Robert Ebert: A Geekscapist’s Goodbye

Today marks a sad day for film fans everywhere. Roger Ebert, one of the seminal film critics of our time, has lost his prolonged battle with cancer and has passed away. Ebert was a film critic for over four decades, writing for the Chicago Sun, as well as the screenwriter of Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. He will be most fondly remembered as one of the hosts of At the Movies alongside fellow critic Gene Siskil and later with Richard Roeper. Siskel and Ebert coined the phrase “Two Thumbs Up,” a term which is now part of any film geeks lexicon.

While I may not have always agreed with his reviews of films, I respected the hell out of the man.  It’s often said that those who can’t do, teach (critique, coach, etc.). This is a phrase I used to say about Roger Ebert, but I have since come to realize I could not have been more wrong.  I learned this lesson the first time I ever attempted to review a film for this very site, breaking a film down and explaining what works and what doesn’t work is no easy feat. To review a film, one must have a vast knowledge of film history and an insight into what truly makes a film work. Roger Ebert’s knowledge of film was so vast that he wrote numerous books and even provided commentary tracks for two of the greatest films of all-time, Citizen Kane and Casablanca. While I used to hate on his negative reviews of some of my favorite films when I was younger, I’ve now come to realize that his reviews tended to be fairly spot on.

Today is indeed a sad, sad day for film fans. Roger Ebert, you will be sorely missed good sir. For all that you’ve done and the legacy you’ve left behind, I give YOU “Two Thumbs Up”. Now it’s time to lower the lights in the balcony, one last time.