Growing up watching Siskel and Ebert, if one or both disliked a movie, I made sure to see it. Now all these years later watching them again on on youtube now I am learning from them the movies I never took the time to see and finding them on streaming to watch. My taste in film has finally matured and I am finding some gems.
Konga 5000 What I truly miss most of all is the certain freedom that existed in the movies of those decades, that of course if filmed today, would be considered scandalous and offensive. Today’s movies are so corporately controlled, so politically correct, there are just downright boring.
6:20 Gene criticizing the film industry for producing too many juvenile pictures in the 70s. I'm not sure Gene would have survived the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
@@patrickshields5251 Maybe so, but they did both love the Star Wars OT. I think they'd have similar sentiments for the best movies of the MCU. Can't imagine them giving Two Thumbs Down for Infinity War.
@@usagijojo If there's one thing about Hollywood's blockbuster culture that I agree with, it's how they overshadow different kinds of films, therfore alienating more adventurous movie goers.
Like many of Generation X, Kramer Vs Kramer strikes particularly hard. I was 8 when my parents decided to separate in late 1981 and this was life changing....divorce was like a badge of honour in the late 70s and 80s...
Bay is Bae Bonafide classic = retelling of Heart of Darkness with Vietnam war instead of Belgian Congo because fuck forbid Americans have to deal with watching something about events that didn't involve them. Apocalypse Now isn't a bad flick but that has always been a wild hair up my ass.
@@deplorabledegenerate2630 Maybe the spell will finally be broken when *someone* gets around to making the utterly beautiful and mesmerizing *The Sorrow of War* by Bao Ninh (The incredibly lyrical jungle diaries of a poet who fought in the NVA with all his hometown buddies - it was an amazing little book for me, just incredible / different war stories! A different outlook to anything I'd imagined.)
The Wanderers! Thank you for the reminder. I’ve been thinking of that movie for a long time but couldn’t remember the name. I’m going to look for it now and see if it’s as good as I remember.
@Max Hebblethwaite Uh, their review of the original is up on TH-cam already. They saw it. Ebert's original 2 1/2 star?, review isn't on his site for some reason.
Oddly, given how universally beloved "Breaking Away" was when it was in theaters, it has disappeared from public consciousness. It never gets mentioned in retrospectives of the 70s and I don't think a lot of younger folks had ever even heard of this film.
The American Film Institute has named it the 8th most inspirational movie and also the 8th best sports movie of all time so it gets some love but not enough.
Gene's runner-ups for the top-ten list in 1979 were "Rocky II," "Richard Pryor in Concert," "The Seduction of Joe Tynan," "North Dallas Forty," and "Movie Movie", which, like "The Deer Hunter", debuted that year in most of the U.S. after 1978 engagements in some larger cities. Other films that were on Gene's list of the Dogs of 1979 were "Running," "In Search of Historic Jesus," "Beneath the Valley of the Ultravixens," "Quintet," "Caravans," "Hurricane," (which was Roger's pick as the Dog of the Year) "Hanover Street," '"Bloodline," "Prophecy," "Goldengirl," "Mr. Mike's Mondo Video", "The Villain," "Americathon,"' "The Concorde: Airport '79," "Arabian Adventure," "Lost and Found," "Meteor," "The Bell Jar," and "Force 10 from Navarone." SOURCE: Chicago Tribune, December 30, 1979
How dare they live in a magnet- rich environment? We owe it to our unvaccinated children to remove all magnets from our metal appliances, such as refrigerators
These are treasures of TV , thank you Eric for taking the time and efforts in making these available! I subbed up and look forward to seeing all you've painstakingly assembled and compiled. I'm definitely a longtime fan of cinema from these times, and now too, but these bare a special resonance of nostalgia. Much respect and positivity to you & yours. A. Fan~w/two thus way up (RIP Siskel &Ebert). ☆☆☆☆☆
MrWitchman1967 And we considered that too much when only a few years before it was only $3. But at least the price was comparable to the quality of the movies back then. I can’t say that for today’s films, which is why we hardly go anymore.
Wow! "79 was an AMAZING year for movies! It's astounding they would say there weren't that many good ones. I know the Oscars are often political in their choices - but dang! I just scrolled the nominees from all categories. Kramer vs Kramer, The China Syndrome, And Justice For All, All That Jazz, Being There - and that was just the films for the Best Actor nominees. Add to that Apocalypse Now, The Black Stallion, and The Rose. Going on: Alien, Breaking Away, 10, The Muppet Movie and finally Meteor! (just seeing if anyone was paying attention.)
why am I binge watching reviews for films that are before my time? Also, I recall as a young kid thinking Ebert was huge. These days, I think he would be considered average in size.
I'm amazed how in these early years, up to like '82, they give away major plot points or even the ending. Still never heard of St. Jack, but I now know he throws away 25k. Thanks Roger.
Back in the day people were less tight ass about that stuff. I remember me and my friends telling each other big plot points of movies(like Empire Strikes Back) and we didn't care. And it never dimish our enjoyment when we saw these movies.
It appears that a lot of people liked ALIEN at the time, but it wasn’t regarded as a masterpiece until a decade or two down the line. Often happens with classic films. That said, this is a solid list of films, complete with some gems that deserve more attention (TIME AFTER TIME, for instance).
I thought 1979 was a great year in film. That last great year before the disappointing 80s. Here's my list of the best of 1979: 1. Apocalypse Now 2. Alien 3. Kramer vs Kramer 4. All That Jazz 5. Manhattan 6. Breaking Away 7. Being There 8. And Justice For All 9. The Jerk 10. Moonraker (an underrated Bond)
@@branagain The 80s had a lot of good movies that are considered classics now. Back To The Future, Empire Strikes Back, The Breakfast Club, Ghostbusters, Raiders Of The Lost Ark, Raging Bull, St. Elmo's Fire, Beetle Juice, The Terminator, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Big, Blade Runner, Gremlins, Aliens, Die Hard, An American Werewolf In London, The Lost Boys, Ladyhawk, and the list goes on.
