Siskel & Ebert at the Movies (Johnsonverse)

At the Movies with Roeper & Phillips (originally Siskel & Ebert & the Movies, and later At the Movies with Ebert and Roeper) was an American movie review television program produced by Johnson Television in which two film critics share their opinions of newly released films. Its original hosts were Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel, the former hosts of Sneak Previews on PBS (1975–1982) and the similarly-titled syndicated series At the Movies (1982–1986). Following Siskel's death in 1999, Ebert worked with various guest critics until choosing Chicago Sun-Times colleague Richard Roeper as his regular partner in 2000.

Ebert suspended his appearances in 2006 for treatment of thyroid cancer, with various guest hosts substituting for him. From April to August 2008 Michael Phillips, a successor of Siskel at the Chicago Tribune, co-hosted with Roeper. Starting on September 6, 2008, Phillips became the permanent host of the show. Since his surgery cost him the ability to speak, Ebert continued to review movies from his office set, using famed Chicago journalist and anchor Bill Kurtis and others to read his reviews.

During its run with Siskel and Ebert as hosts, the series was nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards seven times and also for Outstanding Information Series, the last nomination occurring in 1997. It is widely known for the "thumbs up/thumbs down" review summaries given during Siskel's and Ebert's tenures, which carried over after Ebert's death; as the phrase "Two Thumbs Up" is a trademark held by the Siskel and Ebert families, the phrase is used with their permission. The show airs in syndication in the United States and on CTV in Canada; the show has also aired throughout the week on the cable network ReelzChannel.

Predecessors
The show's origins and format trace back to Sneak Previews (1975), a PBS series produced by WTTW that originally featured Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel, and At the Movies, a follow-up show that the two critics created with Tribune Entertainment.

Siskel & Ebert & the Movies (1986–99)
The series itself began in September 1986 as Siskel & Ebert & the Movies, when Siskel and Ebert signed with Johnson Television, the television division of Johnson Industries. The title of the show was shortened to simply Siskel & Ebert in mid-1987. The program was originally recorded in the studios of WBBM-TV, Chicago's CBS owned-and-operated station. In 1995, the series moved to WBC's Chicago station, KCHI.

Siskel and Ebert often had notably divergent tastes, and as a result, heated arguments and spats added to the series' popularity. Many viewers considered such "fights" to be the highlight of the program. In joint appearances on the talk show circuit, especially on David Letterman's shows, the two critics indicated a mutual respect and friendship off screen. Widely circulated outtakes from promo-recording sessions show the two both bickering and joking off-air.

In 1998, Gene Siskel was hospitalized for treatment of a brain tumor. For a few weeks, the show was taped with Siskel on the telephone (from his hospital bed) and Ebert in the studio. Although Siskel would eventually return to the studio, he seemed noticeably more lethargic and mellow than usual. In February 1999, Siskel announced he was taking a leave of absence for further treatment of the tumor, hoping to return. Less than three weeks later, Siskel died from complications of the surgery. The weekend following Siskel's death, Ebert devoted the entire half-hour as a tribute to him. On the show were various clips from shows past as well as their history together as journalists and then on television. Also, Ebert appeared on ABC's Good Morning America in a tribute to Siskel along with Diane Sawyer, Charles Gibson, Peter Jennings, and Joel Siegel, fellow critic and friend of Siskel.

The last show that Siskel and Ebert hosted together aired during the weekend of January 23–24, 1999. On that show, they reviewed At First Sight, Another Day in Paradise, The Hi-Lo Country, Playing by Heart, and The Theory of Flight.

Roger Ebert & the Movies (1999–2000)
Ebert continued the show with a series of guest critics. Originally containing the Siskel & Ebert title, the program was renamed Roger Ebert & the Movies on the weekend of September 4–5, 1999, following the death of Gene Siskel. The guests were allowed to try out their wits with Roger Ebert and test the possible chemistry. Ebert and film director Martin Scorsese cohosted one noteworthy episode about the best films of the 1990s. This format continued through the end of the 1998–99 season and into 2000 before Ebert named fellow Chicago Sun-Times columnist Richard Roeper as his new permanent co-host.

Critics substituting for Gene Siskel after his death
The following critics substituted for Siskel after his death:
 * David Ansen
 * Peter Bogdanovich
 * Jeff Greenfield
 * Jane Horwitz
 * Desson Howe
 * Harry Knowles
 * Joyce Kulhawik
 * Norman Mark
 * Janet Maslin
 * Todd McCarthy
 * Elvis Mitchell
 * Joe Morgenstern
 * Wesley Morris
 * Howie Moshovitz
 * Michaela Pereira
 * David Poland
 * B. Ruby Rich
 * Richard Roeper (who would become one of the show's hosts from 2000 onward)
 * Jonathan Rosenbaum
 * Leah Rozen
 * Lisa Schwarzbaum
 * Martin Scorsese (film director)
 * Tom Shales
 * Joel Siegel (until their "Worst of 1999" show)
 * Kenneth Turan
 * Jan Wahl
 * Michael Wilmington

Ebert & Roeper and the Movies (2000–01)
The addition of Roeper as permanent cohost led to the show's name change on September 9–10, 2000 to Ebert & Roeper and the Movies. The show's name was shortened to Ebert & Roeper in September 2001.

