Marge: “Homer, the plant called. They said if you don't show up tomorrow don't bother showing up on Monday.”
Homer: “Woo-hoo. Four-day weekend.”
It’s the only time of the year I can use that great quote from The Simpsons. A 4-day long weekend is upon us. What does that mean for cinema owners? Big business! A whopping 9 cinema releases (by my count) will be released this Thursday. That’s a smidge more than the 8 we had in 2007 and 2008.
It also means that I’ve been very, very busy. I’ve had a few other things on the go and finally gave up last night suffering from exhaustion. Was in bed by 8:30pm (ridiculously early for me) and so I missed a preview of the new Coco Chanel movie (out on April 15). In all, I’ve seen 7 films in the last 6 days. It’s not BIFF-like but not far away.
The End Of An Era
When I first developed a love of film, we didn’t have the internet. I wasn’t aware of the talented film critics of the world who spread the word on what was good and what was bad.
There was one exception. I often watched The Late Show With David Letterman which came on around midnight each week night on Channel 9. How I loved my uni days. In bed by 2am. Up by 1pm. Happy memories…
Anyway, Mr. Letterman’s show introduced me to the world’s most renowned film critics – Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel. Their show (called Siskel & Ebert At The Movies) debuted in 1986 and became a smash hit. Each week, they argued back-and-forth. It was like something from The Odd Couple.
I loved hearing what they had to say and when the internet arrived in the Toomey household, I read the transcripts from their shows every week. I’ve got scrapbooks at home of their reviews. Each film received their trademarked rating – either a thumbs up or a thumbs down. You could find a huge number of movie posters which simply contain the quote – “Two thumbs up!” – Siskel & Ebert. They were a brand name and their thoughts meant a great deal to many people.
It all changed in 1999 when Gene Siskel suddenly passed away. Richard Roeper became Ebert’s new partner and they worked fairly well together (although they were never the duo that Siskel & Ebert were).
In 2006, Roger Ebert took a break from the show to undergo treatment for his thyroid cancer. He would never return. He almost died and permanently lost his voice. He is still the most highly regarded critic in the world though. He can’t speak but his reviews and blogs are read by millions on the web. On Twitter, he currently has over 121,000 followers. Not bad for a film critic!
The show has gone through a number of changes since Roger Ebert departed. It went through a major revamp in 2008 with two young guys (Ben Lyons and Ben Mankiewicz) brought in as hosts. They were panned from their first show. It went through another big change in 2009 with more respected film critics A.O. Scott and Michael Phillips brought in as replacements.
Sadly, the ratings were never the same. And it was announced last week that the show has been officially cancelled. It marks the end of an era and the final show will air in August.
The going has been tough for film critics in recent years. It just got even tougher. Another window for knowledgeable film folk to critically evaluate movies has been closed. I find it hard to believe given that the pathetic Richard Wilkins still adorns our television screens. His reviews on the Today show each morning (where every film seems to get a good review) irk me like nothing else. I can barely watch.
That said, I shouldn’t be too disheartened because inevitably, things can’t last forever. Roger Ebert, Gene Siskel and those who have followed in their footsteps on the show have had a great run. They’ve reviewed plenty of films.
If you want to see them in action, here are two reviews which sum them up perfectly –
Fargo (in 1996) which they both loved – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbETIZuJgaM – Quote from Siskel – “There won’t be a better film than this. You called it a masterpiece, I’ll go on and say that too.”
North (in 1994) which they both loathed - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yj52wm7l3zg – Quote from Roger – “I hated this movie as much as any movie we’ve ever reviewed in the 19 years we’ve been doing this show.”
One lesson from all of this is that you can’t re-create the chemistry that Siskel and Ebert forged. Even if you take just one of them out of the equation, things will never quite be the same. It’s like a great movie. As a director, you may think it’s all coming together but until you sit in your seat at the premiere and gauge the response from the audience, you never know for sure.
Hopefully Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton stay on our own screens for a long time to come. I don’t have the stamina for another depressing tribute piece.
Poor Uma Thurman
I had to laugh at this story from London over the weekend.
The new Uma Thurman movie, Motherood, had an exclusive release in one British cinema. In its opening weekend, just 12 people went and saw it. That’s not a typo. It took in just 88 pounds in its first 3 days. I hope they bought popcorn to boost the cinema’s takings!
The irony is that this negative publicity will generate interest in the film. It’s no longer showing in UK cinemas (it was pulled after just one week naturally) but it might catch the eye of a few when it appears on the shelves of video stores. Poor Uma. I guess she’s not quite the box-office draw she once was. Pulp Fiction was 16 years ago (also hard to believe).