Matt writes: Just yesterday, the winners in RogerEbert.com’s recent giveaway were announced. Each of them received a copy of The Great Movies IV, the final installment in Roger Ebert’s collection of essays analyzing some of the greatest achievements in cinema. Chaz Ebert’s article revealing the winners also included the book’s foreword written by Matt Zoller Seitz. Here is an excerpt (click here to read the full article): “When you read Roger’s work, you feel as if he’s on the phone with you, or sitting across from you at a restaurant, or writing you a personal e-mail. Sometimes he’s holding court, sometimes he’s ruminating, sometimes he’s on the warpath. But you always feel that there’s a person there—a man with a consistent set of concerns and values, expressed in plain language whose lyricism reveals itself when you read it aloud or quote it to others. That personal touch is what makes Roger a great critic. A great teacher, too: the Midwestern directness becomes a linguistic Trojan horse that lulls the casual moviegoer into a comfort zone where Roger can ruminate on a movie’s place in film history, or explore why a particular scene works on the emotions, or dig into the sense of life expressed by the story, the characters, and the filmmaking. All of this explains why I consider The Great Movies series to be Roger’s masterpiece.”
Trailers
Deadpool 2 (2018) Directed by David Leitch. Written by Drew Goddard, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (based on the characters by Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza). Starring Ryan Reynolds. Synopsis: The sequel to the irreverent superhero comedy, “Deadpool.” Opens in US theaters on March 2nd, 2018.
A Quiet Passion (2017). Written and directed by Terence Davies. Starring Cynthia Nixon, Jennifer Ehle, Duncan Duff. Synopsis: The story of American poet Emily Dickinson from her early days as a young schoolgirl to her later years as a reclusive, unrecognized artist. Opens in US theaters on April 14th, 2017.
My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea
(2017). Written and directed by Dash Shaw. Starring Jason Schwartzman, Lena Dunham, Reggie Watts. Synopsis: An earthquake causes a high school to float into the sea, where it slowly sinks like a shipwreck. US release date is TBA.
Manhattan (1979), re-release. Directed by Woody Allen. Written by Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman. Starring Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Mariel Hemingway. Synopsis: The life of a divorced television writer dating a teenage girl is further complicated when he falls in love with his best friend’s mistress. Opens in US theaters on March 10th, 2017.
Namour (2017). Written and directed by Heidi Saman. Starring Karim Saleh, Waleed Zuaiter, Nicole Haddad. Synopsis: In a post-college rut, a Los Angeles valet driver unravels. Opened in US theaters on March 6th, 2017.
Alien: Covenant (2017). Directed by Ridley Scott. Written by John Logan and Dante Harper (based on characters by Dan O’Bannon). Starring Katherine Waterston, Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace. Synopsis: The crew of a colony ship discover an uncharted paradise, with a threat beyond their imagination, and must attempt a harrowing escape. Opens in US theaters on May 19th, 2017.
Mean Dreams (2017). Directed by Nathan Morlando. Written by Kevin Coughlin and Ryan Grassby. Starring Sophie Nélisse, Josh Wiggins, Bill Paxton. Synopsis: Follows Casey and Jonas, two teenagers desperate to escape their broken and abusive homes and examines the desperation of life on the run and the beauty of first love. US release date is TBA.
The Levelling (2017). Written and directed by Hope Dickson Leach. Starring Ellie Kendrick, David Troughton, Jack Holden. Synopsis: When Clover Catto receives a call telling her that her younger brother Charlie is dead, she must return to her family farm and face the man she hasn’t spoken to in years: her father Aubrey. Opens in US theaters on March 24th, 2017.
T2 Trainspotting (2017). Directed by Danny Boyle. Written by John Hodge (based on the novel Irvine Welsh). Starring Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller. Synopsis: After 20 years abroad, Mark Renton returns to Scotland and reunites with his old friends Sick Boy, Spud, and Begbie. Opens in US theaters on March 31st, 2017.
The Promise (2017). Directed by Terry George. Written by Terry George and Robin Swicord. Starring Christian Bale, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Oscar Isaac. Synopsis: Set during the last days of the Ottoman Empire, The Promise follows a love triangle between Michael, a brilliant medical student, the beautiful and sophisticated Ana, and Chris – a renowned American journalist based in Paris. Opens in US theaters on April 21st, 2017.
