Roger Ebert is dead

Roger Ebert's review of Deuce Bigelo: European Gigolo is the best review ever written.

rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar...811/REVIEWS/50725001

Repo genuinely doesn't like him, because he had a soapbox and used it. Ok then.

I am with Gary Sax, in that I was not a huge fan of his reviews when he was with Siskel. He was very much focused on movies-as-entertainment where Siskel aligned more with my thinking of movies-as-art. That was the big difference between them, and what made for all the fireworks.

After Gene's passing, Ebert started his efforts on reviewing the older film catalogs, no longer wanted to be chained to the present. I like those reviews MUCH more, and I think they tempered his enthusiasm for things that go bang and make your dick hard. Now his dick needed to harden in an interesting way.

As for reminiscences, I really appreciated his love for DARK CITY. If you haven't seen it, do so, and reflect that it came out before THE MATRIX. He did a series of talks, breaking the film down frame-by-frame, and even volunteered a commentary track on the DVD. He was right, the notions expressed in it have become standard fare since.

jeb wrote: Repo genuinely doesn't like him, because he had a soapbox and used it. Ok then.

That is clearly not what I said.

I said that he used his soapbox to disseminate hate and scorn upon those that did not subscribe to his political beliefs and his half baked ideas.

He demonized those he disagreed with because he was unable to form rational arguments to refute them. He alienated at least half his fan base by doing so and cast a pall on everything he wrote previously.

Why is it I learn so much more about someone after they pass?

For those who have not heard of this incident, I suggest you watch this quick snippet of Ebert at Sundance. This little video increased my respect for Ebert 3 fold:

He certainly pissed off the video gamers, but late-stage Cancer Roger was a very compassionate guy trying to create and share an ethical voice with the world.