A Leave of Presence: How Roger Ebert Changed How I Think About Fiction
Roger Ebert was on my television for my entire childhood, then on my computer screen for most of my adulthood. And for the last five years of his life, through his blog, he was in my head. He forever changed how I watch movies and how I think about fiction. And if I'm being honest, he changed how I think about the world.
I want to tell you about him, because he deserves it, and because this seems like the right place.
Much More Than Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down
Most people knew Ebert from the half-hour movie review show, Siskel and Ebert, later Ebert and Roeper. It was two guys in a movie theater, arguing over a new release and giving it a thumbs up or a thumbs down. It was a simple format, but the thinking behind it was anything but.
Ebert approached every film with a question that seems obvious until you realize almost nobody else asks it: Does this movie succeed at what it's trying to do, for the audience it's trying to reach? He reviewed a dumb comedy on its merits as a dumb comedy. He reviewed a prestige drama on its merits as a prestige drama…