Frank Smith yeah but they were produced by evil studios unlike the 70s that were produced by studios because he liked those ones. Forget all those iconic movies because the studios ruined Hollywood. But only in the 80s 🙄 70s studio films that laid the groundwork for the 80s dont count because again they were made in the 70s.
How did they leave out “ALIEN”? As the years have past it’s clearly become the most remembered film from that year and is now recognized as a masterpiece.
Maybe they were too dazzled by the Star Wars types of sci-fi movies during that time and found Alien to be too serious and not as "fun". They did change their minds later. Alien is one of my top 10 or 20 movies. Star Wars maybe in the 30s. I suppose both franchises have been tainted by too many sequels/prequels.
Alien wasn’t praised by critics upon release, but now it’s considered one of the greatest ever made. Ebert added it to his Great Movies list a few years later.
Right when I started this clip, I also googled movies from 1979 and was SHOCKED Alien wasn't mentioned. Goes to show, Rotten Tomatoes ... um ... I mean ... smart critics ... don't really know much about movies. The audience rating is way more important than the critic rating.
Alien in 1979 wasn't considered the classic that is is today. Today it would almost certainty have been nominated for Best Film at the Oscars as opposed to just Best Visual Effects and Production Design.
I remember paying with my saved up allowance money to go to the movies. At the drive-in- it was .50 at the movie theater 1.50 for kids. Now its like $12.00. If I would of had $12.00 back then I would of spent all my time at the movies. I do miss those day.
It's amazing how many different variety, original and high quality movies they had back in 1979. All we get today is terrible horror movies, Marivel comics and Star wars over and over again.
There’s like half a dozen movie streaming sites with HUNDREDS of new movies for you to watch. Sorry they aren’t showing them on the big screen for 15 bucks a pop but don’t act like theater movies are the only thing out there.
I don't even care that the vid quality is atrocious. What a great time to see movies. And any time is great to see the lates greats, Siskel & Ebert. Fantastic. TgT
Exactly! I was 8 in 1979; I had completely forgotten about that PBS outro, but as soon as I heard it, I recognized it and, as you say, flashed back to being a kid again!
You're absolutely right. I miss the days when good, if not brilliant movies were the rule---- *not* the exception. Nowadays, garbage-tier-intellectual-cinematic-abortions are the rule, while the occasional masterpiece is the exception. Even the quote on quote "good movies" of today are only good in comparison to the utter trash that typically comes out. But, when compared to the sublime masterpieces of yesteryear, they're revealed to be mediocre garbage that'll soon be all but forgotten (typically, immediately after the first viewing).
Ontologically Steve Lol oh get the fuck over yourself. Hollywood has always produced just as much SHIT than it has “quality” movies, if not more since day one. What era are you trying to say brilliant films were “the rule” so I can list all of the absolute TRASH movies that came out at the same time. Thousands of movies EACH YEAR are produced. There has never been an era where every movie made was brilliant and the bad ones were exceptions to the rule. Like I said get over yourself.
I love Roger's hair. Good grief, but I guess it was the style of the time. 22:36 - "A movie industry that seemed so preoccupied with remakes and ripoffs." Wow, i am so glad Hollywood is not like that TODAY.
at the movies with siskel and ebert only exists on PRIVATE VHS TAPES ... I PRAY TO GOD THAT MORE SISKEL AND EBERT TAPES ARE FOUND IN THE BASEMENTS AND ATTICS OF AMERICA ...
I liked that he didn't toe the line. I like AN but it all does hinge on that ending. Personally I like the ending the best, and it makes all that goofy soldier surfing stuff worth it.
Even more surprising since he did put the documentary on the making of the film as his number one for 1990/1991. I wonder if in that episode if he mentioned that he should have rated the film higher.
The Concorde: Airport '79 was also a box-office bust that year. Then came one more disaster movie in 1980 (When Time Ran Out), and was also a box-office bomb. Then came the landmark comedy "Airplane!", and no more disaster flicks until "Twister" was released in 1996.
Here are my Top 10 films of 1979 1. Apocalypse Now 2. The Tin Drum 3. Being There 4. Alien 5. Breaking Away 6. Nosferatu the Vampyre 7. The Onion Field 8. Hardcore 9. Mad Max 10. Quadrophenia
My Top 15 (this differs slightly from the list I did in 1979 for the school newspaper back then): Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola) Wise Blood (John Huston) Christ Stopped at Eboli (Francesco Rosi) Being There (Hal Ashby) Stalker (Andrei Tarkovsky) The Black Stallion (Carroll Ballard) Manhattan (Woody Allen) Nosferatu the Vampyre (Werner Herzog) The In-Laws (Arthur Hiller) My Brilliant Career (Gillian Armstrong) A Little Romance (George Roy Hill) Escape From Alcatraz (Don Siegel) Saint Jack (Peter Bogdanovich) Alien (Ridley Scott) Quintet (Robert Altman) I would also include Dawn of the Dead depending on whether you count it as a 1978 or 1979 release I definitely had The China Syndrome, Breaking Away, and some others in my original top 10 but that's now in the runners-up list that's not posted here.
Great list I would add Mad Max, Norma Ray, The Great Santini and how is The Tin Drum not on anyone's list for 1979 it only won the 1979 Palm d'Or and 1980 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
And then John Huston went straight on to *The Visitor (1979)* where he played a trans-dimensional Jesus / Obi-Wan figure - Friggin nuts.........What a career, what a life! th-cam.com/video/CXaMFFi8zpI/w-d-xo.html (If you can make sense of this, please let us know - it'd be a public service to your fellow man!) @_@
Correct, but only in New York and Los Angeles, just to qualify for Oscar consideration....it slowly opened up at theatres as 1979 began and then even more when it received its Oscar nominations...that's when Gene and Roger finally saw it when it opened in Chicago....around nomination time...
