Roger Ebert's 50 Greatest Film Reviews
Roger Ebert, the only film critic with a star on the Hollywood walk of fame, died April 4th after a long battle with cancer. He spent his life in the darkness of a cinema, sweater-vested in a Chicago theater balcony, popcorn in hand, moving images flickering across the lenses of his glasses. And then he wrote about it. Roger Ebert was Americas film critic. No other critic achieved the level of celebrity that Ebert did, with his regular newspaper column, television shows, talk show appearances, and his trademark thumbs up or thumbs down shorthand. As a film critic, he could be tough, biting and caustic. He made no apologies if he disliked a movie. In fact, his most entertaining work is the book I Hated, Hated, Hated This Movie. Ebert didnt hold back or mince words. He spoke his mind. But Ebert could just as easily be generous in his praise. His most positive reviews not only provide a summary and analysis of a film, but they convey his love of and passion for the medium. He could forgive faults in many films in light of their ability to entertain or to provoke thought and reflection. Just because a film is bad, he wrote, doesnt mean I cant enjoy it. His writing style was simple, insightful and often elegant. It was sarcastic, cutting and sometimes darkly funny. But regardless of the tone of the review, his work remained true throughout his career. You may disagree with the content of one of his reviews, but you have to admit that more often than not Ebert made a solid case for his point of view. Compiling a list of his 50 greatest film reviews was no easy task. After all, he reviewed thousands of movies during his 46 year tenure as film critic for the Chicago Sun Times. Sometimes the way you consider a film, Ebert wrote on his blog, depends on when and why you saw it, and what it meant to you at that time. Accordingly, most of the films on this list were given either four stars or one. Great reviews or awful ones. That was when Eberts pen was at its most prolific. It was a very rare occasion on which Ebert withheld a single, meager star. He usually started with one star, perhaps for effort, and worked from there. There are a few scathing reviews here that earned less than a single star, and they make for good reading. Click "next" below to begin...
