It seems to be all over the newswire tonight that film critic Roger Ebert underwent an emergency surgical procedure and is in grave condition. It's possible that by the time some of you read this, it will be the "RIP Roger" thread... in any case, Ebert-- perhaps as an inevitable consequence of being the most well-known-- seems to be the most polarizing writer in film criticism. I know some people that absolutely despise him (and a few celebrities have made no secret of their emnity-- he had a fairly public feud with Vincent Gallo a couple of years ago and David Lynch once put out a poster for his film Lost Highway proudly emblazoned with "Two Thumbs Down") and I know some that worship every word that drips from his pen-- I once met a guy in college that refused to watch any film if it wasn't on Ebert's list of "Great Movies". Personally, I've always enjoyed reading his writing. From a functional standpoint, I can usually understand his position on the films he reviews even when I don't agree with him. Aesthetically, I find his writing pleasing as well-- he writes with a passion and has a flair for nostalgia in a way that you're not going to get from Entertainment Weekly. Sure, there are a few things that annoy me (his penchant for commenting on the good looks of every leading lady, his meaningless star system), but overall I find him to be one of the few reviewers that I consistently seek out. What are your opinions of him? Are there any other reviewers that you always make a point to read? Whose writing do you love? Whose do you hate?

-Coop