There's a movie from Norway called Reprise that I absolutely love. It's an incredibly creative story about two first time authors. The techniques used - flashbacks, flash forwards, omniscient narrator, split screen shots, hypothetical tangents - have been used before in different movies, but in Reprise the decisions behind these artistic flourishes are very sound and they work in concert to capture the lives of a group of young adults in Norway on the verge of finding direction. I loved this movie from just about the first minute after it started. The only reason I heard about this Norwegian film called Reprise, and watched it, is because of the enthusiastic recommendation by Michael Phillips on At the Movies. That was in early 2008, and the critics in the chairs at that time were Richard Roeper and Michael Phillips.I've been watching At the Movies since I was 9 years old and stumbled across the show late one night. Whether it was Siskel and Ebert, Ebert and special guests, Ebert and Roeper, Roeper and special guests, Roeper and Phillips, or, currently, Phillips and Scott, I was always watching. I wasn't watching the show to find out which movies I should or shouldn't see, so much as I was watching it for the lively, intellectual discussion about movies. And that's what made me an avid fan. Whether they agreed, disagreed, or argued to the point of near hostility, their opinions were always backed with sound criticism.
When Ben Mankiewicz and Ben Lyons took over At the Movies in 2008 I gave it shot and kept watching. It was only fair. I'd seen Ben Mankiewicz introduce movies on TCM, but I didn't know who Ben Lyons was, though he was affiliated with the E! channel, which as far as I can tell has nothing to do with movies. I watched a couple of episodes, but compared to the critics that came before, I found their show lacking. I guess it all comes down to who you can trust. Aside from close friends, there are not a lot of people, critics or otherwise, whose opinions I trust when it comes to movies. Throughout 2006 and 2007 there were a series of guest critics sitting across from Richard Roeper. It was fun and even exciting meeting the different critics, most were good, a few really good, a few not so good. There were couple of guest critics that I really liked, not because they liked or didn't like a particular movie, but because they were able to articulate why and genuinely knew what they were talking about. I really hoped that one of them, either Michael Phillips or A.O. Scott, would become the new permanent co-host of At the Movies. It was Michael Phillips. I was very satisfied, though "At the Movies with Roeper and Phillips" (never the official title) would be short lived.
Gene Siskel, Roger Ebert, and Richard Roeper seemed to always have in mind that their primary job as a critic was not to declare what movies are good or bad, but to recommend whether ro not I should see a movie and why. Their recommendations always felt like they were for my benefit. These weren't guys just doing their job. They were people that loved movies. I got the same feeling about Michael Phillips and A.O. Scott. Naturally, I was thrilled when it was announced that they would be the new hosts of At the Movies, though that will apparently also be short lived. I was genuinely upset when it was announced that At the Movies would be over after mid-August. An article in the New York Times by David Itzkoff details the history of the show, its cancellation, and what it means in the greater scheme of things. I was surprised by the news. Only a few days before I was thinking about how well the show was going: great, credible critics and reviews, special segments, online Q&A, Twitter and Facebook presence, not to mention the radio and TV appearances Phillips and Scott have been making. Roger Ebert posted a blog about his plans for a new movie review show. The details about the show are vague but I hope it happens relatively soon and lives up the expectations that a movie review show produced by Roger Ebert naturally sets up for itself.
There are few things I love more than talking about movies. For the past several years I've been able tune into a great conversation about movies with Siskel and Ebert and Roeper and Phillips and Scott. Dare I say, from these fine critics I've learned how to make my opinion a sound opinion. I've learned a thing or two about criticism, about foreign and low-profile indie movies that I normally would not have heard about. I've learned that it's okay to have an opinion, even if it's different from what everyone else is saying. I've learned it's okay to talk about movies as serious works of art and even as trash. I've learned that if one person says something is good or bad, that's just their opinion, but if two people say the same thing then maybe they're on to something.
As of now there are just over 4 months of At the Movies left and, just like since I was 9, I'll be watching every episode, enjoying every minute, and maybe even learning a thing or two, even if I don't know it.
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