Siskel and Ebert: Worst of 1997

[@07foxmulder]

Siskel defending Starship Troopers while teasing Ebert’s liking of Home Alone 3 is pretty funny. The banter between these two was always great.

[@YON_RO]

@K Starship Troopers was a movie about how bad fascism is, by a man who does not understand what fascism is, theoretically based on a book that was not about fascism. But you probably don't read much, do you?

[@herberthoover2469]

@@YON_RO That's what makes it a fascist masterpiece.

[@patrickandersen412]

He gave Home Alone 1 and 2 thumbs down but gives part 3 thumbs up. Beyond my understanding.

[@takerdust]

I'm amused that Ebert disliked Home Alone, but gave Home Alone 3 a thumbs up.

[@flaccidusminimus2170]

Roger was a single guy back in 1990 but he had become a step-grandfather by 1997, which made him more susceptible to embracing cruddy kiddie fare that he probably took the tots to see with him. No one with their eyes open could watch the Home Alones sequentially and think #3 was superior to the first two.

[@ElSoloNoco]

As great as Siskel & Ebert were, sometimes they got it so wrong. Speed 2, 2 thumbs up 😂 I know its just opinions not everyone is gonna share the same opinion ofc, but there's a few reviews they put out that really leave me bewildered

[@EssexAggiegrad2011]

At least Gene didn't see the further sequels

[@mainstreetsaint36]

@@ElSoloNoco Wait, 2 thumbs for Speed 2? Sounds sus.

[@thevoid99]

@@mainstreetsaint36 yeah, they can be wrong. i was like "really?" i was 16 when that film came out and thought it wasn't going to work w/o keanu reeves and it didn't. it was shit.

[@danialramirez5709]

Ebert was a big loss because he was a fan of independent films and I can’t tell you how many small films Ebert led me to. They both are missed because they were two critics of substance that you could count on to break down a film in full.

[@nonamewillbegiven2412]

Shutup man

[@sha11235]

Gene did that too with independent films.

[@kellymiller1891]

My List Best and Worst of 1997 is, 1. Beverly Hills Ninja. (Best). 2. Zeus and Roxanne. (Best). 3. The Beautician and the Beast. (Best). 4. Dante's Peak. (Best). 5. Leprechaun 4: In Space. (Worst). 6. Jungle 2 Jungle. (Best, Best Acting by Tim Allen and Jobeth Williams). 7. Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves. (Best, Best Acting by Rick Moranis). 8. Liar Liar. (Best). 9. Selena. (Best, Best Acting by Jennifer Lopez). 10. Cats Don't Dance. (Animated) (Best). 11. The Devil's Own. (Worst). 12. Turbo a Power Rangers Movie. (Best) (R.I.P Jason David Frank - 2022). 13. Anaconda. (Worst, even worse than Python, Bora, Piranha Combined). 14. McHale's Navy. (Worst). 15. Shiloh. (Best, Best Than Old Yeller, Homeward Bound the Incredible Journey). 16. Volcano. (Worst) (Tommy Lee Jones, a National Treasure, a Living Legend, he's got a long legacy, the roles that he's been in are memorable). 17. The Lost World Jurassic Park. (Best). 18. Con Air. (Best). 19. Speed 2: Cruise Control. (Worst). 20. Batman & Robin. (Best). 21. My Best Friend's Wedding. (Best). 22. Face/Off. (Worst). 23. Hercules. (Best). 24. Men in Black. (Best). 25. Wild America. (Best). 26. Contact. (Best). 27. George of the Jungle. (Best). 28. The Swan Princess: Escape from Castle Mountain. Animated. (Best). 29. Air Force One. (Worst). 30. Good Burger. (Best). 31. Air Bud. (Best). 32. Spawn. (Best). 33. Pooh's Grand Adventure the Search for Christopher Robin. Animated (Best). 34. Free Willy 3 the Rescue. (Best). 35. G.I. Jane. (Best) (Best Acting by Demi Moore). 36. Leave It to Beaver. (Best). 37. Mimic. (Worst). Etc. Etc.

[@mortalclown3812]

​@@nonamewillbegiven2412 Ok, Karen.

[@nonamewillbegiven2412]

@@mortalclown3812 not a white woman. Try again scrub

[@jackdull5699]

Siskel and Ebert :The Jackal was one of the worst retreads that Hollywood has ever made. Hollywood: Just wait til the next millineum.

[@5andup]

Cannot agree more. 👍👍👍

[@TheMrfoxguy]

Wasnt aware that movie was hated

[@ashleighelizabeth5916]

Poor Siskel wouldn't make it to the next millennium. He never made it to the continuation of the Star Wars Universe or the recreation of the MCU. Very sad.

[@rafaelsale6364]

Yep, and those awful remakes keep coming through 2023. Hollywood has no originallity anymore.

[@throwback19841]

@@TheMrfoxguy Its seems like an OK movie until you see Day of the Jackal and then realise they re-made an absolute classic as a complete turd. The differences between the movies are best encapsulated in the protagonists and their guns Bruce Willis, has no charisma or charm in that movie (or even at the best of times) and has a completely absurd giant computerised cannon thing. Edward Fox, ridiculously charming and almost sociopathic, has a very custom tiny calibre concealable carbine that fires explosive .22s. Also the gunsmith in the original was an absolute gem. Of the movies listed, Jackal, Alien Resurrection, Flubber, Jackal is by far and away the worst. Alien Resurrection is actually OK compared to the newer alien movies. At least its got Brad Dourif in it. I'll watch a flaming turd sandwich if its got Brad Dourif in it. And Flubber will keep a noisy child quiet for 90 minutes and if that's not a worthwhile thing I don't know what is.

