Roger Ebert passed away today. An amazingly young 70 years old. And I was taken back by it as he played a huge role in my love of movies.
As a kid growing up in the mid-west, I would be so excited to watch "Siskel & Ebert", and just try to guess which one would give thumbs up or down. I LOVED that show with a passion, because...you have to understand...I grew up with only four t.v. stations to choose from. And all of it was sitcom crap. They force fed us special programming like T.G.I.F. on ABC. We got Urkel or nothing. The only alternative was to get out of the house. And to the movies.
This was at a time when movie theaters were still an experience. As a kid with limited resources, I couldn't possibly watch everything that hit the theaters. So I had to pick and chose carefully. There weren't any opinions in the local Cincinnati paper that seemed to jump out at you. No simple opinions, just a mish-mash of non-committal statements. As if the reviewer didn't even watch it.
Enter Siskel & Ebert. These two muppets were arguing voraciously about their love of movies. It didn't matter what was on their plate, but they were going to battle it out on air. I ATE THAT UP. It was a religion to me to know EXACTLY what time they were on (as Tivo/DVR didn't exist at this time). I loved every review they've ever done together. The world simply disappeared when they were on.
When Siskel passed away, I was saddened that I now had to close the door on the excitement of that show. Something in Ebert changed. Without the yin there was a very muted yang. And everyone could sense it.
Ebert pressed forth and sat next to others. They all paled in comparison to Siskel. They caught lightning in a bottle when they both were paired together. And, personally, I don't think they ever got back to it. I often agreed with Ebert's reviews. He is one of the rare reviewers who has worked in the Hollywood system, having written a produced screenplay in "Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls." I could tell he loved that really wild free-love genre. Which sometimes surprises me that he admonishes other exploitation projects such as "I Spit On Your Grave."
The funny thing about Ebert's reviews that stand out among others is that...he's not afraid to voice his own personal agenda into the work. In fact, prior to finding out he had passed, I was reading his review. Yes, I STILL followed him three decades later. To me, he spoke with the same blunt dry wit that I grew up with. The midwestern morals that, it seems, only the most down to Earth people can share. He spoke to me. Which I do give him great credit for my love of movies and as to why I work in them today.
Towards the end of his life...it almost seems like I knew it was the end. His reviews seemed to be getting more wistful. He started to appreciate the smaller more quiet stories. Perhaps he was, as he always did, champion the little film that could.
I wrote him a letter a few years back, basically begging him to review a movie I had shot. I often wonder if he did get around to watching this movie (which I consider very poor quality) and saved myself the embarrassment by NOT reviewing it. For my benefit. I sometimes feel...maybe...just maybe, he may have thumbs down that movie...but he thumbed me up for effort.
I thank him for his inspiration and my appreciation of the cinema. Thumbs up, Mr. Ebert.
