It’s a sad day for film critics and appreciators of film critics everywhere. After decades of loyal service to the world of cinema, ABC’s At The Movies (first known as Sneak Previews, then the iconic Siskel and Ebert, Ebert and Roeper after Gene’s death and finally At The Movies) has been cancelled. [Cinematical]
Here’s Disney’s parting words:
“After 24 seasons with us in national syndication, the highly regarded movie review show “At the Movies” (formerly known as “Siskel & Ebert” and “Ebert & Roeper”) will air its last original broadcast the weekend of August 14, 2010. This was a very difficult decision, especially considering the program’s rich history and iconic status within the entertainment industry, but from a business perspective it became clear this weekly, half-hour, broadcast syndication series was no longer sustainable. We gratefully acknowledge the outstanding work of the program’s current co-hosts A.O. Scott and Michael Phillips and top-notch production staff, and it is with heartfelt appreciation that we extend very special thanks to the two brilliant, visionary and incomparable critics that started it all, Roger Ebert and the late Gene Siskel.”
At its best, At The Movies was a working man’s film critique, full of smart, simple advice on films for people who maybe only saw a handful of films in theaters a year, hence the famous “thumbs up, thumbs down,” which eventually was changed to “see it, rent it, skip it.” Whether it was Siskel, Ebert, the very capable (very colloquial) permanent replacement Richard Roeper or even the scores of guest filmmakers (Kevin Smith one of the most memorable) and critics that joined Roeper after Ebert got sick, these were people who knew film and were unpretentious about it.
At its worst, At The Movies was hosted by two people (Ben Lyons and Ben Mankiewicz) who talked like they only saw a few films in theaters year. Thankfully, their tenure lasted only about a year, quickly replaced by this writer’s two favorite film critics working today, the Chicago Tribune‘s Michael Phillips and the New York Times‘ A.O. Scott.
These two certainly deserved more time to make a case for themselves, but then so did Todd McCarthy at Variety and the countless other film critics who’ve been fired from their respective newspapers over the last few years.
As someone who considers himself something of a critic, it’s a conflicting changing of the tides. On one hand, I sit on the other side of the Red Sea so to speak, watching the waters crumble over the past. On the other, I watch those critics I grew up reading and admiring and idolizing tossed to the wayside because of people like myself.
If we online are to pick up where these greats are leaving off, we’re going to have to keep improving. And fast.
How do you, the reader, feel about online film criticism?