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Steve James

Festival Coverage

TIFF 2016: ‘Abacus: Small Enough to Jail’

I was utterly enamoured by Steve James’ ode to film journalist Roger Ebert in 2014’s Life Itself.  My wife, on the other hand, found it difficult to tap in to and suggested it was because she didn’t have any preinvested interest.  With James’ latest doc Abacus: Small Enough to Jail, I relate to my wife’s prior disconnect.  Not because of the content, but because of the documentarian’s chosen genre.  Audiences who are riveted by courtroom…

Reviews

Life Itself

By: Addison Wylie Life Itself has the sympathetic appeal and gravitas of a rightfully great documentary about an unbreakable legacy.  It’s the type of film Roger Ebert would’ve liked, even if it wasn’t chronicling the late film critic’s life and times. Ebert’s “thumbs up/thumbs down” signature alongside buddying rival Gene Siskel left more than just an imprint on the film industry.  Their clashing opinions and exuberance for winning movies had readers and viewers alike riveted….