And The Co-host Of "Roger Ebert Presents At The Movies" Is...

By Rob Christopher in Arts & Entertainment on Jan 4, 2011 4:00PM

I've been anxiously awaiting the proper moment to reveal who will be sharing hosting duties with AP movie critic Christy Lemire on Roger Ebert's new TV show, and that moment has arrived.

It's none other than my esteemed colleague and fellow CINE-FILE contributor Ignatiy Vishnevetsky! (Ed. Note: Ebert made the announcement last night on his blog. — CS) Called Ignatius by his friends (he was born in Moscow), he's well known to movie lovers in Chicago. In addition to co-managing Odd Obsession in Wicker Park, he can frequently be found haunting the front row of many a local movie house. (He once explained to me that it was Jean-Luc Godard's advice to sit in the front row, and who was he to disagree?) He's also no stranger to readers the world over, frequently contributing to MUBI's The Daily Notebook, his own blog Sounds, Images, as well as The Reader and at least one DVD boxed set. Just last night he kicked off the Cine-File Selects series at Doc Films, introducing the film Two Lovers, which he chose.

I'd like to applaud Roger Ebert for choosing a young Chicagoan for the co-hosting spot. It sends a powerful message that vital film criticism is not to be found only in the realm of traditional print media, nor exclusively in Los Angeles or New York. Ignatius is an articulate critic with a sharp wit, and he's going to be great fun to watch. We'll be posting my exclusive interview with Ignatius later today; but for now, congrats! (Note: you can find the interview here).