Understanding Ebert

Quite possibly the single greatest and most influential film critic of this time and any other, Roger Ebert has certainly been around when it comes to movies. He knows what makes them tick, he knows what makes them go and most importantly he knows what makes them good. He, of course, also knows what makes them suck. As an aspiring critic myself, I have recently began reading some of Ebert’s more recent work. Films like The A-Team, Karate Kid, and A Nightmare on Elm Street. If you happen to actually follow my blog which is still in its newborn state, you can tell that I mostly tried to read his reviews of films that I, myself, have either seen or reviewed recently. In an attempt to compare my work and opinion with one of the greatest critical minds ever (I know, right, what was I thinking?), I found myself almost at the complete opposite end of opinions with Ebert on those films. I even re-read parts of his reviews trying to grasp his exact idea and feel for the film; sadly I simply could not agree with him on many of the same movies that I wrote about.

Obviously, his reviews are saturated with the aura of veteran writing containing metaphors, adlibs, comparisons to other films and even some funny jokes. I, sadly but expected, still have a long way to go. I realized this even more so when I saw he had a review out for Rocky. Rocky! And it was published when the film came out too. That was back in 1976. He was 34 at the time, and I, well I wasn’t even a mere thought or consideration in either of my parent’s minds back then. I was probably what you would call a “future surprise” or just an accident if you want to get technical about it.

He gives “two thumbs down” to films that I thoroughly enjoyed. He makes references to certain scenes about not following reality and Newton’s Law of physics such as The A-Team scene where they are attempting to fly a tank. Meanwhile, I’m thinking, “Dude, it’s a movie”. Obviously that cannot be done in real life but it’s for entertainment purposes, which is why we go to the movies in the first place; Entertainment. But alas, trying to be respectful to just the mere words written on my computer screen by a film critic godfather, I must try to see where he is coming from. Still holding on to my individuality and own personal opinion of course. Me a seasoned film vet, no. Actually feeling like I know what I’m talking about, yes. This is more that I can say for a lot of people I have come in contact with regarding movies. So, although I am nowhere near the man who hasn’t let thyroid cancer stop him from tearing movies a new one and described as “the most powerful pundit in America” by Forbes magazine, I am somewhere in between that and simply being an aspiring film critic. Hint: If you haven’t guessed, I’m much closer to the latter.