I was just a baby right near the end of S&E so never watched them 😭 But as I grew up and become a film geek I found Roger Ebert and would solely listen to his reviews lol. Ik he was famous and vaguely knew he used to do a thumbs up/thing but only later did I learn he used to be a duo. Tbh film reviews still haven’t been the same since 2013, I feel he was the authoritative review. Since I learnt about this show I keep watching all these old reviews, their chemistry is amazing and I feel they just got movies. If they were still around I bet they’d have a podcast that’d be the place to go. I realize so many UA-camrs who review films are in a way following in their footsteps that film reviews could be fun and approachable to everyone.
They were an amazing team and not just in terms of movie criticism. They had superb timing in the way that they played off each other. They often agreed beautifully and bickered hilariously. One thing I love is at the end of every episode of the show, one of them would summarize the reviews for the program, and even where the person summarizing disagreed with a particular review from his colleague, he did an excellent job of summarizing the reasons the other person gave for the review. That kind of good faith understanding is invaluable in life, and we sure could use it in a lot more areas these days, especially in politics.
I agree with both of them about Judi Dench - she really should have been nominated again for the same role later in life in Victoria & Abdul too. Just a beautiful performance!
I appreciate the respect Ebert gave to Elliott Smith for Best Song even though it wasn’t his pick. Miss Misery is one of Smith’s best. Also credit to Smith, who, when his fans made fun of Celine Dion, told them she was so kind to him at the Oscars and they got along quite well. (He was uncomfortable playing to a national audience, and she helped him through it.) I’m not a fan of Dion’s music myself, but she has my respect for that.
I recently encountered that anecdote in Carl Wilson's book "Let's Talk About Love: A Journey to the End of Taste". It is primarily about the reception of Celine Dion's music, but it also has some fascinating information about Elliot Smith and the 1998 Oscar ceremony.
Only the 60's and 70's were as good. Well, late 60's to late 70's for American/English language cinema, and the entirety of the 60's for foreign language films.
This is the final year I watched the Oscars. I was mad that L.A. Confidential lost Best Picture to Titanic and vowed to never watch again. It's good to know that two of the greatest film critics agreed with my pick.
I think Titanic won mostly because of how difficult a movie it was to pull off successfully. In the year up to its release, there were news stories about how over-budget it was and how Cameron was on pace to maybe make the most expensive flop of all time. Making "Titanic", and having it turn out as well as it did, was a tremendous technical achievement, but I agree with you that overall "L.A. Confidential" is the better overall movie.
@@OldMovieTime-Tim Yeah. Some prove that an over budget film can succeed and fail. I also think it was the box office and the height of Leonardo DiCaprio's career that got all the awards but that's just me. L.A. Confidential is an amazing film for many reasons which is why a lot of people need to see.
The best thing about Jackie Brown and As Good as It Gets is they're both filled with great actors. Unfortunately that means more competition at award ceremonies.
Hopkins and ESPECIALLY Forster were so good respectively, but the Academy got it right, giving it to Robin. The park bench scene in "Good Will Hunting" was the clip, I posted to fb, the day after he died. I wanted to remind people, just how great of an actor, Robin Williams was. Honestly, I was really tired of his comedic roles by my mid 30's and I felt that he had, so much more to offer.
I totally disagree, Regardless of Robin Williams career, Robert Forster absolutely stole this category with a pitch Supporting performance He goes through several encounters with most of the cast and he is always on point , much like Robin Williams, it's a quiet performance, but I've seen Robin Williams performance b4 in films like Ordinary People, even a subdued Dead Poet's Society I can name Several actors who could have done what Robin Williams did, but I doubt any Actor could pull off that strong subtle and beautiful performance that Forster does From the meeting with Jackie when they talk about getting older, to his meeting with Ordell, Robert Forster is absolutely perfect in a perfect performance He's the guy you want in a caper
I still say Dustin Hoffman gave that years best performance Did he give a more moving performance than Duvall or Peter Fonda, no But he shows us a hilarious and self controlled performance playing a Robert Evans character as Robert Evans would give I loved 4 of the 5 performances and it's a tough one, but Dustin Hoffman has been on that even keel up until the end and that line "It's the Greatest work I've ever done", right b4 he goes off the edge, still sends chills It's a flashy, funny performance and to me, it's my pic
I remember most of this episodes, so many years ago. And it cut out when Siskel picked Kate Winslet as the Worst Nominee. Ebert was appalled and expressed his disbelief. Yet, I remember agreeing with each of their cases...
