This morning I awoke to news that Roger Ebert passed away via text from my brother:
I’m sorry. Roger Ebert died. I remember the days you would watch Siskel and Ebert. I never liked that show. But I respected his passion for movies. Thumbs up.
I was taken aback by sadness. Every Sunday, I would watch Siskel and Ebert review films writing down ones they gave their “thumbs up” stamp of approval to see and learning about the art of film and all that goes into it through the perspectives of these two critics.
In 1997, he named The Sweet Hereafter one of the best films of the year. The teenage Sose thought: how rad is it that an Armenian is creating independent films which was being hailed by the critics I loved to watch. Roger opened my eyes to a lot of films that would have never seen the light of day in my VCR (yes, I would walk to Blockbuster and rent VHS tapes). When Siskel passed, Ebert still carried on. Despite his last few years battling cancer, he still wrote some truly poignant pieces beyond his film reviews.
RIP Roger.
Thank you showing the world your love and passion for film and the brilliance of your writing. Though you will be missed, I know you will be joining your movie partner Siskel with unlimited popcorn refills 