVD.

however, we will have to agree to disagree on "Crash."

Labels: books, movies