Skip to main content

Life Itself (2014), R, ★★★★

Roger Ebert and his newly married wife at the time, Chaz.
This is a documentary of a portrait of a popular film critic and a man who has worked hard to get where he was in the world of film criticism on newspaper and television. Honestly, anytime he wrote a movie review or commented about something relatable to a film or his thoughts, I read carefully of what he had to say regarding the material, the craftsmanship and the acting. He was not just a film critic but he was a pure essayist who wrote from the heart. In this extraordinary documentary by Steve James, the director of the great Hoop Dreams, we see the renowned critic's life and pain being brought on-screen.

This movie is about Roger Ebert's legacy of working at the Daily Illini at his alma mater at the University of Chicago, working at the Chicago Sun-Times, his relationship with co-worker at At the Movies and film critic, Gene Siskel, their fights and banter, his fight with alcoholism, and his relationship with Chaz, his wife. They all interweave with Ebert's last months of his life when he was fighting with cancer. Sadly, he died at the age of 70 early April last year.

Ebert enjoying a film while Siskel maybe hating it or quietly enjoying it.
But, what is so special about this documentary is that Ebert gave Steve James the freedom and ability to show what the film critic is going through and what he wants to say with his laptop. The wonderful element is that when he gets sicker, he perseveres and blogs not just about movies, but also about life. He had a free spirit. There are moments of earned humor regarding Ebert's association with his friends and his colleagues, sentimental and sad moments regarding Chaz's and Roger's story. Chaz's and Roger's relationship is really the center of the story and turns the documentary into a heartfelt love story.

I have to honestly confess that I do not really read a lot of movie reviews, but I read few critics' reviews that I trust and admire and one of them was Roger Ebert's. He had a flair of writing specific details and honest explanation regarding a movie. Most of the time, I agreed with it, whereas others, I disagreed. Nevertheless, I read as to why he did or did not like a movie. Steve James' documentary is an epitaph to a man who championed not just film but his life and life around him. This is a film for moviegoers that watch film closely and for viewers who read his reviews and enjoyed the TV show with Siskel and Ebert. But, mainly, everyone should see it. This earns a "thumbs up" from me.

****

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), PG-13, ★★1/2

We're about halfway through the Harry Potter franchise and this is the turning point in which I found the material to be darker and more mature when the storyline surrounding Lord Voldemort grows. And, also we see another new and fresh direction as David Yates comes into the spotlight to finish off the franchise with the last four movies. I remember watching the trailer in the theaters and I was excited for this movie as it was mostly action-packed. The bottom line is despite the camaraderie between the young Hogwarts characters and a real-good action sequence in the climax, it is a choppily edited and more grounded movie that does not provoke much magic or memorable scenery. Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) is enduring a hot summer and Dudley (Harry Melling) provokes him by making fun of the fact that Harry is haunted by Cedric's death from The Goblet of Fire and also his mom's death. As a storm approaches, demeanors come into the tunnel sucking Dudley's so...
Post a Comment
Read more

Non-Stop (2014), PG-13, 3 stars

The passengers think Bill Marks (Liam Neeson) is a terrorist. Airports and airplanes. The lines. The crowds. The delays. Everything that Bill Marks (Liam Neeson) hates about flying. When it comes to airports, I have to go through the procedure with taking your carry-on baggage and luggage on the flight. Then, I go through security which I have to admit is not as bad, just follow the rules and guidelines. After security, what do you do? If you are two or three hours early, you have time to kill: Have something to eat, watch something on your IPad, shop, etc. As you board and get on the plane, anything can happen from turbulence to maybe something unexpected like this movie's situation. This movie is silly and preposterous, but it is a fun movie to watch. The movie opens with Bill Marks tired drinking alcohol and arguing with a supervisor on his cellphone glancing at a photo of his daughter. But, he is trying to get his act together by lighting a cigarette while he is being pus...
Post a Comment
Read more

2015 Movie Reviews

I'm not using Blogger as much on the site to post because I felt that I was losing time and viewership. Unfortunately, I do not think people read my reviews as much anymore. So, if you want to catch or watch my movie reviews. For now, visit my Instagram movie profile, @cine_caro. I edit the videos in a minute or less and I give a brief review it as a voiceover and rate them. So, if you want to catch up, here are the movies that I reviewed this year in 2015 and their ratings. 2015 4 STARS Anomalisa **** The Big Short **** The Revenant **** Spotlight **** Brooklyn **** Room **** Steve Jobs **** The Martian **** Sicario **** The End of the Tour **** Me and Earl and the Dying Girl **** Inside Out **** Mad Max: Fury Road *** Ex Machina **** 3.5 STARS Star Wars: The Force Awakens ***1/2 Carol ***1/2 Creed ***1/2 Beasts of No Nation (NETFLIX) ***1/2 Bridge of Spies ***1/2 Goodnight Mommy ***1/2 Straight Outta Compton ***1/2 The Gift ***1/2 Mission Imposs...
Post a Comment
Read more