The Balcony is Closed.

I have a pretty awful memory. There are large patches of my life that are hazy for some reason. There is one thing that is very clear to me, though. Me, as a young child, sitting on my grandparent's floor in front of the TV watching Siskel & Ebert on the weekends.

I discovered Siskel & Ebert at a very young age. At the time it was most likely their banter and heated discussions on movies that drew me to them.  That isn't what kept me tuned in though. Their critical assessments on film transformed me. Until that point, movies had just been flashy imagery and noise that I watched to pass the time. It was solely to entertain me. It was Siskel & Ebert that showed me that movies could be more. That they could provoke critical thinking from me, or even move me.

I continued to follow them through to the tragic passing of Gene Siskel in 1999. I was a freshman in high school at that time, just starting to think about what I wanted to do with my life. There was the sensible approach that I was likely to follow, but there was a seed planted in the back of my head by these two men, one that continues there to this day and I hope to eventually accomplish, to be a film director. I watched as Roger brought in guest critics and then finally picked Richard Roeper. At The Movies with Ebert & Roeper aired in my area at 1 AM Monday mornings. I continuously showed up to school tired the beginning of each week, staying up to get my Ebert fix.

Following the cancellation of At The Movies, I began to explore Ebert's written reviews more. That is where I found the man truly shined. While it was evident on Television, that is where I confirmed Ebert's incredible command of the English language. Through his text, I found not only how passionate about film the man was, but how incredibly well spoken. While I wouldn't always agree with his opinion on a specific film, I always knew reading a Roger Ebert review would be a treat. His ability to justify his opinion so eloquently was something that many modern "film reviewers" seemed to lack. That is why Roger became my favorite, my "go-to critic"

I am deeply saddened to learn of Mr. Ebert's passing today. Just 24 hours after the world learns that his cancer has returned, he's gone. Roger Ebert is a man who helped shape me as a person. He is who I credit as sparking this love for cinema that I have inside me. It is he, who inspired me to try to refine my writing, to learn ways to articulate my thoughts and opinions more clearly and efficiently. I can only hope that one day I can be as intelligent and and well spoken as him.

And, if I ever do have the pleasure of directing a film, I hope it is one that Roger would have liked.