[@ashleighelizabeth5916]

Sometimes it's hard to wrap my head around the fact that they're both gone and it's especially hard to realize that Siskel had less than 2 years left when this was filmed. It seems these days that every time I turn around another famous person I've seen all my life has passed on...

[@glennprince3]

Agreed. 😢

[@sha11235]

Well, everyone dies eventually.

[@mjwbulich]

They were old. That's what old people do...they die.

[@therealxunil2]

That’s because you’re old. Like me.

[@Rob_Kates]

2 brilliant critics. I loved this show.

[@DeformedConscience]

"Any bear still hibernating in August, is *a DEAD BEAR.* Lmfao! Ebert kicked ass

[@BlackManta_777]

Watching old S&E clips is like curling up in a warm blanket

[@lionelraoul]

I loved watching them so much. I genuinely miss them like family.

[@jamesmack3314]

They were great..so entertaining

[@notyou8716]

Back when men were still men.

[@rosario508]

They’re high up there among cancer’s most unfortunate and tragic victims.

[@nonamewillbegiven2412]

Corny

[@branagain]

Note that three of the movies named are remakes done by Disney. Fast forward to 2020 and Disney still does remakes.

[@aksekhiddelll8900]

Disney has never done anything new ever, it just repeats and rips off fairy tails

[@ViciousAlienKlown]

Worse, Disney does "woke" remakes.

[@Attmay]

@@aksekhiddelll8900 And that's why *Bedknobs and Broomsticks* is the greatest movie ever. It is an admission that it is impossible to create artwork that is 100% sui generis with absolutely no influence from what came before it.

[@vinnayt]

And their show was owned by Disney by this point too

[@nonamewillbegiven2412]

​@@ViciousAlienKlown1d1ot

[@chubbycatfish4573]

I can't believe Ebert gave Home Alone 3 a thumbs up...

[@Sh0tgunJust1ce]

"They reminded me of nothing more than a group of shaggy mountain men hunkering into a circle and doing imitations of autistic lumberjacks" I laughed so hard at that, Ebert could be a savage.

[@matt_ohern]

He made that comment when much less was known about Autism SD 25 years ago. If you were to do some basic research on Autism today, you wouldn’t find anything humorous about his analogy

[@Sh0tgunJust1ce]

@@matt_ohern Bruh, I can laugh at whatever I find funny.

[@Wolfdragon92584]

@@matt_ohern This was also made before people who think they know everything because they read articles on the internet got their panties up in a bunch over a joke.

[@cherylhulting1301]

I.laughed too hard at that too.

[@07foxmulder]

@@matt_ohernGo count toothpicks, wimp.

[@curiousgemini]

"Animals have a way of finding themselves in bad movies." The new "Dr. Doolittle" proves this statement still holds up.

[@a_yanki]

I've been working my way through the "worst of" series and today my decision has been made, I am firmly in the "Team Siskel" camp. As much as I adored Roger, Gene got it right (in my eyes) far more often.

[@ct6852]

Still think it's bizarre how much he disliked Fellowship of the Ring.

[@TalibanHatesme13]

Same

[@sha11235]

@@ct6852 Gene wasn't alive for that. And Roger liked all three Lord of the Rings films.

[@ct6852]

@@sha11235 Shit yeah I was thinking of Roeper. Keep getting them mixed up.

[@pseudotasuki]

Certainly the case this time.

[@MDK2_Radio]

I like the fact that the Worst of 97 show closes with a preview of a review of a film that would make their Worst of 98 show, Spice World.

[@scottaznavourian3720]

'I gave it a one star rating and received an email accusing me of being soft' Lmao

[@subtledemisefox]

My favorite part was the one about the "autistic lumberjacks" lmfao

[@cherylhulting1301]

Yeah, Ebert gut me laughing there. 😆😆.

[@riding4beers889]

@@subtledemisefox I thought he said artistic? Maybe I am autistic lmao

[@sha11235]

Guess the email guy thought it deserved less than one star.

[@brianthedesertbum]

I love their reviews even if i disagreed i dont care their cuts are deep!

[@JJ-ze6vb]

Starship Troopers is a masterpiece❤

[@MrMllx]

Visually stunning

[@PilpelAvital]

@@MrMllx Yes - but idiotic plot.

[@RobbieSkyeHamilton]

Anybody who thinks Starship Troopers doesn’t understand that it’s a satire in the style of propagandic war films.

[@scottlowell493]

@@PilpelAvital Satire, for those of you too stupid to realize

[@andysalter7192]

It's the unofficial sequel to RoboCop in so many ways , the satire is brilliant!

[@branagain]

Clearly the worst movie of that year was Speed 2, yet they both gave it thumbs up.

[@jacobadams5924]

Musta been reviewing that one on cruise control...

[@DavidBrown-wm1up]

They were not afraid to give big-budget sequels a thumb's down, either. They were just off this review. I guess it happens.

[@sdne1959]

@@DavidBrown-wm1up . Yeah.....I think that was half the fun of watching Siskel & Ebert (for me, anyway)......when out of left field they'd give a thumbs up (or a thumbs down) for a movie you were SURE they would hate (or vice-versa) !! REALLY miss these two...... :-( .

