I haven't posted anything on here in four months, which in internet time is an eternity! But I felt that I had to express my sadness about Roger Ebert's death somewhere and felt that Theater Of Guts wasn't the place to do it.
I've watched Siskel & Ebert since I was nine with my dad and we'd always cackle about what films they would bitch about and it was always really entertaining. They never did it because some faceless corporation was pushing them toward a positive review, which is unheard of in today's sell out everything, even your integrity, culture. I remember going to Walden Books in the Coral Springs Mall and reading his book of reviews, next to a huge Boris Valejo Fantasy art book and being really impressed at his style of prose. There is so much to read in his online journals about his personal life and views on politics, I plan on re-reading it for awhile.
So here is a tribute to the man that continues to influence my amateur film essays and criticism. Here's some of my favorite moments of Roger Ebert, one of the last critics with integrity left and now sadly gone.
On Slasher movies: Siskel & Ebert had an early PBS episode that I'd heard about where they went into attack mode against the producers of Silent Night Deadly Night. They went ahead and condemned them for encouraging rape and assault against women, remarking that the new rise of slasher films that have been coming out week after week are a reaction to the feminist movement and tell women to "stay back in your place". I think they have a point, but they are equating the same wave of serial murder influence with fantasy. There's a major difference and the film makers are using reality to warn society (and in some cases benefit from actual tragedy). The slasher films are a cathartic reaction and have and always been influenced by history, meaning that if there were no women's movement then there would have less serial killings after the 60's. The film makers should not have been condemned for holding a mirror up to the depravity of society and it was a senseless action on Siskel & Ebert's part, but during the 80's people got wrapped up in grandstanding and choosing sides (the Cold War was raging at the time). Censorship is stupid in my mind and I think it was a bad move for them to go that route, but watch this clip and see that even though they despise these films, they have a slight point and reason behind their anger.
VIDEO
My first exposure to foreign cinema and independent films was through Siskel and Ebert
I liked how they mixed in important films with mainstream ones or if an Arthouse film was reviewed and there are tons, if it was terrible, than they vented about it and didn't give it a pass just because they liked the last film by Herzog or whomever.
I go back and always watch classic episodes of At The Movies online, I remember the moment when Siskel's health was failing (Skunkape and I both mention it all the time). In one episode they had a split screen where Siskel called in and a still picture was on the screen. All those vulnerable moments were captured on TV. You had the feeling that even if they truly hated each others opinions, they respected one another and Siskel always liked odd horror choices that Ebert scoffed at, like From Beyond! And Ebert genuinely loved those fucking stupid animated Garfield movies with Bill Murray and went into the defense of Jennifer Jason Leigh's fictional sex scene in Fast Times At Ridgemont High. In the review, which he gave one star, he went on and on about how vulnerable she was and seemed to want to protect her (it was sort of embarrassing) I respected his opinion, but totally disagree. REVIEW
The banter between Siskel & Ebert was always funny because Meyer had that cult connection with Russ Meyer, and Siskel seemed to jab him about it, in a harmless way. Here's a story about Who Killed Bambi, the Russ Meyer, Ebert, Sex Pistols collaboration that almost happened.
LINK
I remember freaking out in the middle of the night, when I noticed his voice sounded warbled and then it happened later a few months down the road, he almost died. I even read about it on his blog where he mentions he can no longer eat or swallow and that ghastly picture of his face with a shriveled chin. I recoiled when I first saw him and was worried like I had actually known him at all! He made a huge impact on my childhood as an obsessive film fan, then I was relieved to find that he wrote through all his turmoil and traumatic experiences, the testament to writing and its magnitude and power is that its immortal. The last thing I remember reading from Ebert on his blog was about his belief in God and mortality that he considers himself an Atheist, but like myself doesn't want to be branded or put into an easy category and that death is like being submerged back into that embryonic fluid that you once came from before you knew the world. I found it comforting when most people would have been confused or depressed and I will miss Roger Ebert.
