Siskel & Ebert Saving Private Ryan (1998) Review

Siskel And Ebert both love the 1998 oscar winning film "Saving Private Ryan" Directed by Steven Speilberg

[@ShadyNJ]

The fact this lost to Shakespeare in Love tells you the Oscars don't mean shit.

[@darkl3ad3r]

Oh shit ShadyNJ, you're on Liveleak too right? Coincidence man. And agree with what you said. Oscars are a joke.

[@ShadyNJ]

***** Haha! Yeah man. Sometimes we need a break from all the murder and mayhem... talk about some high quality entertainment on YT. :) It's a small world bro, good running to you.

[@emmaduncan2991]

up until Schindler's List the Oscars were never a fan of Spielberg

[@darkl3ad3r]

I hear that man. Seriously small world indeed. I don't even know what made me want to look through all these Siskel and Ebert clips, or what made me look at the comments on this particular one, but yeah coincidence to the extreme lol

[@TheLCinema]

Because Saving Private Ryan is a dreadful film and SIL is at least decently made. Same goes for Schindler's List. Spielberg is a hack. And Lincoln... Jesus that was bad. The very fact that the man has even one oscar and is thought of along side true masters like Kurosawa, Kubrick, Scorsese, Polanski and Leone does in fact show how much of a joke The Oscars are.

[@mirandac8712]

So touching - Siskel visibly fighting the cancer, Ebert's love for his friend equally visible.

[@markdodson5866]

miranda c exactly what I was thinking.

[@samslick9000]

Gene was dead in less than a year after this review

[@gregpelfrey9506]

You are so right. Being a fan of these two guys and watching this show every week as a kid, this clip is actually hard for me to watch because there is no doubt that Siskel is really struggling here.

[@prezidenttrump5171]

You're just gay.

[@grungefreak10]

It really is saddening. Gene Siskel passed away in early 1999. Roger Ebert passed away 14 years later. They got to do what they loved until the very end and they will always be remembered fondly.

[@squamish4244]

Saving Private Ryan came out at the right time, when many of the veterans of World War Two were still alive. It instilled in us the horror of what they went through and was like a final salute to them. And Band of Brothers.

[@dnasty312]

My great-grandpa, a WWII veteran, sadly passed in 1996. I often wonder what he would have thought of this film

[@marklewen9384]

Sasha & kumani..

[@squamish4244]

@@dnasty312 My grandfather didn't know why we wanted to watch it. For him, it wasn't a movie, it was real-life brutality.

[@AnimuLLLL]

This film is a masterpiece. The fact that it didn't win Best Picture is outrageous.

[@jasonraczkowski6001]

It did win for best director

[@markburnsworth3591]

I agree whole heartedly

[@adambrydges1040]

apparently it was supposed to win Best Picture but Harvey Weinstein campaigned behind the scenes and was able to convince the academy to vote for Shakespeare in Love

[@markbraverman9622]

I agree. The biggest rip off in Oscar history

[@markshaw7253]

absolutely!

[@ronniebishop2496]

When that military car is driving out to that farm to tell that mother one of her sons has been killed in action and she sees the car coming and just sets down on the floor of the porch knowing what's happened and overwhelmed. It caught the horrible feeling of losing a child without saying a word. It brought tears to this Cowboys eyes.

[@thed.z.a.4658]

No matter how many times I watch it........I am brought to tears

[@ge2623]

Me too

[@charleybarley939]

@@ge2623 There was the similar case of the Sullivan's in WWII. So the plot is plausible.

[@ge2623]

@@charleybarley939 I believe there was a case in The Civil War that Lincoln had to address also.

[@tomsampson8084]

@@charleybarley939 The Sullivan's all served on the same ship. After that the military made a point of keeping brothers in different units.

[@reagalbeagle1]

I remember watching this in the theater and how much anxiety I got right before the last battle scene. The theater was shaking and the sound of the tanks moving slowly through the streets was so eerie. That was by far the most intense moment I ever experienced watching a movie.

[@Mario_N64]

That "camera shake" effect was so unsettling. Later I read they actually screwed up the camera intentionally to get it.