If you're SURE that Siskel picked Winslet as the worst nominee, I'll add that to the video description. I can scarcely believe his taste would be so poor.
@@flaccidusminimus2170 oh what an argument it was between them! It truly was the one thing from this episode that had resonated to me from all those years ago. I found something on Google (Siskel Kate Winslet) from the Chicago Tribune, where Siskel reports that Winslet was too "bland" to even garner a nomination. I am not delusional 😁
Although I think Kate Winslet was pretty good (as always), this episode was one of the rare occasions where I sided with Gene; Titanic was one of the sappiest blockbusters movies ever made. The Celine Dion song in particular is vomit inducing.
I think it will surface eventually. There is undoubtedly recorded footage of it somewhere. It can't very well be that every single person who recorded it in March 1997 trashed their tapes or recorded over the episode.
Almost every clip of "Titanic", if left in, would have given this video "Partially Blocked" status. So, with one exception, they've been cut. Deal with it! Chapter breaks: Best Actor - 1:07 Best Supporting Actress - 7:21 Best Supporting Actor - 13:02 Best Original Song - 18:18 Best Art Direction - 21:37 Best Actress - 26:06 Best Picture: 31:25
The argument over their Best Art Direction choices is intriguing, but it doesn't sound as though Gene knows what he's talking about this time. Lamont and Ford's work on "Titanic" was far more than just a "matching" job. Very few photographs of the Titanic exist, and none of them are in authentic color. There are a great many things about the ship's original appearance that aren't known. The production design and set decoration required a great deal of creativity, skill, and imagination. This is one category where it is beneficial to do at least a little research before voting. In his criticism of Roger's choice, Gene also appears to be confusing this category with "Most Difficult Art Direction". Even if "Titanic" does not feature the most challenging example of art direction among the five nominees (which I don't agree with), it should be irrelevant criteria. As is his point at the end about the budget, which Gene so often claimed to not care about.
So, of the five major categories, the Academy didnt agree with any of Siskel and Ebert's picks, despite them both picking L.A. Confidential for Picture and Dench for Actress. The Academy clearly gave wins to Nicholson and Williams based on their career body of works rather than these specific performances. Ironically, the following year, they would give a win to Dench to make up for being overlooked this year.
To this day, I find the inclusion of As Good as it Gets ridiculous. It got carried by strong box-office & the team of Brooks/Nicholson, but it was uneven and nowhere near as good as Boogie Nights, Jackie Brown, Chasing Amy, The Sweet Hereafter, Donnie Brasco, and others. Miss these shows - thanks for uploading.
Agreed. While not a bad film, it was wildly overrated. Personally, I didn’t buy the romance between Nicholson and Hunt for a second. Greg Kinnear was great in it though, so I’ll give the movie that.
@@erakfishfishfish What might be even crazier is that both Nicholson & Hunt won Oscars for this movie. Jack is one of my favorite actors and I don't think this is even in his top 15 performances. It's basically a sitcom but with A-list talent.
@@Comictalent I’ve always said that Helen Hunt won the Oscar for playing Jamie Buchman (5 Emmys). She whines, tells a man how strong she is and twirls her got-dammed hair behind her ear for 2.5 hours. The fact that Judi Dench didn’t win was one of Oscar’s greatest travesty.
@@kdohertygizbur the only other movies nominated that year I actually saw were Good Will Hunting and As Good As It Gets. L.A. Confidential is definitely better than both those movies.
I love these guys. I think it's pretty interesting how Roger says Go the Distance, How Do I Live, and Journey to the Past are forgettable. Meanwhile, I just listened to a fantastic rendition of Go the Distance.
I hated Journey To The Past when I saw "Anastasia", but having listened to it recently I think Gene may have been correct that it has an alluring sophistication that may be worthy of a Broadway show.
That's awesome that Siskel & Ebert chose L.A. Confidential for Best Picture because I definitely choose that movie by a long shot. Titanic is a great movie but L.A. Confidential is truly not only the best movie of 1997 but the greatest movie of all time. From its direction, screenplay, acting and music. It deserves more than Best Adapted Screenplay for Curtis Hanson.