In 1979 I was 10 years old and was going to the movies once a week, every week, for a lot of years from the 1970s-1980s with my then best friend. We were a couple of fanatics about the movies. We talked, read, ate, drank, and slept the movies. I dont recall Siskel and Ebert airing where we lived at the time in 1979. It wasnt until the 1980s did siskel and ebert began airing in our area every week and yes, we watched them on my friends living room tv every week as well. By then, siskel and ebert were super stars in their own right. We tried to see every new movie that just came out regardless of plot, genre (he loved horror movies, I preferred comedy), critics reviews, or who was starring in it. Some of the films we saw together in 1979: Going In Style The Warriors The Muppet Movie Time After Time Rocky II Love at first bite Beyond the poseidon adventure The re-release of Jaws The In-Laws Moonraker The Frisco Kid The concorde-Airport 79
My top 10 from 1979, plus 5 honorable mentions: 1) Alien (1979) 2) The Black Stallion (1979) 3) Mad Max (1979) 4) Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) 5) Breaking Away (1979) 6) My Brilliant Career (1979) 7) Apocalypse Now (1979) 8) Série noire (1979) 9) Vengeance Is Mine (1979) 10) The In-Laws (1979) ------------------------------- 11) Being There (1979) 12) Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) 13) Stalker (1979) 14) Lupin the 3rd: Castle of Cagliostro (1979) 15) Tess (1979)
It was the end of the 70s and the beginning of the 80s, which is tragic when you think about the fact that AFI put over 30 70s movies in their top 100 films of all time list while you can count the 80s movies that made the list with one hand. It was the end of the disaster movies but the beginning of the movies that relied too much on MTV soundtracks and Stallone's "Die, Foreigner, Die" movies.
More movies from 1979 that were overlooked and actually good: Over the Edge, The In-Laws, Zulu Dawn, The Frisco Kid, The Great Santini, A Little Romance (Sir Laurence Olivier), The Electric Horseman, Going in style (George Burns, Art Carney and Lee Strasburg), Chilly scenes of winter, Bear Island, Love on the run, The Bugs Bunny /Road Runner movie, Real Life (Albert Brooks), Legend of the Mountain, Heartland
Surprised there aren't more comments about the bittersweet irony that one of the most famously bald men of our time chose "Hair" as his favorite movie of the year! Lots of people seem mad about that choice, but Hair is a breathtaking movie experience with heart and soul whereas Apocalypse Now, despite having quite a few powerful and memorable scenes, is uneven, rambling, and falls apart at the end. I'm usually #TeamRoger when these two disagree, but not in this case.
Funny that Gene says Dustin Hoffmann and Meryl Streep were "not big stars" in 1979. That was true of Meryl Streep. "Kramer vs. Kramer" was the movie that put her on the map. Hoffmann was already pretty big, though. He'd won an Oscar for "Midnight Cowboy" ("I'm walkin' here") and he had been in a bunch of big movies ("The Graduate," "Marathon Man," "All the Presdient's Men," "Papillon," "Lenny"). They had no idea how big Meryl was going to be though. Gene stayed enamored with her work all his life.
That must be the section that went over The Deer Hunter and The Onion Field. Bummer. The Deer Hunter was my number one of that year. Followed closely by Apocalypse, Now and Manhattan. Great year. I really liked all of the films they chose.
...It's prob been stored loose in an old carboard box with other random objects for like 40 years No one had any ideas about providence with this stuff back then. (like a screen-grab of Twitter, seen in 2064 - after its long gone.)
Gene made a good choice by picking "Hair" as best movie. It was the best musical that hardly anyone saw! Too bad he missed the boat on "Apocalypse Now", but he thankfully learned to appreciate that movie more and more as time went by.
I'd love a yr with movies like Apocalypse Now, Alien, Breaking Away, Kramer vs Kramer, the Warriors, Rocky II, Mad Max, Amityville Horror, Dawn of the Dead, and the Deer Hunter being a "weak" yr of movies. We haven't had a yr that good in quite sometime.
I forgot Dawn of the Dead in my quick list. Wow. Was that '79 - I swear I saw it in '78. I was WAY too young. Three friends and I snuck in. I was convinced they killed people to make that movie.
I worked as a theater usher in '79, so I saw all these films (except Maria Braun). Two that should have been considered as replacements on this list in my opinion were "Midnight Express" (very late 1978 release) and "Alien."
ALIEN all the way for me! Also Dawn of the Dead and Tourist Trap are right up there with it. Lots of good stuff in '79! The Amityville Horror, Rocky II, Norma Rae, 1941, The Warriors...on and on.
Don’t forget Being there with Peter Sellers and The Black Stallion. I’m sure others can add more. 1979 was a great year for film. Apocalypse Now today tops most critics lists for the best war film ever made.
Great movie, but definitely not something they would have liked. I think it was probably one of those movies they sneeringly referred to as movies about teenagers and rocket ships.
J Marinelli it was the first time I ever saw Matt Dillon. I think it was his first movie actually. I recently watched a documentary about Kurt Cobain, and it was just homemade videos and artwork and writings he did. In one of the videos he talked about this movie and how it blew his mind when he was a kid. I wonder why it never comes on cable. Or maybe I just missed it?
1. Apocalypse Now 2. The Jerk 3. Alien 4. Richard Pryor Live In Concert 5. The Muppet Movie 6. Manhattan 7. 1941 (Don't care what anyone says, I love that movie) 8. The China Syndrome 9. Breaking Away 10. The Warriors
How do you adjust the tracking on TH-cam?
lol sad we both remember the "tracking" dial. I was thinking the exact same thing
Watch's cat videos for month basically
Hahaha classic
By having a stroke.
