Maybe I will play the bastard in this role, but I respected Ebert far more for triumphing over what he went through than his actual reviews.
I watched (and loved) Siskel & Ebert when I was a kid living in NY. When I saw it, it came on late at nite on a Sunday after The Twilight Zone or Tales from the Darkside which always scared me.
I'll still never forgive Ebert for giving a lukewarm (possibly thumbs down) for Heat after all these years. Don't get me wrong. I love the guy because he loves arts but I just won't ever forget.
Every time I loved a movie Ebert would piss all over it while Siskel loved it. Needless to say, you can tell which fan I am of the two. With that said, the greatest thing about him is that he overcame any obstacle presented before him. Maybe it's the love of a good woman that allows this.
I'm always the student but I can't figure out how to be as great as he was.
He missed "accessment" in his proofread.
What a class-act.
Ebert having a rubber stamp of a thumbs up is cool.
More so to note he could use it as a thumbs down too.