Awake in the Dark: The Best of Roger Ebert (87 page)
Read Awake in the Dark: The Best of Roger Ebert Online
Authors: Roger Ebert
*The Coen Brothers later explained that the story was completely fictional, and that the use of the opening line about it being based on a true story was a "stylistic device."
*Corliss might be surprised to discover, however, that he is not always right when he assumes that his magazine reviews are longer than the S&E treatment of a film. On Blaze, the Time count is 324, S&E 755. On Blue Steel, it was Time 267 words, S&E 864. On The 'Burbs, Time nudges us 603 to 471, and on House Party, 567 to 536, although, as Corliss points out, in addition to the words we also show clips from the films.
*The MPAA's refusal in March to grant an R to The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover is the latest example of the way a film can suffer in distribution. Many chains have contracts with their landlords prohibiting them from playing X-rated or unrated films.
*The most detailed film criticism I've seen on American TV was the Richard Schickel PBS series where he led great directors through discussions of their themes and styles, and then showed what they were talking about.
*Corliss on Cruise: "The souped-up Chevy Lumina circles the track at North Carolina's Charlotte Motor Speedway. At the wheel is Tom Cruise, daredevil superstar. The hazel eyes that laser out of his handsome face focus on the thrill of speed and risk. Nor is this challenge confined to a roadway's hard curve; it applies as well to his career in the movies, even if it means taking dangerous curves toward roles that might confound his fans. This day, after a dozen laps, Cruise sees a dime, stops on it and emerges from the Lumina to say hello to a visitor. He extends a hand and flashes the million-dollar smile-or, to judge from the worldwide take of his past four movies, the $1.035 billion smile. He points to the car and asks, `Want to go around?' America wants to go around with Tom Terrific-that's how he looks, that's how he makes moviegoers feel."
Table of Contents
Prologue: Death of a Dream Palace ................... xxix
Review of La Dolce Vita ...................... xxxiv
Introduction ........................................ i
Mitch and Jimmy: Some Thoughts
Martin Scorsese and Paul Schrader
Introduction ....................................... 103
1968: The Battle of Algiers ............................. io8
1969: Z ...........................................11o
1984: Amadeus ......................................151