[@Xayjohns]

I watched this one week ago, in its entirety for the first time. This is one of the greatest movies that I've ever seen.

[@27519]

Long time coming, have you seen Schindeler's List? If not, that one is gonna fuck you up.

[@Xayjohns]

Justin Schreiner Yeah, I saw it in high school. Depressing, but excellent.

[@timpatjoe]

+XRJ92. You should have a look at the wind that shakes the barley and Hunger

[@suzycreamcheesez4371]

absolutely true

[@ahappyguy7324]

Band of Brothers is also an amazing tv mini series

[@marcusharjo8081]

I remember this episode and had to see this movie. I saw SPR at the local movie theater and before the movie started, audience were all just laughing and talking. Then the movie starts and when it was over, I'd never seen a crowd of people walking out of the theater so quiet and, like me, wiping tears from our eyes. Spielberg is a genius.

[@sandranorman5469]

When it was run in my hometown they had counselors sitting in the lobby aide WWII and Korea and Vietnam to refer the men to places that they could get help. BTW my father was in the first wave of D-Day and he only lived to be 39.

[@cjwright79]

Gene Siskel didn't have long to go after this was recorded. 6 months.

[@1995a1995z]

saving private ryan was one hell of a movie

[@danielphanover6936]

+1995a1995z Nowhere near as good as Hogan's Heroes tho, I'm sure we can all agree ! :)

[@870Rem12gauge]

+Daniel P Hanover "Hogan!!!!!!"

[@BlackpeopleSuck-pi8zf]

for jew lovers

[@sha11235]

Best film of the year.

[@3000dora]

Why this movie lost to "Shakespeare In Love" at the Oscars is unthinkable, and a travesty.

[@Ajourneyofknowing]

Yes but the 90s Oscar best picture winners is a debated topic in the film community People say that Ghost and Goodfellas were robbed by Dances with Wolves in 1990 People also say that The Shawshank Redemption and Pulp Fiction were robbed by Forrest Gump in 1994 People argue about weather Babe and Apollo 13 should've won instead of Braveheart in 1995 And the mixed opinions and views on American Beauty for 1999

[@RomTankin]

I hear all those arguments, but no way should Shakepeare In Love have won.

[@jediknight73]

Absolutely agree

[@sha11235]

Two reasons why: 1. This was released in July, while Shakespeare was released in December. The Shakespeare film was fresher in the voters' asshole minds. 2. Most of these asshole uncle fuckers didn't go to college and feel that Shakespeare is classy to vote for. Same reason why they picked English Patient over Fargo, or Dances With Wolves over Goodfellas. At least in these later years, they have gotten a little better with choices.

[@CelestialWoodway]

The Oscars have a history of getting shit wrong.

[@ferox965]

The opening sequence is one of the scariest things I've ever seen in a movie...and I'm a huge horror addict.

[@Thunderbolt8296]

This film doesn't just have an excellent beginning. The whole movie is a masterpiece.

[@denroy3]

No it's not...it's a bunch of of message horsecrap after the initial beginning. Good special effects.

[@Thunderbolt8296]

@@denroy3 I disagree. And I really don’t know what you mean by “message horsecrap”

[@vr2k8]

Movie is a great movie for it's time.

[@stevereynolds5684]

I don’t know about message horsecrap, but it is the most stereotypical cliched war movie ever made. You name the cliche and it’s in here, coward gets guy who just wants to go home killed then kills guy who killed him because shame is courageous. Plus many more. First 45 minutes are excellent though.

[@Thunderbolt8296]

@@stevereynolds5684 Agree to disagree, I guess

[@danielhurley2894]

When this movie ended as I watched it at the Brooklyn Center Minnesota multiplex, I clearly remember saying to myself: "How is it possible for someone to make a movie this good"? I still feel that way.

[@JaxonSmithers]

Mn kid myself, south metro. I know that theatre though.

[@robdykes3659]

Not like the woke shit of today

[@bigoldinosaur]

One of the greatest movies ever.