@@LukeLovesRose It's a great movie. Though I feel it's overrated like the 2018 A Star is Born remake. I feel T2 is James Cameron's masterpiece and should have gotten Best Director.
I highly disagree with Roger on Jack Nicholson's Best Actor, which he got. I love The Apostle more as a movie, and I'm actually glad JN won instead. He is great as an OCD, angry man.
Truly, I don't understand anyone who criticizes him for doing "the standard Nicholson schtick". There isn't any such thing. Nicholson was a highly inventive and surprising actor who didn't tend to repeat himself.
@@flaccidusminimus2170 Jack has a completely different kind of role in Something's Gotta Give. It's a romance somewhat like As Good As It Gets. He's not much of a grouch in that one.
Ebert didn’t really like As Good as It Gets as other critics did. He gave it a thumbs up but very marginally whereas Siskel loved it. Despite winning two other Oscars before I don’t think Nicholson would have won a third time if he wasn’t worthy.
He wasn't consciously ill yet. His diagnosis occurred in May 1998, two or three months after this taping. Although his headaches and nausea could have been among the reasons they got rid of the live audience (I don't know what the previous year's show looked like), it's more likely that they ditched it because the audience was an unnecessary distraction. Disney may not have wanted to continue booking them at their performing arts auditorium in L.A. because the ratings weren't high enough to continue justifying it and they knew that booking other acts would be more profitable. Ebert & Roeper never did this in front of a live audience, and eventually even eliminated the gimmick of the envelopes.
I love these specials so much. 1997 was a really special year for lead actresses and three of my favorites did not get nominated: * Pam Grier, Jackie Brown (this would have been my winner) * Jodie Foster, Contact (this would have been my winner in any other year) * Jennifer Lopez, Selena Admittedly, there are 3 actual nominees I did not see, including Mrs. Brown. But Pam Grier was THE performance of the year for me.
Leo was robbed of an Oscar nomination for Titanic. Gloria Stuart was my choice for Best Supporting Actress There was only one choice for Best Supporting Actor: Robin Williams There was only one choice for Best Song: My Heart Will Go On There was only one choice Set Design and Art Director: Titanic It was James Cameron, not Leo and Kate's romance that kept people coming back for more. You can see his magic with art direction and set design working for the Avatar movies. That's why they're doing so well. And that's another reason why Cameron got and deserved Best Director.
Interesting. I think Leo was worthy in Gilbert Grape and, possibly, Marvin's Room, but in Titanic, he was playing a character with little to nothing challenging about it. Maybe the physicality in the last hour was tough but I saw little true character work there. Truth be told, I dont think Titanic's acting was its forte.
@@aysada Cameron's 3D storytelling is overshadowing the acting and the writing. That's why those elements seem the weakness. But objectively speaking, it's all pretty great
@@LukeLovesRose I can agree to the last hour of the movie being pretty great but, I thought the movie pre-iceberg was beautiful to look at but I never bought the relationship between them. Costumes: gorgeous, art direction: gorgeous, score: gorgeous, song and acting: not my favorites that year by a long shot.
Ironic that Julianne Moore and Joan Cusack starred two years earlier in the forgettable Hugh Grant comedy Nine Months and then would compete against each other for Best Supporting Actress. Never seen Boogie Nights but did like Cusack in In & Out.
Both made lo-fi, indie recordings. I think the similarities end there. From what I gather, Ebert mainly listened to show tunes, opera, and classic rock but wasn't particularly engaged with new music after the 1970s (I could be wrong, but that's the sense I get from reading and listening to his reviews).
@@flaccidusminimus2170 I don't disagree with his assessment. I'm just kind of surprised. I can't exactly picture Roger Ebert bopping his head and singing along to lyrics about wanting to be someone's b******* queen.
@@stevegeorge6880 Doubtful! He may have given Exile in Guyville a spin one day or heard a few songs on campus radio stations, but he wasn't an indie/alt rock guy at all.
LA Confidential is a fantastic movie. Boogie Nights is very good and so well done. Jackie Brown a wonderful sleeper picture. The northeast colonies started getting rid of slavery right after the revolution and the beginning of the United States of America. Yes slavery in the USA was outlawed in 1780. Not 1865, that was the confederate states and southern states before that. But the northern states did benefit from slavery and needs to pay the relatives of ex slaves. I think.
