I knew there was a reason(s) I like Ebert

Peter Chattaway recently linked to and posted a quote from a blog entry by film critic Roger Ebert, where Ebert responds to the charge that he tends to give out too many stars for films (in other words, he's too "generous"). I couldn't help but grin ear-to-ear as I read Ebert's words, and I especially resonated with this part of his explanation as to what makes him "tilt in a more favorable direction":

I like movies too much. I walk into the theater not in an adversarial attitude, but with hope and optimism (except for some movies, of course). I know that to get a movie made is a small miracle, that the reputations, careers and finances of the participants are on the line, and that hardly anybody sets out to make a bad movie. I do not feel comfortable posing as impossible to please. Film lovers attend different movies for different reasons, all of them valid; did I enjoy "Joe vs. the Volcano" more than some Oscar winners? Certainly.

I walk into theaters the same way; I really love stories and I'm always somewhat giddy at the chance to watch them unfold. And having gotten to know some folks in the movie making business, I so resonate with Ebert regarding the "small miracle" that is born out of the aspirations and work of many of those folks.

And, I must admit, many of those I resonate with the most don't get awards. In fact, half the film posters lining my living room walls are of movies that never made Oscar's radar.

Mr. Ebert, your words are an encouragement to we little folks out here who only do this for fun. Thank you.