Roger Ebert reviewed seven movies this weekend, but not "2016: Obama's America"

Note: At the end of this posting I have added updates, which are in bold, including Roger Ebert’s responses to me from his blog.

This is Roger Ebert’s website. For the weekend of Friday, August 24, 2012, he has written reviews of seven new movies:

Premium Rush

Hit and Run

Red Hook Summer

Cosmopolis

Robot and Frank

Chicken with Plums

Nobody Else But You

All seven of those reviews are actually dated Wednesday, August 22, 2012.

As I sit here writing this, it is Friday evening, August 24, 2012, and his website does not have a review for 2016: Obama’s America.

I suppose it’s possible that the movie was not available early for critics in Chicago to see. If that’s the case, then his review should be up tomorrow, August 25, 2012. (Update: It is now Saturday afternoon, August 25, and he has still not reviewed the movie. )

Over at one of Roger Ebert’s blog entries, I asked him:

Roger, when will I get to have the privilege of reading your review of the new film “2016: Obama’s America”?

He answered:

At such time as it opens theatrically here.

I responded with the following. Since I just submitted it, it has not yet been approved by Ebert:

So you’re saying that the movie which is number one all over the country is not playing in any theaters in one of biggest cities in the country? I can’t recall that ever happening before.

Actually, it’s playing at FOURTEEN different Chicago theaters:

http://www.google.com/movies?hl=en&near=chicago&dq=where+in+chicago+is+%222016+obama%27s+america%22+playing&sort=1&mid=d65eeebaa6d36b72&sa=X&ei=bxs4UI2cEef00gHMhYHwDw&ved=0CEYQwAMoHg

Showtimes

AMC Showplace Galewood 14
5530 W. Homer Blvd, Chicago, IL
‎10:15am‎  ‎12:45‎  ‎3:15‎  ‎5:45‎  ‎8:15‎  ‎10:45pm‎

AMC Showplace Village Crossing 18
7000 Carpenter Road, Skokie, IL
‎11:40am‎  ‎2:10‎  ‎4:50‎  ‎7:30‎  ‎10:10pm‎

Regal Gardens 7-13
4999 Old Orchard Center, Skokie, IL
‎12:10‎  ‎2:40‎  ‎5:10‎  ‎7:30‎  ‎9:50pm‎

AMC Loews Quarry Cinemas 14
9201 63rd St., Hodgkins, IL
‎11:35am‎  ‎1:50‎  ‎4:05‎  ‎6:20‎  ‎8:40pm‎

AMC Loews Crestwood 18
13221 Rivercrest Drive, Crestwood, IL
‎10:15am‎  ‎12:40‎  ‎3:00‎  ‎5:30‎  ‎7:50‎  ‎10:30pm‎

AMC Showplace Niles 12
301 Golf Mill Center, Niles, IL
‎10:25am‎  ‎12:55‎  ‎3:25‎  ‎5:45‎  ‎8:05‎  ‎10:25pm‎

AMC Loews Country Club Hills 16
4201 W.167th St., Country Club Hills, IL
‎11:00am‎  ‎1:45‎  ‎4:15‎  ‎7:20‎  ‎9:45pm‎

AMC Northbrook Court 14
1525 Lake Cook Road, Northbrook, IL
‎10:35am‎  ‎1:05‎  ‎3:45‎  ‎6:15‎  ‎8:30pm‎

AMC Randhurst 12
200 Randhurst Village Drive, Mount Prospect, IL
‎11:30am‎  ‎1:50‎  ‎4:20‎  ‎7:40‎  ‎10:20pm‎

AMC Yorktown 17
80 Yorktown Shopping Ctr, Lombard, IL
‎11:50am‎  ‎2:30‎  ‎4:55‎  ‎7:25‎  ‎9:55pm‎

Marcus Addison Cinema
1555 West Lake Street, Addison, IL
‎12:55‎  ‎3:15‎  ‎5:30‎  ‎7:50‎  ‎10:05pm‎

AMC Loews Woodridge 18
10000 Woodward Ave., Woodridge, IL
‎11:00am‎  ‎1:20‎  ‎3:40‎  ‎6:00‎  ‎8:20‎  ‎10:40pm‎

AMC Loews Streets of Woodfield 20
601 N. Martingale Road, Schaumburg, IL
‎11:05am‎  ‎1:30‎  ‎3:50‎  ‎6:20‎  ‎9:00pm‎

Cinemark at Seven Bridges
6500 Route 53, Woodridge, IL
‎12:10‎  ‎2:30‎  ‎4:50‎  ‎7:10‎  ‎9:30‎  ‎11:45pm‎

http://www.deadline.com/2012/08/first-box-office-anti-obama-movie-1/

FIRST BOX OFFICE: Anti-Obama Movie #1

By NIKKI FINKE

August 24, 2012

FRIDAY 2 PM: The anti-Obama movie 2016 Obama’s America went into wider release around America today and is opening right now in first place at the domestic box office. That’s quite a feat since the Rocky Mountain Pictures political documentary is still playing in only 1,090 North American theaters – or about 1/3 as many theaters as big-budget actioner The Expendables 2 (3,355 theaters).

Like I said above, I suppose it’s possible that the movie was not available early for critics in Chicago to see. If that’s the case, then his review should be up tomorrow.

Update: Roger Ebert has responded to my blog posting at his blog with the following:

Thanks for the info. Those are in outlying suburbs or cities. The distributors offered no screenings or screeners and did not announce the opening. A 40-mile round trip isn’t that easy for me. If they want to spend a couple of bucks to mail me a screener, that would be nice.

OK. So there really are no theaters in Chicago that are playing the movie. That’s a big surprise for such a major city, but it is certainly a legitimate explanation on Roger’s part.

On September 3, 2012, I posted the following at Ebert’s blog:

Roger, “2016: Obama’s America” is now playing at a theater which (according to mapquest) is less than one mile from the Chicago-Sun Times. When will we be able to read your review?

AMC Loews 600 North Michigan 9
600 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL
‎10:25am‎ ‎12:50‎ ‎3:10‎ ‎5:30‎ ‎7:55‎ ‎10:20pm‎

Ebert responded:

Didn’t know that. They must have just opened it. I’m going to the Toronto film festival, and in preparation have had 15 screenings in the last seven days. Why are you so obsessed with this?

I answered:

I don’t know why I’m so obsessed with this, or with any of the many other things that I’m so obsessed with. That’s just how God (or nature, of whatever you want to call it) made me.

But I do know that the stats on my blog show that a lot of people have gotten to my blog when they searched for your review of the film. I may be the only one who is obsessed, but I’m not the only one who is curious.

Then someone named “rob”said:

He’s ‘obsessed’ with this because he clearly thinks you are avoiding reviewing the movie because of bias. The constant political talking points in your reviews and blogs can be…irritating to some.

and since you are probably the most famous movie critic, he’s basically calling you out. Which is fair enough. the movie, with no publiclity, has made more money than most of Michael Moore’s movies (all but 911) and yet, his movies are rarely ignored by critics

Someone named “Mike Doran aka Lowbrow Crank” said:

Why not just admit it, right up front: You’re not going to see Dinesh D’Souza’s anti-Obama movie because you don’t want to.

If Roger doesn’t want to see the movie, that’s perfectly fine with me. But that’s most definitely not the answer that he gave me when I first asked him about it.

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