I think Siskel is very hypocritical in this episode. During many of the Oscar specials (and this one in particular) he would put down "showy" performances, yet he ends up choosing two "showy" performances in Hopkins and Cusack.
@@flaccidusminimus2170 He also voted for Albert Finney for "The Dresser." You know, the character that spent most of the movie bellowing at the top of his lungs.
@@DoncoEntAgain He also found Brain Candy to be totally hilarious. Sometimes I think The Kids In The Hall people paid him off to give it a good review but that might be stretching it. Ebert didn't laugh at all. I'm with Ebert.
Lol imagine watching Julie Christie's bizarre performance in that turd Afterglow and saying that year's worst nomination was the amazing Kate Winslet in Titanic. I have to laugh.
Siskel can be so ignorant. The finale for LA Confidential was exciting?? But Aliens is offensive?? The final fight between Ripley and the Queen is one of the greatest, most exciting fights ever put on film and it had no soundtrack whatsoever.... That takes skill.
I don't see how that's an example of irony. It's just unfortunate. These weren't predictions, but personal preferences. Every year, there's probably a plethora of Academy voters whose top selections lose in every category.
No. This aired in March 1998. The nominated films were released in the U.S. in 1997, but the awards are always given out the following year. Nominations were announced in February 1998, the Oscars were awarded in March.
Im sorry but no. All of the performances in "In & Out" were cheesy and hammy or at least weird. Especially Joan Cusack, shes basically a caricature. The movie is funny, but nothing about it could be considered good.
I totally agree, I have seen it several times, just to see if I'm missing something from her performance, and even though it's a cute movie, enjoyable, but I still cannot understand how She was singled out for this performance Her Performance in Addams Family Values is 10 Times Better
AS GOOD AS IT GETS WAS THE BEST MOVIE OF 97. I don't understand the hoopla about Titanic. The 1953 version of Titanic was very good. AND AGAIN THE VIDEO STOPS SHORT OF FINISHING.
Maybe I'm a complete cinema nerd, but does anyone else out there miss these two guys as much as I do?
No I miss them too
Absolutely. I used to stay up late on Sunday nights to watch their show as a kid.
I was just a baby right near the end of S&E so never watched them 😭 But as I grew up and become a film geek I found Roger Ebert and would solely listen to his reviews lol. Ik he was famous and vaguely knew he used to do a thumbs up/thing but only later did I learn he used to be a duo. Tbh film reviews still haven’t been the same since 2013, I feel he was the authoritative review. Since I learnt about this show I keep watching all these old reviews, their chemistry is amazing and I feel they just got movies. If they were still around I bet they’d have a podcast that’d be the place to go. I realize so many UA-camrs who review films are in a way following in their footsteps that film reviews could be fun and approachable to everyone.
They were an amazing team and not just in terms of movie criticism. They had superb timing in the way that they played off each other. They often agreed beautifully and bickered hilariously. One thing I love is at the end of every episode of the show, one of them would summarize the reviews for the program, and even where the person summarizing disagreed with a particular review from his colleague, he did an excellent job of summarizing the reasons the other person gave for the review. That kind of good faith understanding is invaluable in life, and we sure could use it in a lot more areas these days, especially in politics.
Yes!
This was best year for beat song omg what great music!!!!
I'm absolutely loving these classic Siskel and Ebert shows.
Keep 'em Coming!
"Journey from the Past from Anastasia?"
The way Ebert said and looked at him bewildered... Priceless
So sad to think that one year after this broadcast, Gene would pass away 😢
Rest in ✌️ gene😢
Much better than watching the real oscars
L.A. Confidential.... i agree 100% extraordinary
Lots of Gene and Roger elder bickering - love it
I agree with both of them about Judi Dench - she really should have been nominated again for the same role later in life in Victoria & Abdul too. Just a beautiful performance!
She didn't win this year but the next as probably a make up Oscar.
Robert Duvall once again shows incredible versatility. And he’s just getting warmed up, he’s got 20 more years of pictures to go!!!
(re Judi Dench) “If they pick someone else, Roger, then they don’t know what good acting is.”
*they don’t know what good acting is*
I like Helen Hunt, but I could see her acting in it
I appreciate the respect Ebert gave to Elliott Smith for Best Song even though it wasn’t his pick. Miss Misery is one of Smith’s best.
