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Post by Frameous on Apr 4, 2013 14:46:59 GMT -5
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Post by uruseiranma on Apr 4, 2013 14:50:00 GMT -5
I just read that, and you wouldn't believe what I was doing at the time (and no, not making this up):
I was watching a 'best of' clips segment from 'The Castle of Fu Manchu' MSt3k'ed, and just as I read about Ebert's death, they mentioned Ebert's love of the film...along with 'huge pans of lasagna.'
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Post by Mod City on Apr 4, 2013 14:58:50 GMT -5
I just heard his cancer had come back yesterday and that he was taking some time off. Very sad to hear this. He was an easy-to-digest film critic and I enjoyed his take on pretty much everything whether I agree with it or not.
Rest well, sir.
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Post by Mr. Atari on Apr 4, 2013 15:09:13 GMT -5
I agreed with him on most of his reviews, and disagreed with him on most of his philosophy. But of all the writers I've disagreed with, I've never read one with more grace, reason, humility, and generosity. His blog was required reading for me every week. He was a gentleman, except when the occasion called for him to be hilariously bold.
As far as movie criticism goes, I use one of his quotes as one of my maxims: "It's not what the movie's about that's important, it's how it's about it that matters."
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Post by Ratso on Apr 4, 2013 15:20:07 GMT -5
Didn't always agree with him but I enjoyed watching and reading him for years.
RIP sir.
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Post by Phantom Engineer on Apr 4, 2013 16:32:15 GMT -5
I watched Siskel and Ebert all the way back to the PBS days. Always liked them both. Farewell and thumbs up.
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Post by Triple_sSs on Apr 4, 2013 18:07:50 GMT -5
Wow, this is sad news. I always enjoyed reading his reviews and also liked his taste in movies. May he rest in peace. I hope he's now having a great conversation with Orson Welles up there.
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Torgo
Moderator Emeritus
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Post by Torgo on Apr 4, 2013 18:41:49 GMT -5
Wasn't unexpected. He'd been in bad shape for years.
Is it awful that the first words that popped in my head were "How come he's gone but Rex Reed's still around?" By which Iof course mean of all the thing any movie critic needs to be worth a damn, objectivity is one of them. Unfortunately Ebert always seemed to be the only one left that had any.
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Post by Weirdo Writer on Apr 4, 2013 21:06:14 GMT -5
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Post by Mighty Jack on Apr 4, 2013 23:36:41 GMT -5
The mark of a good movie critic isn't that you agree with them all of the time (that's an impossibility), it's whether their was anything of merit in their words. Do they offer a new perspective, do they get you explore and see a film in ways you hadn't thought of?
Gene Shalit threw out hyperboles, Rex Reed was a complainer who spent half his time reviewing the audience rather than focus on the screen. But Roger brought a rich knowledge of film history and technique. No, I didn't always agreed with him, but I usually got something out his writing, critiques, essays and commentaries. He knew film and he knew how to write about film.
You often hear people complain that a critic "is an idiot" when they offer up a conflicting view. Roger wasn't an idiot, he was a man with an opinion and the ability to articulate intelligently why he held that opinion. I might not have always shared the same, but I always respected the man and what he had to say.
I was a young film fan when I was first introduced to Roger and his partner in reviews, Gene Siskel, on PBS -- and it's going to be strange and sad not reading his views on the newest releases.
You will be missed Roger, and thank you for all the eye and brain opening opinions you shared.
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Post by Joker on Apr 5, 2013 2:56:48 GMT -5
R.I.P. Roger Ebert, who was showing me how film criticism was done since I was a kid watching Siskel & Ebert.
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Post by Mod City on Apr 5, 2013 16:55:10 GMT -5
Had to include this - some may remember Rob Reiner getting roasted on Comedy Central. One of the roasters had a copy of Ebert's review of Reiner's North and invited Reiner himself up to the dais to read it. Reiner did, and the audience laughter soared higher with every line he read. I'd include a video link because part of the humor is how Reiner read it, but I can't find a clip on YouTube.
"I hated this movie. Hated, hated, hated, hated, hated this movie. Hated it. Hated every simpering stupid vacant audience-insulting moment of it. Hated the sensibility that thought anyone would like it. Hated the implied insult to the audience by its belief that anyone would be entertained by it."
As soon as the crowd calmed down enough, Reiner added dryly, "Well, he's nitpicking, isn't he?"
It was a genuinely funny roast moment, and Ebert provided the best part.
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Torgo
Moderator Emeritus
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Post by Torgo on Apr 5, 2013 16:58:37 GMT -5
I had no idea that happenned. I really want to see it now.
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Post by Skyroniter on Apr 5, 2013 17:16:33 GMT -5
I watched Siskel and Ebert all the way back to the PBS days. Always liked them both. Farewell and thumbs up. Me too. RIP Siskel and Ebert.
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Post by Shep on Apr 8, 2013 15:30:21 GMT -5
Roger's script for "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" was amazing. One of the best film parodies ever--funny, sexy, with an incredible soundtrack. Here's to you, Mr. Ebert. You will be missed
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