Hello boys and girls! I’m back for twenty seven words, but now I must go. It is a sad day today, please see below. Hey, that rhymed!

The balcony is closed.

This is the last season of “At the Movies,” the long-running syndicated review show made into a hit in the 1980s by dueling Chicago critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert.

The show’s roots go back to 1975’s “Sneak Previews.”

Here’s a statement from distributor Disney-ABC Domestic TV:
After 24 seasons with us in national syndication, the highly regarded movie review show “At the Movies” (formerly known as “Siskel & Ebert” and “Ebert & Roeper”) will air its last original broadcast the weekend of August 14, 2010.

This was a very difficult decision, especially considering the program’s rich history and iconic status within the entertainment industry, but from a business perspective it became clear this weekly, half-hour, broadcast syndication series was no longer sustainable. We gratefully acknowledge the outstanding work of the program’s current co-hosts A.O. Scott and Michael Phillips and top-notch production staff, and it is with heartfelt appreciation that we extend very special thanks to the two brilliant, visionary and incomparable critics that started it all, Roger Ebert and the late Gene Siskel.

Online reviews and aggregators like Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic have made finding knowledgeable opinions movies easier than ever for fans, yet have also evolved the consumption of criticism in such a way that made the half-hour review show seem dated. “At the Movies” also never again found a critic pairing with the chemistry that matched the breakout pairing of Siskel and Ebert.
(via THR)

Jimmy and I have an unshakable Werner Herzog fetish. Vice Magazine recently published an interview with the man responsible for Fitzcarraldo, Grizzly Man, and let’s not forget, Even Dwarfs Started Small.

In the piece, Werner discusses his admiration for NBA players, his belief in downsizing film crews (just look at that picture of him manning the Rescue Dawn slate all by himself!), and how Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans might be the most hilarious movie he’s ever made.

To read the article, go here…and if you want more Werner, he just published a book of Fitzcarraldo reflections entitled, Conquest of the Useless. Special thanks to my girl Nini for the hot tip on this.

Our good friends over at Slash Film reported this at the beginning of the month, but in case you missed it, The New York Times Magazine published a wonderful article about music video mastermind – diehard skateboarder – movie mold breaker Spike Jonze, and the trials and tribulations involved in bringing Where The Wild Things Are to the big screen.

If you’re not already a member of NYT Online, you’ll have to register…but it’s quick, free, and well worth it. To check it out, go here.

This article sums up what I’ve been wanting to say to people in this business for years, especially when you start doing things that actually matter in this crazy mixed up world.  Let this be a lesson to all of you aspiring “artists” out there. That includes, but is not limited to: actors, directors, writers, producers, gaffers, assistants, house keepers, dog walkers, lawyers, palm trees, and wannabees.

The article below is written by Academy Award nominated screenwriter, Josh Olson. (via Village Voice)

I will not read your fucking script.

That’s simple enough, isn’t it? “I will not read your fucking script.” What’s not clear about that? There’s nothing personal about it, nothing loaded, nothing complicated. I simply have no interest in reading your fucking screenplay. None whatsoever.

If that seems unfair, I’ll make you a deal. In return for you not asking me to read your fucking script, I will not ask you to wash my fucking car, or take my fucking picture, or represent me in fucking court, or take out my fucking gall bladder, or whatever the fuck it is that you do for a living.

(Do yourself a favor and read the rest of this article, after the jump…)
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