04-07-2013, 11:19 AM
Ebert is probably best known to the American people for the television show he hosted with Gene Siskel, but his greatest contribution, I think, was in his writing. He wrote thousands of reviews and columns, some of which are collected into best selling books. He had an amazing wit and a real way with words. One of my favorite books of all time is his I Hated Hated Hated This Movie. It's a collection of columns that panned films, and it teaches a lot about the writing and structuring of films while being hilarious.
I suppose this post could have gone on the other side, but I also see Ebert as something of a political activist, in that he didn't shy away from controversial views and he was not averse to taking a moral tone. He was an early discoverer of Obama and took a pledge never to buy anything from an unsolicited spam email.
The guy could write. Really write.
I suppose this post could have gone on the other side, but I also see Ebert as something of a political activist, in that he didn't shy away from controversial views and he was not averse to taking a moral tone. He was an early discoverer of Obama and took a pledge never to buy anything from an unsolicited spam email.
The guy could write. Really write.