Ebert's Trashy Tastes: Highbrow Critic's Lowbrow Love

0:00On April 26th, Roger Ebert, the poster-winning film critic, had a real soft spot for some trashy movies back in the day. He raved about West Craven Swamp Thing, a comic book flick that got his full endorsement and adds nationwide. He even wrote the script for Russ Myers while beyond the valley of the dolls. That mix of high-brow creed and low-brow love made him stand out. But Ebert drew lines with certain pulpy picks. Take Lewis Teeck's alligator, a smart jaws rip off about a giant sewer gator terrorizing the city. He dinged it with just one star, gripping about the beast's travel speed across town, ignoring the fun illogic of horror flicks like that. Fans and fellow critics often debated his trash takes, especially since he could swing from loving comic book chaos to calling out flaws. His three-star nod to the first Transformers in 2007, surprise Mini, praising Michael Bay's explosive robot Mayhem as goofy, self-aware, fun. That goodwill didn't last for the sequels.

1:00Ebert trashed Transformers, revenge of the fallen as overlong, over-budgeted at more than $200 million and marking the end of smart, spectacle. He skipped the rest, passing away in 2013. The franchise rolled on without him, raking in $5.42 billion worldwide so far. His new entries brewing under big studio execs expect more massive robot wars, but may be missing that critic's sharp edge on what makes trash click, or crash. I'm Corey, with a story, and you've been listening to entertainment and celebrity news today, AI-powered pop culture coverage.