Ben Lyons and Ben Mankiewicz Fired From the Movies!
Aug 05, 2009 - By Krystal Clark
My prayers have been answered! I used to be an avid fan of my the weekly series, At the Movies with Ebert and Roeper, as I’m sure a lot of you were. After ABC’s decision to take the show in a new direction with two new hosts, I decided to jump ship. They replaced the longstanding Richard Roeper and Roger Ebert with Ben Mankiewicz and Ben Lyons! Now that decision has come back to bite them in the a**!
I have never watched an episode of the revamped show, so I can’t begin to tell you about its faults. What I can say is that a lot of you must have also decided to tune out because those new guys are gone! According to Cinematical, ratings for the show were not up to par with their predecessors and it’s producers have opted to replace the current hosts. They’ve decided to go with the Chicago Tribune’s Michael Phillips and the New York Times‘ A.O. Scott, both of whom have sat in for Ebert on several occasions.
Thank God for small favors. I was literally disgusted when I heard Ben Lyons was going to be on that show. I can not take that guy seriously. Whenever he comes on screen to review anything, I get that gross frat boy vibe. Ben Mankiewicz was O.K., but he needs to stick to doing introductions on Turner Classic Movies when Robert Osborne is on vacation.
How do you feel about the two Bens getting the boot? Did you stop watching the show after they were hired?
Thursday, August 6, 2009 12:28AM
I watched more after they took it over. I liked it, felt like I could connect with them (I'm in my early 20's, if that matters)
Thursday, August 6, 2009 5:54AM
Ha to the lu to the yuh. Get OUTTA here Lyons! Nepotism at it's best finally backfires. Sigh. Release. I have the same feeling as you…except I actually made the mistake of watching an episode. You're better for not knowing……
Friday, August 7, 2009 1:25AM
I am so glad they were fired. I watched this show one time when they took over and it was excruciatingly painful to watch. Ebert and Roeper were the best. Their movie reviews I could actually take seriously, even if I did not always agree with them. I could tell they both really love film and they put that into every review and it was also obvious that Ebert and Roeper are very knowledgeable about film.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009 11:42PM
Thank the gods of cinema they finally axed that marvel of mediocrity, Ben Lyons! He was excruciating to listen to. Yes, I watched the show, but did so in spite of the hosts because I love movies and I like to see what is playing in theaters. (Ever since I got a Tivo at home a few years ago, I don’t see many commercials, including new movie promotions.)
Ebert and Siskel were the very best. Roeper was alright, but not as good as Siskel. But then when they put in Ben Lyons, I completely forgot about anything I didn’t quite like about Roeper. Roeper is a genius!
What made the original “Sneak Previews” (and later “At the Movies”) so good was the writing talent of genuine film critics. They were newspaper men, they could articulate and debate ideas intelligently and informatively. Ben Lyons is a product not of the newspaper, but of the most schlocky, empty, and soulless sensationalism: E! Entertainment “News”. Now they have wised up (it only took a year) and returned to the intelligence and talent of major-newspaper film criticism.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009 6:32AM
Michael Phillips is a combination of arrogance and ignorance, and AO Scott is a typical geek with a fixed stare. At least., Lyons and Mankievic (sp?) looked like normal people and talked like normal people without that laughable "I-am-a-genius-critic-and-I-am-here-to-enlighten-you" attitude.
It's enough that I can't stand Phillips's musings in Chicago Tribune, but to endure him on TV…