Category > Ebertfest
Perhaps the feature that generated the most divisive response from the crowd at this year's Ebertfest was reserved for Rod Lurie's Nothing but the Truth. Consistently engaging, often manipulative and, in the end, a bit unsatisfying, the political drama must be commended for focusing on thorny moral issues that spell doom at today's box office. Freedom of the press, national security and the value of staying true to your moral code are hardly the sort of topics you find in …
| Past Ebertfests may have screened some better individual movies, but I can't remember a festival where the movies flowed together so well. This year's films were shards of light from the same prism, each a different reflection on the theme of loss and survival. The losses were sometimes gradual over time and sometimes devastatingly sudden. The survival was often gritty, and not always particularly redemptive. But the fact of survival offers at least some measure of hope. So, there wasn't …
10:50am: The infamous Seat Saga continues. I arrive at the Virginia and approach my husband, who has a "strategy" planned. I can't believe how a lovely little festival about movies has turned into a bloodlust for the coveted Perfect Seat. Yesterday's mission turned into a fiasco when an ambush of elderly people stampeded through the East Lobby door to target our exact seating area, and we ended up sitting five rows closer to the screen than usual. I didn't think …
10:30 - Arrive at Ebertfest to see an already long line. Grab press pass. Feel unrealistically superior. 11:00 - Movie still hasn't started. I go get coffee. I talk to a nice, quietly spoken gentleman with long hair. Someone later tells me he's in a band in the area, and they're pretty good, and that I should check them out. I refuse, on the grounds that supporting local musicians means more people handing me flyers. 11:15 - The Fall starts. …
12:20 p.m: I arrive at the Virginia and provide the requested PB&J to my faithful husband, who has dedicated his morning to standing in line to secure us our usual seats. Of note today: our two Ebertfest friends, Karen and Bob, have brought their own seat cushions due to an unruly spring in one of their usual seats. Territory is claimed by the hardcore EF goers. If you cross into their boundary line, there is bound to be a rumble.
So far, a sense of loss threads it way through Ebertfest 11. Screening Woodstock opened up a lot of lament over the loss of authenticity and groovyness of the Sixties. Yesterday's showings of My Winnipeg, Chop Shop, and Trouble the Water all dealt with loss at some level, be it loss of hometown institutions, loss of innocence, or loss of a great American city. And loss is not limited to the movies this year. Although Roger has been missing due …
5:25 p.m.: Kiss wife and kids goodbye, as if I am going away on a five-day trip. It's better this way. 5:30: Arrive on scene at Virginia. Interview the two couples who are first in line. Discover that showing up at 3:10 pm is only good enough for second place on opening day. 5:50: Display my impressive, shiny new Press Pass to folks at Virginia. Ask if I can stand inside while the crowd rushes in so I can take …
Everyone who has attended Ebertfest more than once has a favorite moment or two or ten. Maybe it's seeing Lawrence of Arabia or 2001: A Space Odyssey in 70mm for the first, and probably last, time. Maybe it's one of the fascinating or entertaining interviews, from big stars like John Malkovich (who was propositioned by a drunk school teacher on the way to the interview), to the gee-whiz amazement of newbies like Stone Reader's Dow Mosssman, to the utterly captivating …
If you wanted to create a feature-length animated film and overlay it with some music from a long-dead 1920s jazz singer that no one has ever heard of, you might think there would be a straightforward path for doing so legally. Unfortunately, you would be very, very wrong. Urbana native Nina Paley has learned that part of the job of being an independent animator is to understand the fine print of American copyright law. Her attempts to distribute her film …
Ebertfest, Roger Ebert's yearly film festival held at the Virginia Theater in Champaign, is just around the corner (April 22nd - 26th). Film selections were announced last week, and we have a full three weeks to get whipped up into frothy anticipation of the festival. Smile Politey's friendly stable of Ebertfest veterans and movie reviewers (Dan Schreiber, P. Gregory Springer, Jamie Newell, Chuck Koplinski, and Suzanne Lewandowski) weigh in on the choices and what they are looking forward to in …
Most Recent Arts Comments
It appears to me that your reviewer did all that could be expected: she paid her money, saw the play and conveyed her impressions. The review (on the whole, laudatory) may have been rushed, in a generous attempt to publicize the production while it was still available…
That settles it… Im going.