[@DavidBrown-wm1up]

@@sdne1959 It's so sad without them. However, I think we all learned a lot from them and think about movies through a prism they helped tp create. So in a way that might seem lame but is real, they live on.

[@sdne1959]

@@DavidBrown-wm1up . Yeah.....you didn't have to love them (and plenty didn't)......but their passion for what they did was hard to deny, and (almost) always VERY entertaining..... :-( .

[@gor9027]

Ebert disliking the Culkin Home Alone movies but enjoying Home Alone 3 never made sense. At least Siskel was consistent in disliking the entire franchise.

[@kevinivers]

I love how affectionate and fun the show was getting in the later years.

[@mmsiphonevinyls1027]

20:27 I wonder if Gene really stayed true to his word and bought Roger “Jungle 2 Jungle” on VHS for his birthday as a joke 😂

[@dnasty312]

I love *Jungle 2 Jungle!*

[@cherylhulting1301]

I sure as hell hope so! Siskel was a wit, Goddess rest his soul.

[@meghanphillips3495]

I want to believe that he did. Too funny.

[@sha11235]

Probably not. I think he was just joking.

[@andy3728]

I’m surprised that neither of them had Batman And Robin on their list

[@linkbiff1054]

They gave it 2 stars out of 4. These films were even lower.

[@notyou8716]

Batman and Robin is an abomination.

[@jacobadams5924]

Let's kick some ice...

[@jacobadams5924]

@@notyou8716 A BatmanRobination...?

[@fromthehaven94]

Speed 2: Cruise Control should be on the list, except they gave it two thumbs up.

[@mainstreetsaint36]

Sad thing is is that these 'bad movies' are far better than many of the movies released these days. 😯

[@mainstreetsaint36]

Well, most of the movies anyhow.

[@cm9241]

No they aren't. Take off the rose tinted glasses buddy.

[@jimjohnhaywire]

Thanks so much for uploading these. 1997 was the year I went into the Army and basic training. I saw Alien IV on my first pass four weeks into Basic and it was also the first Alien movie I'd seen (I came from a very sheltered background). 1997 wasn't a great year for movies, but it does bring back memories.

[@kevinthepilgrim]

That was also my first Alien movie but I was like 8 when I saw it. 😅

[@MagnumTriumph]

"boy, that's deep" :D

[@bijibadness]

i do agree with most of the people on here about disagreeing with Ebert on _Starship Troopers_ . . . but when comparing it to Verhoven's _Total Recall_ and especially _Robocop,_ it really DOES fall pretty short. still a good movie, though. with some very funny, good ideas.

[@ELEKTROSKANSEN]

I disagree :) Starship Troopers is great satire, it just has a different story structure than Total Recall or Robocop, so people have some trouble with consuming it as easily as the aforementioned ones :)

[@Obrian81]

They're Home Alone 3 debate is probably my favorite.. Siskel had that look on his face (Are you kidding me?) when Ebert gave it a thumps up! The movie was garbage!

[@jacobadams5924]

Two Thumps Up--(hmmm....)

[@amwfan88]

And funnily enough, Ebert (and I think Siskel too) hated the first two movies!

[@Obrian81]

@@amwfan88 true.. but Siskel defended the first movie, saying it was better & saying Culkin was better, lol.. loved that

[@thannaske5371]

Gene doesn't like cats. That would explain a lot.

[@acholl980]

He's allergic to them.

[@CaptainSpalding72]

Yeah. Points off for that but allegery is acceptable....

[@ACGreyhound04]

I just lost a lot of respect for Gene Siskel.

[@thespaceram2879]

@@ACGreyhound04 A Greyhound that likes a kitty.

[@flaccidusminimus2170]

Ebert's print review of "Starship Troopers" indicates that he knows it isn't terrible or one of the year's worst. He rated it the same as Verhoeven's "Basic Instinct", but probably felt validated by the fact that this one failed financially. Yet knocking it while defending "Home Alone 3" doesn't look good in hindsight.

[@scottaznavourian3720]

It's kinda hillariious that they put how much money a movie makes into their opinion on films...I mean their best picture lists are typically lucky if they break even, even on small budgets.

[@basquat76]

But starship troopers is bad. Just because there's a point to it doesn't make it a good movie. It's still poorly directed, terrible acting. bad cgi, and just bad storytelling.

[@Trainwheel_Time]

@@basquat76 Bad CGI? Really. So you just absolutely have no idea what you are talking about then. That explains a lot.

[@basquat76]

@@Trainwheel_Time lmfao. Sure thing buddy

[@bigmaz4002]

@@basquat76 the cgi in starship troopers literally looks better than the shit I see in trailers for new marvel movies. I don’t think it’s a perfect movie but definitely an entertaining watch.

[@stephendelcol746]

I was 13 in 1997 and I legit have zero memory of Father's Day existing.

[@WordUnheard]

But...but...Sugar Ray was in it. Sugar Ray. It was hot, wet, garbage.

[@branagain]

It came and went quickly. I only remember when it came out because Robin Williams and Billy Crystal had a weird cameo on Friends to promote Father’s Day. It seemed so out of place.

[@musicman76enator]

Let's see, so I am going to guess you are either 35 or 36 now? Married with kids? We'll find out if I got any of that right.

[@Xayjohns]

I hadn't heard of it until seeing this episode online. I was 5 back then. I only remember Flubber.

