The movie is so-so, but the post-screening discussion is marvelous, with Ebert holding court in grand style, engaging Allen in a natural, off-the-cuff conversation and encouraging questions from the audience. I manage to secure a press ticket to a special University of Chicago screening of Woody Allen’s ‘Small Time Crooks’ that will be followed by a Q&A with Allen-one of my movie gods-and Ebert. Spring, 2000: I’m in my final year of film school at Northwestern, winding down my tenure as film editor of the campus newspaper and putting the finishing touches on an independent study project that explores the impact the Siskel & Ebertprogram had on film criticism. My first-ever review is of Jean-Jacques Annaud’s ‘The Bear’ and I enjoy writing it so much, I think, ‘Huh…I’d kinda like to keep doing this.’ The following year, I join my elementary school newspaper as an after-school activity and decide what the quarterly rag really needs is a movie column. The writing is elegant, witty and entirely accessible, the words of a fellow film lover sharing his enthusiasm (and, sometimes, derision) in print. I open the book at random and start reading a review, followed by another, and another, and still another. “While I never had the good fortune to meet Roger Ebert in person, I do have two memories that, in some small way, indicate the impact his work had on my life.įall, 1988: Realizing they had a 10-year-old budding movie enthusiast on their hands, my parents gift me with a copy of Roger Ebert’s Movie Home Companion - the just-published 1989 edition with Ebert flashing his famous (though not to me, yet) thumb atop a stack of VHS tapes-for Hanukkah. That discussion between Siskel and Ebert ignited an interest in me that would eventually developed into a career-defining passion for indie cinema. I watched the film repeatedly, soaking in the DIY spirit. I very clearly remember the pair discussing a little black and white film called ‘Clerks.’ I was eventually able to track the film down on a VHS tape that was recorded from the laserdisc. The syndicated show used to come on well past my bedtime, but my father would tape record the weekly broadcast for us to watch. “As a child, Roger Ebert’s TV show ‘Siskel & Ebert’ was my introduction to film criticism and really any world of film outside the multiplex. LAST UPDATE: April 7th, 12:00 PM - with contributions from Ethan Alter, Jason Bailey, Bruce Bennett and Robert Levin Here is just a small portion of the proof:
In the meantime, here are some of the shorter comments from our Network. Many sent links to their full obituaries and appreciations elsewhere - which we’re currently collecting and will share in another post later today. To honor the life and legacy of film critic Roger Ebert, Criticwire invited the members of our Criticwire Network to share with us any tribute they saw fit.
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