I didn’t know that the LED was created here. That’s awesome.
It’s a total shame this is only during working hours! It sounds great, but I’m one of those who can’t slip away very readily during the 9-to-5. Next time, a request: weekend events, please?
Nuts. Sorry I saw this, um, 15 minutes before CULitFest (my term!) begins. However, one deficit - no beer. SP.com 1, UIUC 0. In all seriousness, hope it goes well!
Good stuff as always! I like the theory Zelina presented…curious to see how it plays out with Sawyer, Jin/Sun, and Kate…
To get back to the show, if that’s allowed, we saw it last night. I know a lot about the films of the 30s and 40s and appreciated what Durang was trying to do, though some was pretty obvious and the ending was forced. A literal kitchen…
I had a great time reading around your post as I read it extensively. Gold Coins
Zeleni, I had the exact same theory only with the mysterious Man in Black/Smokie granting the wishes. MIB promised Sayid he could have anything in the world he wanted, which turned out to be Nadia. Although he does not necessarily “have” her, she has not died yet…
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Um. Yeah — check out that “General Disclaimer” at the bottom of the article, folks.
As an adoptee, I can empathize—although I’m not an international adoptee, and I apologize if I’m assuming too much on the nature of your adoption. You can feel what you feel, but don’t be too hard on yourself. When I started a search for my birth family,…
I highly doubt a single dish is vegan at Bombay. Most Indian dishes use Ghee(essentially clarrified butter) as the base fat. While I guess they could make some dishes with canola oil, I would for sure ask the exact ingredients before I consumed if you are following a vegan diet.
You’re right! Every runner, in my opinion, is a real runner.
Congratulations on the AG place! In all of your accomplishments, don’t forget what it was like to think a mile was an impossible distance. Getting to the six-mile point takes a lot of training and preparation to acclimate the mind and musculature to so much pounding. Your…
Sounds like it!
I heading out on my 9 miler before my 10 hour work day right now. Do I have what it takes?
Nice, killer work pretty man…the channeled, one sided collaborated rhyming poem. An oft forgot genre. The ruckus was felt even here in my living room, which is normally a safe haven from ruckus.
wait, I was commenting on the wrong thing - sorry - he’s actually a gigantic sellout but who really knows what all this is about.
If the democrats didn’t have Kucinich, and the republicans didn’t have Ron Paul, where would both these parties really stand? These men actually mean what they say.
Joel, thank you for the opportunity to answer these questions and have them posted here. I really appreciate it! Yes, I was thrilled to see that Rep. Kucinich flipped today, so he will has committed to voting yes for health reform. I appreciated his comments which seem…
It appears to me that your reviewer did all that could be expected: she paid her money, saw the play and conveyed her impressions. The review (on the whole, laudatory) may have been rushed, in a generous attempt to publicize the production while it was still available…
Dan Schreiber’s chocolate is simply the best I’ve ever had. It’s a whole different ball-game; closer to very high-end wine than anything out of Hershey PA.
That settles it… Im going.
Vosges is pretty decent chocolate, but you should definitely try the locally-produced chocolate from Dan Schreiber, available (regularly?) at Amara, Caffe Paradiso, and Common Ground. I believe it is or will be at other places soon.
I read Kucinich flipped today. He must have read this and been convinced.
Bread Company can do some fantastic vegan dinner dishes! Several of their pastas are vegan or could be made vegan and their pizzas can be ordered (and taste great) without the cheese. I also recommend their roasted potatoes and their roasted garlic head appetizer.
General Admission? Are we supposed to camp out the night before the game to get decent seats?
I wonder with Griffey if he’s not in game shape enough to play a significant number of minutes. If you look at his minutes played this year, he’s never played a starters minutes.
I really appreciated Ms. Lennhoff’s candid answers to the questions. I learned a lot about health care reform from this experience. Thanks CCHCC!
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Nice, killer work pretty man…the channeled, one sided collaborated rhyming poem. An oft forgot genre. The ruckus was felt even here in my living room, which is normally a safe haven from ruckus.