[@geoffelder2236]

@Stephen Del Col You're lucky, I was 27, and actually saw it with my wife (her turn to pick) in the theater (remember those?), you missed nothing, for it was a real piece of shit! On a side note, it was sad to see the late great Robin Williams get dumped on twice, but both of those movies sucked out loud!

[@Xayjohns]

Rest in peace to Natalie Desselle Reid from BAPS. She unfortunately died from colon cancer recently.

[@markelijio6012]

She's funny, hip and always remembered. God bless. RIP, Natalie.

[@TheKitchenerLeslie]

Wow, Covid, eh? Crazy.

[@meghanphillips3495]

She was fabulous.

[@crystalshaw8744]

I'm sorry to hear that. My condolences.

[@Xayjohns]

​​@@TheKitchenerLeslieYou're a moron.

[@NealFowler]

Batman and robin is severely missing from this list

[@sha11235]

Maybe that was a runner's up thing on the faded franchises list.

[@emb5048]

*Severely* missing?

[@Jason-qu8gi]

That was camp, love. Some people love it (not me)

[@Xanatos21]

Yeah, I'm surprised they left that one off of this video. Ironically, I actually liked B&R as a kid, but as an adult, I now realize how incredibly dumb and cheesy it was (best parts of it were Uma Thurman and Arnold Schwarzenegger, but even THEY couldn't save that train-wreck of a film). The same applies to "Batman Forever" (that wasn't even "The Riddler", it was just Jim Carrey being Jim Carrey and nothing more). Joel Schumacher absolutely RUINED Batman back in the mid/late 90's. Thank goodness, Christopher Nolan successfully revived the character with his Dark Knight Trilogy later on in the 2000's/2010's. Fortunately, at least Schumacher had the decency to later apologize on video for ruining Batman.

[@BarryHart-xo1oy]

Good point.

[@DH-xh3pg]

Jungle 2 Jungle was pure garbage lol. Even when I was a little kid I hated that movie.

[@598superchris]

Dave Holden so did I

[@meganluminais3586]

I have that one but I haven’t watched it in a while

[@mmsiphonevinyls1027]

Same haha. Even though i liked a lot of movies as a kid that ive now come to realise are bad, i always despised that one

[@7deadlysloths]

@@mmsiphonevinyls1027 Yall are freaking clowns. I loved that movie growing up!

[@mmsiphonevinyls1027]

⁠​⁠@@7deadlysloths just opinion. If you or anyone else likes it, im glad you got more from it than me.

[@geoffelder2236]

On a personal side note on the eventual winners of the Oscars presented the next year, there's no way "Titanic" is a better picture than "L.A. Confidential"! "Titanic" is a syrupy, overlong, water-logged (literally) movie that bored me to death in the theater, obviously knowing the fate of the ship from history, I actually found myself rooting for the iceberg! "L.A. Confidential" is a fantastic film-noire piece that really felt rooted in 1950's Los Angeles with a gritty story, great attention to detail (clothing, cars, etc.) and fantastic performances (at least Kim Basinger was rightly rewarded with her Oscar). Sorry, but I noticed that "Titanic" was mentioned a few times in the comments, and I was "TRIGGERED"! (Ha-ha-ha!)

[@Palidor19]

Titanic is absolutely something to see, but I agree LA Confidential is surperb. One of my favorite movies of that decade

[@geoffelder2236]

@Palidor19 Yeah, my wife likes it way more than me, almost to the point of making me consider giving it another chance. When I told her that just the other day, she then informed me that it was on Netflix. Now, I have to "batten down the hatches" and prepare myself for one more disastrous voyage! 😜

[@zombiedodge1426]

Jack Black: Well, at least THE JACKAL is the biggest flop I'll ever make. Borderlands: LOL

[@Xayjohns]

Always looking for more Siskel and Ebert channels. Subbed.

[@sdne1959]

@@sha11235 . Did they close this website down sometime in the past month?? All I'm finding is some financial information... .

[@sha11235]

@@sdne1959 It is working as far as I know.

[@leomilmet854]

Same here

[@Xayjohns]

@@sha11235 It's siskelebert.org now. I used to go to the old one all the time. But I just recently found the new site. But thanks anyway.

[@Xayjohns]

@@sdne1959 It's siskelebert.org. No "and" in it.

[@decimatorentertainmentstud8523]

Back when movie directors blame themselves for disappointing their audiences

[@cleftturnip7774]

Name one

[@decimatorentertainmentstud8523]

@@cleftturnip7774 such as Joel Schumacher

[@cleftturnip7774]

@@decimatorentertainmentstud8523 i personally have never heard directors apologise. But I'll take your word for it. Also I liked batman and robin it was alot of fun.

[@decimatorentertainmentstud8523]

@@cleftturnip7774 I respect you that

[@decimatorentertainmentstud8523]

@@markelijio6012 You'll get no argument there

[@alcarbo8613]

If Ebert was pissed about Political Correctness in 1997, I could only imagine how he'd feel about the movies today

[@Antonio_Ortiz]

It was more about how it was poorly applied to that specific movie and story. He was very progressive, so to hear him saying that a movie was too woke is speaking volumes.

[@jamesburke4358]

He would be forced to LIKE it, as most public figures are ordered to feel.

[@Hexon66]

If you don't like seeing women, gays or people of color (or shock horror! all three) in films, just cop to that, and don't hide behind PC or woke fear like a coward.

