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Bobby-G
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
904 Posts |
 Posted - 09/08/2008 : 1:03:17 PM
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Saw the "new" (minus Ebert & Roeper -- of course Ebert's not been on for a long time) version of AT THE MOVIES on Saturday. I know a lot of people had problems with Roeper as a "film critic", but compared to what I saw on Saturday...
Thought the first show was something of a disaster. Not sure if it was just the format, or the "critics" just don't have what it takes. My main problem was that the two main reviewers sound the same (seemed quite scripted), and the bringing in via satellite of three more critics made a jumbled mess; plus everybody seemed like they were practically yelling out their comments.
Perhaps there is a "TV FILM CRITIC SCHOOL" where they are churning out these reviewers; even though they looked different, they sounded like clones of each other.
It would have been great if instead of these mundane type critics,
they tried using some of the "B-Movie" site reviewers to do this show.
Rob |
Edited by - Bobby-G on 09/08/2008 11:37:29 PM
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TheFoywonder
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
833 Posts |
Posted - 09/08/2008 : 5:35:54 PM
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You're not the only one who saw that awful revamping of At The Movies. I caught the feed of the show coming across the satellite at work on Friday evening. Posted my thoughts over on my blog that night. Here. I think this about sums up what has become of the show Siskel & Ebert built:
I'm sure you're aware that Roger Ebert has been off the show for about two years now dealing with his cancer treatment and Richard Roeper (his somewhat dubious handpicked replacement for the late Gene Siskel) has kept the show going of late with Chicago Tribune film critic Michael Philips. The show probably should have gone off the air after Ebert left, and though ratings did dip, the addition of Philips and the repartee he developed with Roeper kept the show watchable. A contract dispute erupted over the summer with Buena Vista television. Ebert severed ties with the program he and Siskel started and then Roeper announced he was out the door too, possibly to restart the program elsewhere. Word came out that Buena Vista television wanted to take the show in a new direction, a direction they hoped would lure in a young demographic of viewers.
I know it may seem kind of odd to review a movie review show but after watching the premiere episode of the new (and most definitely not improved) At The Movies I felt compelled to share a few thoughts.
If you hated Richard Roeper then wait until you get a load of the Carson Daly of the film criticism set, Ben Lyons, son of noted movie critic quote whore Jeffrey Lyons, who is already well on his way to being a quote whore in his own right for the E! Network. Who says nepotism only applies to the filmmaking side of cinema? Lyons is such an empty vessel Richard Roeper is Pauline Kael by comparison. I have no idea why we're supposed to be taking anything this little twerp says seriously; he certainly doesn't sound like he has any kind of real insight. There are tons of movie review bloggers on the web - myself included - who are about as qualified to spout their opinion about movies and sound about as credible as him. This is supposed to be At The Movie, not Rated K: For Kids By Kids. Despite what the producers might be thinking, Ben Lyons is not "crazy fresh".
Making matters worse is how obvious it is this grinning idiot is a slave to the teleprompter. You can follow his eyes and tell it's transfixed on the teleprompter at almost all times and his delivery is almost always that of a fast-talker reading his thoughts to you. The free-wheeling discussion has been replaced with two guys having what sounds like a highly scripted discussion with precious little spontaneity to their jib jab.
Spontaneity is reserved for when they trot out three more talking head film critics you've probably never heard of before via satellite to discuss a particular film. This wouldn't be that bad if any of the three actually had anything profound or adroit to say. It's just rabble.
It's also looking like the championing of small indie films and foreign films - something that really made the show standout amongst other review shows out there - is getting the boot in favor of longer discussions about mainstream movies. I believe this show may have had the longest on-air discussion of Vin Diesel's BABYLON A.D. you'll ever see anywhere on television.
Gone are the aisle seats. In its place is a small wall with a monitor. The set is now about the size of a cockpit from an Ed Wood movie. Sometimes they sit in chairs a foot across from another and other times they stand at a countertop beside one another - always looking very cramped. The standing segments brought to mind a home shopping channel segment.
That might be appropriate actually because while Turner Classic Movies' Ben Mankiewicz may sound more like he knows what he's talking about than his co-host his equally rushed delivery is like that of a QVC host. His attempts to be adroit also fall flat. "I wouldn't pay to see any movie playing in the same multiplex as COLLEGE". Weak, dude.
Did they also save money by not bothering to pay for clips from the movies they're reviewing to show to viewers? They seemed to only have access to the trailers; hardly any actual clips are shown.
My verdict: Skip it. They've killed the spirit of the show and replaced it with a Body Snatcher double of what it once was. I can't imagine them working out the kinks and making this show worth watching ever again, definitely not as long as Ben Lyons is on. Fitting that they turned At The Movies into an utterly vapid production and it's co-hosted by a member of the Lyons' family of film critics since daddy Jeffrey already hosts a similar syndicated movie review show that gives off the same vacuous vibe as this. The first episode of the new At The Movies was even worse than that episode when Roeper co-hosted with special guest critic Fred Willard. I predict this incarnation of At The Movies will either be cancelled within a year or Buena Vista will re-cast the hosts in an attempt to salvage it.
