Siskel & Ebert (TV Series)

Predator/Million Dollar Mystery/The Believers/Salvation (1987)

Roger Ebert: Self - Host

Quotes 

• Gene Siskel - Host : [reviewing "Predator"]  I think you get the feeling you've seen this movie before, except, I must say, when the creature arrives. When the creature arrives, that's a little different in the beginning of the creature. But when you see the creature finally at the end of the picture, then you think you're seeing outtakes from the movie "Aliens". As derivative as "Predator" is, though, it's not all bad, not by a long shot. Schwarzenegger can be funny, and the creature, as I said, is a marvelous creation in its invisibility, as it moves around and blends in with the foliage. But the story is old hat. No, make that recent hat: "Rambo" mixed with "Aliens".

  Roger Ebert - Host : Let me get this straight: You liked the creature as long as you couldn't see it. It's only when you could see it that you didn't like it.

  Gene Siskel - Host : Full- yes, in its full revelation- I don't want to give away too much of the movie...

  Roger Ebert - Host : You must've enjoyed the early scenes in "The Invisible Man".

  Gene Siskel - Host : I DID enjoy them, yes. My imagination is more interesting than the reality. You got it.

  Roger Ebert - Host : This movie, I think, is better than you're giving it credit for. It is exactly what it is: It is a pure, summer...

  Gene Siskel - Host : What does that mean?

  Roger Ebert - Host : ...Action picture. It is two hours of excitement, they shot it on location in the jungle, which is a very effective place, uh...

  Gene Siskel - Host : Yeah, that's a good place for a jungle movie.

  Roger Ebert - Host : No, but I mean, they could've shot it on the backlot somewhere. This looks and sounds right, it feels right, there's a lot of energy in it, and that's what it is. Of course it's a cross between "Aliens" and "Rambo", but so what? The people that will enjoy this movie can't remember...

  Gene Siskel - Host : I don't...

  Roger Ebert - Host : ...last summer's movies. Probably can't remember last WEEK'S movies.

  Gene Siskel - Host : Now come on, forget the people- I don't care, obviously, people are gonna enjoy it, I don't enjoy it! I'm tired of this stuff, and that's all I'm paid here to say.

  Roger Ebert - Host : Okay, next movie, our next movie is "Million Dollar"- I shouldn't have been so hard on those people- what I'm trying to say is, not that they couldn't remember the movies they'd seen last week, but that it's...

  Gene Siskel - Host : Oh don't...

  Roger Ebert - Host : ...Simply a Friday night entertainment.

  Gene Siskel - Host : Yeah...

  Roger Ebert - Host : It's very effective on that level.

  Gene Siskel - Host : Your, your standards are dropping. Your standards are dropping.

  Roger Ebert - Host : My standards are NOT dropping. Nevermind, if you think my standards are dropping, our next movie, I was about to say, is "Million Dollar Mystery", speaking of dropping standards!

• Roger Ebert - Host : [reviewing "Million Dollar Mystery"]  There are a few funny moments in this movie, but not enough of them, and that's because the purpose of this movie is not really to entertain us, it's a gimmick, and the gimmick of the missing money gets real old, real fast, especially since nothing the characters do seems to have any bearing on whether they find the money or not. It's all just luck. And another thing that confused me about this film is that you apparently don't need to see the movie to find the million dollars. There are clues in the movie, but the clues are also on the boxes of this retail product,

  [holds up a box of Glad] 

  Roger Ebert - Host : which has a tie-in with the movie. Now, in fact, there's a card in here...

  [pulls out a card] 

  Roger Ebert - Host : and it's got...

  Gene Siskel - Host : Clues...

  Roger Ebert - Host : ...the entry blank, and you can also get it at the movie theater.

  Gene Siskel - Host : They hand this stuff out, they hand these blanks out at the movie theater, if you buy a ticket, they hand the blanks out, Roger, at the window at the ticket seller, so you don't even- to get the clues, you don't even have to buy a ticket, which would be my recommendation.

  Roger Ebert - Host : [looking at a card]  Yeah, and I didn't win the $25,000 instant prize, but I can use this to save 15 cents on my next purchase. I'm not sure what all of this has to do with the art of the cinema, but I GUESS it's an interesting promotion, I mean, you know, see this movie and you might win a million dollars, and if that doesn't work, maybe they can try an interest free loan on your next movie ticket, or maybe a rebate.

  Gene Siskel - Host : All right, I saw the film...

  Roger Ebert - Host : Well good, that's nice.

  Gene Siskel - Host : Yeah. No, it isn't nice. I saw the film, and the point is, they would sell- uh, would do a better service if they simply said, "Try for a million dollars, or we'll give you your ticket back." I mean, I would take the six bucks back, rather than go for the million. I mean...

  Roger Ebert - Host : I don't understand the math of what you just said.

  Gene Siskel - Host : In other words... the movie's lousy,

  [Ebert laughs] 

  Gene Siskel - Host : that's the whole point.