Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Roger Ebert in 'Life Itself' Poster & Trailer

It's been more than a year since revered film critic Roger Ebert passed away after his long battle with cancer. I had read (actually heard through audio tape) Ebert's memoir Life Itself prior to his death and after getting a glimpse into the man who has single handedly influenced the film community so deeply, I felt an immense sorrow by the loss of a great man. After hearing so much buzz, the first trailer of the documentary that is adapted from his memoir of the same name is here! The legendary documentarian Steve James who made Hoop Dreams (1994) is tackling the arduous task of whole-heartedly telling the inspiring biography of Ebert. There is no one better to make a documentary about Ebert than the man behind Hoop Dreams in which Ebert calls "one of the best documentaries of the 90's." (see review)

I was one of the lucky people who got a sneak peek of the documentary at Cinefamily earlier this year. And Ebert's wife Chaz and Steve James was in attendance to talk about the film. I cannot express the amount of bittersweet sadness, happiness, and awe-inducing wisdom that I experienced while watching this movie that justifies the book and his life to wholly show you all the nooks and crannies of his upbringing, career, and marriage. It even shows you behind the scenes of Siskel and Ebert's sibling rivalry which surely caused some major huffs and puffs between the two cinephile heavyweights back in the day that is utterly hilarious and frightening! Film snobs and audiences alike will enjoy watching this documentary but also remember, with laughs comes a lot of tears. So bring some tissues. Life itself comes out July 4th.