Sand Castle (2017). Directed by Fernando Coimbra. Written by Chris Roessner. Starring Nicholas Hoult, Henry Cavill, Glen Powell. Synopsis: Set during the occupation of Iraq, a squad of U.S. soldiers try to protect a small village. Opens in US theaters on April 21st, 2017.
Burning Sands (2017). Directed by Gerard McMurray. Written by Gerard McMurray and Christine Berg. Starring Segun Akande, Sidney Alexandria, Malik Bazille. Synopsis: Deep into Hell Week, a favored pledgee is torn between honoring his code of silence or standing up against the intensifying violence of underground hazing. Debuts on Netflix on March 10th, 2017.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017). Directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg. Written by Jeff Nathanson (based on characters by Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Stuart Beattie and Jay Wolpert). Starring Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Javier Bardem. Synopsis: Captain Jack Sparrow searches for the trident of Poseidon. Opens in US theaters on May 26th, 2017.
Berlin Syndrome (2017). Directed by Cate Shortland. Written by Shaun Grant (based on the novel by Melanie Joosten). Starring Teresa Palmer, Max Riemelt, Lucie Aron. Synopsis: A passionate holiday romance leads to an obsessive relationship, when an Australian photojournalist wakes one morning in a Berlin apartment and is unable to leave. Opens in US theaters on May 5th, 2017.
Okja (2017). Written and directed by Joon-ho Bong. Starring Tilda Swinton, Jake Gyllenhaal, Lily Collins. Synopsis: A young girl named Mija risks everything to prevent a powerful, multi-national company from kidnapping her best friend – a massive animal named Okja. Opens in US theaters on June 28th, 2017.
Cries From Syria (2017). Directed by Evgeny Afineevsky. Synopsis: A documentary about the child protesters, revolution icons, activists and their relatives, and high-ranking Army generals who defected to join the fight of the people. Opens in US theaters on March 10th, 2017.
War Machine (2017). Written and directed by David Michôd (based on the novel by Michael Hastings). Starring Brad Pitt, Tilda Swinton, Lakeith Stanfield. Synopsis: A satire of America’s war with Afghanistan with a focus on the people running the campaign. US release date is TBA.
The Blackcoat’s Daughter (2017). Written and directed by Oz Perkins. Starring Kiernan Shipka, Emma Roberts, Lucy Boynton. Synopsis: Two girls must battle a mysterious evil force when they get left behind at their boarding school over winter break. Opens in US theaters on March 31st, 2017.
Remembering Bill Paxton
Matt writes: After beloved actor Bill Paxton passed away last month, various writers at RogerEbert.com celebrated his legacy as the “consummate everyman.” Most unforgettable was the video Chaz Ebert shared of Paxton’s complete Q&A with Roger Ebert at the 2001 Ebertfest, following a screening of Sam Raimi’s “A Simple Plan.” Click here to view the priceless footage.
Ethan Hawke on “The Before Trilogy”
Matt writes: In a wonderful conversation, RogerEbert.com editor Brian Tallerico spoke with four-time Oscar-nominee Ethan Hawke about his career-defining role in Richard Linklater’s astonishing trilogy comprised of “Before Sunrise,” “Before Sunset” and “Before Midnight,” which were just released together in a pristine set courtesy of Criterion.
Free Movies
Made For Each Other (1939). Directed by John Cromwell. Written by Jo Swerling. Starring Carole Lombard, James Stewart, Charles Coburn. Synopsis: While on a business trip, an ambitious young lawyer meets and immediately falls in love with a stranger. They wed the following day, and tragedy soon strikes.
Watch “Made For Each Other”
Rope (1948). Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Written by Hume Cronyn and Arthur Laurents (based on the play by Patrick Hamilton). Starring James Stewart, John Dall, Farley Granger. Synopsis: Two young men strangle their “inferior” classmate, hide his body in their apartment, and invite his friends and family to a dinner party as a means to challenge the “perfection” of their crime.
Watch “Rope”
Death Rides a Horse (1967). Directed by Giulio Petroni. Written by Luciano Vincenzoni. Starring Lee Van Cleef, John Phillip Law, Mario Brega. Synopsis: A young gunfighter plans to track down and eliminate the bandits who killed his family, and forms a tenuous alliance with an aging ex-outlaw to achieve this end.
Watch “Death Rides a Horse”
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