tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post5024556571909937113..comments2024-03-17T07:11:44.454-04:00Comments on John Kenneth Muir's Reflections on Cult Movies and Classic TV: CULT TV FLASHBACK #91: At The Movies (1982 - 1986)John Kenneth Muirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15629979615332893780noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-17255380448423150172011-04-06T18:04:39.869-04:002011-04-06T18:04:39.869-04:00Siskel and Ebert, alone among their replacements a...Siskel and Ebert, alone among their replacements and other pairings, gave me what I wanted from movie critics. Whether I agreed with their thumbs or not, they always gave me the information I sought -- whether I would enjoy the movie they discussed. Yes, they had their opinions, which they stuck in. But they never lost sight of the fact that their primary responsibility was to answer the question "Will I like it?"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-34080667227507473972009-09-15T23:10:27.040-04:002009-09-15T23:10:27.040-04:00I love the comparison of Siskel to a lion. He did ...I love the comparison of Siskel to a lion. He did do that! I always loved when he had some counterpoint attack!<br /><br />I watched this show on PBS as well, and then as At the Movies. I loved the chemistry between these two and thought it was an extremely entertaining way to present opposing opinions (or agreeing ones when time called for it). Although I often disagreed with them (like when they bashed Blue Velvet, but it was hilarious), there was always some meat there, some validity - not that my opinions are more valid - but there is an art to making someone see a film through your eyes. That's taken for granted sometimes on the free internet waves.<br /><br />This post also reminds me of Donahue, who was so dang entertaining, that at 10 I was watching the most political crap ever. I loved that he never talked down to his audience. Ever. And Siskel and Ebert were very much the same way.<br /><br />How I long for that kind of television again.Amanda By Nighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01910620012465381103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-50249040196813331352009-09-15T07:49:57.783-04:002009-09-15T07:49:57.783-04:00Though I usually found myself in agreement with Eb...Though I usually found myself in agreement with Ebert at the end of the day, Siskel was the one who was more likely to champion a really left-field movie (Halloween III!)that no one else liked (I mean, no one)and its worth remembering that Siskel was almost alone among mainstream reviewers in championing Carpenter's The Thing (and both Siskel and Ebert were admirers of Halloween and Dawn of the Dead at a time when 'Serious Critics' snubbed such films)...DLRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-19054766025790598292009-09-14T20:17:51.019-04:002009-09-14T20:17:51.019-04:00Kudos, JKM. I really miss this pair (though, Ebert...Kudos, JKM. I really miss this pair (though, Ebert is one I continue to follow via the web since his surgeries and health problems). A great look back at a pair of gentlemen worth watching. Is it just me, or have television movie reviews become to so <i>corporate</i> in nature when compared to folks like S & E who you feel really love film. Thanks, John.le0pard13https://www.blogger.com/profile/09421175808461787862noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-31718651313084668822009-09-14T15:49:11.146-04:002009-09-14T15:49:11.146-04:00Hey J.D.
Thanks for the comment! With the switch...Hey J.D.<br /><br />Thanks for the comment! With the switch in personnel over at the new show (from the "Bens" back to the serious journalists...) I thought it was high time to remember Siskel and Ebert.<br /><br />I owe both men a debt of gratitude, because they directed me to many great movies over the years. <br /><br />best,<br />JKMJohn Kenneth Muirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15629979615332893780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-40674452110675990472009-09-14T11:09:11.739-04:002009-09-14T11:09:11.739-04:00Thanks for the trip down memory lane! I can rememb...Thanks for the trip down memory lane! I can remember watching their show when it was on PBS and hanging on their every word, enjoying them quarreling over the merits of a film. And you're right, they sometimes championed the obscure (most famously HOOP DREAMS) and really got the word out on films that had sometimes been marginalized.<br /><br />What I loved most about the show is that they both seemed very passionate about film and that translated very well. It certainly made me appreciate film in a new way at the time. Like yourself, I lost touch with them once they hit the big time and local stations seemed to shift the time slots for the show around. And when Siskel died, it was never the same again as you so rightly point out.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164105442273577128noreply@blogger.com