I was among the millions of people shocked and deeply saddened by the passing of my favorite film critic, Roger Ebert, on Thursday, April 4. He had just announced one day before that his cancer had returned, and that he was going on a "leave of presence," but that he was "not going away." So, it was indeed a huge shock to read that only twenty-four hours later, he was no longer here.
I cannot overstate the impact that his passing will have on the film industry. For forty-six years, film lovers and film-goers turned to Ebert for poignant, personal, and honest reviews. Although there are many noteworthy critics that will help fill this newly-formed gap -- Richard Roeper, Leonard Maltin, David Denby -- the world lost a truly unique voice, one who was so passionate about movies that he never stopped watching or writing about them, even when he was fighting his toughest battles.
I also cannot overstate the impact that his passing will have on me, the amateur film critic. Off of whom will I plagiarize my reviews now? No, I kid; I did not always agree with Mr. Ebert, but I very much valued his opinions and insights. I visited his website, http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/, religiously. Practically every single day. Every week I anxiously waited to read about his thoughts on the newest releases, and always turned to him when I wanted a second opinion on an older film. It makes me so sad to know that Roger Ebert will never review another movie. However, I know that the critics whom Ebert personally selected to take over his duties will do an outstanding job in following in his footsteps and keeping his memory alive. I will always be a loyal rogerebert.com visitor.
So, on behalf of all film lovers, I say: a million thumbs up to you, Mr. Ebert. See you at the movies....
No comments:
Post a Comment