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Siskel & Ebert

3,582 Views | 37 Replies | Last: 2 yr ago by Aust Ag
Andrew Dufresne
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11:02p, 12/7/23
How well would y'all say their track record of approved movies holds up? Did they actually have good taste?

These dudes were the mainstream arbiters back in the 90's.

Not a bad gig if you ask me, being a movie critic.
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Rudyjax
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11:10p, 12/7/23
AG
I'd say they missed quite a bit. But if they both liked a movie, it's was typically good.

Siskel tended to rate movies based on what he liked.
Ebert tended to rate movies based on what he thought they were trying to do and if they were successful.

I remember being so angry at them as a kid in the 1980s when they panned a move I loved and happy when they liked it.

I still get the same feeling when I watch clips of the show. The nostalgia is overwhelming. I was so saddened by Siskels sudden death and Ebert still writing without a jaw. Their deaths made me really sad. It was one of the first parts of my youth gone.

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Sponge
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11:13p, 12/7/23
AG
I always felt they were paid hoods by Hollywood. Always giving two thumbs up to garbage generic blockbusters and not liking great movies with much smaller budgets.
I have much more respect for fictional Jay Sherman.
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Andrew Dufresne
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11:32p, 12/7/23
Is there a present day equivalent to Siskel & Ebert?

I guess a site like Rotten Tomatoes kinda fills that niche.
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Wes97
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In reply to Andrew Dufresne • 11:39p, 12/7/23
AG
Andrew Dufresne said:
Is there a present day equivalent to Siskel & Ebert?

I guess a site like Rotten Tomatoes kinda fills that niche.



Well TCTTS could be the modern equivalent of that for texags. Not sure if he is more of the bald or fat version but maybe he could be both?
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TCTTS
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In reply to Wes97 • 1:50a, 12/8/23
AG
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Cinco Ranch Aggie
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8:14a, 12/8/23
AG
They were main stream throughout the 70s & 80s. I recall their show airing on Sunday afternoons in the Houston area, and for me it was always must-watch TV. It was good we have 2 TVs in the house for those Sundays in the fall when football was on (but the Oilers sucked for many of those years, so we didn't miss anything by watching the reviews).

My recollection of their review of Aliens (a TexAgs favorite) is that I vehemently disagreed with it. They were not always right. But I think in some cases they would return to some of their reviews in later years and reassess, and give an updated, more favorable review after a movie had built up popularity.

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Rudyjax
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8:30a, 12/8/23
AG


Ebert nailed it.

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Rudyjax
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8:32a, 12/8/23
AG
Siskel nailed this one.

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AgNav93
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9:00a, 12/8/23
AG
I Used to love their show. For some reason I thought it aired on Saturdays after cartoons went off. One of the last times I remember watching it was when they both ripped Waterworld. I was actually planning on seeing it and decided to pass based on what they said. I saw Waterworld years later and actually liked it.
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ABATTBQ11
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In reply to Cinco Ranch Aggie • 9:14a, 12/8/23
AG
So they would Ketch their mistakes?
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The Porkchop Express
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9:21a, 12/8/23
AG




Ebert casually mentions Lucas has "3 more to make"
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Prosperdick
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9:54a, 12/8/23
AG
Three examples where they were WAY OFF:

Both didn't like Silence of the Lambs. Ebert BARELY gave it a thumbs up and Siskel a thumbs down WTF:

Both didn't like Aliens...amazing:

And the biggest miss of all, Academy Award winner for best picture and best director, Unforgiven. Just watch how they crap all over it and give away the ENTIRE movie with their clips. Unconscionable:


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2ndGen87
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9:55a, 12/8/23
AG
One movie: My dinner with Andre
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Casual Cynic
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5:53p, 12/8/23
They sure liked artsy movies.
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double aught
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In reply to The Porkchop Express • 12:49a, 12/9/23
AG
The Porkchop Express said:




Ebert casually mentions Lucas has "3 more to make"
That episode is from when the movie was rereleased in '97. Evert is referring to the prequel trilogy.
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hph6203
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1:28a, 12/9/23
AG
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$3 Sack of Groceries
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2:55a, 12/9/23
AG
Siskel's favorite move of all time was "Saturday Night Fever".
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$3 Sack of Groceries
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3:00a, 12/9/23
AG
Meanwhile, the battle of the Genes raged throughout the 80's. Shalit was always a hoot.

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jokershady
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7:11a, 12/9/23
AG
These guys were awesome!! And me saying that has nothing to do with whether they agreed with movies I liked or not it's about how they just talked about them….and at times argued with each other.

These guys had such great UNIQUE chemistry with each other and were always entertaining….and it was just two guys talking about movies
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jokershady
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7:18a, 12/9/23
AG
My favorite critic on YouTube did a few videos about them years ago….this one was 8 years ago and is a tribute to them (he's got another one much longer which is his top 11 funniest siskel and ebert movie reviews)….its a fun watch

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Sapper Redux
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7:57a, 12/9/23
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double aught
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In reply to hph6203 • 5:07p, 12/9/23
AG
hph6203 said:
Siskel really layed into this one. After one of the clips: "That wasn't very exciting."
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Psychag
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7:01p, 12/9/23
AG
I believe they started out on PBS.
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Aust Ag
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In reply to double aught • 8:36a, 12/10/23
AG
Never thought I'd hear someone dogging Ferris Bueller.
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OldArmy71
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In reply to Psychag • 10:07a, 12/10/23
AG
They did indeed start on PBS, which is why one of the earlier posters remembered seeing it on Sunday night.

