America’s Longest running Movie show (called among other things “At The Movies”, but perhaps better known as “Siskel and Ebert” or “Ebert and Roeper”) was recently cancelled.
Internet outrage was quite wide, but here, for the first time, one of it’s last hosts, A.O. Scott of the New York Times writes it’s eulogy and comments on the current situation of professional criticism.
It should perhaps be said that while I think the show’s hosts (at least the late Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert themselves) were gifted and knowing, but that the program was, in the end, a consumer guide, I never really felt it rise up to the level of criticism that these two minds might have been able to provide.
But then again, if it had, it probably would have been canceled much sooner.
One thing that it did right, which I think our own Danish TV-reviws (which is, in effect “DR2 Premiere”) lacks is the prescense of two charismatic individuals of equal knowledge and opposing views.
Ironically, this space is filled in by Political Analysis these days, in the shape of TV2 News’ “Mogensen and Kristiansen”. Who would have thought the day would come when politics drew more attention that movies?
You can read A. O. Scotts own words on the show and the state of criticism right here: The New York Times
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