Man, I started watching these two back in '79 when they were just getting comfortable with each other. Faults and all. I was 14 years old and was fascinated by the banter that flew back and forth between them. Little did I know how formative they would be in my perception of film. They are terribly missed!!! Both succumbed to different forms of cancer, an unforgiving disease, which I have just been diagnosed with and being treated for. I understand perfectly what these two went through and I'm terrified myself. Although it was caught early, it can be relentless. RIP ROGER AND GENE!
I was just telling my spouse exactly what you said. Literally 2 minutes before I read your comments. I have always thought I was the best, and truest fan. As a working film director, I believe that their passing has made way, in the last 15 years, to a no-holds-bar inundation of some of the LAZIEST, ADOLESCENT, MEDIOCRE MOVIES that pander to audiences. The flood gates are wide open because there are no gatekeepers. Siskel and Ebert called people on their BS. Many Film critics are absolutely unqualified now. They are at best, online blogger geeks who obsess over comic books / graphic novels, pop culture and television shtick. In terms of making actual art, the accessibility to movies as an influence is like never before. But the horror of that is that filmmakers are making mere simulacrum not movies, especially "INDEPENDENT FILMMAKERS." There are very few original, unique voices with something actual to say. And let's not even mention how the rise of streaming television series has added to these issues where it's not even stories anymore, it's called "content."
I remember 1988 as being a very good year for movies. At the time, The Serpent and the Rainbow did not remind me of Val Lewton films because I did not know who he was. Now that I do, I see the influence of I Walked With a Zombie. Thank you again for posting these, each new one is joy!
I consider '88 to be the weakest year of the decade for great films, but even '88 had a ton of classics. In other words, even the worst year for movies of the 80's was still seeing some fantastic films released.
I love that they had favorable opinions on School Daze. Siskel with the "Where are all the black women?" column & Ebert gets to the heart of the picture with several points like "not adding white people in for commercial appeal." When I attended an HBCU, I wanted my experience to feel like School Daze & A Different World, and to my surprise, I wasn't disappointed! Good times!
School daze is terrific👌, well-written & direct by Spike lee along with other of his best films. Do The right thing She's gotta have it Malcolm X Jungle fever Crooklyn Mo better blues He got game Inside man Shoot to kill 👍🌟🌟🌟🌟 The unbearable lightness of being 👍🌟🌟🌟
The Unbearable Lightness of Being would see all three stars would be recognized by the Oscars. DDL would go on to win three Best Actor Oscars, Juliette Binoche would win 8 years later, and Lena Olin was this very same year for Enemies: A Love Story.
Serpent and the Rainbow was one of the best zombie movies ever made. Whenever a movie disturbed Gene Siskel, he would tune out and mock it, as he did here.
She’s Having a Baby: felt very flat to me. I LOVE John Hughes, but was shocked at how dull and drab this was despite being written/directed by Hughes right in the middle of his creative peak…all that much more so bc it was apparently a deeply personal story to him (basically an autobiography) Elizabeth McGovern’s character felt hollow. She had no personality aside from being stoic and/or pissy all the time which hurt the movie. I was once a young guy fresh out of college suddenly faced with becoming a father, marriage, buying a house etc…but I still felt no connection to this movie
Couldn't agree with you more. I just rewatched the movie the other day for the first time since the mid 90s and it's definitely the weakest movie in John Hughes' filmography. The character of Kristy Briggs in particular is absolutely horrendous. I don't know who Hughes based her on but it's certainly not a flattering role. Kristy has zero personality and is completely colorless and flat next to Kevin Bacon's character Jake Briggs. I kept asking myself throughout the movie what the hell Jake saw in her that made him fall so desperately in love with her at sixteen. It's not Elizabeth McGovern's fault, it's just a very poorly written character. There's also very little chemistry between Bacon & McGovern which makes their scenes together almost painful to watch at times. Finally the movie hasn't aged well and is extremely dated. The labour and delivery scene in particular had me scratching my head and wondering how, even in 1988, the OB didn't know the baby was breech. Then making it sound like the c-section was a life and death situation. Both of my siblings were born via c-section in the mid 80s and according to my Mom it wasn't a big deal at all, nor was she put under any kind of general anesthesia for it either. All in all just a very odd and confusing part to an overall very stale and boring movie.