Also credit to Smith, who, when his fans made fun of Celine Dion, told them she was so kind to him at the Oscars and they got along quite well. (He was uncomfortable playing to a national audience, and she helped him through it.) I’m not a fan of Dion’s music myself, but she has my respect for that.
I recently encountered that anecdote in Carl Wilson's book "Let's Talk About Love: A Journey to the End of Taste". It is primarily about the reception of Celine Dion's music, but it also has some fascinating information about Elliot Smith and the 1998 Oscar ceremony.
@@flaccidusminimus2170 care to give us the short version?
Damn 90s! What a decade.
Only the 60's and 70's were as good. Well, late 60's to late 70's for American/English language cinema, and the entirety of the 60's for foreign language films.
This is the final year I watched the Oscars. I was mad that L.A. Confidential lost Best Picture to Titanic and vowed to never watch again. It's good to know that two of the greatest film critics agreed with my pick.
One of the biggest oversights in Oscar history: Judy Dench should have been a shoe in to win.
Shoo in.
L.A. Confidential is in my top 40 or so movies, definitely the best of the 5 nominated for Best picture.
Which should have won. Titanic is a great movie but L.A. Confidential is truly a masterpiece.
@@ryanperez1999 I didn't think much of Kim Basinger though. Any of the other women were more deserved
@@kerprice Like Gloria Stuart in Titanic?
I think Titanic won mostly because of how difficult a movie it was to pull off successfully. In the year up to its release, there were news stories about how over-budget it was and how Cameron was on pace to maybe make the most expensive flop of all time. Making "Titanic", and having it turn out as well as it did, was a tremendous technical achievement, but I agree with you that overall "L.A. Confidential" is the better overall movie.
@@OldMovieTime-Tim Yeah. Some prove that an over budget film can succeed and fail. I also think it was the box office and the height of Leonardo DiCaprio's career that got all the awards but that's just me. L.A. Confidential is an amazing film for many reasons which is why a lot of people need to see.
The best thing about Jackie Brown and As Good as It Gets is they're both filled with great actors. Unfortunately that means more competition at award ceremonies.
Thank you for posting.
well done, sir.
Hopkins and ESPECIALLY Forster were so good respectively, but the Academy got it right, giving it to Robin. The park bench scene in "Good Will Hunting" was the clip, I posted to fb, the day after he died. I wanted to remind people, just how great of an actor, Robin Williams was. Honestly, I was really tired of his comedic roles by my mid 30's and I felt that he had, so much more to offer.
I totally disagree, Regardless of Robin Williams career, Robert Forster absolutely stole this category with a pitch Supporting performance
He goes through several encounters with most of the cast and he is always on point , much like Robin Williams, it's a quiet performance, but I've seen Robin Williams performance b4 in films like Ordinary People, even a subdued Dead Poet's Society
I can name Several actors who could have done what Robin Williams did, but I doubt any Actor could pull off that strong subtle and beautiful performance that Forster does
From the meeting with Jackie when they talk about getting older, to his meeting with Ordell, Robert Forster is absolutely perfect in a perfect performance
He's the guy you want in a caper
Beginning @ 4:30 - the flashback scene can be seen on Larry King Live, when Roger Ebert was paying tribute to Gene Siskel. May he and Ebert both #RIP.
The Apostle was really good.
Judi Dench had hardly ever been seen in the movies…my did she have an entire second career ahead of her.
Umm...that was after her Oscar Nomination
@@kdohertygizbur I was quoting them in the episode…
I still say Dustin Hoffman gave that years best performance
Did he give a more moving performance than Duvall or Peter Fonda, no
But he shows us a hilarious and self controlled performance playing a Robert Evans character as Robert Evans would give
I loved 4 of the 5 performances and it's a tough one, but Dustin Hoffman has been on that even keel up until the end and that line
"It's the Greatest work I've ever done", right b4 he goes off the edge, still sends chills
It's a flashy, funny performance and to me, it's my pic
I remember most of this episodes, so many years ago. And it cut out when Siskel picked Kate Winslet as the Worst Nominee. Ebert was appalled and expressed his disbelief. Yet, I remember agreeing with each of their cases...