[@1suaveguy]

this is the greatest movie ever made, watching siskel and ebert talk about it the last 2 minutes made me choke up a little, RIP to them both :(

[@winkzmusic1]

“One of the big movies we’ll be reviewing this week on Siskel and Ebert... along with the parent trap” 😂😂😂🤣

[@ElvishShellfish]

Lindsay Lohan's own war movie

[@nailersrule]

two great films

[@sw3aty_forte]

@@ElvishShellfishLMAO

[@mousehead2000]

the best movie Vin Diesel has ever appeared in.

[@bigbabysld]

But if you wanna see Diesel's best performance check out BOILER ROOM

[@Tommy1977777]

his best role by far.

[@mamalannightshyaman]

@@bigbabysld I hate that movie because I was recruited as a stock broker and hated every fucking person I met. Bunch of arrogant coke heads.

[@mikeaylward4521]

Riddick movies are Diesel's best

[@XerxezsX]

He should have won the oscar for a random cheap actor category 😂😂😂

[@SamIAm-kz4hg]

Best movie I've ever seen. I saw it with my friends at the theatre. Afterwards we all just sort of wandered away, lost in our own thoughts. The theatre was eerily silent on the way out. I've not had the guts to see it again since then.

[@montemccarty6512]

I remember having to pee an hour into movie...needless to say i waited til movie is over. Afterwards, we all made a bee line to the bathroom. I was next to a gentleman old enough to be in the war with a veterans hat on. As i was walking away..he turned to me and said..that was the most realistic war movie I've ever seen...as tears were rolling down his cheeks. As powerful as the movie itself.

[@michaelb1761]

I don't think there was a dry eye in the theater at the end of that movie.

[@sandranorman5469]

My father was in the first wave of D-Day. So was my husbands. So very proud.

[@lanceheaps581]

I remember having to make that same decision many years later watching Dunkirk in theaters. I was hoping that movie would be as good as Saving Private Ryan a movie I had seen many years before with my Korean War vet grandfather in the theatre. I was watching Dunkirk having become myself a combat veteran since watching Saving Private Ryan as a teen. Long story short Dunkirk was a poor movie nowhere near as good as Saving Private Ryan and I went and took a piss.

[@helmerrudrogen1]

I miss these guys, Siskel and Ebert.

[@HEAD3455]

the lord acts in mysterious ways!!!

[@AlwaysHalloween000]

that cliche is sooooooooo lame

[@rabidtrumpazee5204]

say what? why? film critics are douches

[@bryansarracino8623]

MrBrenman21 I miss that show too. They had a great dynamic together

[@Falton911]

Rabid Trumpazee anybody with any sort of profession is a douche

[@robertm7889]

Beautiful work by the two best movie critics who ever lived.

[@Stogie2112]

I lived in Normandy for four months. Spring 1998. Came home in June, and a couple of months later, this film was released. Talk about chills up and down my spine! I saw it four times in the theater.

[@andrewjacksonbr]

I miss these two. 👍🏼👍🏼

[@davidleary7393]

I saw this when it came out and when the end credits rolled I sat in my seat unable to move. No other movie,not even Schindler's List, had that effect on me.

[@theyellowlightsaber3193]

You and me both, I was just 18 when I saw this in the theatre, before the film Id been into war as a topic and watched alot of war films, after this screening I never wanted to think about war again, speilberg effectively gave me ptsd, thats the job this film does.

[@davefullmer8669]

@@theyellowlightsaber3193 I took my 16 year old son with me to see it in the theater. Afterward, sitting in the car, I just sat there and bawled for 5 minutes, I had been so emotionally drained. I'm sure my son thought "Holy Cow dad!"