I wish I knew why I miss old tech. It doesn't make a bit of sense but something's been lost in this day and age of instant access.
Growing up watching Siskel and Ebert, if one or both disliked a movie, I made sure to see it. Now all these years later watching them again on on youtube now I am learning from them the movies I never took the time to see and finding them on streaming to watch. My taste in film has finally matured and I am finding some gems.
The 70s have come to end. And I still haven’t got over it!
As the kids say, YEET.
clrar the bowels of ya memru and start again!
Konga 5000 What I truly miss most of all is the certain freedom that existed in the movies of those decades, that of course if filmed today, would be considered scandalous and offensive. Today’s movies are so corporately controlled, so politically correct, there are just downright boring.
In the 70's, the inmates took over the insane asylum. In the 80's, the movie companies took control again.
Gene’s choice for best movie shows he Kong’s for the 60s, when he had a mane on that shiny dome.
Actually the 70s did not end until 1981 decades begin with one and end with zero
6:20 Gene criticizing the film industry for producing too many juvenile pictures in the 70s. I'm not sure Gene would have survived the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Roger Ebert liked the early MCU films, like Iron Man and the first Avengers movie. They liked good blockbusters, just not dumb exploitation crap.
@@usagijojo Somehow, I'm getting the impression that Roger Ebert likes more blockbusters more than Gene did.
@@patrickshields5251 Maybe so, but they did both love the Star Wars OT. I think they'd have similar sentiments for the best movies of the MCU. Can't imagine them giving Two Thumbs Down for Infinity War.
@@usagijojo If there's one thing about Hollywood's blockbuster culture that I agree with, it's how they overshadow different kinds of films, therfore alienating more adventurous movie goers.
UsagiJojo I can imagine myself being bored to tears by the entire catalogue from marvel
You're awesome for uploading these!
An excellent list of some great films. Thanks for uploading this gem of an episode.
Remember when they made movies for adults?
They still do, you're just looking hard enough.
Vaguely...It stopped only a few years after this broadcast as I recall.
God I miss films like these.
It is... devastating.
Remember when adults made movies?
Like many of Generation X, Kramer Vs Kramer strikes particularly hard. I was 8 when my parents decided to separate in late 1981 and this was life changing....divorce was like a badge of honour in the late 70s and 80s...
As a parent, your comment resonates.
I was 8 in 81' too, but mine had divorced a couple years before and I remember seeing this thinking the movie was about me
Marriage Story is also pretty good.
Imagine having the last name Kramer and then your parents get divorced 5 years after this movie came out. It was like I was living through the movie.
Gawd did all of our parents get divorced? 🤮
Of course Ebert had the bonafide classic Apocalypse Now at number 1
And Siskel... well I still love you too RIP to both legends
Bay is Bae
Bonafide classic = retelling of Heart of Darkness with Vietnam war instead of Belgian Congo because fuck forbid Americans have to deal with watching something about events that didn't involve them.
Apocalypse Now isn't a bad flick but that has always been a wild hair up my ass.
@@deplorabledegenerate2630 Maybe the spell will finally be broken when *someone* gets around to making the utterly beautiful and mesmerizing *The Sorrow of War* by Bao Ninh
(The incredibly lyrical jungle diaries of a poet who fought in the NVA with all his hometown buddies - it was an amazing little book for me, just incredible / different war stories! A different outlook to anything I'd imagined.)
Alien, The Wanderers, The Warriors, Manhattan and Quadrophenia for me are some of my personal favourites from 1979
Greig Stott Quadrophenia! Love that movie, but what I love most are all those motorbikes.
The Wanderers! Thank you for the reminder. I’ve been thinking of that movie for a long time but couldn’t remember the name. I’m going to look for it now and see if it’s as good as I remember.
@Max Hebblethwaite Uh, their review of the original is up on TH-cam already. They saw it. Ebert's original 2 1/2 star?, review isn't on his site for some reason.
@Mourning Star - Nope. Alien is NOT better than Apocalypse Now.
@@OMGWTFLOLSMH Vietnam was a hoax. apocalypse now is propaganda.
Oddly, given how universally beloved "Breaking Away" was when it was in theaters, it has disappeared from public consciousness. It never gets mentioned in retrospectives of the 70s and I don't think a lot of younger folks had ever even heard of this film.
Great film
The American Film Institute has named it the 8th most inspirational movie and also the 8th best sports movie of all time so it gets some love but not enough.
Very sad. Wonderful film. Oddly enough, just a few months ago my brother reminded me of how great it is
Always one of my favorite films.
It's a film very much of its time that just doesn't translate to kids today.
Gene's runner-ups for the top-ten list in 1979 were "Rocky II," "Richard Pryor in Concert," "The Seduction of Joe Tynan," "North Dallas Forty," and "Movie Movie", which, like "The Deer Hunter", debuted that year in most of the U.S. after 1978 engagements in some larger cities.
Other films that were on Gene's list of the Dogs of 1979 were "Running," "In Search of Historic Jesus," "Beneath the Valley of the Ultravixens," "Quintet," "Caravans," "Hurricane," (which was Roger's pick as the Dog of the Year) "Hanover Street," '"Bloodline," "Prophecy," "Goldengirl," "Mr. Mike's Mondo Video", "The Villain," "Americathon,"' "The Concorde: Airport '79," "Arabian Adventure," "Lost and Found," "Meteor," "The Bell Jar," and "Force 10 from Navarone."
SOURCE: Chicago Tribune, December 30, 1979
Thanks for this pal!
I truly liked "Force 10 from Navarone".
I'm outraged at the video quality. How can a VHS home recording from 40 years ago be fuzzy?
I think it was added for atmosphere.
LOL!
How dare they live in a magnet- rich environment? We owe it to our unvaccinated children to remove all magnets from our metal appliances, such as refrigerators
For a moment, I moved to adjust the tracking...and realized my computer has no tracking knob. (I feel old.)
