The Great Movies IV
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
Essays from the influential and beloved film critic: “No one has done as much as Ebert to connect the creators of movies with their consumers.”—Richard Corliss, Time
Over more than four decades, Roger Ebert built a reputation writing reviews for the Chicago Sun-Times and, later, arguing onscreen with rival Chicago Tribune critic Gene Siskel, and later Richard Roeper, about the movies they loved and loathed. But Ebert’s wisdom went well beyond a mere thumbs up or thumbs down.
The Great Movies IV is the fourth and final collection of Roger Ebert’s essays, comprising sixty-two reviews of films ranging from the silent era to the recent past. From films like The Cabinet of Caligari and Viridiana that have been considered canonical for decades, to movies only recently recognized as masterpieces, to Superman, The Big Lebowski, and Pink Floyd: The Wall, the pieces gathered here demonstrate the critical acumen seen in Ebert’s daily reviews and the more reflective and wide-ranging considerations that the longer format allowed him to offer.
Also included are an insightful foreword by film critic Matt Zoller Seitz, editor-in-chief of the official Roger Ebert website, and a touching introduction by Chaz Ebert. A fitting capstone to a truly remarkable career, The Great Movies IV will introduce newcomers to some of the most exceptional movies ever made, while revealing new insights to connoisseurs.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Next month, film critics and partners Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper will each release books of their own. A little friendly competition never hurt anyone, right?THE GREAT MOVIES IIRoger Ebert. Broadway, (544p) At times, Ebert's second collection of 100 essays on great (but not, he's careful to point out, the greatest) movies reads like an anthology of recycled reviews from his Chicago Sun-Times column, especially when he gets talking about the bonus features on DVDs. But anyone looking for a crash course in cinema viewing regardless of whether they've been through Ebert's first Great Movies collection (published in 2002) will find plenty of rewards here. Some of the selections may be obvious (12 Angry Men; West Side Story), but Ebert constantly surprises, not just in the foreign film selections but in the elevation of cult favorites such as the "bizarre masterpiece" Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia. In praising older films, Ebert often takes the opportunity to criticize modern Hollywood, and his attacks can get snarky (for example, is it really unthinkable that Annie Hall would beat out Star Wars for an Oscar if they came out today?). Given Ebert's preferences, it's not surprising that fewer than a dozen American movies from the last two decades make the cut. Some of his choices are sure to spark debate; two Japanese cartoons, for example, may strike some as excessive, especially since the treatment of live-action Japanese directors barely extends past Kurosawa. Then again, it's hard to imagine a better purpose for such an anthology than getting people talking about and watching movies. 100 b&w photos.