[@cherylhulting1301]

@@Antonio_Ortiz Unfortunately Ebert was way off on the merits of Jane Smiley's dark take on the relationships in her temake of "King Lear." "A Thousand Acres" had little to do with "political correctness" (aside from addressing the farm crisis, which wasn't a huge theme in the filn) and everything to do with investigating dominance in a specific cultural context. That theme is present in the subtext of Shakespeare's play too. I agreed with Roger that the film adaptation was poor. But we would have gone a few rounds as to the merits of Smiley's book itself. It didn't win the Pulitzer Prize for nothing.

[@OtakuAnthony]

Political Correctness isn’t a real thing

[@tomfrankiewicz7951]

Always loved watching this show back in the day

[@flaccidusminimus2170]

17:03 - Not really. "Flubber" was only a modest success. A reported $178 million in grosses might sound like a lot, but it isn't when you consider that the production budget was $80 million and roughly the same amount would have been spent on marketing and distribution. Disney was undoubtedly expecting a much higher return on their investment.

[@CaptainSpalding72]

And its hunk of shit

[@noisepuppet]

I saw it and thought "wtf, this is supposed to be a kids' movie?" Then I realized I was watching Fluffer.

[@markelijio6012]

Depending on how much you're spending on. Such as marketing and distribution.

[@RyanAnthonyDigitalMedia]

The Man Who Knew Too Little is better than they said it is. And Starship Troopers is a CLASSIC!

[@stonefree1911]

I thought The Man Who Knew Too Little was pretty entertaining.

[@bijibadness]

i love how Mowgli in that stupid movie stares down a speeding _train._ and we're supposed to believe this kid's been living in the jungle his entire life. any organism that displayed _that_ level of unintelligence would've been dead many many years prior. a _squirrel_ would've run at the first sign of that train. oh well. whatever.

[@loriellajames6978]

What about Dissociation? Or being stunned?

[@savage751]

Ummm why is there a train going through the jungle lol

[@mrchopsticks3]

Did Siskel say Crocodile Dundee did the fish out of water story well? He gave it a thumbs down when it came out.

[@spencer10182]

I think he is saying it is done well compared to Little Indian, Big City and Jungle 2 Jungle which he thought were bad fish out of water movies.

[@Notturnoir]

Its a classic for 1986

[@randomkiliinterviews9453]

They're so classy without being uptight. Real Men and rolemodels

[@raytimpson3361]

Ebert was way off on Starship Troopers.

[@PaulSmith-qs1es]

I agree with Ebert. The first half hour or so is brilliant, and then you can go do something else.

[@Dim4323]

Yeah its a satire

[@papamoosey1595]

It just pales in comparison to RoboCop. The satire in Robo is so sharp and spot on because the performers have a firm grasp on the material. It was so scattershot and hackneyed in Starship that the effects became the most memorable part of the movie for a lot of people

[@gigicassel1804]

I agree with you there yeah it was a silly popcorn sci-fi movie but it’s fun to watch enjoyable. Definitely one of my all-time favorites. Paul Verhoeven has made three films that are on my all time favorite list. First is RoboCop, Total Recall and last but not least Starship Troopers

[@mccallosone4903]

Agree with Ebert. Its a movie that is both underrated and way overrated at the same time

[@nicoledenise32]

Gene wanting a child to play in a dangerous neighborhood and get mugged.....lol

[@sdne1959]

. SO GOOD........and SO UN P.C. !! God bless Siskel AND Ebert !! .

[@ColinTedford]

Especially funny given how much he hated child endangerment in movies

[@jackson5056]

“The actors in this film are so dull, I wish they’d all get clubbed with a tire iron to near-death.”

[@RhiannaBarr]

The female voice of "Flubber" is none other than Jodi Benson (she portrayed Ariel in the Little Mermaid)

[@markelijio6012]

Jodi Benson, I love you in the Little Mermaid but why are you doing this? Well, it's a Disney family film, that's why. But anyway, I'm sorry for a little disagreement but for your sake, Jodi...choose and pick your projects carefully. I love you because I care. God bless you.

[@sha11235]

We know.

[@donaldpaluga]

@@markelijio6012 residuals for Mermaid ran out

[@jackedkerouac4414]

Wow Roger actually didn't get the campy humor of Starship Troopers whereas Gene got the silliness of it

[@44excalibur]

Starship Troopers was a mockery of Robert Heinlein's novel. If the movie had stuck closer to the book it would've been a classic. The acting was also criminally bad.

[@Eisenbison]

Roger Ebert is the most overrated movie critic of all time. He wasn't half as smart as people give him credit for.

[@jackedkerouac4414]

@@Eisenbison Really? I think Peter Travers of Rolling Stone is. Typically harsh on mainstream movies, too quick to rate independent movies high...Ebert doesn't do this imo

[@cm9241]

@44excalibur "if only the movie honestly embraced fascism" come on man, you can't be serious with that shit take. The acting was bad because Verhoeven intentionally cast beautiful but bad actors, like Nazi propaganda films.

[@Comrade_Jason]

Holy shit. We had to study this King Lear 1000 acres movie in 3rd year University. I hated it 😂

[@cherylhulting1301]

I love the novel and wrote a post above about why Ebert was full of it to be dismissive of this reimagining of "King Lear" as an idea. But he's right that the film adaptation was really disappointing on a lot of levels.

