Have you been saddened by Roger Ebert's death and simultaneously gladdened by his presence in your life?

I have been following his blog for years. He was a really thoughtful guy, I enjoyed his writing, and the way he handled his illness in the past few years was inspiring. It was strange to read his Leave of Presence post a day before he died. I didn’t get the impression he was that sick.

If I’m honest, not particularly. I’ve been watching him berate my favourite movies for years, then backpedal when they grossed a ton or became a cult classic and released an anniversary DVD. Obvi, I’m not glad he died (I’m not a monster!) but I’ve never been a fan of the guy.

Never heard of the fella, but film critics are a huge waste of space, I prefer to make my own mind up over a film’s validity & have never paid any attention to anyone else’s views.

I used to watch them all the time, but I’m not sure why. I’m not necessarily saddened by his death more than any other celebrity that I don’t know.

I was never a huge fan of his. I’m actually not a huge fan of any movie critic and I rarely read anything they have to say. I rely on fan reviews because if I relied on the critics, I’d probably see one movie a year. They’re very hard to please, and I normally disagree with them anyways. The movies they approve of generally put me to sleep.

Don’t get me wrong. His death was sad – dying of cancer is far from the ideal way to go. I saw him on Oprah and he seemed like a very strong individual. However, I think the last celebrity death that I was genuinely saddened by was Patrick Swayze.

Not that death is any laughing matter, but the guys on our local radio station were discussing his death this morning and one said, “I bet he’d give yesterday a thumbs down.” Bad taste, perhaps. Too soon, perhaps. But it made me smile.

I’m sad. It’s another one of those influential people I grew up with gone, another tiny chip out of my life. Roger Ebert was a smart, funny, corageous and insightful man, and I’ll always be thankful to him and his late, original partner, Gene Siskel, for creating the concept of movie reviews by conversation rather than diatribe. They taught me that two people can see the same movie and not necessarily come away with the same perpective on it; that it’s okay to love or hate a movie no matter what your best friend or even professional film critic thinks; and that what makes a movie “good” depends on many, many factors. How a movie resonates with you, personally, that’s what is impotant—and that I learned from Siskel & Ebert (even when I didn’t agree with them).

Yes, and yes. I was a regular viewer of Siskel and Ebert for many years, and I habitually seek out Roger’s published reviews for movies I’m interested in—and also movies I’ve just seen, especially when I want to know “What in the world was that all about?”

ASIDE: An enlightened reviewer can add a great deal to my understanding and enjoyment of a film. To me, sharing observations and insights about something does not equate to telling me what to think, which I can do just fine for myself. It brings me another perspective and often adds information—things that help me think better. I’ve never seen ignorance improve thinking ability.

I admire Rogert Ebert not only for being so good at what he did but for being one of those people who succeed in making a career of what they love. People who do that (it seems to me) necessarily make a contribution to the lives of others.

I am sorry that he went through so much misery before he died, but I would also say he was a great role model for how to handle some of life’s biggest blows.

Yes. I’m sadder than I expected to be, and enjoying re-reading some of his writings in the wake of his passing.

As someone who actually enjoys writing film reviews in my free time, I was really saddened by his passing. After I’d watched a film I would check to see if he wrote a review on it, and what his opinion was. I was so upset to learn that he’d died, as he is one of the big influences in my life.

I think that dying and leaving people people smiling though the sadness they feel as a result, is a much to be desired ending. I think a lot of people will feel that way about Mr. Ebert, may he rest in peace. I personally feel neutral

ASIDE: So, opinions differ…well fancy that.

I was never really into him, or other movie critics for that matter, so I won’t be feeling a personal loss at all. I don’t know much about him, other than he was a movie critic with that other guy… Siskel (I think my dad watched them). However, I feel the film industry did lose a very influential and respected person by his passing. I do feel sad that he suffered…as I would with most other beings.

Just wanted to note that his funeral will apparently be picketed by the Westboro Batptist Church. Is there a greater honor?

As a native Chicagoan I’ve been a fan of Ebert for a long time, in print and then on the internet. I always read his reviews of new movies, which were “calibrated” by a consistency that I found in his writing. I didn’t always agree with him, but I always admired how he articulated his ideas. In later decades he seemed to soften up to “bad” movies with mass appeal but low art, being more generous with ratings than most other critics, an example of how he was a “people’s critic.” Not that he didn’t issue scathing pans when indicated.

As a big movie-goer, for many years Siskel & Ebert were “must-watch” tv.

Roger Ebert taught me that it’s not important what a movie is about, but how it’s about it.

He also taught me that a good movie should make the viewer care about what happens to the characters. Otherwise I’m liable to walk out after I’ve finished my popcorn!

After his disfiguring surgery he said (something like) “I may not be able to speak, but I still have a voice so long as I can write.” Whereupon (they say) he embarked on his most prolific period of movie reviewing up to his death.

I will greatly miss him.

@tom_g “Fag enabler” indeed. I wonder if they also targeted him because he married a black woman?