http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rift8Zp0hKk
I used to be a huge Siskel & Ebert junkie, so I think it’s about time I posted highlights from what may be their most infamous episode, featuring one of their most heated running arguments. At the start of the show, Siskel and Ebert have a major disagreement about the Stanley Kubrick classic, Full Metal Jacket, which Ebert gives a surprising “thumbs down” to. While I personally don’t agree with that assessment, Ebert does make a valid point about the second half of the film not being as strong as the first, so I can respect his decision. But then later on in the show, he winds up giving a “thumbs up” to Benji the Hunted…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRYatL4adDQ
Now… I actually saw Benji the Hunted in theaters when it originally came out (hey, I was eight, okay?!), so I suppose it is a perfectly acceptable film for children. But really, what kind of critic could give a “thumbs down” to Full Metal Jacket and then go and turn his thumb upward for Benji the Hunted?! In general, I tended to agree with Ebert a lot more than Siskel, but I’ve got to side with the bald guy on this one. Since Siskel dislikes Benji the Hunted, he is flabbergasted by Ebert’s review and it seems he just cannot let this go. At the end of the show, they do a video spotlight on Stanley Kubrick’s films, which prompts Siskel to segueway into the Full Metal Jacket/Benji the Hunted debate again and you can tell this REALLY starts to piss Ebert off!