[@amlafrance1918]

This is the only movie I can remember balling at. Very moving

[@theyellowlightsaber3193]

@@davefullmer8669 I was too traumatised to cry, I was suffering from phantom shellshock but yes there were plenty of moments you could cry at in this film. Tom Hanks crying by himself in a corner is cryworthy, you dont usually see tom as an actor breaking down like that in his films but the fact Miller privately blames himself for getting Wade killed is pretty sad

[@edschober917]

Same here, David, only I was sobbing uncontrollably and was frozen in my seat until the crew came in to clean the theater. Cried all the way home, and now, in 2021, I still can’t watch the movie because of the emotional impact it still has on me. I’m 76 years old, and grew up loving war and cowboy movies and saw almost all of them. Since Ryan, not so much. This movie is a masterpiece in every sense of the word, and when it didn’t win the Oscar for Best Picture, I decided the Oscars were bullshit, and have never watched another one since.

[@outlawwales959]

So do we not get the review of "The Parent Trap"? Come on, I need to know if it's any good!

[@ge2623]

Lol

[@MrBEATTITUDE]

The first 25 minutes alone should have won best picture. Most Intense realistic war scene I've ever seen.

[@sburns2421]

Think about Hanks in the 1990's. Philadelphia, Forrest Gump, Apollo 13, Toy Story, Saving Private Ryan, The Green Mile, Castaway. Amazing run of movies from him. 100 years from now though people will still watch SPR. History will remember this as Hank's decade.

[@virajkanbur4371]

True, the 1990s was ruled by Hanks. Tom Cruise was right up there too. A close 2nd place

[@anunusualironiccircumstanc2108]

@@virajkanbur4371 nah, what about Gary Oldman? State of Grace, JFK, Dracula, Romeo is bleeding (criminally underrated film) True Romance ( A small role but probably the best performance in the film) Leon, Fifth Element, Murder in the first, Air Force one. I’m not knocking at Cruise though, he starred in some very good movies throughout the 1990’s. I just think Oldman had a more variety of roles, many of which should have won best actor. It just shows how many amazing films were made in that decade. Possibly second behind the 1980’s?

[@nizloc4118]

Very well put

[@quatore-5886]

I think frozen buddies versus pastoral

[@toddgrogg2810]

Shakespeare, got the oscar, but Ryan, got all the love.

[@harrystuart4724]

It is also very interesting, and enlightening to view the Allied Cemeteries in Normandie. To this day they are kept every bit as beautifully as is our own Arlington National Cemetery. To this day, French survivors of the German occupation and their liberation speak with great love, respect and appreciation for the sacrifice of the fighting men of the Allied Forces.

[@Grandizer8989]

When I saw SPR, two older gentlemen were behind me. When Hanks hit the beach, one of them said to the other, ‘That’s not how John Waine did it’. Fast forward 20+ years, I’m on a Zoom call with Dale Dye and was able to tell him that story.

[@rasalghul9331]

SO sad to think Siskel would die a few months later.

[@josephthebobcat5085]

Such brilliant analysis. Really miss these guys. Nice to see these episodes that I missed

[@tinderbox218]

They were so good. I forgot they were together until that late. Miss them both, a notable part of the American culture during my youth.

[@Gromit801]

The mission wasn’t to save a mother’s feelings. It was policy after the five Sullivan brothers were killed when the USS Juneau was sunk in the southwest Pacific. That family effectively died then and there. No becoming husbands, fathers, no descendants. So the “Surviving Son” policy was put into effect.

[@ge2623]

I caught that too.

[@danhenderson9382]

I noticed that Siskel had hair extensions. I wonder if he was already undergoing treatment for his brain tumor. The movie was released in late Summer 1998 and Siskel died the following February.

[@gc3k]

you can hear him struggling to finish the segment

[@JohnDoe-qu7gm]

The greatest war movie ever. And that’s saying something. Most accurate, heart wrenching portrayal of war. I mean if I ever see the actor who played Oppum I think I’ll smash his face.

[@timlevis3630]

Why?

[@JohnDoe-qu7gm]

@@timlevis3630 wasn’t literal. Basically he was a coward and let his fellow servicemen die while he sat there crying like a liberal.

[@timlevis3630]

@@JohnDoe-qu7gm If he was a conservative , he could have cried bone spurs, and avoided the war.

[@JohnDoe-qu7gm]

@@timlevis3630 lol. That’s pretty good.

