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shaun11's review against another edition
2.0
While the subject matter of this book was quite interesting to me, the format left me wanting. It basically reads like the transcript of a supplemental DVD special feature (different people discussing a topic with no narration or interpretation of what they have to say). While this format works great on video, jumping from sound bite to sound bite killed any momentum while reading this book. Each thought is interrupted by a title with the speaker's name. There are also frequent footnotes collected at the back of the book that only make sense in the context of the paragraph you are reading. As these footnotes fleshed out the thoughts being presented, I was continually jumping back and forth between the main text and the footnotes - once again hurting any momentum I was building. The net result is a page turner for all the wrong reasons.
Having said that, I am interested in Siskel & Ebert and found the content of this book engaging enough to solider on to the end of this brief overview of their careers as television movie critics. A short read with a low price, but not quite worthy of a 'thumb up.'
Having said that, I am interested in Siskel & Ebert and found the content of this book engaging enough to solider on to the end of this brief overview of their careers as television movie critics. A short read with a low price, but not quite worthy of a 'thumb up.'
nilsjesper's review against another edition
4.0
I'm a sucker for a good oral history. This originally appeared as a long article but stands alone pretty well as a book. Even if you didn't watch At The Movies much, the format and the people involved are an institution and it's pretty awesome reading about their rivalry and dependence as witnessed by the people around them.
judyward's review against another edition
3.0
Roger Ebert was the film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times and Gene Siskel was the film critic for the Chicago Tribune. They were professional rivals working for rival newspapers and had absolutely nothing in common except for their love of the movies. "Hey, I have a great idea--let's put them together on television and let them sit in a movie theater together and discuss newly released movies." And so a great, creative, highly competitive critical team was formed and film criticism was changed forever. This is an oral history of their television partnershp told from several dozen individuals who were associated with the pair while they did their show over a period of years for a number of different networks. And while the two men came to respect each other and became friends as well as professional collaborators, their competition never ended until Gene Siskel's death in 1999. This affectionate rivalry--and the resulting often mean-spirited practical jokes that they played on each other--was at the heart of their relationship and was very entertaining to read about, but I'm sure some of the situations were tough to live through. Other teams of critics came after Siskel and Ebert, but none could ever take the place of the originals. A very enjoyable read.
bleonard's review against another edition
4.0
"I think they felt about each other the way they felt about the movies: Thrilled and delighted when the medium lived up to its promise; sad and disappointed when it fell short. But they were never willing to give up on either relationship. They loved the movies -- and each other -- too much for that."
The oral history format has proliferated in the last decade with diminishing returns. Here is an exception. Although the bones of the story will be familiar to those that grew up watching Siskel & Ebert, Schollmeyer talks to almost everyone involved with them, save the principals and their immediate families. (S&E are quoted at times in the footnotes; one of the downsides to reading this on a Kindle, as I did, is the meaty footnotes have to wait until the end.) Unlike many oral histories, the principals provide enough context that you get a sense of what Chicago media was like at the time, and the long-lasting effects of the Siskel/Ebert partnership. Most oral histories go on for too long, this feels just right -- any more would have felt bloated, any less wouldn't have done it justice. Highlights include Siskel/Ebert's producers being pestered by Eisner and Katzenberg after being bought by Disney.
The oral history format has proliferated in the last decade with diminishing returns. Here is an exception. Although the bones of the story will be familiar to those that grew up watching Siskel & Ebert, Schollmeyer talks to almost everyone involved with them, save the principals and their immediate families. (S&E are quoted at times in the footnotes; one of the downsides to reading this on a Kindle, as I did, is the meaty footnotes have to wait until the end.) Unlike many oral histories, the principals provide enough context that you get a sense of what Chicago media was like at the time, and the long-lasting effects of the Siskel/Ebert partnership. Most oral histories go on for too long, this feels just right -- any more would have felt bloated, any less wouldn't have done it justice. Highlights include Siskel/Ebert's producers being pestered by Eisner and Katzenberg after being bought by Disney.
jedrek's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting, interesting, interesting.... and then 10 years of time are summed up as, "this was the heyday" and 4 paragraphs. Really, four paragraphs of stuff happened over 10 years?
reverenddave's review against another edition
3.0
This was more of a byliner piece. Should only count as half or third a book towards my tally for this year.
erosewall's review
4.0
The format of this kindle Single meant that the reader gets much more meat than would be otherwise possible in such a short work. It's just quotes from significant folks in Siskel and Ebert's professional life, but strung together so cleverly that the story takes shape as if you were sitting with these people over a cocktail. Well worth the $1.99. As always, kudos to Amazon for sharing these wonderful, low cost, easy to read works!
kat2112's review
4.0
As I child I used to love watching Sneak Previews, then Siskel and Ebert's other show. Sometimes the discussion went a bit over my head, but at the time these shows were the only resources for previewing movies - we didn't have YouTube and trailer websites. One could say S&E truly pioneered the enthusiasm for wanting to see a particular movie.
That said, I thought this was a nice, albeit brief history of their professional relationship.
That said, I thought this was a nice, albeit brief history of their professional relationship.
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