Ebert & Roeper (2001–07)
In 2002, Ebert was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and underwent radiation treatments for tumors on his thyroid and a salivary gland while continuing to work. Complications led to an emergency operation in 2006, which interrupted his reviewing schedule. (A few reviews written or taped in advance were released shortly afterward.) For the remainder of the 2006–07 season, the show continued with guest hosts during his recuperation.

By October 2006, Ebert had recovered sufficiently to resume writing published reviews on a limited basis; and later was able to make a few public appearances, but due to his difficulty speaking, he did not return to the show. As Ebert’s doctors attempted to reconstruct his jaw bone, his face and neck became increasingly malformed with each subsequent surgery. Television being a distinctly visual medium, this put the producers on edge. They naturally worried that Ebert's resulting disfigurement would produce a decline in viewership, and lower ratings for the show. The show became available online toward the end of 2006, with access to movie reviews on demand. In June 2007, the online program updated its archive, making available all movie reviews since 1986.

At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper (2007–08)
Over the summer of 2007, the show's official name was changed again to At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper, although the show's main title graphics continued to use the shortened name.

As Ebert's absence from the show continued, a handful of critics came to be frequent guests. Robert Wilonsky of the Dallas Observer and HDnet.com, Chicago Tribune critic Michael Phillips, and A. O. Scott of The New York Times each appeared repeatedly. On April 13, 2008, Scott wrote that his "experiences [as guest critic]... ended when Michael Phillips of The Tribune was made Mr. Roeper's permanent foil..." They appeared together in episode of Entourage that aired on September 6, 2008 (during the weekend At the Movies with Roeper & Phillips debuted), in which they played themselves using their show (filmed on the old sets) to lambast the fictional film Medellin.

The iconic balcony sets, which existed for decades, were dismantled and donated to the Johnson Studios museum in San Jose, California, where they reside to this day (because of their size, a new underground section had to be built, which opened in 2012).

Critics substituting for Roger Ebert, post-surgery
The following critics acted as substitutes for Ebert after his surgery:
 * David Edelstein
 * Stephen Hunter
 * Dave Karger
 * Zorianna Kit
 * Christy Lemire
 * Jay Leno
 * John Mellencamp
 * Kim Morgan
 * Wesley Morris
 * Govindini Murty
 * George Pennacchio
 * Michael Phillips (who would become one of the show's hosts from 2008 onward)
 * Harold Ramis
 * John Ridley
 * Peter Sagal
 * Lisa Schwarzbaum
 * A. O. Scott
 * Toni Senecal
 * Brad Silberling
 * Kevin Smith
 * Anne Thompson
 * Katherine Tulich
 * Aisha Tyler
 * Mario Van Peebles
 * Fred Willard
 * Robert Wilonsky

At the Movies with Roeper & Phillips (2008-present)
Starting on September 6, 2008, Phillips was made Roeper's permanent co-host, and the show was renamed accordingly. The intro sequence was redone as an homage to the Siskel & Ebert intro, with the arrangement used when Roger Ebert hosted with various guest critics shortly after Siskel's death. The set was redesigned to look even more like a theater balcony, with Roeper and Phillips sitting on the same chairs Siskel and Ebert had used on Sneak Previews (the balcony sets throughout the show's hisory were donated to the Smithsonian). Ebert returned to the show, though in a limited capacity, as his surgery cost him the ability to speak, in a new segment called Roger's Office, in which he reviewed movies in his office. The reviews were read by longtime WBBM-TV anchor Bill Kurtis and several other people, and due to Ebert's continued involvement, the "Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down" system was retained, with Ebert's web site being plugged at the end of each episode alongside the show's own web site.

With Ebert's death in 2013, the show did a special tribute episode to him on the night of April 13.

In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the series instead filmed at Roeper and Phillips' homes, under the subtitle Quarantine Edition, and the intro was shortened to just showing the beginning with a shortened version of the theme song. The first sign of normalcy came in June, when the show again filmed at the KCHI studio, though Roeper and Phillips sat farther apart from each other and the shortened intro was still used.

