Roger Ebert (1942-2013)

[Billy Dat]

This news hits me really hard as I have been an avid Ebert fan since I was a kid watching 'Siskel & Ebert' and have since read hundreds and hundreds of his reviews and essays. I love movies and he's a big part of my overall film knowledge. The immediate social media response has been significant, I was wondering if any of you shared the same positive feelings about him?

[cspan37421]

I knew he had been battling cancer for awhile, but I thought just yesterday there was a news story about him discontinuing a blog or something of that nature. Anyway, I didn't always agree with his reviews, but often did, and always found his to be a worthwhile perspective to consider. I remember watching Siskel and Ebert and enjoyed their back and forth. Then when Gene got sick or took vacation, there were a bunch of others subs in his spot, like the seldom-critical Jeffrey Lyons (I actually learned to watch out for movies that touted his high ratings - if that's the best you can do, it's a really bad sign).

Roger Ebert will be missed. Who are interesting reviewers these days (besides our own J.E.)? I haven't purposefully sought out someone whose taste really line up with my own, but I do enjoy Ann Hornaday on the Tony Kornheiser show (and presumably online with WaPo).

[tbyers11]

Thoroughly enjoyed his reviews whether he liked a film or not. He was always my baseline reviewer when trying to figure out whether or not I would like a film. His Great Movies (I think there are 3 now) books introduced me to a lot of great older films. I found his autobiography, Life Itself, quite entertaining and touching when detailing how he dealt with the cancer that drastically changed his life (facial surgery that greatly changed his appearance and made him unable to speak, eat or drink).

RIP, Roger Ebert

[Olympic Fan]

Count me among his big fans. I didn't always agree with his opinions, I respected his POV. I especially loved reading his negative reviews.

[Deslok]

Was always a big fan of him and his work. I loved his work as a critic, where he did love some cinema that is more for folks who watch 1000 movies in a year, but he also wasn't afraid to admit that a film was perhaps not original, not particularly noteworthy in any grand way, but was still just fun to watch(I can still remember him reviewing Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, and finding himself surprised that he actually enjoyed it, and feeling then the need to go back and watch the original which he had skipped the first go round). Despite seeing thousands of films, he never lost the ability to find joy in losing himself in an onscreen world. I would almost always find myself agreeing with his reviews, and even where I differed, could understand where he was coming from. He will be missed.

[Tom B.]

I especially loved reading his negative reviews.




Then you should enjoy this. (http://mentalfloss.com/article/49913/10-movies-roger-ebert-really-hated)

[killerleft]

Then you should enjoy this. (http://mentalfloss.com/article/49913/10-movies-roger-ebert-really-hated)

"2. The Brown Bunny, zero stars. I had a colonoscopy once, and they let me watch it on TV. It was more entertaining than The Brown Bunny."

One to stay away from:o I always enjoyed Siskel and Ebert, and the humor (whether intended or not) was probably the main reason. I was certainly more forgiving than either of them. Mr. Ebert weathered a physical storm with great fortitude. R.I.P.

[Olympic Fan]

Then you should enjoy this. (http://mentalfloss.com/article/49913/10-movies-roger-ebert-really-hated)

I did enjoy it ... I have a copy of his book "I Hated Your Movie".

The link you provide is to a nice article ... but the long comments section afterwards is even better, citing other bad reviews.

I will say that of the 10 reviews cited in the article, I agree with nine of them (well, eight, on the strength of Ebert's review, I never saw Brown Bunny). I have to admit that Armageddon is a guilty (very guilty!) pleasure. But I've always been glad that Ebert agrees that The Usual Suspects is one of the most overrated movies of modern times.

[Lord Ash]

Ehh... I have little use for a movie reviewer who says that the problem with "Beverly Hills Cop" is that Eddie Murphy is miscast and out of place.

[Reilly]

Funny Siskel & Ebert story from Gene W. of The Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-story-that-makes-roger-ebert-look-bad-too-soon/2013/04/11/0b622ae8-a21c-11e2-9c03-6952ff305f35_story.html

[throatybeard]

I have missed him every time a new film that looked like it might be interesting has come out.