At the Movies is officially finished after 35 years. It's a real shame, the year of the Bens sank it too much for Scott and Phillips to bring it back from. I hope to see these two again somewhere. They also did a lovely tribute to the history of the show http://bventertainment.go.com/tv/buenavista/atm/
Agreed. It makes me a sad panda. I'm hoping that another studio will allow Phillips & Scott to set up shop elsewhere.
It was a nice final episode. Phillips and Scott did a good job and I really enjoyed the clips they picked. "Where's your big red suit and beard, Santa? You sure gave them a gift." (Siskel to Ebert for giving a thumbs up to Cop and A Half) Gene and Roger truely had some great chemistry that just wasn't duplicated with the other hosts. Their arguments could be really funny at times. I especially loved their appearances on The Howard Stern Show.
It was saddening to see the end of At the Movies. Unfortunately I only saw the show first through the Ebert & Roeper iteration but thanks to YouTube I've been able to catch up on old Siskel & Ebert clips and they were extremely entertaining. I agree that Siskel & Ebert had a dynamic that was genuine, affecting, informative and entertaining all at once. I've enjoyed the show through all of its iterations -- yes, even when Ben Lyons and Ben Mankiewicz were hosting -- but I really loved the show for the past year under Michael Phillips & A.O. Scott's tenure. I remember warming up to Phillips on the show after Ebert departed and Roeper would host with the ever rotating string of guest co-hosts, and while I never warmed up to Scott, this past year really got me to appreciate and enjoy both critics and I thought they were just getting into a groove. It's a shame they were cancelled just as they were getting a handle on things. The final episode was affecting, heartfelt and genuinely touching. I absolutely loved their tribute and they went out with class and style. At the Movies was an incredible TV institution that will be sorely missed and I can only hope Phillips & Scott are allowed to continue with another network.
Does whoever pushed Roeper out the door and brought in Ben Lyons still have a job there? I sure hope not.
Yeah, removing Roeper and putting in Lyons & Mankiewicz was a dumb move. If anything, they should have kept Roeper & Phillips -- they had a good dynamic going for a while. At the same time, by cancelling Phillips & Scott before their prime it really didn't give them any chance at all. I mean, Siskel & Ebert had years. Phillips & Scott had only one year (and they were canceled even before that, so they had mere months... hmm, reminds me of another host who was canceled prematurely...). I think the people at Buena Vista just didn't understand how to make At the Movies work anymore. By firing Roeper, then putting in Lyons & Mankiewicz, then canceling them and then finding two new hosts and then firing them makes me believe they were just spit-balling and never had much confidence in the show's future after Ebert departed.
It makes me a little sad to know that there will be no more At The Movies. Yes, Ben Lyons single handedly drove me away, and then the local channel stopped carrying the show altogether. But I grew up watching Siskel & Ebert, back when they were on PBS. It showed me that movies could be more than mindless entertainment. It helped me---that fat little kid sitting in front of the TV--learn what made one movie more effective, more influential than another. It helped me find a real passion for film at a young age and inspired me to learn about the history of film, when most kids my age were still watching cartoons. I do hope that Phillips & Scott find another outlet; in the few episodes of their show that I saw, they were worthy of inherited Siskel & Ebert's spots.
I agree with almost everything that was said here. What are some of your favorite clips over the years? This is noteworthy [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbETIZuJgaM[/yt] the following two may be among my favorites. Listen to the enthusiasm [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xS0-GFLF34[/yt] [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kjs23n4Kd4E[/yt] This one, however, is more infamous [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yj52wm7l3zg[/yt]
My experience was much the same and I have very fond memories of watching between about 1980 and '82.. It is kind of amazing how I can remember reviews of movies that were out when I was a pre-teen, many of which I didn't see till years later. Breaker Morant, Das Boot, Gallipoli, The Year of Living Dangerously, My Dinner With Andre... There was something I wanted to see about these movies that weren't big at the box office but obviously had some other qualities that got a film critic's respect. But that was "Sneak Previews." Surely that show shouldn't be counted toward "At the Movies" being 35 years old? "Sneak Previews" continued on into the mid-'90s with Jeffery Lyons and Michael Medved. --Justin
I didn't think Roeper was forced out. My understanding was that the show wanted to go into a completely different format with more than 2 critics and actor interviews. The interviews were certainly something that Siskel, Ebert, & Roeper always resisted doing, so when Buena Vista started to really push for that, Roeper decided to just leave. I was really starting to dig Phillips & Scott. They're never going to be quite as big as Siskel & Ebert. But after looking at some of those old clips with Richard Roeper, I'm really glad we've moved beyond that snide, condescending SOB. I want Phillips & Scott plushies! BTW, I loved that really really old clip from when Siskel & Ebert 1st started doing their show 35 years ago, particularly Siskel's mustache. It reminds me of the rough edges you see watching ancient KTMA episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000.
My ABC channel didn't even air the last show! They put on an infomercial for Time-Life Books instead. How's that for classy? So, thanks for the link. And why can't Phillips & Scott just continue doing video reviews in that format? Better than nothing, I spose. Ah well. I guess I'll just check metacritic every so often now...
It had a great run, all things considered; sad to see it go. At the same time, I think the internet has probably by this point rendered the show kind of outmoded. When it started, it was a pretty revolutionary debating format, and in the only widely-accessible visual medium suitable for that sort of thing. After the internet started to emerge, Ebert's prestige still kept it very relevant. But with him gone (and then Roeper, who, while not Siskel, was Ebert's legitimate apprentice), its importance is significantly diminished.
I still find their show more convenient for learning about new movies than any single site on the internet I've ever run across. Continuing that format on a website would be the ideal option.
I've recently found At The Movies through old YouTube clips and became an immediate fan. Siskel and Ebert were the best, even when they agreed, it seemed like they were disagreeing. When Roeper was originally brought in, I really liked his rapport with Ebert. But after a year or two, Roeper got a lot more loud and a lot more animated. At The Movies tried to be more hip with this younger critic, especially after Ebert left the show and the majority of Roeper's guest hosts were younger critics and movie people. Phillips and Scott had the same Siskel and Ebert vibe and it's really a shame that they won't be allowed to continue.
It's funny you should say that. I was also the fat kid parked in front of the tele that learned a great deal at Siskel & Ebert's feet. Every week I would watch them on PBS and drink in everything they had to say. Both of them first introduced me to foreign films and to the "Old Hollywood" greats. I first rented "The Apartment", one of my favorite films, because of them! They wrote the book on films and started a fire for them in me. And, after all of these years, I still read Ebert's reviews every week without fail. He is like an old friend. (And I was beside myself when I found out he had cancer.) I may not agree with him all the time but I know his reviews come from passion. And Ben Lyons can suck it. Every review the man has ever done I feel like he is relentlessly talking down to me. Can we say "douche", boys and girls?
Is Ben Lyons capable of talking down? He's not capable of breaking a movie down intellectually and all he's really looking for is to whore out a quote so he can get his name in the movie ads.
Ooops! Wait... I was thinking of Jeffrey Lyons. Ben Lyons doesn't have enough sense to come in out of the rain.