[@jerseymike7946]

Tom Hanks is the modern Jimmy Stewart. Abe Lincoln's mom was Nancy Hanks, her brother is Tom's direct ancestor. He is Lincoln's 3rd cousin, 4 times removed. Maybe he should avoid doing a play at Ford's Theater. By the way, there is a fine museum in the basement of the theater, they have many Lincoln items. Also the derringer the vermin Booth murdered him with. The vast majority of tourists visiting DC have no idea the museum is there, which is a shame as visiting Ford's is a moving experience.

[@magicbus63]

My 15 favorite movies from the 1990's 15. Dances With Wolves 14. The Green Mile 13. Fargo 12. Total Recall 11. Back To The Future Part III 10. In The Line Of Fire 9. Titanic 8. The Lion King 7. Unforgiven 6. Jurassic Park 5. Heat 4. Goodfellas 3. Schindler's List 2. Terminator 2 Judgement Day 1. Saving Private Ryan

[@bigzach7778]

Replace hop dreams with last of the mohicans

[@jamescarr4662]

open range was 2003

[@Hollywood42081]

Crazy u don't have Heat in this list

[@Oof-DahReviews-bf4hv]

Spot on review of the movie. So glad the filmmakers did that opening scene. Sets the tone for the entire narrative of the film after that.

[@07foxmulder]

The Thin Red Line was great, but it wasn't anywhere near the greatness of Saving Private Ryan. Sorry, film snobs.

[@MontyQueues]

i had a problem with that movie i couldnt get past the first half cause it's weird and boring as fuck

[@ScreaminModelKits]

+07foxmulder Platoon is the most realistic war movie

[@07foxmulder]

360SRH 2 Platoon was garbage, just like the rest of Stone's films. He's nothing but a hack constantly trying to create controversy.

[@ScreaminModelKits]

07foxmulder A hack? U mean a combat veteran.. He understands war, not a pretentious flag waver like Spielberg.

[@07foxmulder]

360SRH 2 Sure, Spielberg is guilty of being a bit of a flag-waver, but he's far from pretentious. Stone, on the other hand, is the pretentious one. Whether it's Platoon, JFK or Natural Born Killers, he does nothing but attempt to make the audience gasp. I don't care if he's a vet, Platoon was a bad movie. It was almost laughable at how hard he was trying to be controversial.

[@PatrickOCnMD]

Really miss both these guys. And their great reviews.

[@MontyQueues]

a movie that shows the true chaos of war war is hell

[@davidquinn5429]

agreed. in 2021 who remembers Shakespeare in Love? Everyone remembers Saving Private Ryan

[@frankchukwumah9477]

This film is a masterpiece.

[@uchibenkei]

If you didn't get to see this on the big screen, you missed out. Very powerful film. There have been a couple good war movies since, but nothing compares to this.

[@Mr.Goodkat]

Watch Come And See from 1985 (the whole way through).

[@axgreenious9400]

Full Metal Jacket is the ultimate war movie; nothing comes close.

[@Harv72b]

Saving Private Ryan wasn't an anti-war film, at least not in the way that most people imagine such a thing. It was a film which told the honest truth about war, from the soldier's perspective, and drove home so many of the brutal realities of combat which are glossed over in other movies. The greatest beauty of the film is that it leaves the interpretation of the moral ambiguities of war up to the audience...much like the elder Pvt. Ryan is left to wonder if he truly did "earn it".

[@charleswayne7442]

Even after 20 years, this is the definitive WW2 movie. It is like Schindler's List. Epic, moving and horrific, and so well made and acted in. Superiour film making that sadly, doesn't come that often from demented Hollywood these days.

[@derth4]

this film is neither pro nor anti-war. It just shows the reality of it and lets you decide whether or not the cost is worth it. In my opinion WW2 was worth the cost to destroy tyrannts. Everyone who died was a hero and it is sad to try and break down this movie as anything else.

[@NA86737]

The issue with Private Ryan is that the opening is so brilliant that everything after it pales in comparison.

[@tiffsaver]

+GregB1986 Comparing a modern war flick with old, pre- CGI flick is not really judging them on a level playing field, is it?

