Category: Movies

Roger Ebert, the first film critic to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism, has passed away. Ebert bravely battled cancer for years, continuing to use the Internet to write and discuss movies. His website and Twitter accounts were active until the very end, and he even wrote a post yesterday, explaining how his medical condition was going to require him to cut back and take a “leave of presence.” But even while explaining his medical limitations, in that post he promoted the April 9 launch of a redesigned website. So even though he has not hosted a TV show in a long time, we will miss his presence in our everyday lives.

For many of us growing up in the 1970s, Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel taught us how to think about and discuss movies on a deep level. While we may not have always agreed with Ebert and/or Siskel, who passed away in 1999, they always made us think, which is the best thing a critic can do. I loved their shows Sneak Previews and At the Movies, and in later years I loved reading Ebert’s articles online. His well-written books on The Great Movies led me to discover a number of classic films, not alone, but with the guidance of a trained master. A year ago, he provoked discussion when he wrote an article about his rankings of the top ten movies of all time, some of which I had discovered through his earlier writings.

In the video below, Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel review one of the classics, Goodfellas (1990).

Ebert closed his final post with his sign off, “I’ll see you at the movies.” I will miss his movie reviews, but the truth is that having seen and read so many of his reviews, his intelligent voice already affects the way we watch any movie today, tomorrow, and in the future. So we will still be seeing him at the movies, where we will give him two big thumbs up.

What is your favorite Roger Ebert review? Leave your two cents in the comments.

(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)