Critics, weekend edition.

"Roger Ebert, who's 65 this week, began writing on movies 40 years ago, mainly as a critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, but syndicated to some 200 newspapers," writes Time's Richard Corliss in a lengthy and personal appreciation. "He's created a body of work - virtually all of it available on his handsome, helpful website - that is as broad, deep, reliable and rewarding as it is insanely prolific.... No one has done as much as Roger to connect the creators of movies with their consumers. He has immense power, and he's used it for good, as an apostle of cinema."

Meanwhile, Jim Emerson, who edits that terrific site, notes that Ebert has published his first "Answer Man" column in a year. It's great to see America's best known movie evangelist on the up and up.

"[T]alk to filmmakers, no matter what their stripe, and all the talk of new media fades fast," reports Variety's Anne Thompson. "They want the same things indies wanted a few decades ago: reviews from established critics."

Matt Riviera lists five bloggers who make him think.

There's no comfortable segue into this: David Poland and Ray Pride remember entertainment journalist Andy Jones. Jeffrey Wells points to two more remembrances.

Online listening tip. Cinematical's James Rocchi talks with William Goss of eFilmCritic and Hollywood Bitchslap.

Posted by dwhudson at June 23, 2007 9:39 AM