We had one film release this past weekend with the potential for Oscar nominations.

Life Itself

There are many legendary film critics. Bosley Crowther. Pauline Kael. Andrew Sarris. Yet, one critic managed to bridge the gap between elitist examination of the cinematic art form and populist exploration of cinematic language, bringing an audience to film criticism that might not have otherwise been interested. The life of Roger Ebert is a compelling and often inspiring one, even for those who aren’t his biggest fans.

This documentary explores the life and passions of Ebert and has been earning high praise from critics, an audience that isn’t surprisingly on his side. The big question is whether the industry that he critiqued will line up behind a documentary on his life. There was more than just a critic here and the humanitarian side of Ebert’s life may be just enough to earn him a nomination from the Academy.

Whether his film can win the Oscar depends on a lot of factors, not the least of which is the political volatility of his competition. Still, the early precursors are likely to lean towards Ebert, if only to celebrate one of their own, which may put the pressure on Academy members not to ignore his work. Since he was a champion of film, there may be quite a few documentary filmmakers whose work was bolstered by his opinion, which may be enough to avoid any anti-film bias the branch has had in recent years.