[@The_Husband_of_Jane_Lane]

I hated Alien: Resurrection. It ruined the Alien franchise, but Alien: Covenant did more damage than Resurrection already did.

[@hamupinhere]

Yeah, "Alien: Resurrection" is bad, but at the very least it's entertaining, and maybe one or two of the characters are somewhat likeable. It's a romp; an adventure-comedy, which admittedly is a disappointing direction for an "Alien" film to take (and the whole franchise along with it). "Covenant" was just an exercise in rectumology, as far as I'm concerned. It wanted to be both "Alien" and "Aliens" at the same time, while shoehorning in the reach for the stereotypical, bloated existentialist-themed sci-fi film hooey that "Prometheus" got too close to the Sun and burned out on as well. To make matters worse, not one single character in the film was worth rooting for to survive to the end. It's really beat to see somebody with such an astonishing touch and vision like Ridley Scott suck so hard, not once, but twice in a row.

[@gabrielpadilla7839]

Both are just terrible

[@reneedennis2011]

Alien: Resurrection was a gore-a-thon

[@danmseattle975]

I hated Alien when I saw it 1979 and so I never bothered with the sequels. The only good thing I remember about it was Sigourney Weaver in her underwear.

[@jimjohnhaywire]

I agree with these guys on all the films except for The Man Who Knew Too Little. In fact, while they were showing the clip of Bill Murray tossing an object at the dead guy and talking about how unfunny the film was, I started laughing hysterically. This one just does it for me. Ridiculously simple plot, but Bill Murray pulls it off. Will always have a warm place in my heart for it.

[@twikirobot6897]

I laughed out loud at that clip as well. Hilarious.

[@jgowdey]

Hell yes, same here! 👍🏻

[@TheLolapuff]

And Joanne Whaley is so sexy and beautiful I can barely stand it. Wow!

[@agl1138]

It made me laugh the way I did when my Grandmother died, ie: Not at all

[@sha11235]

It wasn't too bad, but not one of Murray's best.

[@danieldougan269]

I don’t know how anyone made a worse movie in 1997 than "Chairman of the Board." It was filth. It had lots of talented people in it, but the script was horrendous, Carrot Top can't act, and it was filmed in a strange, disorienting way.

[@alexmammoth2916]

I bet it's spelled B-O-R-E-D. /Long live Norm

[@IsmailofeRegime]

As bad as Chairman of the Board is, I'd argue Gone Fishin was even more boring and unfun.

[@SMLEFGFJB]

"Any bear hibernating in August is a dead bear." 😄😄😄😄

[@POPOPOPOPOPOP82]

Wow, Siskel really did not like Home Alone 3. He brought it up like 3 times lol

[@ricardocantoral7672]

I have read Day of The Jackal and I saw the Fred Zinnneman film. I love both and this version looks terrible.

[@bkmason57]

Plenty of good films from 1997: Contact, Good Will Hunting, 5th Element, Gross Pointe Blank, Jackie Brown, AGAIGets, Princess Mononoke, LA Confidential, Cop Land, Rainmaker, Ice Storm, Selena, Spanish Prisoner.

[@cindyjenkins6133]

Awe, the good ol’ days!

[@jamesmack3314]

And only 23 years ago...

[@henshin587]

Worst movies of 1997 are better than most of the shit released today...

[@whyequalswhat]

No they aren’t. Get your head out of your ass

[@reneperez7903]

U-Turn was a bad movie despite decent reviews i felt the story was absolutely laughable

[@tyzilla87]

Best part was Jennifee Lopez 💯😎😍

[@reneperez7903]

@@tyzilla87 she was okay but U-turn is a forgettable film

[@kennethzinke9168]

Oliver Stone, Billy Bob Thornton and Jon Voight each got a slap in the face from Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert for the 1997 Tristar Pictures movie called "U-Turn."

[@markelijio6012]

Underneath it all, Oliver Stone's "U-Turn" was his follow-up to "Natural Born Killers" with an excellent cast, released by Sony Pictures Studios in 1997. It was a cult hit despite decent reviews, but that's my strongest opinion.

[@reneperez7903]

@@markelijio6012 Natural Born Killers was a terrific film

[@adagiobreeze8493]

Awe these movies were so cute and fun for us 90s Kids

[@madouc5754]

Yeah but back then we tended to be easily pleased.

[@calessel3139]

U-Turn was a cute and fun movie for kids?

[@markelijio6012]

Seen on BET, FX and Sundance Channel since September 16, 2002 with very impressive ratings.

[@357pghguero]

You had your chance and YOU BLEW IT!!

[@kdohertygizbur]

Father's Day was abysmal

[@tthomaselli2]

I haven't seen this in so long... I hope 'Batman & Robin' made this list because it most certainly made mine.

[@sha11235]

It didn't. Maybe it was a runners up thing. Can't have everything on the show.

[@Hexon66]

"Don't you think it a little bit too many lumps in the head?" "It's what it's about." 🤷‍♂ Brilliant.

[@jro3213]

Oh Gene didn't like cats, that does seem to explain a lot about his uptight disposition

[@danmseattle975]

I personally love cats, but some people don't. To each his or her own.

[@bakedbeansgangstajones3937]

I like cats but not to fond of dogs. We all have different tastes.

[@massimocasella4201]

@@bakedbeansgangstajones3937 why do people have different tastes.

