heliotis (01/07/83)
I feel like flaming. I just watched "Sneak Previews" last night. That
partner of Jeffrey Lyons' (I've a mental block on his name) is really
beginning to bug me. They had their show about the worst movies of 1982.
This guy kept disagreeing with the junk that Lyons hated, saying they
were actually good movies with good messages. At one point Lyons looked
at him, with a courteous smile for the cameras, and said "You know, you're
the ONLY one who likes these films!"
Besides this, the guy's reviews are often kind of wierd, and his manner of
speaking really irks me. It seems as if he enjoys being on that "fun" show
more than he wants to be a responsible critic.
I wish they'd kick him off. Yes I know Siskel and Ebert still do a show,
but I can't always be around for it, so I still would appreciate having
Sneak Previews be useful to me.
Is there any sympathy for me out in net land?
Jim Heliotisfranka (01/08/83)
#R:rocheste:-37400:tekcad:10800003:000:841
tekcad!franka Jan 8 09:39:00 1983
Yes, the "new" Sneak Previews has very little of the charm of the
Siskal-Ebert version. I think that of their problems is that both of the
reviewers are TV movie critics rather than newspaper movie critics.
Another problem is that they don't have the charisma of Siskal and
Ebert. Siskal had a clear personality of a critic who valued artistic
quality, while Ebert had an opinion of a movie which directly correlated
to how much fun he had watching it. Neither of the two new guys have any
clear cut personalities (except that they both LOOK wimpy).
Personally, I try not to watch Sneak Previews any more. It depresses
me. However, I do watch "At the Movies" each week.
Siskal and Ebert forever!
Frank Adrian
uucp: {ucbvax,decvax,chico,pur-ee,cbosg,ihnss}!teklabs!tekcad!franka
CSnet: franka@tek
ARPAnet: franka.tek@rand-relayrlr (01/10/83)
I find the fact Jeffrey Lyons and Neal Gabler have strikingly different personalities to be a positive thing. Personally, I think that Jeffrey Lyons tends to be on the wimpy side, and Neal Gabler leans toward the other extreme (cocky, jackass-y). Having opinions from the two extremes tends to cause a balanced view, and their interplay is often amusing and insightful as to what type of person will like which film. (JL: "That movie was gross and icky. How could you like it, ugggh?" NG: "But, wow, the violence was great, and when the guy's head was split open... neat!! Besides when you see a movie like this, you're not looking for great acting or deep meaning... you're looking for blood!" <-- paraphrased liberally from their reviews of, I think, "Class of 1984"). The difference in personalities works well for Siskel and Ebert, maybe not as well for Lyons and Gabler. One interesting thing about Lyons: He appears on syndicated TV and radio broadcasts (Independent Network News on TV, CBS (??) on radio), giving the exact same reviews *word for word* as on Sneak Previews. (When I heard his closing remarks for his "Class of '84" review on WCBS radio in NYC, the words "Class of 1984. Class dismissed!" struck a chord. He had used the same closing remarks on S.P.) I guess it's pretty reasonable for him to write something up about a movie and record it three different times for airplay, but it just seemed odd to me hearing the same review again.
jvs (01/10/83)
I might as well put in my $.02 in response to the flaming going on here. For what it's worth, I like the new guys on Sneak Previews (maybe they're not so new anymore). I find both Jeffry Lyons and Neil Gabler entertaining and very amuseing. I also find their movie reviews to be about as helpful as anyone elses when I'm trying to decide if I want to see a certain film or not. But then, I take all reviews with a grain of salt and never forget that a review is, after all, just one more persons opinion. I also watch "At the Movies", Siskel and Eberts show, and I like it too. But I wouldn't say that they were any better or any worse than anyone else. But then I've never been taken by the mystic that seems to surrond Siskel and Ebert. I'm really setting myself up here, but after watching both shows for the past 3 or 4 months I think I enjoy watching "Sneak Previews" more than "At the Movies". In the beginning Lyons and Gabler were awkward and seemed unsure of themselves, but theyv e gotten better as the season has progressed. All of this is just my opinion and I'm sure a lot of people out there disagree with me. So what. Aren't we all entitled to our own point of view. Seeing You At the MOVIES, JVS (P.S.) I watched both shows this past weekend and was very amused that the movie "Personal Best" was considerd one of the 10 worst by the Sneak Previews gang, but made the 10 best list of the "At the Movies" crew.
ms (01/10/83)
I agree, Sneak Previews now makes me nauseous if I watch it. I get much more valuable reviews from reading the NET. Bring over Barry Norman ! ( for those Non English amongst you - he has a simailar program on BBC TV - movies need describing with more sarcasm ! ) Martin Studd (Channel 13 is good, BBC is better)
mam (01/12/83)
#R:ihuxh:-10900:fortune:6900007:000:4 fortune!mam Jan 11 13:16:00 1983