Roger Ebert was never afraid to speak his opinion, no matter how in the minority. He was quite nostalgic for the past, yet eager and open-minded for the future. At the time, he was one of the few critics to appreciate the groundbreaking magnitude of Bonnie and Clyde, feel what enthralled others with blockbusters such as Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark, and became the first major critic to take advantage of the internet (constantly writing blogs about film, his life, and the world in general). He expressed his mind in an emotionally sophisticated way that never felt condescending to his readers. Where other film critics became repulsed by new decades of film, Ebert lacked such bitterness and bias; always finding joy and entertainment in the newest forms of cinema up until his death. Roger Ebert quickly grew to become my favorite and most respected film critic; a role model whose work helped shape my own blog, and whose life and philosophies are explored in the 2014 documentary Life Itself.
