Thanks to Wintle for the heads up. It appears that Roger Ebert will also be leaving At The Movies following Richard Roeper out of the building. We get the following statement from Ebert’s own website.
After 33 years on the air, 23 of them with Disney, the studio has decided to take the program named “Siskel & Ebert” and then “Ebert & Roeper” in a new direction. I will no longer be associated with it.
Blam! That is a double fuck you to Disney! I wonder when we will find out the reasons these two decided to leave. What “direction” have they decided to take the show, that has brought about the ire of these two men? Will they work together again or find new partners for competing review shows….I suppose we shall see!
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Michael Phillips should go too, the little jackhole bastard
I actually like Roeper. I don’t think he was as good as Ebert, but I still enjoyed the show. This surprises me, I hadn’t even heard Roeper was leaving– and I just assumed Ebert wasn’t coming back (from what I had seen and heard about his heath). And I was actually thinking Michael Phillips was going to be named host full time. I mean he’s been on every week for a while now. I didn’t like the rotating critic too much — at first it wasn’t bad, bu tI grew tired of it.
I think Michael Phillips and Roeper had a good connection and like watching the show still. I’ll miss the theater. Something about two people sitting in a theater talking about movies I always found charming
just my thoughts
As I said in the Roeper post. I don’t get the hate for him. Point me in a direction of a review that makes him seem like an “idiot.” Because I always see his reviews are pretty well-informed and intelligent unlike many critics who post some of the stupidest stuff I’ve ever read. Like they didn’t even pay attention to the movie at all. Sure they probably see a lot of movies….but it is their job.
Roeper is great and I hope that the two of them stick together. They provide very different insights to movies and I would love to still be able to see Richard Roeper review films on a weekly basis.
The show was never the same after Siskel passes away and I couldn’t stand Roeper or his reviews. Sad about Ebert, though…
Vic
Well Doug and John, now that these two stuck-up so-called “critics” have left, Disney will certainly knock on your door to jump in as their replacements ;-)
Seriously though, AICN has an article about this where it is said that Disney wanted to make the show more into a E! Hollywood-celebrity-gossip kind of thing.
If that is the case then respect to both Mr. Ebert and Mr. Roeper for not selling out and not wanting to be associated with this type of show.
It’s a shame because that show was a fucking institution, but we shouldn’t fool ourselves, Roger was never going to return to the show anyway. His state of health doesn’t allow that anymore. And Roeper, who I actually don’t hate as much as most people do, has hardly a replacement for the big man.
I quite liked Michael Philipps though. He was very articulate and made sense most of the time. I would love to see him back in some sort of capacity.
Ok, so now we have a replacement for Darren when he moves to that guitar.
I hear “new direction” and keep thinking of Poochie from “The Simpsons.”
I should have read a little farther down and read the Roeper post. Good riddance.
It will now be hosted by Hannah Montana and the Jonas Bros. Movies will now either be considered “Rad” or “Bogus”.
Yeah. It’s always hard to find when the show is on. I know that Ebert had been having contract negotiations since he copyrighted the “Thumbs Up/Thumps down” sign. I guess Disney didn’t want to meet his demands.
If Richard Roeper is still going to be around then I won’t be watching. I really can’t stand how he reviews movies. He’s an idiot.
Ebert has always been my favorite critic. I may not always agree with him, but he always tries to give a film a fair chance before making assumptions of what it will be.
Maybe it was Disney who saw declined ratings because he was never on the show for the last 2 years. (hell i dont even know when its on in the PHILADELPHIA market) So maybe they saw no reason to continue.
Ebert hasn’t been on the show for a LONG time already, and with his poor health I don’t think he could’ve come back.
Say WHAT?!
Phew, i thought you meant he’d passed away for a second. Don’t go scaring me like that sir.