[@JimmyMon666]

I always thought more uptight people (like nerdy types) liked cats. I'm a dog person who never had a cat. Though I don't mind watching some funny cat videos on youtube, that's as close as I want to be to them.

[@ricardocantoral7672]

People who don't like cats probably don't deserve to live.

[@charleswinokoor6023]

Gene, you were so correct to say there was no reason to remake “The Day of the Jackal.”

[@geminijinxies7258]

I like many of these so called bad movies more than basically anything that Hollywood makes today.

[@humanice2]

YES! Siskel defended Starship Troopers, and he's completely right as it has become a cult classic

[@zacharysiple783]

12:29-12:32 So why was Home Alone 1 and 2 thumb down, Roger?

[@jacobadams5924]

I can respect a thumbs down for those movies. Was there anything redeeming to them? (besides Tim Curry's smile equated as The Grinch?)....

[@jacobadams5924]

@@clydesalley But the essential question was what did he think of: Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House

[@jacobadams5924]

@@clydesalley I also thought the third entry was a triumph in realism at a level that the first two entries failed to achieve....

[@francescobruno418]

Maybe he liked more the new children (I did, he was smarter)

[@sdne1959]

@@jacobadams5924 . Wait.......you AGREE with a thumbs down on the original Home Alone? It's a classic !! ANY of the other sequels, okay.......but the original ?? .

[@Will_Moffett]

It must be that Ebert didn't get Starship Troopers upon first seeing it. That makes me feel better about not getting it at first.

[@Crazy__Canuck]

Starship Troopers is a classic!! And far more clever than you could imagine. It’s essentially a parody of Aliens. Check out the review on the “Collative Learning” KZbin page. Or maybe it’s the “Rob Ager” page....both pages are from the same guy who has fantastic film reviews. Especially on Kubrick films. Give it a look see.

[@basquat76]

Still a terrible film no matter what it is.

[@Blodia1990]

@@basquat76 Agree. The movie is great garbage and becomes insanely boring ange depressingly grim

[@reelfishstories]

It’s underrated for sure. Just not understood in its time. I could only imagine what these two would say of the terrible movies released today.

[@spanky9676]

The book Starship Troopers was written 20 years before Alien was made

[@HoldenNY22]

I don't think the commentors don't get the Movie. The Movie is actually more of a Riff or just showing what Propagand or Pro-War Movie is. Actually, people don't get that basically the Soldiers are Nazis. What his name- the guy who played Doogie Howser. He was dressed in a Gestapo uniform. Some of the scene in the Movie are directly lifted from the famous Nazi Propaganda film- Triumph of the Spirit. The Movie is really once you understand it- is showing what Fascist Propaganda is like and is very Anti-Fascist once you get it.

[@daytripperhd]

There are times when these two realize on camera that they love each other and I feel these moments to my core. i miss them dearly. 😢

[@superpan218]

I'm surprised Good Burger isn't on this list.

[@cinematictheatrics]

Ebert gave that 2.5/4 which is almost passing. He had some good things to say about it, particularly liking Kel’s performance. Not sure what Siskel thought though.

[@cinematictheatrics]

Just looked it up and Siskel hated it so much. He and Ebert argue in their review over it, despite Ebert still giving it a thumb down.

[@Paulafan5]

Flubber wasn't that bad. Or maybe it's not bad compared to some recent Disney live action films like A Wrinkle in Time.

[@Xayjohns]

I loved it as a kid

[@amwfan88]

I'm 32 - was 9 when Flubber came out - and I've never seen the movie in its entirety. But I remember I started watching it after renting it from Blockbuster and just kind of walking away after about 10-20 minutes in. I do want to re-watch it someday.

[@CelestialWoodway]

I guess Ebert was not a Neil Young fan? Never saw that documentary but his live performances are usually great.

[@Paulafan5]

That performance footage looked bad (from what I saw in the preview).

[@robertoflores4925]

I actually liked that film.

[@tombiby5892]

I really like Neil on his albums, but his live aesthetic is not to my taste, at least when he was in his Crazy Horse mood. He likes ragged playing and long solos.

[@markelijio6012]

I'm a big fan of Neil Young and I actually loved that film. Today, he's now married to Daryl Hannah.

[@sotheresthat7882]

They may have missed the satirical aspect of Starship Troopers-i think a lot of people did, myself included. I also loved U-Turn, but I can understand why people don’t like it (which is a skill that these two never acquired).

[@plaidchuck]

Ebert actually looked at things from the audiences point of view and pointed this out while also calling out movies that insulted the audiences intelligence.

[@littlekingtrashmouth9219]

I laughed at the clip of The Man Who Knew Too Little when he threw the thing at the guy

[@reverendtos4271]

Well at least I lived long enough to see Roger Ebert complain about political correctness :)

[@hv3115]

Yes Roger Ebert was well known for being a liberal but he knew BS when he saw it. Imagine what he would make of today's SJW, PC climate in movies where men are emasculated and portrayed as weaklings while women are always morally superior and always better than men in everything they do.

[@cherylhulting1301]

😆😆 Ebert's reasons for disliking the remake of the story of "A Thousand Acres" are amongst the weakest of his career. But he's right that the film adaptation wasn't good. But as I wrote in my post, the story structure in ATA wasn't the real problem. It had many other more basic problems.

[@Harkness78]

Starship Troopers isn't as good as Robocop or Total Recall, but it is still great. Never in a million years is it at the bottom of any year.