'Shoot To Kill' (released as 'Deadly Pursuit' outside of the US) is a decent light-thriller that's worth catching. Plenty of humor and a good cast. The film does have an 'everything but the kitchen sink' approach and it does have some implausible scenes, but overall it's a good enough popcorn film.
"School Daze" is a musical - that's what it is. Those aren't "fantasy sequences", it's literally what the film is. He was making the point that "She's Having a Baby", by contrast, is supposed to be a down-to-earth story about a couple having a baby and that the long fantasy sequences in it get in the way of that. Personally, I disagree, as I think "She's Having a Baby" is fantastic - but I *do* agree that a couple of the fantasy sequences go on a bit too long.
My reviews: out of 5 1 " Shoot to Kill " 3 out of 5 👍 2 " The Serpent and the Rainbow " 3 out of 5 👍 3 " She's Having a Baby " 2.5 out of 5 👎 4 " School Daze " 2 out of 5 👎
Man, I started watching these two back in '79 when they were just getting comfortable with each other. Faults and all. I was 14 years old and was fascinated by the banter that flew back and forth between them. Little did I know how formative they would be in my perception of film. They are terribly missed!!! Both succumbed to different forms of cancer, an unforgiving disease, which I have just been diagnosed with and being treated for. I understand perfectly what these two went through and I'm terrified myself. Although it was caught early, it can be relentless. RIP ROGER AND GENE!
I think I started watching them in 1971.
@@trhansen3244 they weren't actually a duo until 1975.
I was just telling my spouse exactly what you said. Literally 2 minutes before I read your comments. I have always thought I was the best, and truest fan. As a working film director, I believe that their passing has made way, in the last 15 years, to a no-holds-bar inundation of some of the LAZIEST, ADOLESCENT, MEDIOCRE MOVIES that pander to audiences. The flood gates are wide open because there are no gatekeepers. Siskel and Ebert called people on their BS. Many Film critics are absolutely unqualified now. They are at best, online blogger geeks who obsess over comic books / graphic novels, pop culture and television shtick. In terms of making actual art, the accessibility to movies as an influence is like never before. But the horror of that is that filmmakers are making mere simulacrum not movies, especially "INDEPENDENT FILMMAKERS." There are very few original, unique voices with something actual to say. And let's not even mention how the rise of streaming television series has added to these issues where it's not even stories anymore, it's called "content."
keep positive and fight like hell -you got this 👍🏻🇺🇸🫵
“Shoot To Kill” is entertaining , because of the chemistry between Poitier and Berenger, and the typical menace of Clancy Brown.
Yup.
I remember 1988 as being a very good year for movies. At the time, The Serpent and the Rainbow did not remind me of Val Lewton films because I did not know who he was. Now that I do, I see the influence of I Walked With a Zombie. Thank you again for posting these, each new one is joy!
I consider '88 to be the weakest year of the decade for great films, but even '88 had a ton of classics. In other words, even the worst year for movies of the 80's was still seeing some fantastic films released.
Shoot to kill i think was sorta conceptually like the Heat of the night and Sidney Poitier played the role along the lines of a Mr.Tibbs type.
I love that they had favorable opinions on School Daze. Siskel with the "Where are all the black women?" column & Ebert gets to the heart of the picture with several points like "not adding white people in for commercial appeal." When I attended an HBCU, I wanted my experience to feel like School Daze & A Different World, and to my surprise, I wasn't disappointed! Good times!
Cool 😎!
Shoot to Kill was great
School daze is terrific👌, well-written & direct by Spike lee along with other of his best films.
