News for
Sidney Lumet

photos

board

add

contact

details

2 articles from 2008

13 June 2008 6:59 AM, PDT | From ifc.com | See recent IFC news

By Matt Singer

"I wanted to do something completely original and different that I hadn't seen before," said Carlos Brooks of his feature directorial debut. Though grounded in the traditions of detective fiction and film noir, Brooks' "Quid Pro Quo" is indeed something wholly its own; a film that lives inside those genres' boundaries while carving its own unique place outside them. In the film, Nick Stahl plays Isaac, a paraplegic public radio host who gets an anonymous tip about a guy who tried to bribe a doctor into amputating his leg. Researching the story introduces him to an underground (and evidently authentic) community of "wannabes" who desperately wish to be paralyzed, and to a mysterious blonde named Fiona (Vera Farmiga).

Before the thriller elements begin to congeal, "Quid Pro Quo" is particularly appealing in its detailed view of Isaac's day-to-day existence; the way in which, for instance, he can't

Matt Singer

24 May 2008 11:02 PM, PDT | From blogs.suntimes.com/ebert | See recent Roger Ebert's Blog news

Studs Terkel won a Pulitzer Prize for listening to other people's thoughts, fears and dreams. (Sun-Times photo by Rich Hein)

I got caught in the Indiana Jones whirlwind and allowed an important anniversary to pass unremarked: On May 16, Studs Terkel celebrated his 96th birthday. One of the great American lives continues to unfold. If I know Studs, the great day passed with calls and visits from friends, and the ceremonious imbibing of one (1) gin martini, very dry. I hope he has eliminated the daily cigar, but I'm not taking odds. If you don't know Studs, there are few people you can meet more easily in print. He is the greatest conversationalist I've met, the author of a shelf-full of books in which he engages people from all walks of life in thoughtful conversations about their own lives.

This life-work began with the best-seller Division Street: America, (1967), in which he talked to politicians and protestors,

Roger Ebert

2 articles from 2008