[@Shorty_Lickens]

Starship Troopers is good IF you can appreciate the sardonic/sarcastic twist on patriotism and violent movies. Most of the viewers and critics didnt grasp it. Just like many people didnt grasp the sardonic viewpoint on Robocop. Paul Verhoven hates real violence. Thats why he uses it in his movies. He's poking fun at the American obsession with violent movies. And almost nobody gets it.

[@mr_nobody_000]

thank you for years ive always told people the violence in Robocop was a satire of Americas love of ultra-violent movies

[@Shorty_Lickens]

@@mr_nobody_000 it absolutely is, and when you know that it becomes kinda funny. Similar to Total Recall.

[@42k78]

The worst offense in The Jackal is Richard Gere's "Irish" accent. Starship Troopers is a masterpiece.

[@dnasty312]

16:28 Roger is correct here. Billy Crystal is excellent in *Fathers' Day* and so to is Bruce Greenwood. Robin's performance though seems all over the place

[@OtakuAnthony]

I feel like Alien Resurrection wasn’t as bad as everyone thinks it is. Starship Troopers is great it’s one of my favorites

[@Jerlynvins]

Alien Resurrection ? This is a good movie. Sometimes Siskel & Ebert just got it wrong.

[@califinn]

Funny watching Robin Williams have such a rough year with Flubber and Father's Day, yet at the same time, was starring in Good Will Hunting and it was out in theaters during this broadcast. Won an Oscar. Oh, the choices actors make!

[@sha11235]

Robin appeared on many of the Worst of the Year shows, in fact, he did it for four years in a row-1996-1999!!!!

[@megadethmofo2001]

I liked U turn. Good weirdness.

[@hv3115]

Same here.. a twisted, demented noir that tries to expose the ugly underbelly of America

[@thomasbabilon9146]

My reviews: out of 5 1 " The Jackal " 3 out of 5 👍 2 " A Thousand Acres " 2 out of 5 👎 3 " Mad City " 2 out of 5 👎 4 " The Man Who Knew to Little " 2 out of 5 👎 5 " Wild America " 1.5 out of 5 👎 6 " Buddy " 1 out of 5 👎 7 " That Darn Cat " 1 out of 5 👎 8 " That Old Feeling " 1.5 out of 5 👎 9 " Alien - Resurrection " 2.5 out of 5 👎 10 " Home Alone 3 " 1.5 out of 5 👎 11 " Starship Troopers " 3.5 out of 5 👍 12 " U Turn " 2.5 out of 5 👎 13 " Father's Day " 2 out of 5 👎 14 " Flubber " 1 out of 5 👎 15 " Jungle 2 Jungle " 1.5 out of 5 👎

[@canuck_gamer3359]

Has anyone else noticed how much these two wonderful men fidget around in their seats during the filming of this show??? Roger especially is terrible! I feel badly for the poor camera operator who must have had to have cat like reflexes to keep up with his shifting! I loved them both dearly and I don't mean this in a nasty way at all, just an observation meant to be a friendly tease :)

[@jstewlly4747]

That part with Murray was hilarious....."catch this"

[@williamherbert]

Poor Siskel, this had to be about a year before he passed away. My movie opinions always aligned more with Gene's than Roger's. RIP

[@sha11235]

A little more than a year.

[@BarryHart-xo1oy]

Yes,l often found myself agreeing with Siskel over Ebert.

[@ezequielgomez7083]

My Worst Flim of the Year 1997 on my opinion was Good Burger

[@lisastalnaker4097]

Who else didn’t realize that they remembered this theme music?

[@kamdan2011]

No Batman & Robin?

[@zacharysiple783]

They both gave it 2/4 stars, so they didn't hate it THAT much.

[@suarezguy]

@@zacharysiple783 Probably because they thought the whole film series none of them were good and they were just steadily getting worse.

[@StevieStitches]

@@suarezguy Siskel gave thumbs up to Batman (1989), Batman Returns, the cartoon Batman: Mask of the Phantasm and even Batman Forever. It was Ebert that thought Batman (1989) and Batman Returns were "too dark" and Batman Forever and Batman & Robin were too light.

[@sdne1959]

@@StevieStitches Batman & Robin, in my opinion, still ended up being pretty entertaining. Admittedly, for ALL the wrong reasons, but still (somewhat) fun for all the laughably bad choices it ended up making (and VERY hard to hate scenery-chewing Arnie going SO over-the-top as the bombastic Mr. Freeze !!) :-D .

[@flutebasket4294]

Wow, imagine Ebert criticizing a movie for unnecessarily ratcheting-in political correctness!! It really was a different world before smartphones and social media 😅

[@philiptoner8719]

Starship Troopers was awesome- Ebert missed the point

[@jewsco]

A lot did for a long time even though it was the same guy who did robocop and they got that . It was probably the bad acting that threw him and others off which again was the point

[@babybird871]

I hated U-turn....good choice

[@gspendlove]

I actually cried when John McClane killed Jables. How could you do that, John? It's like shooting Malcolm and Angus.

[@nitehawk86]

You just don't get opening sequences like this anymore. That was so unnecessarily well done.

[@youtubeletmeintoyoutube4580]

Them both being too stuck up to laugh at Robin Williams throwing stuff at the corpse 😢

[@josephjoe4180]

Maybe it's because I grew up with Flubber and have fond memories of it, but I disagree with its placement in the worst category. Sometimes critics really need to put themselves into a child's shoe and review off that.