Review style
The hosts review a number of recently released and soon-to-be-released movies per episode, taking turns providing a narrative critique interspersed with studio-supplied clips, moving into a back-and-forth debate over the merits. Siskel and Ebert were especially known for sharp criticism that veered close to personally attacking each other, although they insisted this was largely a television act rather than a feud.

The show also recommends films coming on the home video market, including comments on DVD special features.

Reviews from the week's show are posted on the website, atthemovies.tv, usually on the Tuesday following the show's airing. The site's archives feature reviews from as far back as the Sneak Previews era.

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down
Since 1981 (as a test run, used permanently since the Tribune At The Movies incarnation in 1982), show reviewers approve/disapprove the films they reviewed with a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" as a bottom-line recommendation on whether to see a reviewed movie or not. This system departed from the longstanding tradition of ratings with a number of stars or other symbols. As the show became more influential, studios would proudly advertise when their movie got "two thumbs up". In response, the phrase was trademarked in 1995 to ensure against fraudulent use that would endanger its credibility. The critics frequently qualify their recommendations (e.g., "a mild thumbs up" or "two thumbs way down") in their remarks, but the official rating remains simply positive or negative. Prior to their 1982 move to Tribune, the critics approved/disapproved the films they reviewed with a yes/no verdict.

Following the death of Gene Siskel, Johnson considered not permitting guest critics to use the "thumb" rating in their movie review. However, this was quickly rescinded, enabling the show to continue with its signature (a picture of the guest critic's own hand giving a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" was used in the show's graphics presenting his or her review).

Since Ebert's departure in 2008, the system continued to be used with his endorsement and permission. In a statement to Poynter Online, Ebert said: "I had made it clear the THUMBS could remain during good-faith negotiations." It is currently used with the permission of the Siskel and Ebert families.

Wagging Finger of Shame
From 2005 to 2006, the show experimented with a "Wagging Finger of Shame" feature, denoting films that were not made available for a standard advance screening and therefore could not be given either a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down". Failure to prescreen a film for reviewers is generally considered an indicator of low confidence by the distributor, apparently believing that negative reviews would harm opening-weekend box office sales. Films so spotlighted included The Amityville Horror, The Fog, In the Mix, Æon Flux, Underworld: Evolution, and Date Movie. This public rebuke was discontinued when Ebert decided the studios were not taking it seriously. Roeper asserted that too many films (eleven in 2006 by April, compared to two by that date in 2005) were being withheld from critics.

3 to See
Introduced in 2008, "3 to See" was a segment appearing at the end of each show, in which the reviewers listed their top three favorites of the movies currently in theaters.

Over/Under
Introduced in 2010, The "Over/Under" was a segment where the reviewers pick films of a certain genre that they think are overrated and underrated.

Special programming
Occasionally, special shows were produced that focus on particular aspects of film or home video. The show gives the hosts a convenient soapbox to feature their opinions on such issues as film colorization, letterboxing, the MPAA film rating system, product placement, independent filmmaking, and social issues. For instance, one episode, called "Hail, Hail Black and White", was shot in black and white with the pair in tuxedos as part of their focus on the virtues of black and white film. Regular episodes sometimes devoted a few minutes for the hosts to give their opinions of a current issue related to the motion picture industry or to pay tribute to something.

Also, at the end of every year, the two hosts would run down their choices of the top ten best films from that year, followed the week later by their rundown of their choices of the top ten worst films from that year.

As a critic, Siskel's first top ten list was in 1969; Ebert's had debuted in 1967. Over the life of their partnership, these were the two critics' #1 selections:

Previously, Siskel and Ebert had separately agreed on Z and The Godfather before sharing the same opinion of Nashville, The Right Stuff, Do the Right Thing, GoodFellas, Schindler's List, Hoop Dreams, and Fargo.

Seven times, Siskel's #1 choice did not appear on Ebert's top ten list at all: Straight Time, Ragtime, Once Upon a Time in America, Shoah, The Last Temptation of Christ, Hearts of Darkness, and The Ice Storm. Eight times, Ebert's top selection did not appear on Siskel's; these films were Small Change, Three Women, An Unmarried Woman, Apocalypse Now, Sophie's Choice, Mississippi Burning, Eve's Bayou and Dark City. In 1985, Ebert declined to rank the Holocaust documentary Shoah as 1985's best film only because he felt it was inappropriate to compare it to the rest of the year's candidates.

While Apocalypse Now appeared as Ebert's choice for best film of 1979 but not anywhere on Siskel's list, the documentary of the making of the film, Hearts of Darkness, was Siskel's choice for best film of 1991 while not appearing on Ebert's list.

In addition, neither critic's choice for best film of 1988 (Last Temptation of Christ for Siskel and Mississippi Burning for Ebert) appeared anywhere on the other critic's list, but both starred Willem Dafoe.