The End of an Era....

Today's short blog post is in the memory of a titan in the film industry, most infamously for his
critique of films, patenting the thumbs up, and thumbs down rating.

Today Roger Ebert, the famous Chicago Sun-Time columnist passed away today at the age of 70. Many of us remember Ebert for his numerous movie reviews, for someone like myself I did not so much remember him with his first partner in crime Gene Siskel, with whom was a colleague yet
competitor working for the Chicago Tribune, which I didn't know until reading an article on Ebert's death. In the past decade though it was less about bashing those corny blockbusters or praising the tour-de-force films that Ebert came to appreciate more so, rather what was consuming him was his battles with cancer. After having surgery to remove his jaw, and losing the ability to consume food, drink, or speak it was a hardship many, of which I include myself would have probably felt useless, but Ebert to his ever ending bravery decided to keep writing full time, and still to enjoy critiquing films.

Personally I feel that Ebert's taste and mine were never on eye--level, for those corny action movies, those grade B guilty pleasures that he might not have liked that I loved, there were plenty of times where I would look on Netflix and he would be one of the professional critics listed in whatever theatrically released films I was curious about. I found myself looking at his reviews and thinking that an older man like himself could not possibly understand how great some movies that I loved were, as he bashed about 90% of them when I read his reviews about them. Yet after everything there is that sense that the film industry has lost a key part of its audience, if not just a passionate "fan" as he called himself.

In closing I will look to this day as an end of an era, because there is one less passionate person in the world to look, to observe, to review, and critique an art form which so many love, yet few get to speak and talk about to the masses.

Roger, you will be sadly missed. God Bless, and thanks for the memories, and we know that you'll still be doing what you love, giving your two thumbs up or down, wherever you have gone.


Roger Ebert 1942-2013