Roger Ebert: A Tribute

                     When news of Roger Ebert's death broke...I came to tears. This is not because I knew the man personally (I've never even met him.) Rather---this is because as someone who writes reviews on film---I owe a great debt to Ebert. "Siskel And Ebert" was the show that inspired me to persevere. Just when I was ready to give up on writing film reviews...I would go on Youtube and watch one of their classic reviews and think "That's the only thing I can imagine myself doing for the rest of my life." The major reason these two men inspired me to persevere so much is because they were so good at what they did.

                        Siskel died many years ago (1999 to be exact) at the age of 53 from brain surgery complications. We all knew he wasn't doing too well. It's sad to look back at the reviews around 1998 where Siskel could barely review a movie...something he loved doing more than anything. In 2002...Ebert was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. The fact that this man was able to fight this for eleven years and love life the way he did was amazing. In 2010...Ebert made an appearance on "Oprah" in which he talked through a machine and explained how much he still enjoys life despite not being able to eat, talk and do many other basic parts of life. I've always believed it takes a bigger man to admit that he cried than to not cry at all so I'll be the bigger man and admit that Ebert's appearance on "Oprah" made me cry like a baby. Ebert was 70 when he died today (Thursday, April 4th) and I feel as if Ebert could have outlasted us all simply because of his love for life.

                       There is no man who has inspired me as much as Ebert did. His love for film, life and people in general is truly remarkable. Although I did not always agree with Ebert on film (I personally loved The Hitcher and Blue Velvet)...he was the type of man who was both good at defending his opinion and who understood that an opinion was one that everyone should have. He was never afraid to speak his side of the matter but he always knew that his side wasn't going to be looked at as right by everyone because after all---it's his opinion.
                   
                      I feel as if it would be rude not to mention Richard Roeper in all of this. Roeper took over for Siskel after he died. However, Ebert had to go through many trial runs with other film critics such as Boston Globe's Wesley Morris and New York Times's Elvis Mitchell. It came down to Roeper as the final choice. He was a great replacement for Siskel and soon became an equally great partner for Ebert. When Roeper stepped off the balcony and E!'s Ben Lyons and TCM's Ben Mankiewicz took over..it just wasn't the same. They were adequate enough film critics but it was too much of a transition. Finally...Chicago Tribune's Michael Phillips and New York Times's A.O. Scott took over and filled that empty gap. They finally took off  in August 2010. Then came Christy Lemire and Ignatiy Vishnevetsky and it was never the same again. Soon enough...the balcony was closed for good and the world lost the last great film review show.
                   
                   Anyone who has ever written a review on a film, tweeted about their opinions on a film or spoken to a friend about a film they saw owes a gargantuan debt to Roger Ebert. He was the definitive film critic of our time. He is to film criticism what Neil Armstrong is to walking on the moon. He was the first of his kind. Although Ebert has reunited with Siskel in Heaven...neither of these men's legacies will ever be forgotten. They were the best of their kind and made their own style of reviewing films. Now I am extremely sad to say we will never get the pleasure of hearing these two great men discuss film again.