Roger Ebert is having a rennaissance.
I'm not sure if it's because he can no longer talk, but America's most popular film critic has been on fire recently.
Whether he's got more time on his hands now that he's not appearing on TV or he's just happy to be alive after multiple surgeries and lengthy bouts of bedrest and physical therapy, the man has struck a torrid pace.
There seem to be more reviews of new films in addition to regular contributions to his reviews of Great Movies from the past, the always perceptive and playful Answer Man Q&A column, reader contributions to his witty Little Movie Glossary, analysis of cultural moments such as John McCain's appearance on Letterman, and twists to his writing such as this brilliant dissection of a new film based on the first eight minutes with a link to a thoughtful blog post and an engaged discussion.
In fact, the greatest engine for his newfound enthusiasm seems to be a discovery of blogging. Roger Ebert's Journal has become an outlet for deeper and longer investigations into the many themes and theories he's espoused over the years in reviews.
He's tackled the definition and mission of a critic, taught how to analyze a movie a shot at a time, and talked about how to answer the question "What's your favorite movie?"
To top it off, you get an amazingly refreshing string of intelligent, engaged and almost unfailingly polite comments which Ebert reads and responds to.
I would never wish such severe medical maladies on anyone, much less someone I've enjoyed for so long. But if there is an upside to such struggle and discomfort, I'm glad this one man has found a way to share it.
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