Do The right thing
She's gotta have it
Malcolm X
Jungle fever
Crooklyn
Mo better blues
He got game
Inside man
Shoot to kill 👍🌟🌟🌟🌟
The unbearable lightness of being 👍🌟🌟🌟
Like DePalma and Paul Verhoven even Lee’s misfires (She Hate Me, Girl 6) are ambitious and worth watching
The Unbearable Lightness of Being would see all three stars would be recognized by the Oscars. DDL would go on to win three Best Actor Oscars, Juliette Binoche would win 8 years later, and Lena Olin was this very same year for Enemies: A Love Story.
Shoot To Kill so good because of Poitier, his first role in years. Action, scenery packed.
"I like looking at the sex scenes." So do I, Rog.
Serpent and the Rainbow was great.
Serpent and the Rainbow was one of the best zombie movies ever made. Whenever a movie disturbed Gene Siskel, he would tune out and mock it, as he did here.
16:29-20:17...SCHOOL DAZE!!!
Loved School Daze they really liked Spike Lees films
Along with Woody Allen movies
RIP Sidney Portier just today
She’s Having a Baby: felt very flat to me. I LOVE John Hughes, but was shocked at how dull and drab this was despite being written/directed by Hughes right in the middle of his creative peak…all that much more so bc it was apparently a deeply personal story to him (basically an autobiography) Elizabeth McGovern’s character felt hollow. She had no personality aside from being stoic and/or pissy all the time which hurt the movie.
I was once a young guy fresh out of college suddenly faced with becoming a father, marriage, buying a house etc…but I still felt no connection to this movie
Couldn't agree with you more. I just rewatched the movie the other day for the first time since the mid 90s and it's definitely the weakest movie in John Hughes' filmography. The character of Kristy Briggs in particular is absolutely horrendous. I don't know who Hughes based her on but it's certainly not a flattering role. Kristy has zero personality and is completely colorless and flat next to Kevin Bacon's character Jake Briggs. I kept asking myself throughout the movie what the hell Jake saw in her that made him fall so desperately in love with her at sixteen. It's not Elizabeth McGovern's fault, it's just a very poorly written character. There's also very little chemistry between Bacon & McGovern which makes their scenes together almost painful to watch at times. Finally the movie hasn't aged well and is extremely dated. The labour and delivery scene in particular had me scratching my head and wondering how, even in 1988, the OB didn't know the baby was breech. Then making it sound like the c-section was a life and death situation. Both of my siblings were born via c-section in the mid 80s and according to my Mom it wasn't a big deal at all, nor was she put under any kind of general anesthesia for it either. All in all just a very odd and confusing part to an overall very stale and boring movie.
forgettable...
It's not supposed to be a hoot like Christmas Vacation
but not really funny or compelling..just ok....
I cant believe these two trashed Uncle Buck. Such a sleeper classic
I enjoyed Shes Having A Baby
'Shoot To Kill' (released as 'Deadly Pursuit' outside of the US) is a decent light-thriller that's worth catching. Plenty of humor and a good cast. The film does have an 'everything but the kitchen sink' approach and it does have some implausible scenes, but overall it's a good enough popcorn film.
Yup.
R.I.P. Sidney Poitier.
So it's ok for fantasy section in School Daze, but not She's Having A Baby?!
"School Daze" is a musical - that's what it is. Those aren't "fantasy sequences", it's literally what the film is. He was making the point that "She's Having a Baby", by contrast, is supposed to be a down-to-earth story about a couple having a baby and that the long fantasy sequences in it get in the way of that. Personally, I disagree, as I think "She's Having a Baby" is fantastic - but I *do* agree that a couple of the fantasy sequences go on a bit too long.
I have seen all of these movies except for The Unbearable Lightness of Being.
It's unbearable.
You've been warned.
@@maskedmarvyl4774 😯
You dont like The Unbearable Lightness Of Being, do you, Renée?
It rocks.
@@hamburgareable I haven't seen it.
My reviews: out of 5
1 " Shoot to Kill " 3 out of 5 👍
2 " The Serpent and the Rainbow " 3 out of 5 👍
3 " She's Having a Baby " 2.5 out of 5 👎
4 " School Daze " 2 out of 5 👎
Y dislike School Daze?🤔
@@Jbaxter85 That's what I was thinking 🤔.