BOOKS
OPPOSABLE THUMBS
IN WHICH A FILM CRITIC REVIEWS A BOOK ABOUT FILM CRITICS, WRITTEN BY A FILM CRITIC
★★★★
AUTHOR MATT SINGER / OUT 24 OCTOBER / 352 PAGES
NO FILM CRITIC ever becomes as famous as the films they review; improbably, Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert were the exceptions that proved that rule. Hosting a series of film-review TV shows between 1975 and 1999, the Chicago-based writers remain among the most recognisable, respected faces in film journalism, their ‘thumbs up’ system known by millions. The various incarnations of their TV shows transformed criticism from a fusty academic pursuit to a mainstream, demographic-spanning sensation.