roger-ebert

I don’t remember a time when I didn’t know Roger Ebert.  He is one of those pieces of culture that tend to be absorbed by osmosis.  At least as far back as when I was a child, “Two Thumbs Up – Siskel & Ebert” could potentially appear in any movie commercial or poster.  I’m not sure I ever even read anything by Ebert until I was in high school (early-mid 2000’s).  And I may not have even started reading his reviews regularly until after college (2010’s).  But he still may just be my favorite  film critic of all time.  This isn’t because I agreed with him all the time (and really, who wants there to be a critic that you agree with all the time?), nor is it even because his reviews were more well-written than any other critic.  That’s not to say that he wasn’t a good writer, he was a great writer, it’s just beside the point of why I liked him so much.  For me, it all boils down to just how much he loved cinema.  In all of his reviews, it was clear that he wanted to love the movie that he had seen.  It didn’t always work out that way (he hated, hated, hated his fair share), but I could tell he always entered the theatre hopefully.  This is how I watch movies: I believe that any and all of them may hold some value for me and I give them all a fair chance.  Thanks for the inspiration, Roger.  R.I.P.  I give your life two thumbs up.