[@NA86737]

+tiffsaver I did neither. I mean that the film itself was never able to get passed its opening and it's what keeps it from being a great film all the way through. It's a very good film instead of being a great film.

[@tiffsaver]

+GregB1986 Ok. But I think it's important for a lot of reviewers here to realize that CGI and digital technology in film and sound gave SPR a leg up from it's many predesessors.

[@NA86737]

CGI means nothing for quality of the films narrative.

[@tiffsaver]

+GregB1986 Who said anything about "narrative"?? I was relating strictly to the opening battle sequence at Dunkirk. Not the dialogue.

[@patrickorourke41]

Amen! I have to say this is one of the greatest war films alongside Platoon and Patton.

[@hanscombe72]

SPR 16 years later is such a special film.

[@andrewzenn1719]

One of my top 5.

[@funnyguy7574]

flawless film. amazing

[@raymoles]

The first 30 min. and the last 30 min. are absolutely realistic and breathtaking.

[@thekingofcool2105]

The more I kill... The further away from home I feel...

[@thegr8n84ever6]

Just imagine a Dad bringing a ten year old boy and his sisters at 8 and 9 to see this in a theater. That was my old man and my sisters still talk about the sound and images of the Normandy scene. They had their hands over their ears and their heads in between their knees.

[@Fermifire]

Siskel & Ebert were classy af

[@gregshock]

SPR is the only movie I ever went to see at the theater multiple times in a row. Every single time I watched that opening battle scene, I had to cry for those guys, because those things actually happened to real people in that battle.

[@faithplus1588]

Same here. i went to see it 4 times. Amazing movie

[@KahlessTheUnforgettable]

I feel the same way about “Virgin Vaginas IV.” I saw it at least 6 times. Every single time I watched that opening M-F-M scene, I had to “spill a little fluid” myself; because those things actually were happening to that woman in this movie. The power of cinema.

[@cjwright79]

One of the best reviews I've ever seen them do, along with the 1997 re-issue of The Empire Strikes Back.

[@ExodusPessoa]

+Chris Wright You're right he described the movie brilliantly R.I.P Siskel and Ebert.

[@joestewart-paul7181]

At this stage you could see Gene's health beginning to deteriorate. RIP Siskel and Ebert

[@DavidL14]

Tom Hanks should have won the Oscar for this role

[@dnasty312]

Nominated

[@sha11235]

He had 2 already.

[@mr.balloffur]

sha11235 That has nothing to to do with it. Edward Norton should've won.

[@tomsampson8084]

I saw this film when it first came out. It is brilliant. Like Schindler's List it is a movie I just can't get myself to watch again. Everyone should see both of these films at least once.

[@Independentfellow]

I think this movie can be for younger viewers. I always think realistic consequences to violence (blood, wounds, agony, etc) in movied is better than the sanitized action of a pg-13 flick, such as mission impossible.

[@Peter-tg9zv]

Great movie. Honors heroes without glorifying war.

[@ImJustSayin81]

omg "Along with the parent trap"

[@steveleeart]

Saw this again last week, so good on the big screen.

[@curtc2194]

Remember seeing this movie with my family...didn't realize I was digging my fingers into my seat during that first 25 minutes.

[@peterpiper47]

That wasn’t your seat....

[@powderfinger6597]

SPR was great, but, hands down (for me) best war drama is HBO's "Band of Brothers" and "Pacific." Both based on real people and their experiences in WW2 and both done with Spielberg & Hanks as producers.

[@ChaostheClown]

+Powderfinger Well of course those were great, but they had so many more hours to tell their story with! Different format. I love those miniseries' too, but it doesn't take anything away from this movie.

[@billbuster3115]

+Powderfinger Grant it, band of brothers and the pacific were miniseries instead of a movie and thus had more time to tell more stories.

[@SuperToombs]

+Powderfinger band of brothers was great, personally i think spr is over rated...long..boring give or take a few scenes

[@SuperToombs]

+Powderfinger don't get me wrong spr is a good movie that tackles a lot of issues, but there are other war movies i like better.