LoL
great intelligent reviews...Bravo...I also loved the Car Guys...a radio show that was hilarious.
These are treasures of TV , thank you Eric for taking the time and efforts in making these available! I subbed up and look forward to seeing all you've painstakingly assembled and compiled. I'm definitely a longtime fan of cinema from these times, and now too, but these bare a special resonance of nostalgia. Much respect and positivity to you & yours. A. Fan~w/two thus way up (RIP Siskel &Ebert). ☆☆☆☆☆
thumbs up if you remember spending $4 dollars to see a movie...
There were arthouses back then where you could see two films back to back for $3.
4 dollars and movies were a BILLION times better!
MrWitchman1967 And we considered that too much when only a few years before it was only $3. But at least the price was comparable to the quality of the movies back then. I can’t say that for today’s films, which is why we hardly go anymore.
I remember $2.50 Tuesdays...
*long sigh*
My local cinema the Westway Frome UK every film ticket is £4
"Time After Time" is my #1 movie of 1979. Thumbs up Gene!
Wow! "79 was an AMAZING year for movies! It's astounding they would say there weren't that many good ones. I know the Oscars are often political in their choices - but dang! I just scrolled the nominees from all categories. Kramer vs Kramer, The China Syndrome, And Justice For All, All That Jazz, Being There - and that was just the films for the Best Actor nominees. Add to that Apocalypse Now, The Black Stallion, and The Rose. Going on: Alien, Breaking Away, 10, The Muppet Movie and finally Meteor! (just seeing if anyone was paying attention.)
why am I binge watching reviews for films that are before my time? Also, I recall as a young kid thinking Ebert was huge. These days, I think he would be considered average in size.
He was a lot heavier than this by the nineties
@@michaelmcdonald8452 prolly cause he got old, why not yk
His weight goes up n down over the years,
dude was enjoying his life.....Extra icecream please! 🍧
Love Breaking Away and Manhattan!
extremely rare THANK YOU!! MY 1st ep of S&E or E&S was in 1979, when they reviewed All that Jazz.
Neither one of them included ALIEN on their Best Of for 1979.
My thought exactly.
Were they supposed to??
That's because they're choosing their best, not yours.
@@wgaule please, tell some of these people!
Ebert later included Alien in his Great Movies collection
I was the same age as the guys in Breaking Away and felt exactly like the Cutters.
I'm amazed how in these early years, up to like '82, they give away major plot points or even the ending. Still never heard of St. Jack, but I now know he throws away 25k. Thanks Roger.
That ended when Ebert blew the twist in Crying Game.
Back in the day people were less tight ass about that stuff. I remember me and my friends telling each other big plot points of movies(like Empire Strikes Back) and we didn't care. And it never dimish our enjoyment when we saw these movies.
Wow! They both missed “Alien”
...unforgivable. Not to mention Phantasm and The Warriors.
They both enjoyed it, not enough to call it one of the 10 best of 1979...
They seem to miss the movies that end up being remembered.
My thought exactly.
It appears that a lot of people liked ALIEN at the time, but it wasn’t regarded as a masterpiece until a decade or two down the line. Often happens with classic films.
That said, this is a solid list of films, complete with some gems that deserve more attention (TIME AFTER TIME, for instance).
I thought 1979 was a great year in film. That last great year before the disappointing 80s. Here's my list of the best of 1979:
1. Apocalypse Now
2. Alien
3. Kramer vs Kramer
4. All That Jazz
5. Manhattan
6. Breaking Away
7. Being There
8. And Justice For All
9. The Jerk
10. Moonraker (an underrated Bond)
disappointing 80s? Nah, The 80s were great! That decade had a lot of good movies and music!
Frank Smith, the 80s music was good, but the 70s was the golden age of movies, in my opinion. The studio system ruined movies in the 80s
TheBrabon1 Tootsie and Blade Runner were the two best films from 82.
@@branagain The 80s had a lot of good movies that are considered classics now. Back To The Future, Empire Strikes Back, The Breakfast Club, Ghostbusters, Raiders Of The Lost Ark, Raging Bull, St. Elmo's Fire, Beetle Juice, The Terminator, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Big, Blade Runner, Gremlins, Aliens, Die Hard, An American Werewolf In London, The Lost Boys, Ladyhawk, and the list goes on.
Frank Smith yeah but they were produced by evil studios unlike the 70s that were produced by studios because he liked those ones. Forget all those iconic movies because the studios ruined Hollywood. But only in the 80s 🙄 70s studio films that laid the groundwork for the 80s dont count because again they were made in the 70s.
Breaking Away is one of my favorite movies. Good pick fellas
I loved Going In Style from 1979.
How did they leave out “ALIEN”? As the years have past it’s clearly become the most remembered film from that year and is now recognized as a masterpiece.
My thought exactly.
Maybe they were too dazzled by the Star Wars types of sci-fi movies during that time and found Alien to be too serious and not as "fun". They did change their minds later. Alien is one of my top 10 or 20 movies. Star Wars maybe in the 30s. I suppose both franchises have been tainted by too many sequels/prequels.
Alien wasn’t praised by critics upon release, but now it’s considered one of the greatest ever made. Ebert added it to his Great Movies list a few years later.
Right when I started this clip, I also googled movies from 1979 and was SHOCKED Alien wasn't mentioned. Goes to show, Rotten Tomatoes ... um ... I mean ... smart critics ... don't really know much about movies. The audience rating is way more important than the critic rating.
Because it's their own lists and they're not obliged to list other people's preferences.
You're goddamn right TIME AFTER TIME. Classic.
And no ALIEN? Weird.
Alien in 1979 wasn't considered the classic that is is today. Today it would almost certainty have been nominated for Best Film at the Oscars as opposed to just Best Visual Effects and Production Design.
Highwaymen2 it was classic and absolutely mind- blowing to my peer group in 79.
