DVD Collectors Online

I was surprised when my brother told me yesterday that they had fired the hosts of "At The Movies".  If you don't live in the U.S. and/or have never seen this show, it is a half-hour program that is produced out of Chicago featuring a pair of movie critics who review and discuss movies.  It began over 20 years ago with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert as the critics.  When Gene died, they used different guest-critics until they hired Richard Roeper as a new permanent co-host with Roger...then Roger had to bow out (I understand he can't even speak, though I don't know if that may have changed) and Richard used various guest-critics opposite him.  Finally, it was decided to revamp the show and Roger left and they hired two new critics...Ben Lyons (who I've heard referred to once as "the worst reviewer on the planet") and Ben Mankiewicz who I mainly knew as the other guy who introduced movies here in the U.S. on Turner Classic Movies.  I forget when this change was made...either last year or the year before.  I won't mind seeing Lyons go as I never thought much of his reviewing ability though I have nothing against the other Ben.  Maybe if they had retitled the show "Dueling Bens"?

I understand the new critics will be A.O. Scott and Michael Phillips, two actual film critics from newspapers who had appeared often with Richard Roeper in the previous incarnation of the show...I think they come in about a month from now.  Maybe once they take over, I'll find myself checking out the show more often than I have been lately.

I used to watch this a lot way back when.... when it was with Siskel and Ebert. But I haven't watched it much since for some reason.

I never seen any of them. I find the critics taste in films seldom agree with mine!

I use to watch it when it was Siskel and Egbert.  I saw it some with Egbert and Roper.  I think I saw it a few times with the guest critics with Roper.  I can never remember when it is on around here now.  I saw part of it once with the new guys.  I never really made a point of watching it.  A review by a critic has never stopped me from seeing something I was interested in.  I mainly liked seeing clips of the movies on the show before.

After a couple weeks of reruns, the new ones started this weekend...the critics Ben probably never got to say goodbye, but then I don't think Richard Roeper ever did either.  A.O. Scott and Michael Phillips, who had both appeared with Roeper, are now the regular critics and I like them a lot better than the guys they'd been using.  Interestingly, the first movie they reviewed happens to be a Sandra Bullock film...and they hated it...so I guess Pete won't like them... 

  Is that the one where she is like stalking some guy? If so I am not surprised. The trailer looked iffy at best.

Yes, that's the one.  She's also blonde in this movie.  When I saw the first clip, I thought "Who the heck IS that blonde?  Funny, she looks a lot  like Sandra Bullock..." 

yeah... I didn't care much for her hair change either. But being a Sandra Bullock movie... I will at least see it. Though I may wait for it to hit cable.

If you are talking about All About Steve, that currently has a 4.6 rating on IMDb. The Proposal, also being a recent film, got away with 7.2!

Yeah... All About Steve is the one we mean. The Proposal looks good... I can't wait to see that one.