[@powderfinger6597]

+SuperToombs yes, SPR is boring in some areas. What other war movies would you suggest?

[@NelsonMontana1234]

The film also avoids the cliche's of the "anti-war" film. The plot is basically an episode of "COMBAT!" but the telling of the story is masterful. Speilberg's greatest triumph.

[@bigpete111100]

This film is so realistic that many of the British veterans who saw it were left traumatised

[@KahlessTheUnforgettable]

I can absolutely believe this. My grandfather left a trail of broken hearts and broken homes throughout Europe; but he always said the 101st did its most “damage” to the sanctity of marriage in England. To this day I occasionally get messages from English relatives I never knew I had. The Greatest Generation indeed! 🫂

[@1suaveguy]

BEYOND outrageous...is anybody even talking about shakespeare in love?

[@chesterfreeman2456]

I believe when this episode of "Siskel and Ebert" was shot, Gene Siskel was already suffering from, and knew about, the cancer that would end his life the next year. He was diagnosed in May of 1998, "Saving Private Ryan" came out in July of that year.

[@2HRTS1LOVE]

Not a fan of SPR, but it led to Spielberg and Hanks producing Band of Brothers for HBO, and I watch that entire series at least once a year. Love, love, love. If you've never watched it, do it soon, you're welcome.

[@SparksDrinker]

well most people watched this review because they love the movie. but you dont like the movie, so we probably wont love band for brothers. thank you

[@EarendilUndomiel]

***** What the hell kind of reasoning is that? Band of Brothers is _amazing_.

[@SparksDrinker]

EarendilUndomiel why should i believe you? you don't like saving private ryan, but you want me to check out another war movie/series? no way, i bet it sucks. hey i don't like the movie goodfellas, but you should check out this other show about the mafia.

[@EarendilUndomiel]

***** When did I ever say that I didn't like Saving Private Ryan? And I don't care if you don't like GoodFellas, it's still my favorite movie of all time.

[@SparksDrinker]

EarendilUndomiel sry its the dude you are sticking up for, but my logic is valid.

[@louisskulnik7390]

I was mistaken. I thought Siskel died much earlier than this. Our guy had less than a year at this point. They don`t make them like this anymore. I wish we had these two so that they could go back and re-review films from the past.

[@chalklounge]

Saw this movie on a first date. There was no second date.

[@matthewgray469]

Perhaps you dodged a bullet

[@donaldhavrejr8283]

Seeing it this weekend for the first time. Can't believe I've never seen it

[@babiesmakinbabies]

Man, I miss these two. They were unpretentious, yet intelligent. Able to appreciate mainstream films and art films. I'll always remember what they did for the Hoop Dreams movie.

[@bryansarracino8623]

Man Roger voted that the best movie of the 90’s.

[@mortalclown3812]

Terrific comment.

[@doublestrokeroll]

Thin Red Line IS a much better movie......but Saving is still pretty amazing.

[@HEAD3455]

if that's the movie with sean penn not great but fair

[@ivanbelinsky7596]

Lay off the drugs, son

[@doublestrokeroll]

I suppose if you're a simplistic person who can only handle straight forward "right/wrong" plot lines then yeah...for you saving private ryan would be the "better" movie. For people who like a movie to challenge them a little bit...Thin Red Line is much better. No drugs needed.

[@ivanbelinsky7596]

doublestrokeroll I was kidding, man

[@bg147]

I am not sure how accurate the action is in the latter part of the film, but I like the characters, relationships, and the personal side.

[@sinclairjg]

I miss Gene Siskal!

[@luckyday465768]

There is also no romanticism here as well. This is an Anti-war movie, this movie makes us have more sympathy for the men who experienced the harshness of war, and this movie also showed that war is something you do not want. Therefore yes it is an Anti-War movie.

[@mmclaurin8035]

I'd love to see an interview with the Academy voters and ask them to defend their voting for Shakespeare in Love over Saving Private Ryan for best picture. One of the worst tragedies in Oscar history.

[@zachhoward9099]

The Oscars are a joke

[@kunalandshorya]

This movie was movie of the decade & yet doesn't win best picture at the Oscars?

