Legendary Film Critic Roger Ebert Dies at Age 70, After Long Battle With Cancer

It is a sad day for anyone who loves movies. The most notable and influential film critic in the country, Roger Ebert, has passed away at the age of 70.

To really do this man justice, check out the following write-ups:

• Chicago Sun-Times
• Chicago Tribune
• New York Times

 
These are the sentiments of his peers, his colleagues, his friends. They knew him much better than I could ever hope to know.

Without a doubt, Siskel & Ebert is a household name for many. I can barely find time to watch the movies I want to see, let alone sit through over 200 films a year… some great, some ghastly, some heart-warming, and some eye-gouging. His reviews even earned him a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.

Here are his Best of the Year picks from 1967 to 2012 (source: wikipedia):

1967: Bonnie and Clyde 1968: The Battle of Algiers 1969: Z 1970: Five Easy Pieces 1971: The Last Picture Show 1972: The Godfather 1973: Cries and Whispers 1974: Scenes from a Marriage 1975: Nashville 1976: Small Change 1977: 3 Women 1978: An Unmarried Woman 1979: Apocalypse Now 1980: The Black Stallion 1981: My Dinner with Andre

1982: Sophie’s Choice 1983: The Right Stuff 1984: Amadeus 1985: The Color Purple 1986: Platoon 1987: House of Games 1988: Mississippi Burning 1989: Do the Right Thing 1990: Goodfellas 1991: JFK 1992: Malcolm X 1993: Schindler’s List 1994: Hoop Dreams 1995: Leaving Las Vegas 1996: Fargo

1997: Eve’s Bayou 1998: Dark City 1999: Being John Malkovich 2000: Almost Famous 2001: Monster’s Ball 2002: Minority Report 2003: Monster 2004: Million Dollar Baby 2005: Crash 2006: Pan’s Labyrinth 2007: Juno 2008: Synecdoche, New York 2009: The Hurt Locker 2010: The Social Network 2011: A Separation 2012: Argo

Ebert battled with papillary thyroid cancer in 2002, cancer of the salivary gland in 2003, cancerous tissue near his jaw in 2006, and lastly a recent recurrence of cancer that he revealed just two days ago. Yet he still worked through most of it, always aiming for a 5-6 film/week workload.

He has endured losing his ability to speak, eat, and drink. Simple things like going out to eat with your friends and talking about what’s going on in your lives, we all take for granted. This was one of the things he would miss most.

The man found a calling and a talent, and he put it to use in the best way he can. His opinions may not have always been favorable, but he owned them. He always had a voice, and he made sure we heard it.

RIP Roger Ebert (1942-2013)