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One of Chicago's very own, famed film critic Roger Ebert, succumbed to his long standing battle with cancer earlier today two days after publicly announcing that he was taking a "leave of presence".

Chicago Sun Times wrote:Ebert, 70, who reviewed movies for the Chicago Sun-Times for 46 years and on TV for 31 years, and who was without question the nation’s most prominent and influential film critic, died Thursday in Chicago. He had been in poor health over the past decade, battling cancers of the thyroid and salivary gland.

Thanks to Paramount, my wife and I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Ebert and his wife Chaz at the press premiere of Transformers Dark of the Moon, who sat directly in the seats behind us. It was quite an honor to meet a film critic whose name had become as big as some of the stars of the films he had reviewed.

To say the least, Roger Ebert wasn't the biggest fans of the Transformers films. However, Mr. Ebert mentioned Seibertron.com in a July 2009 article he had written defending his views about Transformers Revenge of the Fallen which you can view here.

Roger Ebert wrote:Now about those who sincerely believe "Transformers" is a good, even a great, film. I sincerely believe they are wrong. I don't consider them stupid--at least, not (most of) the ones who write to me. Some of the posters at certain popular web forums are nine blooms short of a bouquet. But on the other hand look at the spirited discussions on the movie forums of the all-Transformers-all-the time seibertron.com, where a Paramount exit poll showing "90% of those polled thought the second film was as good or better than the first one" has been received with ridicule. Significantly, those are moderated forums.

Roger Ebert's reviews of the live action Transformers films can be found by clicking on the links below (please note that at the time of this article, his website seems to be having difficulties loading):

• Transformers
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
• Transformers Dark of the Moon

Here's another fun article of his titled "On the origins of Transformers" which you can also find here on the Sun Times website.

I swear I've read a review he and/or Siskel wrote about the original animated Transformers film. If anyone has a link to that, I would like to update this news story with that review. I think I've only read it in a book and haven't seen it online before.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Mr. Ebert's wife and family. You can share your thoughts on our forums here on Seibertron.com.

sorry for his loss i enjoyed him & siskel on tv but i never agree with officla movie critics on there decision what is good and bad

I watched him and Gene Siskel give their reviews for a good portion of my childhood. I knew that if I wanted to see new footage of a movie before it came out, watching their show was the way to do it.

Even if I didn't agree with their opinions on a lot of things, it was still entertaining to watch them.

To say that the world has lost a really talented voice, is an understatement. Love him or hate him, Ebert shaped the critic world as we know it. He broke ground, with Siskel, that possibly no one else will ever replicate.

My thoughts and prayers are with his family during this incredibly sad time.

That being said, I have to wonder... Did he know his end was coming? I just find it odd that he takes a leave of absence, mentions a re-occurrence of his Cancer, day before yesterday. We find out about yesterday via the news. ...and then today, he dies. I think he had to have known.

never heard of the man but kike all good dead people may he rest in peace.

It seemed that I could almost always count on his reviews to tell me whether I would enjoy a movie. If he didn't think it was good, it was a good bet I wouldn't enjoy it either.

I've yet to find a reviewer who's opinions so closely match my own. He will be missed.

I've no wish to speak ill of the dead. Though I'd feel more regret at his passing if he hadn't become such a frothing political moon-bat towards the end.

But maybe he'd simply spent so many years criticizing stuff that he got to the point where he couldn't feel good about anything anymore. If so, he can be forgiven. Here's hoping he can find peace from all that now.

I'm going to catch no small amount of hell for saying this but with the kind of man he became toward the end of his life I'm at best apathetic of today's news. This was someone who, when moviegoers decided not to follow his opinion on the Transformers films, chose the professional thing to do was create a blistering criticism of the series fans like a petulant child. He crossed the line from professional critic to troll and in that moment I lost my respect for him.

It's a sad thing when a person dies, however that does not protect them from anything in my eyes. He threw his right to call himself a professional out the window with that article.

I always feel like these critics are way too uptight and critical of every movie. I don't feel like they understand that a lot of movie are just for fun, its entertaining to watch and have to take it for what it is and not dig into it and rip it for all its flaws. that said I've watch the man for a big part of my childhood and I respect his opinions but it never lead me to decisions to not watch a movie but always convince me to watch something I would have never have thought about.
May he rest in peace.

Guys shhhhh his ghost will haunt us all.

Siskel and Ebert reunited again.

Capt.Failure wrote:It's a sad thing when a person dies, however that does not protect them from anything in my eyes. He threw his right to call himself a professional out the window with that article.

Go play with your toys. Leave the discussion of art to those who know what they're talking about.

Hoppercool wrote:

Capt.Failure wrote:It's a sad thing when a person dies, however that does not protect them from anything in my eyes. He threw his right to call himself a professional out the window with that article.

Go play with your toys. Leave the discussion of art to those who know what they're talking about.

Hopper, you're the one who needs to learn the art. Capt.Failure knows exactly what he's talking about and apparently you do not. After one of the movies (I believe it was ROTF), Ebert was attacked (verbally) by fans and instead of taking the professional high road, he resorted to blanket attacking all of our IQs and calling us neanderthals. It was unprofessional, simply put.

I have respect for the man, I don't want to speak ill of the dead, but he did cross a line there.

And watch your step with how you talk to your fellow posters, please. Please don't speak to others like that anymore.