They later transitioned to a syndicated show, a bit harder to find on TV.
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citizenkane06
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10:30a, 12/10/23
AG
I really enjoyed Ebert because his tastes seemed to align mostly with mine. His big misses were "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and "A Clockwork Orange". I never felt like I aligned with Siskel.

The show sometimes tended to dwell on what could be improved with a movie rather than how good an overall movie is. Take 2 of the examples earlier in this thread: 1) Ebert gave "Silence of the Lambs" 3 1/2 out of 4 starts, hardly a pan (https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-silence-of-the-lambs-1991), and included it in his Great Movies; and 2) "Unforgiven" is also in his Great Movies list, whereas Siskel didn't like it. I don't defend Siskel, but Ebert should be more highly regarded in this thread.
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maroon barchetta
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In reply to ABATTBQ11 • 12:53p, 12/10/23
ABATTBQ11 said:
So they would Ketch their mistakes?


Was about to reference Ketch.
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maroon barchetta
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In reply to Wes97 • 1:01p, 12/10/23
Wes97 said:
Andrew Dufresne said:
Is there a present day equivalent to Siskel & Ebert?

I guess a site like Rotten Tomatoes kinda fills that niche.



Well TCTTS could be the modern equivalent of that for texags. Not sure if he is more of the bald or fat version but maybe he could be both?


I find TC to be more Leonard Maltin. Loves almost every movie. Many are destined to be an "instant family classic".
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AustinAg2K
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7:14p, 12/10/23
Siskel and Ebert had a major affect on my movie experience in the late 90s. I loved watching their take to see if it matched my thoughts. It rarely did, but the way they talked about movies, I still loved watching them. They also got me to see a lot of artsy movies I would not have bothered with. I mostly hate the mainstream critics now, but I've found a couple on YouTube I like. I have yet to find anyone as good as Siskel and Ebert, though.
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Tecolote
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In reply to Prosperdick • 8:13p, 12/10/23
AG
Prosperdick said:
Three examples where they were WAY OFF:

Both didn't like Silence of the Lambs. Ebert BARELY gave it a thumbs up and Siskel a thumbs down WTF:

Both didn't like Aliens...amazing:

And the biggest miss of all, Academy Award winner for best picture and best director, Unforgiven. Just watch how they crap all over it and give away the ENTIRE movie with their clips. Unconscionable:

They both missed horribly on Silence of the Lambs and Aliens. However, as someone who loves westerns as grew up in a ranching community, Unforgiven was awful and it getting best picture and best director was a pity-**** for Eastwood as he hadn't won an Oscar. Everyone didn't imagine the later success Eastwood would have in different genres much later.
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Prosperdick
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In reply to Tecolote • 12:32a, 12/12/23
AG
Tecolote said:
Prosperdick said:
Three examples where they were WAY OFF:

Both didn't like Silence of the Lambs. Ebert BARELY gave it a thumbs up and Siskel a thumbs down WTF:

Both didn't like Aliens...amazing:

And the biggest miss of all, Academy Award winner for best picture and best director, Unforgiven. Just watch how they crap all over it and give away the ENTIRE movie with their clips. Unconscionable:

They both missed horribly on Silence of the Lambs and Aliens. However, as someone who loves westerns as grew up in a ranching community, Unforgiven was awful and it getting best picture and best director was a pity-**** for Eastwood as he hadn't won an Oscar. Everyone didn't imagine the later success Eastwood would have in different genres much later.
Unforgiven was terrific, all the performances were first rate. Yes, it drags a little at the start but to call it awful is ridiculous. But hey, everyone has their own opinions as S&E showed us.
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Muy
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In reply to AgNav93 • 12:47a, 12/12/23
AG
AgNav93 said:
I Used to love their show. For some reason I thought it aired on Saturdays after cartoons went off. One of the last times I remember watching it was when they both ripped Waterworld. I was actually planning on seeing it and decided to pass based on what they said. I saw Waterworld years later and actually liked it.


Saturday morning cartoons were the greatest even if they weren't great.
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Jugstore Cowboy
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1:18a, 12/12/23
AG
I never cared about their recommendations, but the show was just such an easy way to get a concise rundown & preview of all the new releases every week. Nothing ahs ever really replaced that. I mean, it's easier to find excruciating forensic details about every movie made now if you're searching for them, but nothing I know of serves as a handy little notebook like their show did.

Just as an example, I'm not sure if any social media hype machine today has the capacity to propel small or offbeat films like Amelie or Basquiat into mainstream conversation the way S&E did.

Thinking of this because someone asked me recently if I'd heard of Jean-Michel Basquiat, and I immediately thought of this movie I've never even watched, just because I remembered Siskel & Ebert reviewing it.
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maroon barchetta
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In reply to Jugstore Cowboy • 6:31a, 12/12/23
Amelie is a great movie. We have watched it many times in our house.
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