Ebert is a mixed bag for me.
I really enjoy reading his movie reviews. He’s probably one of the best “popular” movie critics in that he can be honest about a movie, draw on and reference a properly expert knowledge of film history and still be fun to read.
That said as he’s gotten older I think his standards have fallen a bit. It’d be interesting to plot his “star rating” vs year of release. My impression is that he’s a bit easier on movies these days, but I’d need some research to prove it.
He had a really horrific disease and recovery, but God bless him for refusing to withdraw from the public spotlight. Good for him.
He properly hates 3d. I agree with him 100%, and I’m a youngish guy. It’s a gimmick to inflate ticket prices. 60% of the time it adds nothing, 30% of the time it actually harms the film.
I don’t like his rather harsh (and old-fogey sounding) dismissal of video games as an art form. Yeah, gamers tend to oversell a lot of games as “works of art”. But there is art there, and it’s a new medium, and to dismiss it outright smacks of “old guy uncomfortable with new media”.
A hero? No. But he is a good critic, a good writer, and (seems to me) a good guy.