Cannes 2024 Giveaway – Signed Copies of ‘Opposable Thumbs’ Book
by Alex Billington
May 14, 2024
“There was no chemistry. They didn’t even like each other! But they had a style of relating to the movies, which both of them loved. They were very good critics, and very smart.” It’s finally time to announce a very special giveaway at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. This is my 14th year attending Cannes, and it’s the year 2024, so I have decided to give out 4 signed copies of a new book about two legendary film critics. Back in 2019, I hosted a Cannes giveaway of the hard-to-find Roger Ebert book “Two Weeks in the Midday Sun: A Cannes Notebook” about his thoughts while attending the 1987 Cannes Film Festival. Some of my colleagues that received this book have told me how much they still cherish it. Now in 2024, I want to hand out another Roger Ebert book – but he only published one Cannes diary book in his time. However, the superb author / film critic Matt Singer recently published his own book about Ebert called Opposable Thumbs: How Siskel & Ebert Changed Movies Forever. 37 years after Ebert published his Cannes diary, we’re back again in Cannes for the 77th iteration of this festival and I’m happy to give away a few copies of Matt’s book.
All 4 books were signed by Matt himself and I will have them with me in Cannes over the next two weeks. I will be handing them out to a few lucky people at this fest (details below) – there’s no rules about who can win, only that you have to be in Cannes to collect it. I brought them with me to hand out in France. Ebert’s original Cannes 1987 book “Two Weeks in the Midday Sun” is a film nerd classic – he was pretty much “blogging” about being at Cannes before blogging even existed. It’s full of mini reviews, amazing anecdotes, tons of quips, comic strips, and his thoughts about his experiences at Cannes – including going on Francis Ford Coppola’s yacht (he was there with his film Gardens of Stone), schmoozing with all kinds of celebrities and blowing off others, and getting into a fight with a French critic who kept using a flashlight to write his notes (more on that here). As a follow-up, Matt Singer’s book is about the story of how Roger Ebert & Gene Siskel came together to create the TV show “At the Movies” and go on to change movies forever. The book is a must read for any/all movie fans, and I’m delighted that Matt signed these 4 copies that I have with me.
Want to win one of these books?? For the latest updates at the festival, follow me on Twitter @firstshowing or keep track on this blog or on Letterboxd account @firstshowing. If you’re a cinephile or a critic, or even a filmmaker or cinematographer or producer, please get in touch. All you have to do is find me! Which is not that easy considering I’m constantly roving between the Palais and various screenings and my apartment and dinner at La Piazza and everywhere else. But if you can find me, please introduce yourself, tell me you’d like a copy of the book. (Here’s what I look like!!) To take home one of these books you have to answer this important question: which 2003 film did Roger Ebert famously refer to as “the worst movie in the history of the Cannes Film Festival”?? (Yes, he did revisit the film and give it a higher rating after it was re-edited for its final release, but it’s still an iconic moment in his Cannes history…) That’s it! I only have 4 books to give out and they will go fast. I will have 1 book available per day – first come, first serve to anyone who can name the film. Please ask for my screening schedule – perhaps we’ll cross paths at a film.
Cannes 2024 kicks off today in the South of France, and I’m glad to be back here, excited to start watching films. I have been deeply inspired over the years by Roger Ebert and the way he wrote about movies in his coverage (of Cannes and other festivals). At the 2014 festival, I did my own “Two Weeks in the Midday Sun” blog format, posting updates like he did many years before. In 2019, I handed out 10 copies of Ebert’s book about his time in Cannes, to remind everyone of his wisdom and that they don’t have to be so rigid & uptight when they discuss the films playing in Cannes. It’s a prestigious festival, where they prioritize cinema above all else, but it’s also an event where you can cover it in any way that feels genuine. Matt Singer’s excellent book Opposable Thumbs: How Siskel & Ebert Changed Movies Forever has received rave reviews and it’s a must read for movie fans young or old. It’s a reminder that “Siskel & Ebert bustled into the world at a time when movie critics mattered more,” as the reviews say. As Cannes gets underway, I hope this book reminds everyone that critics still do matter – they’re as passionate about terrific movies as Siskel & Ebert were, too.
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