Wednesday
17Dec2008
Directors Guild to Honor Roger Ebert
Wednesday, December 17, 2008 at 4:10AM
Kudos to the
Directors
Guild of America, which on January 31st will award critic
Roger Ebert
as an an honorary life member of the Guild. You probably don't need me to remind
you that Ebert is the preeminent film writer in America today, and has been for
some time. His reviews are the most anticipated if not the most read, and for
two decades, he and Gene Siskel had the first and last word on whether of movie
was great or garbage.
And after he was on TV, Ebert continued to see movies all the time, taking in every major festival and sitting through who knows how many movies in Chicago during a given year. For example, I'll see over 200 films this year, and if Ebert had worked the entire year, I imagine he would have seen at least 50 to 75 more than me.
Health problems have limited him lately, as well all know, but that he even returned to work at all speaks volumes about his dedication.
"From the blockbuster to the tiny independent film, Roger Ebert has devoted his career to sharing his love of film with generations of moviegoers," DGA President Michael Apted said in a statement about the upcoming recognition. "In doing so, he's kept directors on their toes for more than 40 years."
Ebert has become more of a blogger there days than he's ever been, he still reviews like a madman, and he even has a new book out called Scorsese by Ebert, chronicling the great director's career with reviews, analysis, and interviews between the two men conducted over a quarter century.
Colin Boyd | Permalink | in Critics, Roger Ebert | Print Article | Email Article | 2 Comments | Share Article
Reader Comments (2)
Mr. Ebert is the Michael Jordan, Lance Armstrong, and Michael Phelps of the Film Criticism world.
Minus the athleticism.