@@Highwaymen2 Yeah really - and even the B movies of half a century ago look great compared to what is shoveled at us today.
I remember paying with my saved up allowance money to go to the movies. At the drive-in- it was .50 at the movie theater 1.50 for kids. Now its like $12.00. If I would of had $12.00 back then I would of spent all my time at the movies. I do miss those day.
It's amazing how many different variety, original and high quality movies they had back in 1979. All we get today is terrible horror movies, Marivel comics and Star wars over and over again.
There’s like half a dozen movie streaming sites with HUNDREDS of new movies for you to watch. Sorry they aren’t showing them on the big screen for 15 bucks a pop but don’t act like theater movies are the only thing out there.
Stay tuned for the old-style PBS bumper at the end.
I don't even care that the vid quality is atrocious. What a great time to see movies. And any time is great to see the lates greats, Siskel & Ebert. Fantastic. TgT
Love that dead-eye PBS outro. One of those sounds that instantly takes me back to 7 years old
Exactly! I was 8 in 1979; I had completely forgotten about that PBS outro, but as soon as I heard it, I recognized it and, as you say, flashed back to being a kid again!
Gees God, I don't think in the last ten years ( from 2019 ) there have been 10 movies as good as what they are talking about here.
You're absolutely right. I miss the days when good, if not brilliant movies were the rule---- *not* the exception. Nowadays, garbage-tier-intellectual-cinematic-abortions are the rule, while the occasional masterpiece is the exception.
Even the quote on quote "good movies" of today are only good in comparison to the utter trash that typically comes out. But, when compared to the sublime masterpieces of yesteryear, they're revealed to be mediocre garbage that'll soon be all but forgotten (typically, immediately after the first viewing).
superhero movies rule!
chris mccord No, they don’t.
Only Idiots like them.
chris mccord
I am so fucking sick of capeshit.
Ontologically Steve Lol oh get the fuck over yourself. Hollywood has always produced just as much SHIT than it has “quality” movies, if not more since day one. What era are you trying to say brilliant films were “the rule” so I can list all of the absolute TRASH movies that came out at the same time. Thousands of movies EACH YEAR are produced. There has never been an era where every movie made was brilliant and the bad ones were exceptions to the rule. Like I said get over yourself.
Love the Intro!!!! Vaguely remember it as a kid, thanks!!
It was on PBS
I never thought I'd be saying this....But I miss these Guys!!!
I love Roger's hair. Good grief, but I guess it was the style of the time.
22:36 - "A movie industry that seemed so preoccupied with remakes and ripoffs." Wow, i am so glad Hollywood is not like that TODAY.
Exactly.
Does anyone have a link to the ebert and roeper special they did on the best movies about hollywood?
I remember when my friends said that they would never pay $2.50 for a movie.
Interesting how Siskel had 3 Meryl Streep movies on his list (Deer Hunter, Manhattan, Kramer vs. Kramer) and Ebert had 2.
mrnocal This was Meryl Streep in her prime; everyone was on that train
mrnocal: In 79, Streep was the queen bitch of films...
Streep in Manhattan was a small role. Funny but small.
Those Streeps are for keeps
thanks so much for uploading these!
There are so many worst of the year lists on youtube but so few top ten lists. If you have any more, I would be most appreciative. Thanks for posting.
at the movies with siskel and ebert only exists on PRIVATE VHS TAPES ... I PRAY TO GOD THAT MORE SISKEL AND EBERT TAPES ARE FOUND IN THE BASEMENTS AND ATTICS OF AMERICA ...
steve00055 god bless VHS
Ummm...every single episode is on the Siskel and Ebert website. Let’s cool with the overdramatics.
@Konga 5000 some of them are even on IMDB!!
Hard to believe Gene didn't even have Apocalypse Now on his list.
I liked that he didn't toe the line. I like AN but it all does hinge on that ending. Personally I like the ending the best, and it makes all that goofy soldier surfing stuff worth it.
Even more surprising since he did put the documentary on the making of the film as his number one for 1990/1991. I wonder if in that episode if he mentioned that he should have rated the film higher.
Clearly a miss on Gene’s part however I do agree with his review criticizing that last 20 minutes of the movie.
Shocking!!!! and Ebert didn't have Manhattan on top 10 too.
Or Alien.
(And, never to be forgotten - The Muppet Movie!)
Siskel's comment about the decade of disaster films was coming to an end was prophetic, as "Airplane" was coming up on the horizon.
The Concorde: Airport '79 was also a box-office bust that year. Then came one more disaster movie in 1980 (When Time Ran Out), and was also a box-office bomb. Then came the landmark comedy "Airplane!", and no more disaster flicks until "Twister" was released in 1996.
@@cliffordshafran9250 Interesting. I hadn't thought of "Twister" as a disaster movie.
Twister is definitely a disaster film.
I love these retro reviews
Sweet find from '79!
I once read that Oprah went on a date with Roger Ebert. How could she let him get away? The conversations would be endlessly fascinating.
Thanks for this Eric, superb! 👍😎
Here are my Top 10 films of 1979
1. Apocalypse Now
2. The Tin Drum
3. Being There
4. Alien
5. Breaking Away
6. Nosferatu the Vampyre
7. The Onion Field
8. Hardcore
9. Mad Max
10. Quadrophenia
Mike Navis the Tin drum really disturbed me...
Apocalypse Now was great until Marlon Brando shows up.
@@ricardocantoral7672 _"Hey everyone! Marlon's here, at last!"_ ........... [ Beep-Alarm of a forklift reversing ]
Hair is a simply INCREDIBLE movie, I agree with Siskel it's one of the best movies of 1979 easily.
"This is the dawning of the age that will bury us."
Ominous countdown noise....
Damn, Roger definitely wins this round. "Apocalypse Now" is far better than "Hair" or any movie from this year.
