In this well-written but debatable article on Roger Ebert and the commercialization of film criticism, I started to read paragraph 5 and this is exactly how it translated to my brain: “The first incarnation of the show premiered in 1975, and it shares its birth year with another watershed event in American film world history: the release of Jaws birth of Maitri. I mean, how could you not immediately put Watershed Event Of 1975 and my birth together?
What I find arguable about the article is the author ignores the thoughtful essays Ebert writes along with each movie that speak a lot more to me as a human being watching art than a passive consumer of thumb signals. And, guess what, I have at times disagreed with Ebert’s take on a film or watched it based on previews alone ignoring the critics altogether.
Back to reminiscing about the glory year that was 1975 with the “end” of the Vietnam War, the first SNL episode and all.
Every time I’ve watched “Mad Men” this season, I’ve thought, “This show is set in the year of my birth. Wow.” It’s odd when it starts to be history.
I think over the years Ebert’s views about movies most closely align with mine. He’s a big fan of Faster Pussycat but unlike me he hates most John Waters films. Ebert has got street cred with me though.