A Letter to Mr. Ebert.

“When I am writing, my problems become invisible, and I am the same person I always was. All is well. I am as I should be.” (Roger Ebert, 2010)

This is really hard, especially since you're the third person to pass away this week. But since I can't say goodbye in person, I wrote you this. You were my biggest influence as a writer from your dry sense of humor to your honest criticisms.  In later years, you became a man who refused to surrender to illness. No matter what happened, you still reviewed films and even took the time to write a cookbook.  I don't even take the time to read a cookbook.

You could be hardcore with your reviews at times:

"I hated this movie. Hated hated hated hated hated this movie. Hated it. Hated every simpering stupid vacant audience-insulting moment of it. Hated the sensibility that thought anyone would like it. Hated the implied insult to the audience by its belief that anyone would be entertained by it." (review of North)

But showed me that even though I may not personally enjoy a genre of films (romantic comedies) I should still review them objectively. I need to tell people why they would enjoy watching the film or not.

"In other words, is a film true to its genre and does it deliver what its audiences presumably expect?"

This is more than reviewing films.  If I can make one person smile, and one person think, than my day is made brighter.  When someone reads what I have written, no one can see my illness and no one can see how it has and how it will continue to disable my body.  As time goes on, I am physically able to do less, and my thought process might suffer as well, but I will still continue to write. No one can take that away from me. I know I can do it, because you did it. 

Goodbye Mr. Ebert

Your fan,
Lindsey D.