[@HenryConway007]

@Ranillon The point is, though, that Wayne never even tried to enlist. Jimmy Stewart tried at least three times before the Army even accepted him. Orson Welles also tried to enlist, but he wasn’t as lucky as Stewart- the Army thought that even then he was overweight. Wayne essentially did nada.

[@cliffslatterly2893]

Good movie. Poor Siskel.

[@ExodusPessoa]

+Cliff Slatterly I know he must be in a lot of pain.

[@cliffslatterly2893]

Sad, isn't it? I wish he stayed with us, and Ebert died earlier, as much as I like him.too.

[@TooLooze]

SPR, although not of my generation (I was drafted in 1969), is a movie so good and so moving that I remain unable to watch it again. Even so, I am still haunted by almost every scene still vivid in memory.

[@TheAvargas687]

This movie is the best war movie ever made next to platoon and apocalypse now ,a true masterpiece how it didnt win best picture is criminal , seen it at least 10 times and it never gets old

[@billdirlam744]

"Saving Private Ryan" lost to "Shakespeare In Love" for Best Picture at the Academy Awards and people are entitled to their opinion about which film should have won. But how does anyone clearly define a winner on a subject about artistic achievement which is by nature highly subjective. In the end the film that wins that award is usually the beneficiary of a well crafted campaign by the studio that produced the movie. Miramax was a master at this game so "Shakespeare In Love" came out on top.

[@9114SouthCentralAv]

Well said. Many folks don’t realize that Shakespeare in Love was a December 1998 release and actually opened wide in Jan, 1999. So it was fresh on the voters minds when they marked their ballots. It was also an acting showcase (three acting nominations and two wins) and actors do make up the largest branch of the Academy. Then there’s the Oscar campaign by Miramax. It had quite a few things going for it to give it the edge over Ryan. I agree Ryan is the better film and should have won but when the Academy gives a movie 13 nominations including three for acting, chances are that film will win.

[@Bonobanos]

harvey weinstein 100% manipulated and bought that oscar

[@sdcazares1980]

Of course rewards are clearly subjective. But Saving Private Ryan left me with something that I would never forget. Shakespeare in Love was the opposite. Not that it was bad, but when I first heard about the movie winning an Oscar for Best Picture, I was in shock. So I saw the movie for myself and I can see why a lot of people (myself included) thought Saving Private Ryan shoud've won.

[@allenanderson4911]

That scene where they're storming the beach!

[@johnprice8201]

I remember seeing this. Siskel was gone for a while and when he came back he really looked different. He would die just 7 months after this show.

[@sha11235]

Best film of 1998. End of story. No other film I saw that year matched it.

[@redmrlove13]

And like most romantic comedies, with the exception of When Harry Met Sally, it has been completely forgotten and almost never airs on TV. I can't remember the last time it was on television.

[@philiprobertson6983]

Great film but a major flaw is the drawn out long death scene at the end...it goes against the point of the movie that no one's life is meaningful in war and certainly no one's death. Sentimental trash at the end a la Schindler's List when Schindler breaks down and thinks he could have saved more....Spielberg needed more control

[@Gorilla_Jones]

dohaperson person LOL you have no idea what you're talking about.

[@lizrutherford2656]

Saving Private Ryan is one of the very few films that no matter what channel it's on, no matter where in the film it's at or just because (throw in the DVD), I will sit down and watch until the end.

[@colesandick446]

Wow. I’m a young person that has never seen this film, but seeing Siskel and Ebert show and talk about it, I’m almost in tears at it’s heartbreaking and beautiful depth. Can’t wait to watch

[@mclink99]

It's actually heartbreaking to see Siskel's health starting to deteriorate.

[@bananian]

how did siskel know the movie accurately reflect the battle? Was he personally in it?

[@DanielTheWalrus]

Because he read about it? You should try someday...

[@anthonyweston630]

What about the parent trap review? That’s what we are all waiting for

[@erichaynes7502]

Siskel was such a good guy so sad his life was cut short.