Remembering Rogert Ebert- the Great American Movie Critic

With an image of the Tower Theatre in Salt Lake City, Utah, we are honoring Roger Ebert. He was an inspiration to all of us 'movie people,' and his show "At the Movies" which he hosted with his fellow Chicago film critic the late Gene Siskel gave attention to many small films such as "The Brother from Another Planet," "Paris, Texas" and "Roger and Me."

He also championed films such as "Aguirre, Wrath of God," "The Last Temptation of Christ" and "Monster" while remaining  equally outspoken about movies he despised, such as the infamous rape revenge movie "I Spit on Your Grave!" (1978; amazingly enough, it was remade just a few years ago).

I had the chance to meet Ebert at the Virginia Film Festival in Charlottesville some 20 years ago, and I am very thankful I had a few minutes to tell him how much I admired him.

Here is one of his more famous quotes:

"No good movie is too long and no bad movie is too short."

Let the final credits roll for this remarkable man.

http://www.virginiafilmfestival.org

http://www.saltlakefilmsociety.org

Quote of the Week- John Waters

John Waters and Alan Ball will be among the guests at this year's Virginia Film Festival in Charlottesville on Thursday. Waters' classic film "Pink Flamingos," which I myself am a bit to squeamish to view though perhaps it's not as bad as last night's episode of "Dexter," will be among the films screened in C'ville.

When I lived in Virginia, I had gone to it some ten or eleven years in a row. Even though I now live in North Carolina (well just over the border), I am still considering going there this year but I am a person who drives an hour to work during the freaking week!

Nevertheless, regardless if I attend or not, it should be an interesting event.

We use the occasion to once again quote Waters, who divides his time between Baltimore and Provincetown, Mass.

We have perhaps quipped Waters more often than any film director except perhaps Woody Allen and Jean-Luc Godard:

"I thank God I was raised Catholic, so sex will always be dirty."