Friday, October 26, 2007

roger ebert nails grindhouse

It's been a delight to have Roger Ebert back reviewing movies every Friday; we had lost his distinctive critical voice for several months while he fought cancer. As if his full slate of new movies isn't enough, though, he's also been writing a new piece each week on a movie he missed while recovering. These reviews have allowed him an opportunity I think many critics would like to have: a chance to evaluate a movie long after its hype has died down and the pressures to file a review on deadline have expired.

A perfect example is today's piece on Grindhouse, a film that many critics I respect and admire loved back in the spring but which didn't do much for me. Ebert, blessed with perspective and his usual writing talent, sizes up the movie so clearly that his conclusions help explain not only why this B-movie double bill is terribly flawed but also why it didn't end up as any kind of box-office hit. Read his review here.