 | |
Type of site | Film review |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Owner | Ebert Digital LLC |
| Founder | Roger Ebert |
| URL | www |
| Current status | Active |
RogerEbert.com is an Americanfilm review website that archives reviews written by film criticRoger Ebert for theChicago Sun-Times and also shares other critics' reviews and essays. The website, underwritten by theChicago Sun-Times, was launched in 2002.[1] Ebert handpicked writers from around the world to contribute to the website. After Ebert died in 2013, the website was relaunched under Ebert Digital, a partnership founded between Ebert, his wifeChaz, and friend Josh Golden.[2]
Two months after Ebert's death,Chaz Ebert hired film and television criticMatt Zoller Seitz as editor-in-chief for the website[3] because hisIndieWire blogPressPlay shared multiple contributors with RogerEbert.com, and because both websites promoted each other's content.[4]
The Dissolve's Noel Murray described the website's collection of Ebert reviews as "an invaluable resource, both for getting some front-line perspective on older movies, and for getting a better sense of who Ebert was." Murray said the website included reviews Ebert rarely discussed in conversation, such as those forChelsea Girls (1966) andGood Times (1967), written when Ebert was in his twenties.[5] R. Kurt Osenlund ofSlant said in 2013 that other contributors (including Seitz, Sheila O'Malley, and Odie Henderson) had "a lot of first-person narrative" in their work like Ebert did, adding, "but there are other contributors, like Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, who don't do so much of that. The overall diversity makes the site a kind ofartists' collective."[4]
RogerEbert.com has routinely hosted a "Women Writer's Week" in honor ofWomen's History Month, featuring content from female contributors for the entire week.[6] Following the2016 United States presidential election, the "Women Writer's Week" in 2017 was described byObserver to be "overtly political thanks to PresidentDonald Trump". Chaz Ebert said the2017 Women's March helped motivate female contributors to contribute their perspective to film and politics.[7]
Roger Ebert compiled "best of the year" movie lists beginning in 1967 until 2012. Since Ebert died, the practice has continued since 2014 with his website. The primary contributors do aBorda count where each critic ranks films, with ten points for the first-placed film to one point for the tenth-placed film. The scores are compiled and best film of the year is based on poll results.[8]