Remembering Siskel and Ebert…on April Fool’s Day

One of my favorite things to do with my Mom was to watch old movies in bed with her all day on Sundays.  She was my own personal version of TCM, as she narrated the history of the films an its star while we watched and ate cereal.  It was fascinating for me and nostalgic for her.  It was also the ONLY time I was allowed to eat in bed…LOL

In my later years, I judged what films I actually wanted to experience on a 60-ft. screen based on the reviews of Roger Ebert. Roger Ebert loved the movies and along with my Mom, he made me love them too. He was candidly honest, but not cruel.  He shared every intimate detail of the films from the set design to performances.  If it was a remake, instead of comparisons, he simply stated what was strong and interesting about each version.  Yes, Roger Ebert loved movies except those he hated.

“No good film is too long,” he once wrote, a sentiment he felt strongly enough about to have engraved on pens. “No bad movie is short enough.”

Roger Ebert was the only film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize and reviewed films for the Chicago Sun Times until he lost his battle with thyroid cancer in 2013.  The loss of his voice critiquing cinema is sorely missed, but never forgotten.

Check out a link written by Mr. Ebert regarding his days spent “in the dark”.

Roger Ebert 10 Years in the Dark | Roger Ebert’s Journal | Roger Ebert http://www.rogerebert.com/rogers-journal/10-years-in-the-dark