Thumbs Up for an Inspiration: A Tribute to Mr. Roger Ebert

Because of one man, this blog probably would not have existed. That man is Roger Ebert. The beloved and world renowned film critic and writer of the Chicago Sun-Times sadly passed today on April 4, 2013 at 70 years young. He is mostly known for his television show At The Movies with Siskel and Ebert, which he co-hosted with his late reviewing partner, good friend, and also renowned film critic Gene Siskel of the Chicgao Tribune. I'll be honest I have never grown up watching the show as I was too small to understand the concept of film criticism, but as I did get older I learned about him and have watched some of his reviews he did with Siskel. This was a man I could have told from the start that very much loved film, whether he loved the picture or if he absolutely hated it, he always had this intellectual understanding and breakdown of what worked and what did not work. I also read a lot of his written reviews as he would not just go on to say why a film is good or bad, but it felt like he was telling a story of how he was emotionally connected to it. It is the kind of writing and criticism that inspired my critiquing, and truly he was and still is an inspiration. He taught me how to be emotionally invested in a film, he taught me how to love a story, love characters, and most importantly how to love a film. My goal is to be come a filmmaker so that I can share the stories and new wonders that I imagined to the world, and I was hopeful that Ebert would live to be maybe 100 so I can hear his opinion on my project at least for one. Sadly, that will not come true but I'm glad he is in a better place and that he is with his long lost partner again reuniting and catching up with the films that were released that Siskel had not had the chance to see while he was alive. I hope film critics in the future, professional (or amateur such as myself) can look to this man as an example and an inspiration, to not only critique films as if a teacher was grading a student's homework, but to look at it as if the film was a person or family to us. If there was one thing I can say Roger Ebert and I share in common, is that we both see film as family to us and we see it as an extraordinary, revolutionary, as well as a beautiful piece of visual art that should be treated with the same love and care during its production, as a parent would give to  his/her children while raising them. GOD SPEED ROGER EBERT, I GIVE YOU TWO THUMBS UP!!

R.I.P.