Rosalind Hartmann's Blog: Rosalind Hartmann: author and brown girl - Roger Ebert

Admittedly I did not know most of what was on that list. Well, I knew he long sought after The New Yorker’s weekly caption comic. When I was in high school, I became variously addicted to reading the comments in the TV guide sent in by readers. I wanted to get my comment published. Badly. However, after vehemently commenting against the change they made on the wording in the introduction to the, at the time, brand new spin-off ‘Star Trek – the Next Generation’ from ‘where no man‘, to ‘where no one‘ – I did get a postcard thanking me for my comment. They didn’t use it, but that was validation enough at the time.

I have since rescinded my stance on the change.

I remember Siskel and Ebert. I was always on Siskel’s side because I thought Ebert was pudgy and mean. I didn’t know half the movies they reviewed (I had to have been maybe 10?) but movies still fascinated me, and so did their opinions. I loved their ‘thumbs up/thumbs down’ votes and recap at the end. Broke my heart when Siskel died suddenly and finally I felt for Ebert. What would he do now? They eventually replaced Siskel, but it was never the same.

I had no idea Mr. Ebert was a screenwriter, much less a rice-cooker master. Didn’t know he had cancer and lost part of his jaw to the disease until after he survived it. I’m a little curious as to the date he had with Oprah Winfrey, but that had to have been before Steadman. I did read the excerpt of his book about not fearing death. It takes a strong man, not just with faith or convictions, to accept the end before even getting there. Would a movie critic sit down and be prepared for an ending, whatever ending, watching it with blind faith? Probably watching, but not accepting. What would be the point of being a critic then?

Mr. Ebert died today, April 4th, 2013. It was worth writing my thoughts about it instead of just retweeting an article about him. A Pulitzer Prize winner for movie criticism – that man had moxy, damn it. Rest in peace, Mr. Ebert.