Imprint

I remember seeing Roger Ebert’s autobiography, Life Itself, in Fully Booked when I was in high school. Roger Ebert was a Pulitzer Prize-winning movie critic who has worked for The Chicago Sun Times since 1967. His colleagues have cited him as one, if not the best, of the best critics in America. To me, he was the guy who wrote glowing and accessible reviews of Toy Story 3  and Inception, two films I loved during my high school years. With this kind of love comes the kind of naiveté that can be attributed to an actual high school student.

It’s funny how cringe-worthy everything is when we relive our high school memories. Before I got to discover to Ebert’s legendary writing, I would go on the internet for things like show info or other elements related to television shows I love like Glee and 30 Rock. Between my love for those shows and searching the ‘net for more info, Ebert’s reviews and essays were a huge discovery. As with your favorite writer, it was only natural for me to read more and research about who he is and how huge he was in the industry.

Unfortunately, last April 4, 2013, Roger Ebert died from papillary thyroid cancer. Coming from a camp activity, I only learned of his death a day after. It devastated me, in some ways, how I’d never get to meet him and get his autograph. I haven’t even purchased my own copy of Life Itself so I only had his website for reference to his work. His past work inspired me to continue writing, no matter how lackluster or how much improvement I needed.

While I was trying to “decide” whether I’d continue writing or not, Glee was experiencing its heyday, and 30 Rock’s on its last, but critically acclaimed, legs. Even 30 Rock’s timeslot sibling, Parks And Recreation, was struggling but it was delivering its best episodes. Looking back, it felt like those shows would never end because of all the accolades and buzz they were getting. Foolish as it may seem, this type of invincibility was also something I felt in my life. Things stay static, and they will never change, I thought to myself.

During Ebert’s final years, filmmaker Steve James made a documentary film based off Ebert’s memoir with the same title. I had the chance to catch it a few months ago, and it was well-made. Director Steve James’ film, Hoop Dreams, was heavily promoted by Ebert during its theatrical run, and this led to a life-long friendship between the two men, one of the many friendships Ebert had during his lifetime. As a big fan of the film and the man, I felt that it warranted an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. The people of Twitter, too, felt the same way, until the Academy took us down from cloud nine and “snubbed” it.

“By going to the movies, I became a lot more open-minded than the heritage I was born into might have suggested,” Roger Ebert says about his line of work. As a critic, it’s a must to have an open mind when giving a critique on something that’s part of the cultural conversation. Writing for the campus newspaper, I felt like I grew a little bit, in terms of writing ability, from who I was in high school.

Change, no matter how scary or daunting, is essential for character building and growth. Over the years, I have realized how close-minded I was whenever I defended Glee’s many faults and the other things a fan does for the thing he adores. Looking back, I have come to realize that it’s necessary to have an open mind when it comes to everything, and I knew that I still have long ways to go from being a real critical thinker.

Ranting on Twitter about Oscar snubs is funny but, in the long run, it doesn’t signify growth and maturity. People have told me that awards are subjective, and I have come to understand that, but I keep thinking that the only time the AMPAS could honor Ebert for his tireless work in film critiquing, they failed.

There is no accounting for taste, and to each his own. In my mind, Ebert would have balked at the snubs Selma, a film about MLK’s activism in Alabama, and The Lego Movie sustained. With that said, it took some reflection and letting the awards season pass to realize that it’s the meaning of art and how it imparted itself on people that is important in the grand scheme of things. Somewhere, a group of filmmakers is filming a passion project that they want people to see, to feel, and to appreciate; the award is something to further that message.

I guess I realized that, in the back of my mind, feeling art’s imprint is the most important thing. Sure, Glee and Parks recently ended, and Ebert wasn’t nominated, but it’s the way you feel after you’ve seen a film or gone through six years of programming. At the end of the day, it’s the emotional resonance and impact a work of art has on you that should matter. Things come and go, they end, but if you let it thrive in you, it will never leave you.

I can’t deny Ebert’s influence to me as a writer. I regret not meeting him, his contemplative wisdom, and his humor. His love for film and his zest for life really made me appreciate his art and body of work as something substantial and noteworthy in a sea of bloggers and critics shouting and tweeting in the Internet. The documentary was life-affirming and gut-wrenching at the same time, and I guess that is really what life is. I just realized now that I really need life itself, not just the book, but also it. It’s good to have a mark or a scar because that’s when you truly know that you learned and you prospered, even just a bit.