See You At The Movies

I was sad to learn earlier last week that "At The Movies", the long running show which discussed and critiqued recent movies was being cancelled.

My earliest memories of the show happened when I was a kid, seeing Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert talk about the movies of the week. I was always fascinated about movies was interested in what other people thought of them, even though I didn't fully understand what they were always talking about.

I wonder what my parents thought of me watching Siskel and Ebert instead of something more conventional like "Hockey Night in Canada", which was the norm with my more athletic dad and brother.



In high school, I still watched "At The Movies", even after Siskel passed away and was replaced by the controversial Richard Roeper. I still liked the sparring but mostly the discussion. I think watching these guys helped me form my own opinions about movies.

My favorite show of "At The Movies" was always the year end Top Ten List. I would always check at Ebert's list specifically to see which films I hadn't yet seen, then seek these movies out. Ebert in particular opened me up to a lot of smaller films I probably wouldn't have known existed otherwise. Spotlighting smaller films was probably the most important aspect "At The Movies" had, otherwise how else would people go see them.



"At The Movies" has gone through a variety of formats and hosts, most recently with respected critics A.O. Scott and Michael Phillips, both of whom are very funny, intelligent, and thoughtful.

It has been said that "At The Movies" no longer seems relevant anymore thanks to things like Metacritic, or Rotten Tomatoes which gives movie watchers an overall view of what critics think of a certain movie. I disagree, what "At the Movies" brought was a discussion on movies, debates, arguments, conversation, and that is something which is sad to see go.

However I don't think the end of "At the Movies" is the end of that kind of television (Hopefully). Roger Ebert and his wife Chaz are at the moment creating a new show about the movies. There have been other shows on blogs, and on Youtube that have kept the legacy of "Siskel and Ebert" alive. The venues are limitless, it's as easy as making your own film and putting it on Youtube.

In high school, I couldn't help but think of myself as an outcast, when I looked at movies. No one there would give a second thought to people like Frank Capra, John Ford, Martin Scorsese, or the Coen Brothers. "At The Movies" showed me I wasn't alone, and that films were important enough to discuss and argue, just like any artform, I would hate to see that die out completely.