Fired critics Ben Lyons and Ben Mankiewicz
What’s wrong with these pictures?
One of the remaining movie review shows which peaked years ago when it starred Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert is At the Movies. Before last season they replaced Ebert and Siskel’s replacement Richard Roeper with Ben Mankiewicz and Ben Lyons. The pairing didn’t work at all. So now they have changed hosts again and have clearly upped the knowledge level by hiring A.O. Scott of the NY Times and Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune.
Critics A.O. Scott (left ) and Michael Phillips
Most of the movie sites are hailing the replacements but here’s my question: WHY DIDN’T THEY PICK A WOMAN? I am so tired of women continuing to get passed by for these gigs. Women filmgoers want more information before they make decisions about what movies to see, so wouldn’t it make sense to try and bring in a female voice and perspective to look at films that are opening?
Here are some options: Thelma Adams; Lisa Schwarzbaum; Manhola Dargis; Anne Thompson; Betsy Sharkey; Rachel Abramowitz; Karina Longworth; Stephanie Zackharek and that’s just off the top of my head.
Maybe that would be too much of a change.
Yeah, they need to pick a woman. Would it kill them to do that?
This is absolutely annoying. But let me say first, I HATED the two Bens. The one thing I loved about Roger Ebert is that he seemed more feeling centered in his critiques. I tended to agree with him more than Siskel, Roeper, or the countless other guest judges. If they were going to replace him with someone, I thought it ought to be a ’she. Now they’re going with two guys who basically think the same way.
I’m not surprised to see it end, they had a very off relationship. Their views were divergent enough, and am I the only one who was happy to at least see that one of the reviewers were noticeably younger? It reminds me of the senate: old, male, and white.
I think they want it to be like Siskel & Ebert, but the problem is that it will never be like that again; they both had a good knowledge base, views divergent enough to be interesting, but not so divergent that it just turned uncomfortable watching them argue, and they were aired during a time much different from our own today.
The Reelz channel must not be doing very well, because their lineup is radically different, and now filled with a lot of films. But at their height, when they were doing daily (and one weekend) news show, I enjoyed their “Reelz in the Round” segment, where they talked about movies, but also about the industry in general.
But I bring up that program because they incorporated female panelists, and to a lesser extent people of color. If they can do it with that show, why not try to incorporate some of them on that show?
Or what about Kim Morgan of Sunset Gun. She was a guest host on the show with Roeper and she did a good job!
Didn’t know about the firing of Ben and Ben until I turned the show on this week. Was glad for that–but thought the same thing: Where are the female critics?? Love Lisa’s reviews in EW….