If you're SURE that Siskel picked Winslet as the worst nominee, I'll add that to the video description. I can scarcely believe his taste would be so poor.
@@flaccidusminimus2170 oh what an argument it was between them! It truly was the one thing from this episode that had resonated to me from all those years ago.
I found something on Google (Siskel Kate Winslet) from the Chicago Tribune, where Siskel reports that Winslet was too "bland" to even garner a nomination. I am not delusional 😁
Although I think Kate Winslet was pretty good (as always), this episode was one of the rare occasions where I sided with Gene; Titanic was one of the sappiest blockbusters movies ever made. The Celine Dion song in particular is vomit inducing.
How did they manage NOT to get any of the Oscar's choices for the acting categories and the best picture right.
Because this isn't a show about predictions sharpie.
1996 Oscars show is nowhere to be found, is it going to be forgotten forever
I think it will surface eventually. There is undoubtedly recorded footage of it somewhere. It can't very well be that every single person who recorded it in March 1997 trashed their tapes or recorded over the episode.
LA Confidental is superb
Almost every clip of "Titanic", if left in, would have given this video "Partially Blocked" status. So, with one exception, they've been cut. Deal with it! Chapter breaks:
Best Actor - 1:07
Best Supporting Actress - 7:21
Best Supporting Actor - 13:02
Best Original Song - 18:18
Best Art Direction - 21:37
Best Actress - 26:06
Best Picture: 31:25
The argument over their Best Art Direction choices is intriguing, but it doesn't sound as though Gene knows what he's talking about this time. Lamont and Ford's work on "Titanic" was far more than just a "matching" job. Very few photographs of the Titanic exist, and none of them are in authentic color. There are a great many things about the ship's original appearance that aren't known. The production design and set decoration required a great deal of creativity, skill, and imagination. This is one category where it is beneficial to do at least a little research before voting. In his criticism of Roger's choice, Gene also appears to be confusing this category with "Most Difficult Art Direction". Even if "Titanic" does not feature the most challenging example of art direction among the five nominees (which I don't agree with), it should be irrelevant criteria. As is his point at the end about the budget, which Gene so often claimed to not care about.
So, of the five major categories, the Academy didnt agree with any of Siskel and Ebert's picks, despite them both picking L.A. Confidential for Picture and Dench for Actress. The Academy clearly gave wins to Nicholson and Williams based on their career body of works rather than these specific performances. Ironically, the following year, they would give a win to Dench to make up for being overlooked this year.
The funny thing is Winslet hates her performance in Titanic. She basically wish she did every scene differently and can’t watch the movie now.
@flaccidus, do you have the episode “if we picked” from 1988, the year Rain Man won?
@@branagain I don't think anyone does. That one and The English Patient/Fargo episode have never been shared publicly that I know of.
To this day, I find the inclusion of As Good as it Gets ridiculous. It got carried by strong box-office & the team of Brooks/Nicholson, but it was uneven and nowhere near as good as Boogie Nights, Jackie Brown, Chasing Amy, The Sweet Hereafter, Donnie Brasco, and others.
Miss these shows - thanks for uploading.
Agreed. While not a bad film, it was wildly overrated. Personally, I didn’t buy the romance between Nicholson and Hunt for a second. Greg Kinnear was great in it though, so I’ll give the movie that.
@@erakfishfishfish What might be even crazier is that both Nicholson & Hunt won Oscars for this movie. Jack is one of my favorite actors and I don't think this is even in his top 15 performances. It's basically a sitcom but with A-list talent.
Yeah, it’s not bad, but in such a strong year, it’s not one of the top five films.
@@Comictalent I’ve always said that Helen Hunt won the Oscar for playing Jamie Buchman (5 Emmys). She whines, tells a man how strong she is and twirls her got-dammed hair behind her ear for 2.5 hours. The fact that Judi Dench didn’t win was one of Oscar’s greatest travesty.
I feel like I need a rewatch of LA Confidential. I saw it once when I was 19, and was underwhelmed, but it’s possible I missed a lot of the subtext.
Yeah, check it out again. It’s great.
@@kdohertygizbur the only other movies nominated that year I actually saw were Good Will Hunting and As Good As It Gets. L.A. Confidential is definitely better than both those movies.
LA confidential is underrated and Curtis Hanson is underrated and he died i didn't get to see him
New categoy: Best male in a female role.
