"I believe that if, at the end of it all, according to our abilities, we have done something to make others a little happier, and something to make ourselves a little happier, that is about the best we can do. To make others less happy is a crime. To make ourselves unhappy is where all crime starts. We must try to contribute joy to the world. That is true no matter what our problems, our health, our circumstances. We must try." - Roger Ebert
Nobody loved movies more than Roger Ebert. And after a very long battle with cancer he lost his fight yesterday at the age of 70, and the world of movie reviews will never be the same.
I remember vividly sitting in front of my tv on Saturday afternoons watching his movie review show with then partner Gene. They would give movies either a thumbs up or a thumbs down and then argue with each other why. I absolutely loved it and respected this mans opinion. And while today many are heartbroken at his passing, we will always remember him for his big heart, his humanity, passion, fighting spirit and for me most of all his incredible wit in the face of so many terrible movie train wrecks.
Here are some of my favorite reviews of his:
Armageddon, 1998
"No matter what they're charging to get in, it's worth more to get out."
Godzilla, 1998
"Going to see Godzilla at the Palais of the Cannes Film Festival is like attending a satanic ritual in St. Peter's Basilica."
"Going to see Godzilla at the Palais of the Cannes Film Festival is like attending a satanic ritual in St. Peter's Basilica."
Crocodile Dundee In Los Angeles, 2001
"I've seen audits that were more thrilling."
"I've seen audits that were more thrilling."
How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days, 2003
"Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson star. I neglected to mention that, maybe because I was trying to place them in this review's version of the Witness Protection Program. If I were taken off the movie beat and assigned to cover the interior design of bowling alleys, I would have some idea of how they must have felt as they made this film."
"Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson star. I neglected to mention that, maybe because I was trying to place them in this review's version of the Witness Protection Program. If I were taken off the movie beat and assigned to cover the interior design of bowling alleys, I would have some idea of how they must have felt as they made this film."
The Brown Bunny, 2003
"I had a colonoscopy once, and they let me watch it on TV. It was more entertaining than The Brown Bunny."
"I had a colonoscopy once, and they let me watch it on TV. It was more entertaining than The Brown Bunny."
Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen, 2009
"If you want to save yourself the ticket price, go into the kitchen, cue up a male choir singing the music of hell, and get a kid to start banging pots and pans together. Then close your eyes and use your imagination."
"If you want to save yourself the ticket price, go into the kitchen, cue up a male choir singing the music of hell, and get a kid to start banging pots and pans together. Then close your eyes and use your imagination."
The Last Airbender, 2010
"The Last Airbender is an agonizing experience in every category I can think of and others still waiting to be invented."
"The Last Airbender is an agonizing experience in every category I can think of and others still waiting to be invented."
B.A.P.S., 1997
"My guess is that African Americans will be offended by the movie, and whites will be embarrassed. The movie will bring us all together, I imagine, in paralyzing boredom."
"My guess is that African Americans will be offended by the movie, and whites will be embarrassed. The movie will bring us all together, I imagine, in paralyzing boredom."
Stargate, 1994
"The movie Ed Wood, about the worst director of all time, was made to prepare us for Stargate."
"The movie Ed Wood, about the worst director of all time, was made to prepare us for Stargate."
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