I miss Siskel. I miss Ebert. And, yes, I even miss Roeper.
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Flangepart
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
2329 Posts |
Posted - 09/09/2008 : 11:16:16 AM
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Oh, brother...to have such a heartless show, and I do think heartless is the word, is just another proff the suits are idiots.
Siskel and Ebert cared...and there for they din need no stinkin' teleprompters!
Marvin the Paranoid Android to Buzz Lightyear "Too infinity and beyond-i've been there, its rubbish!"
"Hoody Hoo, i waste 'em with my cross bow!" Bob Herzog- KODT
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Ken HPoJ
Supreme Potentate
USA
1530 Posts |
Posted - 09/10/2008 : 3:47:55 PM
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"Lyons is such an empty vessel Richard Roeper is Pauline Kael by comparison."
Ouch!
At the Movies was kept going for quite some time (being a Chicago guy, I watched it a lot back from the beginning), and was generally pretty bad after S&E existed. . I did like when Michael "50 Worse Films" Medved was on the show, because he occasionally did a 'bad' movie review in those pre-Internet days, with a skunk or dog acting as an intro. By the time of Rex Reed, though...yikes.
I generally respect Ebert as a thinking about film, although there are times when he's a colossal ass. That said, he didn't exactly cover himself with glory by picking weak sister (and then non-critic) Roeper as his co-host. It smelled of him wanting to ensure he was the main voice on the show, as he visibly chaffed over the years when he was challenged by Siskel.
PEGGY: I don't see how having a girl on the team would ruin it. Did a woman judge ruin the Supreme Court?
HANK: Yes, and that woman's name was Earl Warren.
--King of the Hill |
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BradH812
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
1294 Posts |
Posted - 09/10/2008 : 6:46:29 PM
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[nerd mode]
Actually, Siskel and Ebert first started out with "Sneak Previews" on PBS. I don't know why they left, though it may have been simply that they wanted more pay (and probably deserved it, considering their stature), but after they went, Michael Medved (the competent one) and Jeffrey Lyons (the not-so-competent one) took over.
So, S&E formed "At the Movies," which I believe was syndicated. I'll assume the same contract sparring went on there after a few years. Exit S&E, enter (blech) Rex Reed and Bill Harris (He Who Called Jaws: The Revenge a welcome step up in the series). Harris left after a couple of years to be replaced by Dixie Whatley, then the show went poof a couple of years after that.
Kinda like Doctor Who, if the Doctor left his old body to flail around mindlessly when switching actors.
[/nerd mode]
(Remember, I could recall the entire plot of a particular dog of a movie, which Ebert rightly slammed, after twenty plus years. Help.) |
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Ken HPoJ
Supreme Potentate
USA
1530 Posts |
Posted - 09/11/2008 : 09:00:46 AM
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Should I be worried that Ben Lyons is the most prominently featured 'critic' (Larry King is another) quoted in the newspaper ads for Burn After Reading?
PEGGY: I don't see how having a girl on the team would ruin it. Did a woman judge ruin the Supreme Court?
HANK: Yes, and that woman's name was Earl Warren.
--King of the Hill |
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TheFoywonder
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
833 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2008 : 9:08:02 PM
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So I decided to tune in to their second episode tonight to see if it might somehow be less pathetic than their debut. Nope. Same thing still applies. Yet somehow Ben Lyons actually managed to come across even more vapid. During their ending "3 To See" bit where the concept is supposed to be to recommend three films currently in theaters (a holdover from the show's previous incarnation), Mankiewicz did just that but Lyons... He got the #2 pick and if I may paraphrase him:
"My number 2 pick is anything associated with the upcoming film Twilight. Read the books. Go on online. Learn everything there is to prepare yourself for the motion picture opening this November."
Geez! Is he a 12-year old girl? Did the studio give them a kickback? It's bad enough that Lyons is already well onto the road to quote whoredom (Why is he off all the critics out there being used in ads for Burn After Reading and Miracle at St. Anna?) but now he's blatantly shilling for movies he hasn't seen on his own TV show which last time I checked was supposed to be about film criticism.
Well, I'm officially done with this show.
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RossM
Holy Cardinal and Five Star General of the Righteous Knighthood of Jabootu
USA
427 Posts |
Posted - 09/15/2008 : 09:32:23 AM
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I also saw the new At The Movies last night and was appalled by the chaos and vapidness of the show. The "discussion" of The Women remake was foolish in the extreme. The only astute comment was that the absence of men even when the movie moves into the real world makes it look like a bad episode of the Twilight Zone or other sci fi show.
This is a show I can safely skip in the future. |
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