1997 was a great year in film.
Between the two, they barely picked an actual Oscar winner.
Remember, these are not their predictions - it's whom they thought deserved it
I love these guys. I think it's pretty interesting how Roger says Go the Distance, How Do I Live, and Journey to the Past are forgettable. Meanwhile, I just listened to a fantastic rendition of Go the Distance.
I hated Journey To The Past when I saw "Anastasia", but having listened to it recently I think Gene may have been correct that it has an alluring sophistication that may be worthy of a Broadway show.
That's awesome that Siskel & Ebert chose L.A. Confidential for Best Picture because I definitely choose that movie by a long shot. Titanic is a great movie but L.A. Confidential is truly not only the best movie of 1997 but the greatest movie of all time. From its direction, screenplay, acting and music. It deserves more than Best Adapted Screenplay for Curtis Hanson.
You dont think Titanic is one of the greatest movies ever made??
@@LukeLovesRose It's a great movie. Though I feel it's overrated like the 2018 A Star is Born remake. I feel T2 is James Cameron's masterpiece and should have gotten Best Director.
@@ryanperez1999 To each his own
@@LukeLovesRose Agreed.
I highly disagree with Roger on Jack Nicholson's Best Actor, which he got. I love The Apostle more as a movie, and I'm actually glad JN won instead. He is great as an OCD, angry man.
Truly, I don't understand anyone who criticizes him for doing "the standard Nicholson schtick". There isn't any such thing. Nicholson was a highly inventive and surprising actor who didn't tend to repeat himself.
@@flaccidusminimus2170 Jack has a completely different kind of role in Something's Gotta Give. It's a romance somewhat like As Good As It Gets. He's not much of a grouch in that one.
Ebert didn’t really like As Good as It Gets as other critics did. He gave it a thumbs up but very marginally whereas Siskel loved it. Despite winning two other Oscars before I don’t think Nicholson would have won a third time if he wasn’t worthy.
Why is the quality MUCH WORSE than that of the shows recorded TEN YEARS earlier?
It has everything to do with the quality and condition of the VHS tapes the shows were recorded on.
Was 1997 also done in a studio, with no audience? I’m guessing it was because of Gene’s health?
He wasn't consciously ill yet. His diagnosis occurred in May 1998, two or three months after this taping. Although his headaches and nausea could have been among the reasons they got rid of the live audience (I don't know what the previous year's show looked like), it's more likely that they ditched it because the audience was an unnecessary distraction. Disney may not have wanted to continue booking them at their performing arts auditorium in L.A. because the ratings weren't high enough to continue justifying it and they knew that booking other acts would be more profitable. Ebert & Roeper never did this in front of a live audience, and eventually even eliminated the gimmick of the envelopes.
I love these specials so much. 1997 was a really special year for lead actresses and three of my favorites did not get nominated:
* Pam Grier, Jackie Brown (this would have been my winner)
* Jodie Foster, Contact (this would have been my winner in any other year)
* Jennifer Lopez, Selena
Admittedly, there are 3 actual nominees I did not see, including Mrs. Brown. But Pam Grier was THE performance of the year for me.
Same, if Pam had been nominated she would be my choice for sure
Leo was robbed of an Oscar nomination for Titanic.
Gloria Stuart was my choice for Best Supporting Actress
There was only one choice for Best Supporting Actor: Robin Williams
There was only one choice for Best Song: My Heart Will Go On
There was only one choice Set Design and Art Director: Titanic
It was James Cameron, not Leo and Kate's romance that kept people coming back for more. You can see his magic with art direction and set design working for the Avatar movies. That's why they're doing so well. And that's another reason why Cameron got and deserved Best Director.
And I can see why you still hold a grudge... Titanic? Popcorn movie that was very good but the acting, aside from Kate Winslet, was average at best
Interesting. I think Leo was worthy in Gilbert Grape and, possibly, Marvin's Room, but in Titanic, he was playing a character with little to nothing challenging about it. Maybe the physicality in the last hour was tough but I saw little true character work there. Truth be told, I dont think Titanic's acting was its forte.
