My heart breaks. Joel Siegal 1943-2007
If there was one person on this earth personally responsible for me doing what I do for a living today, it would be Joel Siegal. My mother was a huge fan of ABC's Good Morning America for which Siegal was a film critic for decades. His reviews were always snappy, to the point, but most importantly, relatively spoiler free. Siegal believed that you could review a movie in such a way that you gave the audience everything they needed to know about a movie without actually ruining their experience. And he did so with the glee of a 10 year old child.
Everything I am as a movie critic was defined by growing up watching him. My style now, although much more ribauld and juvinile (something I believe Siegal would have looked down on me for), comes directly from copying his. He taught me that you could be a kid at all times when watching a movie. That a grown man could love an NC-17 dark masterpiece just as much as a rated G boy and his dog tale. Each movie was its own experience, and if you were to destroy a film, and get angry at all, it is purely because it was not what it could or should have been. Siegal reemed films with the best of them, but took even more pleasure in praising them.
Most critics wish they were Pauline Kael. Other, more mainstream critics attempt to be Roger Ebert. Me? I always wanted to be Joel Siegal. I don't think I can say anything better than that. The man was my hero, the man I grew up learning from. And we never met. I wish I could have, just once. So I could tell him what he's meant to me and to my life. I wouldn't be here without him. Not in this place. The man was a giant and I walk in his shadow. Odds are I'll only ever be a pale imitation of what he was. And still, that is a proud, wonderful thing to be.
He will be missed.
You can read a wonderful tribute here.
Everything I am as a movie critic was defined by growing up watching him. My style now, although much more ribauld and juvinile (something I believe Siegal would have looked down on me for), comes directly from copying his. He taught me that you could be a kid at all times when watching a movie. That a grown man could love an NC-17 dark masterpiece just as much as a rated G boy and his dog tale. Each movie was its own experience, and if you were to destroy a film, and get angry at all, it is purely because it was not what it could or should have been. Siegal reemed films with the best of them, but took even more pleasure in praising them.
Most critics wish they were Pauline Kael. Other, more mainstream critics attempt to be Roger Ebert. Me? I always wanted to be Joel Siegal. I don't think I can say anything better than that. The man was my hero, the man I grew up learning from. And we never met. I wish I could have, just once. So I could tell him what he's meant to me and to my life. I wouldn't be here without him. Not in this place. The man was a giant and I walk in his shadow. Odds are I'll only ever be a pale imitation of what he was. And still, that is a proud, wonderful thing to be.
He will be missed.
You can read a wonderful tribute here.