Meeting our heroes is one of those rare situations that rattles the nerves with feelings of both extreme excitement and terror.
I was overcome with both of these sitting in a classroom in the College of DuPage during a journalism conference I attended with fellow young journalists from Huntley High School’s newspaper, The Voice.
There, we had the chance to attend a couple of lectures presented by news professionals. When I saw that Dann Gire, movie critic from the Daily Herald, was speaking in one of the rooms, well, there was no question where I would be from 1:30-2:45 p.m. that day.
I felt my mind exponentially expanding as I listened to a master class on films that discussed – among other things – how the famous first scene of the film “The Untouchables” was inspired by a similar scene from the Russian film “Battleship Potemkin.”
You see, I’ve never been a movie buff. There were many times where all I could contribute to discussions of “The Godfather” or “Dr. Strangelove” was a dopey blank stare coupled with, “Oh, I haven’t seen that yet.”
My ignorance aside, I was always drawn to Dann’s reviews. I cared what he thought about the movies he saw and always read his review after I saw a movie. He wrote in a funny, effortless style equally suitable praising a great film as it was tearing apart a stink bomb.
And I wondered about those stink bombs. I wanted to ask Dann about his approach when seeing such films. In my head, the question sounded something like this:
“Mr. Gire, you’ve seen countless films in your career – you likely know if a film will be a hit or a bomb based on the trailer alone. Therefore, when you attend a film you already believe will be bad, how do you turn off those preconceived notions and watch the film as an unbiased observer?”
Yes, my articulate question was not only impressive, but its answer was sure to be a life lesson for all us young ones. How can each of us bypass our internal filters and approach life with an open mind and heart? The answer to world peace was surely not far behind.
Then came the Q&A session. And my hand, shaking with anticipation – or was it fear? – rose. I think Dann picked me first to make sure I wasn’t having a seizure. I opened my mouth, and this trail of verbal sewage poured out:
“You movie critic, go see lots of movies all the time. Me like to know, I mean, some movies is bad. You know right away they is bad. How you no go to movie think, ‘This is bad movie?'”
To Dann’s credit, he answered my caveman question with grace. I didn’t really get the answer I was looking for, but it certainly wasn’t his fault. I left with scars of shame that lasted years.
But like Rocky, I would get my chance at redemption.
The scene was eerily similar. Another journalism conference, this time in Chicago with my college friends from the Daily Vidette. Dann Gire was again on the speaker list.
This time, however, things would be different. I was older. I had seen all three “Godfathers” and “Dr. Strangelove,” among other films. And I was attending with my friend and current Sun Day reporter Andrew Steckling, who had worked with Dann during an internship with the Daily Herald. I had better make this good.
The terror flashbacks started as the lights went back up and the Q&A session began. My hand rose almost independent of my body.
But there was no shaking this time. I was called and asked my question like a well-adjusted adult. And this time I got a great answer: Dann said he never shuts off that filter. He walks into the theater with a notion based on the trailer because it’s the trailer’s job to make him excited about a film. If the trailer fails to do so, it’s a knock against the studio.
I walked out of the session beaming – the answer to my years-old question finally answered and my image in the eyes of my hero refurbished. Though in truth, he likely had no idea who I was.
Hearing about the recent death of famed film critic Richard Ebert brought these memories back to my mind. Though I did not grow up reading his columns, I was familiar with “At the Movies” as well as the signature “thumbs-up” (or down) he and Gene Siskel would give films.
I didn’t know it during Roger’s life, but after his death, I learned that he was quite the philosopher. I came across a selection of his quotes, and I loved how many of them seem influenced by his role as a critic:
“Your intellect may be confused, but your emotions will never lie to you.” This could have very well been the answer to my question to Gire. Sometimes it’s best to not look at things through an analytical framework, but just on how it makes you feel.
“We are put on this planet only once, and to limit ourselves to the familiar is a crime against our minds.” This seems to me the first rule of critiquing anything. Be open to all genres and styles because you never know what will surprise you. Of course, it translates to life as well.
“Life always has an unhappy ending, but you can have a lot of fun along the way, and everything doesn’t have to be dripping in deep significance.” This one is particularly poignant given Roger’s suffering near his end. You’d think that a film aficionado like Roger would want his life to play out like a classic movie, but here he’s acknowledging that almost no one’s ever does, and that this is a good thing.