Yeah.
Hair is awesome though
Love these S&E videos!!
The Deer Hunter was an absolute gem of a movie. One of the best movies of all time. Acting was great. Good year for movies.
They were both right about Apocalypse Now.
Apocalypse Now is the greatest movie ever
@Mourning Star Clearly
my favorite of 1979 is "and justice for all"
The further back you go the bigger Ebert’s glasses get.
ALL THE BETTER FOR SEEING AWESOME WITH! 👌🤓
Imagine a year when you get Apocalypse Now, The Deer Hunter and Kramer vs Kramer, and its still a weak year.
We don't know what we have
until it's gone.
My Top 15 (this differs slightly from the list I did in 1979 for the school newspaper back then):
Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola)
Wise Blood (John Huston)
Christ Stopped at Eboli (Francesco Rosi)
Being There (Hal Ashby)
Stalker (Andrei Tarkovsky)
The Black Stallion (Carroll Ballard)
Manhattan (Woody Allen)
Nosferatu the Vampyre (Werner Herzog)
The In-Laws (Arthur Hiller)
My Brilliant Career (Gillian Armstrong)
A Little Romance (George Roy Hill)
Escape From Alcatraz (Don Siegel)
Saint Jack (Peter Bogdanovich)
Alien (Ridley Scott)
Quintet (Robert Altman)
I would also include Dawn of the Dead depending on whether you count it as a 1978 or 1979 release
I definitely had The China Syndrome, Breaking Away, and some others in my original top 10 but that's now in the runners-up list that's not posted here.
"The American film industry is now making dumb movies for teenagers all the time." I hate the break it to Gene, but the problem has gotten worse.
Please list your 1979 list. It would be interesting to see how people’s opinions of movies change over time.
Great list I would add Mad Max, Norma Ray, The Great Santini and how is The Tin Drum not on anyone's list for 1979 it only won the 1979 Palm d'Or and 1980 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
And then John Huston went straight on to *The Visitor (1979)*
where he played a trans-dimensional Jesus / Obi-Wan figure
- Friggin nuts.........What a career, what a life! th-cam.com/video/CXaMFFi8zpI/w-d-xo.html
(If you can make sense of this, please let us know - it'd be a public service to your fellow man!) @_@
PHANTASM
Hahahaha. Yeah, seeing that movie as a kid in the theater was quite an experience. I loved it.
Awww yeah!
I miss seeing these guys. I learned about film criticism and how to view movies in a different way. And this was in Elementary School!
Didn’t The Deer Hunter come out in 1978 though ?
Correct, but only in New York and Los Angeles, just to qualify for Oscar consideration....it slowly opened up at theatres as 1979 began and then even more when it received its Oscar nominations...that's when Gene and Roger finally saw it when it opened in Chicago....around nomination time...
I tend to adjust S&E as such an 80s and 90s thing so I find these clips of them reviewing movies released in the 70s a bit surreal.
In 1979 I was 10 years old and was going to the movies once a week, every week, for a lot of years from the 1970s-1980s with my then best friend.
We were a couple of fanatics about the movies. We talked, read, ate, drank, and slept the movies. I dont recall Siskel and Ebert airing where we lived at the time in 1979. It wasnt until the 1980s did siskel and ebert began airing in our area every week and yes, we watched them on my friends living room tv every week as well. By then, siskel and ebert were super stars in their own right.
We tried to see every new movie that just came out regardless of plot, genre (he loved horror movies, I preferred comedy), critics reviews, or who was starring in it.
Some of the films we saw together in 1979:
Going In Style
The Warriors
The Muppet Movie
Time After Time
Rocky II
Love at first bite
Beyond the poseidon adventure
The re-release of Jaws
The In-Laws
Moonraker
The Frisco Kid
The concorde-Airport 79
My top 10 from 1979, plus 5 honorable mentions:
1) Alien (1979)
2) The Black Stallion (1979)
3) Mad Max (1979)
4) Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)
5) Breaking Away (1979)
6) My Brilliant Career (1979)
7) Apocalypse Now (1979)
8) Série noire (1979)
9) Vengeance Is Mine (1979)
10) The In-Laws (1979)
-------------------------------
11) Being There (1979)
12) Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
13) Stalker (1979)
14) Lupin the 3rd: Castle of Cagliostro (1979)
15) Tess (1979)
Breaking away should be higher. I agree with you about K vs. K. It was overrated.
It was the end of the 70s and the beginning of the 80s, which is tragic when you think about the fact that AFI put over 30 70s movies in their top 100 films of all time list while you can count the 80s movies that made the list with one hand. It was the end of the disaster movies but the beginning of the movies that relied too much on MTV soundtracks and Stallone's "Die, Foreigner, Die" movies.
Favorite line from ‘Breaking Away’. “You act like you lost your wallet!”
More movies from 1979 that were overlooked and actually good:
Over the Edge, The In-Laws, Zulu Dawn, The Frisco Kid, The Great Santini, A Little Romance (Sir Laurence Olivier), The Electric Horseman, Going in style (George Burns, Art Carney and Lee Strasburg), Chilly scenes of winter, Bear Island, Love on the run, The Bugs Bunny /Road Runner movie, Real Life (Albert Brooks), Legend of the Mountain, Heartland
Going in Style was awesome. I like how it started out as a comedy and then it shifted to a surprisingly dense drama about the nature of freedom.
Surprised there aren't more comments about the bittersweet irony that one of the most famously bald men of our time chose "Hair" as his favorite movie of the year! Lots of people seem mad about that choice, but Hair is a breathtaking movie experience with heart and soul whereas Apocalypse Now, despite having quite a few powerful and memorable scenes, is uneven, rambling, and falls apart at the end. I'm usually #TeamRoger when these two disagree, but not in this case.
No one ever talks about BREAKING AWAY - great movie
Tarantino does.
@@vaughnmild7563 Cool!