@@aysada Cameron's 3D storytelling is overshadowing the acting and the writing. That's why those elements seem the weakness. But objectively speaking, it's all pretty great
@@LukeLovesRose I can agree to the last hour of the movie being pretty great but, I thought the movie pre-iceberg was beautiful to look at but I never bought the relationship between them. Costumes: gorgeous, art direction: gorgeous, score: gorgeous, song and acting: not my favorites that year by a long shot.
Ironic that Julianne Moore and Joan Cusack starred two years earlier in the forgettable Hugh Grant comedy Nine Months and then would compete against each other for Best Supporting Actress. Never seen Boogie Nights but did like Cusack in In & Out.
Did Roger Ebert say Elliot Smith had a Liz Phair quality?
Both made lo-fi, indie recordings. I think the similarities end there. From what I gather, Ebert mainly listened to show tunes, opera, and classic rock but wasn't particularly engaged with new music after the 1970s (I could be wrong, but that's the sense I get from reading and listening to his reviews).
@@flaccidusminimus2170 I don't disagree with his assessment. I'm just kind of surprised. I can't exactly picture Roger Ebert bopping his head and singing along to lyrics about wanting to be someone's b******* queen.
@@stevegeorge6880 Doubtful! He may have given Exile in Guyville a spin one day or heard a few songs on campus radio stations, but he wasn't an indie/alt rock guy at all.
LA Confidential is a fantastic movie. Boogie Nights is very good and so well done. Jackie Brown a wonderful sleeper picture. The northeast colonies started getting rid of slavery right after the revolution and the beginning of the United States of America. Yes slavery in the USA was outlawed in 1780. Not 1865, that was the confederate states and southern states before that. But the northern states did benefit from slavery and needs to pay the relatives of ex slaves. I think.
Gene has a tin ear.
I think Siskel is very hypocritical in this episode. During many of the Oscar specials (and this one in particular) he would put down "showy" performances, yet he ends up choosing two "showy" performances in Hopkins and Cusack.
He apparently voted for Tom Cruise the previous year :)
@@flaccidusminimus2170 He also voted for Albert Finney for "The Dresser." You know, the character that spent most of the movie bellowing at the top of his lungs.
@@DoncoEntAgain He also found Brain Candy to be totally hilarious. Sometimes I think The Kids In The Hall people paid him off to give it a good review but that might be stretching it. Ebert didn't laugh at all. I'm with Ebert.
Lol imagine watching Julie Christie's bizarre performance in that turd Afterglow and saying that year's worst nomination was the amazing Kate Winslet in Titanic. I have to laugh.
Julie Christie won many Critics Awards for that Performance
Still cannot fathom Joan Cusack and Kim Basinger even being nominated
Just ok performances
_"Gene's choice: Kate Winslet in "Titanic" (this was cut off at the end of the recording...but what a miserable schmuck!)"_
I totally agree.😂
Roger Ebert was a feminist AND Everyman.
Using Southern accents as an accessorie = BS
Julianne Moore in Boogie Nights! Too daring a performance to actually win.
Siskel can be so ignorant. The finale for LA Confidential was exciting?? But Aliens is offensive?? The final fight between Ripley and the Queen is one of the greatest, most exciting fights ever put on film and it had no soundtrack whatsoever.... That takes skill.
You're still mad about That...almost 30 years later. .way to hold a grudge
what's ironic, none of their big picks actually won...
I don't see how that's an example of irony. It's just unfortunate. These weren't predictions, but personal preferences. Every year, there's probably a plethora of Academy voters whose top selections lose in every category.
@@flaccidusminimus2170agreed
This is 1997 not 1998z
No. This aired in March 1998. The nominated films were released in the U.S. in 1997, but the awards are always given out the following year.
Nominations were announced in February 1998, the Oscars were awarded in March.
Im sorry but no. All of the performances in "In & Out" were cheesy and hammy or at least weird. Especially Joan Cusack, shes basically a caricature. The movie is funny, but nothing about it could be considered good.
I totally agree, I have seen it several times, just to see if I'm missing something from her performance, and even though it's a cute movie, enjoyable, but I still cannot understand how She was singled out for this performance
Her Performance in Addams Family Values is 10 Times Better
They didn't pick a single acting winner between them that year. 😬
AS GOOD AS IT GETS WAS THE BEST MOVIE OF 97. I don't understand the hoopla about Titanic. The 1953 version of Titanic was very good. AND AGAIN THE VIDEO STOPS SHORT OF FINISHING.