Gives the ticket taker $2, gets change!!😎
Squeaks into the centre-house seats,
in beige '70s polyester underwear.
Funny that Gene says Dustin Hoffmann and Meryl Streep were "not big stars" in 1979. That was true of Meryl Streep. "Kramer vs. Kramer" was the movie that put her on the map. Hoffmann was already pretty big, though. He'd won an Oscar for "Midnight Cowboy" ("I'm walkin' here") and he had been in a bunch of big movies ("The Graduate," "Marathon Man," "All the Presdient's Men," "Papillon," "Lenny"). They had no idea how big Meryl was going to be though. Gene stayed enamored with her work all his life.
Hoffman did NOT win an Oscar (but should have) for “Midnight Cowboy”.
That went to John Wayne in True Grit.
I agree with Siskel about the ending of A. Now not being so great, but I would give it a *9/10* for that. I'm with Ebert on recommending it.
The mid-section of the tape has taken a beating.
But still thankful to be able to watch it. Considering it was recorded almost 40 years ago, most of the tape lasted quite well.
That must be the section that went over The Deer Hunter and The Onion Field. Bummer. The Deer Hunter was my number one of that year. Followed closely by Apocalypse, Now and Manhattan. Great year. I really liked all of the films they chose.
...It's prob been stored loose in an old carboard box with other random objects for like 40 years
No one had any ideas about providence with this stuff back then.
(like a screen-grab of Twitter, seen in 2064 - after its long gone.)
Miss these guys so much.
Gene made a good choice by picking "Hair" as best movie. It was the best musical that hardly anyone saw! Too bad he missed the boat on "Apocalypse Now", but he thankfully learned to appreciate that movie more and more as time went by.
i don't miss the vhs format
Yeah,
it sure isn't Vinyl......VHS can leave the stage and stay off.
I'd love a yr with movies like Apocalypse Now, Alien, Breaking Away, Kramer vs Kramer, the Warriors, Rocky II, Mad Max, Amityville Horror, Dawn of the Dead, and the Deer Hunter being a "weak" yr of movies. We haven't had a yr that good in quite sometime.
I forgot Dawn of the Dead in my quick list. Wow. Was that '79 - I swear I saw it in '78. I was WAY too young. Three friends and I snuck in. I was convinced they killed people to make that movie.
Deer Hunter was 1978
Deer hunter is from 78.
Rob Spencer last great year I can recall was 99...
"The Deer Hunter" opened in New York and Los Angeles in 1978, but in Chicago and everywhere else in 1979.
I worked as a theater usher in '79, so I saw all these films (except Maria Braun). Two that should have been considered as replacements on this list in my opinion were "Midnight Express" (very late 1978 release) and "Alien."
“Time After Time” is all but forgotten and a great movie.
ALIEN all the way for me!
Also Dawn of the Dead and Tourist Trap are right up there with it.
Lots of good stuff in '79! The Amityville Horror, Rocky II, Norma Rae, 1941, The Warriors...on and on.
I love you 💛
RIP Milos Forman....
They inexplicably left out both “Alien” and “ “All that Jazz”, two of the very best
Don’t forget Being there with Peter Sellers and The Black Stallion. I’m sure others can add more. 1979 was a great year for film. Apocalypse Now today tops most critics lists for the best war film ever made.
Hoffman really SLAPPED streep...HARD.
So true about Kramer Vs Kramer..You'd think they were tackling a taboo topic.. The performances were great, but definitely a tv movie subject..
The Onion Field features by far the most underrated performance by Christopher Lloyd.
I've seen Onion Field but I'd forgotten that Christopher Lloyd was in it. I remember James Woods' performance, though. That's what stands out to me.
Reverend Jim!
Wow, they called this a bad year for movies!!! Lots of excellence on their lists.
Being There is another great 1979 movie not mentioned.
Apparently it's on their best of 1980 list.
It's on the 1980 best of list.
Time After Time is a great movie
The Marriage of Maria Braun and Days of Heaven looked epic
Haven't seen The Marriage...(thought it's on the list now) but have seen Days of Heaven. It's just terrific. Cinematography is beyond excellent.
I've probably seen "The China Syndrome" and "Kramer vs Kramer" at least 5 times each.
Then you must be really old
@@bloopiebloopie3231 Or just have good taste.
Bloopie Bloopie You must be really stupid, considering anyone of any age can rent these movies and watch them 5 times or more.
I remember watching “ Hair “ on HBO way back when it came out , Treat Williams and John Savage are always good
No "Over the Edge"?
Great movie, but definitely not something they would have liked. I think it was probably one of those movies they sneeringly referred to as movies about teenagers and rocket ships.
One of my favorites of all time, with one of the best soundtracks ever.
J Marinelli it was the first time I ever saw Matt Dillon. I think it was his first movie actually. I recently watched a documentary about Kurt Cobain, and it was just homemade videos and artwork and writings he did. In one of the videos he talked about this movie and how it blew his mind when he was a kid. I wonder why it never comes on cable. Or maybe I just missed it?
1. Apocalypse Now
2. The Jerk
3. Alien
4. Richard Pryor Live In Concert
5. The Muppet Movie
6. Manhattan
7. 1941 (Don't care what anyone says, I love that movie)
8. The China Syndrome
9. Breaking Away
10. The Warriors
(cries softly) What a crappy, cliche list. (sobs into his own forearm)
@@DaleRobby Sorry but I don't care too much about artsy fartsy European cinema.
Life of Brian
Gene didn't even have Apocalypse Now in his top 10? And neither of them had Alien in their top tens? This list did not age well
Gene never liked Apocalypse Now to begin with...
Siskel is right about Apocalypse Now!
I think Ebert was right on that one, Siskel was right about Manhattan.
Rainer Werner Fassbinder would go on to die just two years later in 1982 (the year I was born, not that it matters), aged only 37.